Robyn Foyster
International author and leading pharmacist Gai Williams believes too many colleagues in the medical profession are misinforming distraught Aussie mums desperate for help.
The co-founder of miracle herbal cure Wilby’s Wind & Colic Mix says doctors need to listen closer to those at their wits end over their baby’s crying – and consider that infantile colic could be the root of the problem.
“So many mums come to us and say they’ve been to three doctors and three paediatricians and all tell them that babies just cry, but that’s not good enough in my world,” Gai tells Game Changers‘ host Sarah Harris in the second of our hit video and podcast series featuring inspiring Australians.
“Babies do cry, but they shouldn’t cry for eight hours at a time. It’s an insult to a mum to say ‘you’ve just got to ride it out’.
“Des Lardner, who came up with the original [colic] formula, told me, and I also put this in my book, ‘we’ve got to stop these mums wanting to drown their babies in the bath’.”
Gai believes 40% of newborn babies will suffer from some kind of colic reflux, and after a Caesarean birth that number rises to 70%, she says.
“Ask 10 different people and you’ll get 10 different answers as to what colic is, but we describe it as a common problem caused by an immature gut or digestive system.
“Wind gets trapped in the bowel, causing pain. Each time those pockets of wind move, the baby’s startled and starts crying. They’ll sometimes wake up from a dead sleep, screaming in pain and sometimes that can go on for five, six hours.
“It’s not just the mums affected either; it’s the dads and the rest of the family.
“I think that post-natal depression can come into that too because it’s hard to bond with a baby that just cries all the time. Sometimes it all ends in tears for everyone.”
Gai says the “central secret” ingredient in the proven Wilby’s formula is the leaves of belladonna berries.
“We use the leaves of the plant in a tincture so the safety parameters about the doses that we use are very, very safe,” she adds.
“Our mix also has a support service wrapped around it. Mums can ring us if they feel it’s not working or it’s helping a little bit but not quite enough, we can fiddle with dosages…we make it fresh for every baby, it’s an unpreserved product.”
The formula dosages are also customised for each baby, based on a detailed questionnaire that factors in variables like liver, kidney and/or heart problems, or whether the baby was born via a C-section.
While she concedes to Sarah that many doctors may be sceptical about the medicinal powers of herbal remedies, she says the proof is in the overwhelming feedback from mums, effusive about the transformation the product has made.
“I’ve got so many hundreds of grateful stories,” says Gai. “They’ve got their baby back; everyone’s sleeping, but of course our biggest problem is getting the word out to the 40%. Some mums have never heard of colic.”
To help spread her message of hope, Gai has also written No More Tears: Colic Relief – A parent’s guide to a happy and pain free baby.
“I think the essential point is that you’ve got to be told that it’s not your fault. A lot of mums just feel so helpless and upset and confused, and they think it’s something they’re doing.
“We just want to help as many mums as we can because it [Wilby’s] changes lives. It changes families and it changes babies.”
FREE Colic advice line, Ph 1300794232
Gai William’s company was recently named one of the 2017 Smart 100 Most Innovative Businesses in Australia.
