File photo of Angelina Jolie in Iraq on 2/7/08. Credit: Fame
The National Enquirer’s inset cover story about Brad and Angelina’s twins, which reads “Something is wrong with the twins! Medical team called in,” has to do with a common but often scary medical condition in newborns – colic. Both Knox and Vivienne, who turn two months old next week, are said to suffer from colic, in which babies cry for extended periods of time and appear in distress. Colic is often assumed to be caused by digestive trouble in babies, but medically it’s unknown what causes it exactly. Of course two colic-suffering newborns along with four other children at home is said to be causing Angelina countless stress and worry. She has a doctor staying at the family’s villa in France to ensure that everything is ok, and he has his own medical team. She also has another doctor and nurse on 24 hour call. According to the Enquirer she does have nannies, but she insists on caring for the twins herself.

“Both twins are suffering from colic, and Angelina is an absolute wreck from not getting enough sleep. Even though she’s raised four other children, the twins’ seemingly constant discomfort is stressing her out.

“She’s called in a doctor, who’s brought along his own medical team, and she has another doctor and nurse on 24-hour call.”

According to sources, the medical problems began shortly after the couple brought the twins home…

“Immediately after feedings, both babies start howling in pain, and Angelina has been running ragged trying to get them to sleep…

“She’s either trying to lull them to sleep in a rocking chair or pacing the floor with either Knox or Vivienne.

“Sometimes she puts the babies in their swings and sits nearby until they fall asleep. But when she gets them into their cribs, they’ll often wake up and start screaming all over again!

“Angelina says she can’t remember the last time she slept more than two hours straight.

“And even though she has a staff of nannies and assistants to help, the only other people she allows to handle the colicky babies are a doctor or nurse.”

[From The National Enquirer, print edition, September 15, 2008]

My son had colic for a few weeks after he was born, and I found that if I cut out all milk and bread/gluten from my diet he was much calmer and the colic went away. I limited my diet to just rice, turkey, chicken and only a few non-citrus fruits and non-gassy vegetables. It was difficult, but the improvement in his well being seemed worth it to me. That is just anecdotal evidence, and most doctors and even La Leche League will tell you that maternal diet has no effect on nursing babies, citing other cultures where mothers eat spicy foods. Some of my friends who nursed also told me that their babies were much calmer once they went on an elimination diet.

Nicole Richie has also touted the benefits of limiting her diet when nursing a newborn, saying after Harlow was born that “There’s just so much I can’t eat because she’s sensitive… I eat really bland [food].” Usually a newborn’s sensitivity to foods the mother eats goes away after a few months.

If Shiloh was a calm baby and wasn’t affected by Angelina’s diet maybe she’s not aware that the twins may be sensitive to the proteins from food that pass through into her milk. It’s also possible that something else is causing the twin’s colic and that it has nothing to do with what Angelina is eating. The babies are supposedly fussing right after they feed, though, which suggests that it has something to do with it.

The article also says that Angelina is upset that Brad had to go to the Venice and later the Toronto Film Festivals. It is said that she “resents that Brad pretty much comes and goes as he pleases,” but that she understands that he has work obligations and has to make appearances. They end with a funny story about how Brad called Angelina to tell her he loved her and she had to go because the babies were crying.

“On the festival’s final night [Brad] called in late just to tell Angie how much he missed her and to say, ‘You are the love of my life.’

“Angie was deeply touched and said she felt the same way. But a second later, she whimpered, ‘I’ve got to go – the babies are crying!'”

Brad and Angelina are shown below at the Beowulf Premiere on 11/5/07. Credit: Juan Rico/Fame Pictures