Almost every new parent has been there at one time or another. No matter what you try, no matter how long you try it, your baby just cries and cries and sleeping is impossible. You may feel completely powerless to help your baby and your wits may just be hanging on by a thread. Stop and take a deep breath. Place your baby somewhere safe, such as in a crib. Give yourself a few minutes to collect your wits. Now it’s time to find out what colic is exactly, what causes it, and how you might be able to treat it.
What Is Colic?
Depending on who you ask, colic can be defined in a couple of different ways. The actual medical definition is persistent, unexplained crying in an otherwise healthy baby that is two weeks to five months old. Colic is not a disease, but it is a condition that affects about ten to twenty percent of all babies. Doctors are not sure why, but it affects more boys than it does girls. It’s also most common in a first child than in subsequent children.
What Are the Signs of Colic?
Colic symptoms usually include periods of prolonged crying. It is more common in the latter part of the day. It can last from just a few minutes to several hours. It can occur two to three times a week or every single day. A baby with colic may cry for so long that their face will turn red and then pale. For the parents, it can be frustrating, nerve-wracking, and wearisome. Parents with colicky babies will usually need additional support to get through this difficult time.
Sometimes, you may notice that your baby’s tummy is swollen or hard during their crying period. The tummy may make a rumbling noise. Sometimes the crying will grow louder and then stop, only to return again. You may also notice that your baby will draw their legs up and curl their toes. It often only takes a bowel movement or a burp to end the colic attack.
What Causes Colic?
Colic in babies is one of the true mysteries of medical science. It could be caused by the baby swallowing too much air, which can cause pain in the abdomen. It could be intolerance to certain formulas or foods. Some doctors think that it could be caused by a lack of sleep, hunger, or overfeeding. As you can see, the causes could be quite numerous. Why it’s certainly worth your time to check on colic remedies, you should also be aware that you might not find one that works for your baby’s colic.
How Is Colic Diagnosed?
Colic is diagnosed when an infant cries very intensely for at least three hours a day, three or more times a week, for at least three weeks. The parents provide the sleeping, eating, and crying patterns that the pediatrician uses to diagnose colic. Sometimes medical testing is used to rule out an infection, a blockage of the intestine, or any other condition that may cause the same symptoms.
Colic Treatment
There are no medications that will cure colic. Mylicon drops are sometimes recommended to help with the gas pain, but there are other practical approaches that can be done at home to help.
Check the nipple hole on bottle to be sure it is not too big or too small, as this can air to be swallowed during the baby’s feedings. Try feeding the baby in as much of a sitting position as possible and make sure to completely burp the baby during and after feedings.
Sometimes switching formulas may help, as the soy based formulas are more easily digested for some babies. If breastfeeding, you may want to avoid dairy products for a week to see if it helps. Also avoid coffee, cocoa, tea, citrus, peanuts, or wheat to see if the colic subsides.
If there has been a lot of activity around the baby, try moving into a darkened room and cradling your baby close. Some colicky babies are soothed by the motion of a swing, the sound of a vacuum cleaner, or a car ride.
You may find that when you apply gentle pressure to the webbed skin area between the thumb and the index finger that your baby will calm down and quit crying. Other babies may respond well to a massage point just above the belly button and the same area on the baby’s back. A warm, moist towel held against the tummy may ease some of the cramping. Baby gripe water, which is a combination of several natural substances, has also been shown to help with colic symptoms.
If you are a fan of homeopathy there is a very well known product called colic calm that you can try.
There are some great books out there to help as well.
A Few Final Thoughts
Colic is not dangerous, but can really make the parents feel as though they are helpless. Babies do outgrow colic, but until then, you can use some of the treatments listed above to relieve some of the symptoms. Above all, stay calm, as your baby will become more stressed as you do. Find someone to come in and sit with the baby for a bit so you can have a few moments to yourself.
