If your baby spends hours crying from pain but seems perfectly healthy, she might have colic. According to BabyCenter, up to 40% of babies become colicky.
What can you read in this article?
- What is colic
- Causes of colic in babies
- Signs and symptoms of colic
The good news is that colic isn’t permanent and doesn’t harm your baby in the long-term, but that doesn’t make it easier to endure when you’re trying to comfort a screaming baby.
What is colic
Photo by Laura Garcia from Pexels
In a healthy infant, colic is defined as frequent, protracted, and severe crying or fussiness. Colic is especially aggravating for parents because the baby’s pain appears for no obvious reason and no amount of soothing seems to help. These incidents frequently occur in the evening, when both parents are sleepy.
Colic episodes normally peak about 6 weeks of age and drop dramatically after 3 to 4 months of age. While the constant crying will eventually stop, dealing with colic adds a lot of stress to caring for your newborn.
What causes colic baby
Colic has an unknown cause. It could be caused by a variety of circumstances. While several causes have been investigated, it is difficult for researchers to account for all of the important characteristics.
Such as why it usually begins late in the first month of life, how it varies among infants, why it occurs at specific times of the day, and why it resolves on its own over time.
- A digestive system that hasn’t reached its full potential
- Healthy microorganisms in the intestines are out of balance.
- Stress or worry in the family
- Food intolerances or allergies
- Burping seldom, overfeeding, or underfeeding
- Childhood migraines in their early stages
Colic can be mistaken for a variety of illnesses. If you’re concerned about your child, your doctor can conduct a thorough examination to rule out issues such as:
- An infection
- Inconsistent heartbeat
- Bone, muscle, and finger injuries
- Stomach issues or acid reflux
- Inflammation or pressure in their brain and nerve system
- Eye problems
- Overeating or undereating
- Intolerance to formula or breast milk
READ MORE:
Why is baby crying and how you can soothe your baby
Colic in baby: What is colic and how can you help your baby?
Baby tummy massage: Gentle strokes on baby’s tummy can relieve colic and constipation
Colic baby: signs and symptoms
Colic symptoms. | Photo by Sunvani Hoàng from Pexels
Here are the symptoms you should look out for to see if your baby has colic, as compiled by Romper.
1. Your baby seems to cry on schedule
Parents of fussy babies are advised to take note of their babies’ crying and look for a pattern. Does your baby cry in the late afternoon or evening every day? That’s a tell-tale sign of colic.
2. The “rule of three”
If your baby cries for around 3 hours for at least 3 days a week, she could be colicky.
3. Your baby is around 3 weeks old
If your baby is much older or younger, something else could be causing their long crying sessions. According to BabyCenter, colic peaks at around 6 weeks, then starts to improve between 3 and 4 months. 80 to 90% of infants recover from colic by the time they turn 4 months old.
4. Your baby isn’t just crying, she’s screaming
What to Expect describes colicky cries as “loud, piercing, and continuous.” Sounds familiar?
5. Your baby tenses up when he cries
Colicky babies clench their fists, curl up their legs, and squeeze their eyes shut when they cry.
6. They’re inconsolable
7. Baby has gas
According to BabyCenter, gas doesn’t cause colic, but your baby could be extra gassy from the amount of air he swallows when he cries. Passing gas may make your baby feel better. Colicky babies also often have more bowel diapers and spit up more after feedings.
How to get rid of baby gas fast
For baby gas relief, check out and follow these steps:
“Keep the baby’s head higher than her tummy whether nursing or bottle-feeding,” Dr. Jennifer Shu advises. “That way, the milk falls to the bottom of the stomach while the air rises to the top, making it simpler to burp out.” Tip the bottle up slightly to avoid air bubbles in the nipple, and support yourself with a nursing pillow.
Burping them during and after they nurse is one of the simplest ways to relieve gas pains. If they don’t belch straight away, try again after laying them down on their back for a few minutes.
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If you’re bottle feeding, change the nipple.
According to Joel Lavine, professor of Pedriatrics at Columbia University, “If you’re bottle-feeding, switch to a slower-flow nipple.”
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Give your baby a massage.
Massage your baby gently, or give them tummy time by pumping their legs back and forth (as if they were riding a bike) (watch them while they lie on their stomach). A warm bath can also aid in the removal of excess gas.
How is colic baby diagnosed
Your baby’s doctor will do a thorough physical examination to rule out any underlying causes of his or her distress. The following topics will be covered throughout the examination:
- Taking measurements of your baby’s height, weight, and circumference of the head
- Listening to the noises of the heart, lungs, and abdomen
- The limbs, fingers, toes, eyes, ears, and genitals are all examined.
- Observing a person’s reaction to touch or movement
- Look for rashes, inflammation, or other illness or allergy symptoms.
Lab tests, X-rays, and other diagnostic procedures aren’t always necessary, although they can help rule out other probable explanations in some circumstances.
Colic symptoms. | Photo by ANTONI SHKRABA from Pexels
Treatment for colic baby
The key objectives are to provide as much comfort to the kid as possible through a variety of interventions, as well as to ensure that parents receive the support they require to cope.
1. Feeding practices
Changes in food habits may also offer some assistance. Burp regularly during and after feedings and bottle-feed your infant in an upright position. A curved bottle will aid upright feeding, while a foldable bag bottle will limit air intake.
2. Soothing strategies
It may be beneficial to have a strategy in place, such as a list of calming techniques to attempt. It’s possible that you’ll have to try a few different things. Some may perform better than others, while others may perform well one time but not the next. The following are some examples of calming strategies:
- The use of a pacifier
- Taking a warm bath with your newborn
- Rubbing your baby’s tummy or putting your baby on his or her tummy for a back rub are both good ideas.
- Limiting other visual stimulus and dimming the lights
- Taking your baby for a walk or rocking it
- Using a blanket to swaddle your infant
- Playing heartbeats, peaceful, soothing sounds, or white nouse as audio
Note: your baby may not have colic.
Just because your baby has frequent crying bouts, that doesn’t necessarily mean that your baby has colic. It could be another underlying condition that’s causing your infant pain, like a food sensitivity or something else. To be sure, consult with your pediatrician.
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