How Do I Know My Newborn Has Colic

Do You Think You Have A Baby With Colic Lets Discuss What Colic Is In Babies

Everything was fine in the hospital, but once you got home with your new baby, something changed. The baby is crying. A lot. Endlessly. Days have turned into nights and back into days and nothing you do for your baby seems to help end the crying. Is this colic? What exactly is colic and how do I know if my baby has colic?

With a newborn, emotions are at an all-time low. Parents feel helpless because they cant soothe their child. Is their babys behavior normal? Is this what having a newborn is supposed to be like?

Being a new parent is a challenge, but when youre thrown a curveball like colic, it can be even more challenging than you realized. If your baby has colic, were here to offer help, comfort, and support.

How Can Babocush Help With Colic And Reflux

The babocush cushion holds your baby safely in a tummy-down position. Tummy time can be invaluable it alleviates pressure on your babys back and windpipe. By relaxing the airways, your baby can breathe more easily and enjoy the change in position.

While on their tummy, the cushion helps recreate the conditions of the womb with a heartbeat simulator and gentle vibrations. The device inside every babocush cushion sends out a gentle, consistent beat that soothes your baby. Ahead of bedtime or after feeding it offers a unique period of contentment not found elsewhere. To learn more about the babocush cushion, you canshop our collection here.

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Take Care Of Yourself Too

It can be stressful when your baby cries for no obvious reason and isnt easily soothed. Your baby needs you to be calm, too, and that can be hard if you are tired.

If you find yourself getting tense or angry as your baby cries, try breathing deeply to help yourself relax. If thats not enough, lay your baby down in a safe place and go into another room for 10 or 15 minutes. Lie down, listen to calming music, do a household chore or take other steps to calm yourself. When you feel ready, go back and pick up your baby.

Ask friends or family members to relieve you at times so you can go for a walk outside, take a nap or have some time to yourself. Its not selfish to take care of yourself. Restoring your ability to be calm can be the best thing you can do for your baby.

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How To Help A Crying Baby

• Respond quickly if your baby is crying. This may mean that they will cry less later on.
• Crying babies tend to arch their backs and stiffen their legs. Holding them curled in a C position helps to calm them down.
• Check that your baby is not too hot or cold or uncomfortable in some way.
• Wrapping or swaddling in a cotton sheet can be calming.
• Many babies soothe themselves by sucking, so a dummy can be helpful, once your breast milk supply is going well.
• Patting can help soothe a baby.
• Soft lighting can also help some babies who may be distressed by harsh lights.
• Baby slings are great to provide comfort and contact if the baby needs to be held.
• Deep baths and gentle massage relax some babies, but they often dont help if your baby is already crying.
• Soft music or noise that has a beat or rhythm, such as a loud clock, may help.
• You may be trying too hard to calm the baby . Put your baby down somewhere safe for a while and see if they settle.
• Take the baby for a walk in a pram or a sling or for a ride in the car. You might find yourself going out for many rides in the car for a couple of weeks, but this will not last forever and many babies seem to find it helps them calm down. Dont drive if you are too stressed to drive safely.

Colic Symptoms In Newborn Babies

• Crying is a normal reaction in babies. Children cry as a way to express hunger and other situations suppressing them. Strangely, colicky children cry even for more reason.
• Parents who notice that their children cry after they are fed and even when they are under suitable conditions should suspect infantile colic infection by the infants.
• Colicky children also tend to shout for long hours especially in the evening at the same time daily. They also make high intense sounds like screaming. Colicky babies might clench their fists and have bloated tummies.
• Since colic results in abdominal pain, the infants tend to move their feet toward the belly. The infants tighten their stomachs when crying, stretch their muscles and pass gas as a result of swallowing air when crying.

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What To Do If Your Baby Has Colic

Unfortunately, theres no cure for colic and each baby responds differently to attempts to soothe them . But here weve put together some of the more common methods that people say might help soothe a baby with colic.

Positions:

• Holding your baby, wrapping them snugly in a blanket or putting them in a baby sling.
• Holding your baby in different positions, such as on your shoulder, cradled in your arms, or lying with their tummy faced down along your forearm.
• Swaddling: some people say swaddling their baby wrapping them snugly in a blanket can make them feel safe and secure.
• Gently swaying your baby.
• Sitting or holding your baby upright during feeding, to prevent them swallowing air.
• Burping your baby after feeds or gently bringing their legs into their tummy.

Feeding and supplements:

• Some people say using a fast-flow teat if you’re bottle-feeding helps your baby to not swallow air.
• Burping your baby after feeds.
• Do not change your babys formula unless your GP or health visitor advises this.
• Anti-colic drops or supplements are not recommended as theres insufficient evidence they work.

Surroundings:

Your diet if youre breastfeeding:

• Its not recommended that you change your diet if youre breastfeeding . Yet some women find drinking too many caffeinated drinks, eating spicy food and alcohol can aggravate colic.

How Do You Get A Colic Baby To Sleep

2. Use the 5 Ss Swaddle: Wrapping your baby in a tight-knit burrito can be very comforting to them. Side/Stomach: Hold your baby against your stomach on their side or stomach to help calm them. Shush: Use a white noise sound machine when your baby sleeps. Swing: Sway your baby from side-to-side using your body.

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Preventing Shaken Baby Syndrome

Remember, it is okay to walk away if you find yourself getting frustrated or angry with your baby or child. Your baby will not be hurt if he or she continues to cry.

Gently and safely place your baby in the crib or swing. Make sure you secure any railings or safety belts before walking away. Check on your baby every 5 to 10 minutes.

• Caution: Never shake your baby. Shaking will not stop the crying and could cause serious brain damage. It is important that all caregivers have this information. For more information on this, see HH-I-366, Shaken Baby Syndrome.
• Arrange for a relative, friend, or baby-sitter to stay with the baby while you get out of the house one evening a week. Go see a movie, shop, go out to dinner, or just take a walk.
• Try to rest when your baby naps. Getting enough rest will help relieve your tension.

If you have any questions, be sure to ask your doctor or nurse or call _____________________.

Adjust What Mommy Is Eating

Other less popular options include watching what you eat and changing the infants formula when you notice discomfort. Your current diet could be causing gas for both you and your baby when breastfeeding.

What you eat affects a baby when he or she is breastfeeding. Lactose intolerant babies can thrive on lactose-free baby formulas and experience reduced signs of colic.

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Colic Always Goes Away

Your baby will most likely outgrow colic by 3 to 4 months of age. There are usually no complications from colic.

Parents can get really stressed when a baby cries a lot. Know when you have reached your limit and ask family members or friends to help. If you feel like you may shake or hurt your baby, get help right away.

Is My Babys Crying Normal Or Is It Colic

Infant crying is a fact of life. Its the only way our newborns can communicate their needs to us. Fortunately, most of the time even a babys most passionate shrieks just mean hes hungry, wet, soiled or lonely, and he will quiet once you give him what he needs.

But what if your cute little guy keeps blasting even though hes been fed, has a dry diaper and is being cuddled in your arms? What happens if you feel like you’ve triedeverything and the screaming doesnt stop? Thats when parents start to wonder if their babymay in fact havemysterious condition called colic, or persistent crying.

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How Do You Know Your Baby Has Colic Or Reflux

A colicky baby can be easy to spot as their marathon crying fits can last for 3 hours or more at a time and occur daily, at a similar time. Colic is quite normal in newborns and generally starts when your baby is around 2 weeks old. It does tend to go away by 6 months but during that time when your baby is so unsettled, it can be stressful and difficult to know how to soothe them.

Symptoms include:

• Your baby cries a lot, and you are not sure why
• Your baby cannot be soothed, and the crying feels most common in the evenings
• Your baby looks angry and rather red in the face
• Your baby brings their knees up to their chest or arches their back when you hold them

Things That Probably Wont Work With Colic

Medications and mixturesOver-the-counter colic mixtures from pharmacies have no scientific basis. These mixtures arent recommended as a way to deal with colic because they dont work and/or havent been thoroughly tested in young babies.

And although many babies who have colic also have reflux symptoms, theres no evidence that reflux medication reduces crying and fussing.

Doctors dont recommend naturopathic or homeopathic medications to treat colic, because theres no evidence to say they work or are safe for young babies.

Chiropractic treatmentChiropractic treatment doesnt help with colic, and spinal manipulation can be dangerous for young babies.

Changes to mothers dietIf youre a breastfeeding mother, changing your diet is unlikely to reduce crying unless your baby is diagnosed with an allergy to something in your diet for example, cows milk, egg and soy.

If allergy is the cause of your babys excessive crying or colic, your baby will usually have other red flags in addition to colic. These red flags include:

• diarrhoea, especially with mucus or blood
• poor weight gain

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How To Soothe A Colic Baby

The below ways to calm your baby will work best if you are calm, as your baby can feel your emotions and sense that you are calm. Which will help them to feel safe, and calm.

Some of the ways you may be able to soothe your colic baby include:

Checking to be sure your baby is not hungry.

Keeping your baby in a clean dry diaper.

If you use a bottle during feeding, you may want to try other bottles that are created specifically to reduce the incidence of colic. These bottles have been around for years and are loved by many parents.

Consider evaluating the mothers diet, if she is breastfeeding, to look for a correlation between foods she eats and episodes of crying.

Side Note:If you are breastfeeding then you will want to take this course! Its the BEST online breastfeeding course available. If youll be pumping, she also has a back to work pumping class and a class just for those that are planning to exclusively pump! You cant go wrong with any of these classes!

If the baby is using formula, you may want to look into changing the formula.

Burp your baby frequently during feedings.

Provide a bath during the hours that your baby typically experiences prolonged episodes of crying.

Take a walk outside with baby, during episodes of crying.

Use a properly fitted baby carrier to hold the baby in a close upright position, during crying episodes. This is an excellent carrier that holds the baby in a proper position and is easy for the caregiver to use.

Do baby yoga with your baby.

How Much Sleep Do Newborns Need

Every baby and child is different, and the amount of sleep each little one needs may vary. In general, though, newborns sleep for up to 16 or 17 hours in 24-hour period, but the sleep doesnât happen all at once. Instead, very young babies will snooze in one- to three-hour blocks during both the day and night.All of this sleep is essential for your babyâs healthy and happy development. Over time, this haphazard round-the-clock dozing will become more organized, with more of your little ones sleep hours taking place at night.

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How Can You Treat Colic And Reflux

Treating colic and reflux can be frustrating because both can last for months. Colic especially can be hard to manage. When your newborn cries for hours on end, it can become incredibly stressful for everyone involved.

It is important to wind a baby regularly anyway, but more so if they suffer from colic. Babies can become uncomfortable after drinking their milk, simply because their tummies are so small that they become full a lot quicker. Their milk can add bubbles of wind to their tummies too, creating even more discomfort.

The only thing that can help with colic is to ride it out. Keep yourself and your baby as relaxed as possible. Hold your baby when they are crying, it will pass in time.

For reflux, feed your baby in as upright a position as possible and keep them upright after feeding. Take the time to wind them regularly during and after a feed and feed them slowly. In fact, feeding little and often may be the ideal solution for your baby as this will allow their digestive system to make the workload more manageable. Reflux in babies does usually go away on its own. If you are struggling with some of these symptoms, particularly with lack of weight gain, do contact your doctor as they may be able to make a diagnosis and prescribe something for your baby.

What If A Baby Won’t Stop Crying

Caring for a colicky baby can be hard. If your baby won’t stop crying:

• If nothing else works, put the baby on his or her back in a crib without loose blankets or stuffed animals, close the door, and check on the baby in 10 minutes. During that 10 minutes, do something to try to relax and calm down. Try washing your face, eating a snack, deep breathing, or listening to music.

Don’t blame yourself or your baby for the crying colic is nobody’s fault. Try to relax, and know that your baby will outgrow this phase.

If you ever feel like you might hurt yourself or the baby, put the baby down in the crib and call for help right away. Never shake a baby.

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Colic Symptoms & Signs

You know your baby has colic if he or she displays the following colic symptoms and signs:

• Your babys cry seems like a scream or sound as if they are in pain.
• Your baby is fussy even after they have stopped crying.
• Your baby cries at a regular time, usually during the evenings.
• Your babys face is flushed during crying.
• Your baby curls up, stiffens their legs and arms, has a tensed abdomen, and a clenched fist.
• Your baby passes the gas and feels relieved .
• You cannot console your baby.

How To Treat Colic

Now that you dont know what causes colic, how should you proceed if your baby wont stop crying? According to the American Academy of Family Physicians,

Colic is a diagnosis of exclusion that is made after performing a careful history and physical examination to rule out less common organic causes. Treatment is limited. Feeding changes usually are not advised. Medications available in the United States have not been proved effective in the treatment of colic, and most behavior interventions have not been proved to be more effective than placebo. Above all, parents need reassurance that their baby is healthy and that colic is self-limited with no long-term adverse effects.

In other words, assuming no underlying etiology has been found, you should wait it out. While you wait, you can focus on soothing techniques, including rocking, swaddling, white noise, different feeding patterns, distraction, etc

However, all this talk about the baby can overlook the scariest part of colic the effect on parents. Therefore, perhaps the most important piece of advice is get help, both physically and emotionally. Dont be afraid to put your baby down if you are stressed, to walk out of the room to take a breather, to get out of the house for a walk even if your child is crying, or to call someone to come over.

Fellow colic survivors, how did you know your baby had colic? Also: let me know how you went through it.

References

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