What Is The Difference Between Colic And Gas
When your baby is wailing, its natural to want to know how to help calm them as soon as possible. But its best to not rush to judgement, especially when you suspect colic or painful gas. A common, albeit false, school of thought is that gas may be the cause of colic. Sure, its true that a colicky baby can be gassy , but thats not always the case. While infant gas and colic can coexist in your baby, they are two completely different conditions. Below, find out all about what gas symptoms and signs of colic look like, as well as the causes of each.
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.
How Colic Affects New Parents
Although it’s not harmful in itself, colic can still take its toll. For starters, it puts terrible pressure on new parents. “It sent my husband and me into therapy,” confesses Catherine McManus, a mom from Oviedo, Florida. Excessive crying is also associated with giving up breastfeeding, overmedication of babies, postpartum depression, and shaken-baby syndrome.
Colic is nerve-racking, but it’s helpful to remember that it’s also temporary. “Colic is not your baby’s defining personality trait,” says Laura Jana, M.D., coauthor of Heading Home with Your Newborn . “Once the colic is gone, your child can have a completely different personalityspunky, sensitive, crabby. But colic is not going to tell you which, because it doesn’t carry over.”
Also Check: Why Is My Newborn Having Diarrhea
How To Soothe Colic
The unfortunate thing about colic is, theres no magic cure. Instead, there are a number of comforting techniques and home remedies you can try. Hopefully, one or more will soothe your child.
Swaddling is a popular comforting technique that involves wrapping your baby tightly, but comfortably, in a light blanket. Many babies feel safe when swaddled and are therefore likely to quiet. However, some children dislike being restrained and may squirm and become more fussy.
White noise is another soothing method that can be especially useful when trying to help your baby sleep. There are many white noise machines on the market, many of which have timers you can set to shut off at 15, 30 or 60 minutes.
With colic comes occasional stomach discomfort and gas. Consider gripe water to ease these issues and help your baby feel more comfortable.
Finally, many babies are comforted by swaying or rocking. These gentle motions can lull babies to sleep, giving you a chance to recover. If your child only calms when being rocked, you should invest in a swing or rocking seat.
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.
Also Check: How To Treat A Newborn
What Is The Definition Of Colic
Colic is the word used to describe a condition when a healthy baby cries for more than three hours per day, more than three days per week, for three or more weeks, and is hard to console or comfort.
With a colicky baby, the bouts of crying typically intensify and last as the day goes on, and can worsen in the evening, typically between 6 pm and midnight.
How To Cope With Your Baby’s Crying And Stay Sane
An inconsolable baby is a tough trial for a new parent. It’s enough to make you cry. Go ahead. Also keep in mind:
It’s not personalWhen your baby rejects your attempts to console them or seems angry with you, remind yourself that they are too young to comprehend the concept of blame. And while there are ways to try to console your baby, colic has nothing to do with your parenting skills.
You can’t do it aloneShare baby-care with your partner. Or have a friend or relative take over for you once in a while so you can take a peaceful walk, a nap, or a refreshing shower.
If you find yourself becoming angry or frustrated with your baby, take a deep breath and gently place them on their back in the crib or bassinet. Go to the next room to calm down. Or call a friend or relative to come and stay with your baby while you decompress.
If there’s nobody you can call to come and support you in person, contact a local crisis hotline or a parent hotline. The people who staff these phones know how to help.
Taking care of yourself is taking care of your babyGetting enough rest, eating well, and exercising are important tools to help you cope with the challenges of caring for a colicky baby.
Learn more:
AAP. 2015. Colic relief tips for parents. American Academy of Pediatrics.
Nemours Foundation. 2019. Colic.
Recommended Reading: How Do I Get My Newborns Ssn Card
How Doctors Diagnose Colic
The doctor may be able to tell if your baby has colic from their symptoms. You can help. Over a few days, write down:
- When your baby cries and for how long
- What the cry sounds like. Is it high-pitched or louder than usual?
- What seems to make them fussy
- What, if anything, works to calm them down
- How often and what your baby eats
- When your baby poops, and what the stools look like
The doctor will likely do an exam to check if your baby is fussy for other reasons, such as:
- Food allergies or sensitivities to something in your diet, if you breastfeed
- Discomfort, such as if they are too hot or too cold
- Hunger or weakness
- Pain from an illness or injury
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.
Also Check: What Shots Do They Give Newborns
My Theory About Colic
I believe the key to understanding colic is that that our babies are born 3 months before they’re really ready for the world. And because of that, they are over-stimulated on the one hand and terribly under-stimulated on the other . Life in the womb is one of non-stop sensation. Your baby is held, touched and jiggled, and hears the loud pulsing of blood flow 24/7. Putting a new baby in a dark, quiet bedroom by themselves is actually sensory-depriving. Some kids can tolerate that, and others justfall apart!
What Ive come to learn is that imitating the sensations of the womb doesn’t just reassure babies it literally flips a switcha virtual calming reflex that all babies have at birth.
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.
Also Check: What Do You Need For A Newborn Boy
Avoiding Your Baby’s Triggers
Foods that are passed through your breast milk to your baby may trigger colic. If your baby is colicky and you are breastfeeding, avoid eating or drinking the following foods for a few weeks to see if that helps.
- Stimulants, such as caffeine and chocolate.
- Dairy products and nuts. Your baby may have allergies to these foods.
Some breastfeeding moms avoid eating broccoli, cabbage, beans, and other gas-producing foods. But research has not shown that these foods can have a negative effect on your baby.
Other possible triggers include:
- Medicines passed through breast milk. If you are breastfeeding, talk to your own doctor about the medicines you take.
- Baby formula. Some babies are sensitive to proteins in formula. Talk to your baby’s doctor about switching formulas to see if that helps.
- Overfeeding or feeding the baby too quickly. Bottle feeding your baby should take about 20 minutes. If your baby is eating faster, use a nipple with a smaller hole.
Talk to a lactation consultant to learn more about the possible causes related to breastfeeding.
When To Call The Doctor About Colic In Babies
While the odds are that your babys daily screaming sessions are due to colic, if it seems like your baby is crying excessively, start by seeing the pediatrician.
The doctor can examine your baby to rule out any other potential causes of excessive crying. And if they think youre definitely dealing with colic? Its good to get some reassurance and maybe a few extra soothing strategies.
Describing the crying will also help the doctor rule out any underlying medical condition that could be triggering the crying.
Keep in mind, too, that this shall pass: Just when you think you cant take another night of it, the crying will let up and then its gone forever.
From the What to Expect editorial team and Heidi Murkoff, author of What to Expect When Youre Expecting. What to Expect follows strict reporting guidelines and uses only credible sources, such as peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions and highly respected health organizations. Learn how we keep our content accurate and up-to-date by reading our medical review and editorial policy.
- What to Expect the First Year, 3rd edition, Heidi Murkoff.
Recommended Reading: Are Newborns Supposed To Sleep On Their Back
You May Like: How To Get Newborn To Sleep Longer
Advice For Colic If Breastfeeding
Breastfeeding your baby can help them to relax and relieve pain.
Try emptying your milk in one breast during a feed before changing breasts. You create two types of milk when breastfeeding and the second half of your milk has more fat in it.
Fat slows down digestion and helps to release food slowly, helping with digestion.
If breastfeeding, avoid drinking tea, coffee and other drinks that contain caffeine.
Advice for colic if bottle-feeding
Try making up bottles with 1 to 2 oz more milk than your baby drinks. This will allow feeding to appetite and you can tell when your baby is full.
Minimise the amount of air in the bottle and feed your baby in the correct position.
Avoid changing the type of formula your baby is using. Always talk to your public health nurse before changing your baby’s formula milk.
Nighttime Fussiness Or Colic
Experts claim that most babies experience colic symptoms to some extent. In those babies with less intense symptoms, the condition is rather referred to as nighttime fussiness and all babies will sometimes fuss during the day. The symptoms and peak time of fussy crying are the same as for colic, but colicky babies cry longer and more intense.
With nighttime fussiness, theres no way to end the frustration easily, and its even harder for parents with colicky babies, but there are some natural remedies that you may try to relieve the colicky pain in infants.
Also Check: How To Soothe Newborn Constipation
What Are Signs And Symptoms Of Colic In Babies
You know your baby has colic if he or she displays the following colic symptoms and signs:
- Your baby’s 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 baby’s 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 Long Does Colic Last
Thankfully, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. Colic tends to peak around 6 weeks, and then improves significantly between 3 and 4 months. By 4 months of age, 80 to 90 percent of infants are over colic. The remaining small percentage might take another month.
Yes, that’s a long tunnel. But in the meantime, learn how to comfort your baby as best you can and ask for help whenever you need it. Caring for a colicky baby can be very stressful, and you’ll need to take regular breaks to maintain your own well-being. Have your partner or a friend or relative take over while you go for a walk, take a nap, or let loose with a good cry yourself.
Read Also: How To Get My Newborn To Sleep Better At Night
What To Do For Colic Baby:
Caring for a baby with colic is exhausting. And it can be easier than you think for exhaustion to lead to frustration. If you feel yourself getting frustrated or angry, lay your baby down safely in their crib and take a short break to collect yourself. You are doing a great job and its important to take care of yourself so you can take the best care of your baby.
What Are The Symptoms Of Gas
Just as crying is a fact of baby life, so, too, is baby gas. But when your infant has painful gas, especially if its frequent, it can cause your baby to cry or become fussyuntil its passed unlike colic, which causes crying and fussiness that lasts for hours across days and weeks. Gas can have distinctive symptoms, too, such as a swollen-looking belly. Likewise, your baby may lift their legs and/or arch their back. It may also cause your baby to cry while passing gas or soon after. Then, of course, theres the obvious audible toots or burps.
Infant gas, fortunately, isnt a medical condition, but it can sometimes cause your little one pain or discomfort. However, there are things you can do to help relieve your infants gaseven simple tactics such as massage can help.
Another way to help your gassy baby feel better is to use Infants Mylicon Gas Relief drops in either our dye-free or original formula. They quickly and gently break down gas bubbles to help your baby naturally expel them. The medicine in them is safe enougheven for the newest of newbornsto be given up to 12 times a day. Plus, it wont stay in your infants system, since its not absorbed and just ends up in the diaper.
Recommended Reading: What To Feed A Newborn Cat
What Causes Infant Gas
There are a number of causes of infant gassome internal, some external. A major contributor is the simple fact that your infants digestive system is immatureits in the process of learning how to get things running smoothly. Another significant factor is somewhat of a catch 22. When your baby cries, they may swallow air, which causes gas if its uncomfortable or painful, it may make them cry, therefore swallowing too much air again. Sometimes our little darlings just cant catch a break!
Another reason behind gas can be feeding time, when they may gulp air down with their breastmilk or formula. Air may get trapped in their bottle, too, or the seal between your babys lips and your or a bottles nipple can break, contributing to swallowing air as well. If you give your baby powdered formula, the process of mixing it can generate bubblesso allow time for the formula to settle. Certain ingredients in formula or baby food may also cause gas, like cows milk, especially if your baby is lactose intolerant.
Next: Tummy issues like gas dont stop at infanthood. Kids get them, too. Find out some Common Causes of Stomach Discomfort in Kids.
Dont Miss: What To Do If My Newborn Is Constipated