Your Doctor Activities On Colic In Babies
Your doctor will diagnose colic by taking into account how long your child has been fussy. He or she may ask about how often you feed your child and whether he burps after feeding. These types of questions help rule out other potential causes for fussy behaviour such as an overactive thyroid gland or excessive gas buildup. After a diagnosis, some doctors advise trying lifestyle changes before recommending medications.
Here Are Some Tips And Good Practices To Consider When Dealing With A Colicky Baby
- You could try to put the baby to sleep.
- You could pat your child on the back to help him burp.
- Allow your baby lie on his belly for a couple of minutes a day.
- Changing your babys milk formula could be helpful as the colic may be triggered by food intolerance.
- You should hold your baby as upright as possible when feeding him.
- Nursing mothers should include probiotic yogurts in their diets in order to improve their digestive system as well as the digestive system of their baby. Nursing mothers should also maintain a healthy balanced diet.
- You could play relaxing songs to calm the baby down.
What’s The Difference Between Colic And Normal Crying
There isn’t a clear definition of exactly what colic is or how it differs from other types of crying.
But doctors typically agree that colic crying is louder, more intense and higher-pitched than normal crying sometimes almost like screaming.
Colicky babies also seem inconsolable, and tend to cry more throughout the day than babies without colic.
Most often, colicky periods recur daily, though some babies take an occasional night off.
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What If It’s Not Colic
Babies cry for other reasons that are not colic. The first step is to make sure a baby doesn’t have a health reason to be crying.
- has a fever of 100.4°F or higher
- is less alert or active than usual
- isn’t feeding well
- isn’t sucking strongly when taking the bottle or breast
- has loose stools or blood in the stool
- is throwing up
- is losing weight or not gaining weight
- can’t calm down no matter what you do
My First Baby Had Colic Will No2 Also Suffer
The good news is that no two babies are the same. If your first baby was colicky, your second will be different and often this means less colicky.
Also, as an experienced mum, you will be more likely to read the warning signs next time. This means youll find it easier to deal with, especially if you follow the steps above.
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Take Your Baby On A Car Ride
Imagine yourself being kept in a small room when you are unwell. Certainly, it sounds weird. Then why on earth are you keeping your baby at home all day during the colic days? So, if you have tried all the other ways and your baby seems not to be relaxing, take them for a ride.
If you have witnessed, you will acknowledge that infants love exploring things. Sometimes they get so busy in the outside world that they even forget their pain and hunger. So, taking your baby for a car ride may not cure her colic issue, but it will certainly let her relax for some time.
Coping With A Colicky Baby As A Parent
When your baby has colic, itâs important to pay attention to your own emotional state. Caring for a colicky baby can be tough, and can make many parents feel anxious and inadequate, not to mention stressed.
No matter how frustrated you feel, never shake your baby. Shaking an infant can cause bleeding in the brain, leading to permanent damage and even death.
If you find yourself feeling out of control and unable to cope with your babyâs crying, try one or more of the following steps for some relief:
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Take deep breaths and count to 10
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Put your baby in his crib or another safe place, and leave the room to take a break
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Ask for and accept help from family and friends who can take care of your baby for a short period, giving you a much-needed break
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Donât feel guilty about comforting your baby. You are not spoiling her. By holding her, you are trying to make her feel better, and eventually the colic will subside.
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Parent’s Diet And Breast Milk
The cause of colic may not be known, but many things are thought to contribute to the condition, including the breastfeeding parent’s diet.
The foods that you eat make their way to your baby through your breast milk. Some babies can have a reaction or an allergy to certain substances. Cows milk and dairy products are the most common offenders, and they can cause digestive problems leading to colic or colic-like symptoms.
You can try to remove dairy products from your diet to see if the colic improves. Other foods that your baby may react to include nuts, soy, eggs, caffeine, garlic, spicy foods, and shellfish.
Be patient as you eliminate items from your diet. It can take over a week to see results. Ask your doctor about probiotics, as well. Research on the probiotic Lactobacillus reuteri shows that it may help reduce colic in breastfed infants.
You do not need to stop nursing. Breastfeeding is not a cause of colic, and babies who take infant formula get colic, too. Switching to formula may not help and may even make the situation worse.
Check If Your Baby Has Colic
All babies cry, but your baby may have colic if they cry more than 3 hours a day, 3 days a week for at least 1 week.
They may cry more often in the afternoon and evening.
It may also be colic if:
- it’s hard to soothe or settle your baby
- they clench their fists
- they go red in the face
- they bring their knees up to their tummy or arch their back
- their tummy rumbles or they’re very windy
It can start when a baby is a few weeks old. It usually stops by the time they’re 6 months old.
There are other reasons why your baby may be crying.
It could be they:
- have constipation
If you’re not sure what’s wrong, it’s best to speak to your health visitor, call NHS 111 or see a GP to be sure.
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Give Your Kid Some Knee Pushing Exercise
Knee pushing exercise plays a role in enhancing a smooth digestion as well as eliminating colic pain. You can perform this exercise by allowing your baby to lie down and then gently bend your babys legs from the knees. Try pushing the legs toward the abdomen too. Perform this exercise 5 times daily.
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Check In With A Lactation Consultant
If youre a breastfeeding mom, this is so essential. There are so many anatomical issues that could be causing your baby grief! Unfortunately, most pediatricians arent trained to spot these conditions, so be sure you find an IBCLC-certified lactation consultant. Your baby could have a bad latch. She could be tongue-tied. He could be lip-tied. All of these issues could cause some major colic symptoms!
You also want to be sure baby is getting enough hindmilk, which is higher in fat, calms the stomach, helps with digestion, and promotes satiety. If your babys poop is greenish, frothy or mucuosy, this is usually a sign that hes getting too much foremilk, which can cause digestive distress. This often happens when a breastfeeding mom has an overactive letdown or is having oversupply issues, which is very common in the first few months after giving birth.
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Does Your Baby Have Colic
All babies have periods of crying and fussing. Its considered colic when the crying goes on for more than three hours a day for more than three days a week. The crying is often accompanied by burping and other signs of gas, which may be because the baby is swallowing air when they cry.
When parents come to her about a crying baby who isnt easily consoled, Dr. Bonita asks questions and examines the baby to rule out health problems. If the baby is eating well and growing, has no vomiting or diarrhea, and follows a pattern of extended crying in the evening it is probably colic.
Colic typically starts when babies are about 3 weeks old, with extended periods of crying in the evening, between 6 p.m. and midnight. The long crying spells usually end when the baby is about 3 months old, though some babies continue to have crying spells until they are 6 months old.
Childhood Abdominal Migraine: A Less Talked About Colic Symptom
We only connect migraine with the headache. However, in newborn babies, childhood abdominal migraine is one of the most prevalent diseases. It is caused by the lack of sleep and an uneven sleep pattern. A childhood abdominal migraine is one of the most painful things that may happen to your kid.
It causes pain and discomfort in the entire stomach, letting your baby cry out loud. In some cases, due to excessive crying, the childhood abdominal migraine leads a baby to colic.
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What Causes Colic In Babies And How To Treat
This is an ultimate guide on what causes colic in babies and how to treat it.
If as the parent of a colicky baby, you may be at your to figure out whats causing your child to cry inconsolably and how to stop it. Colic is not, in fact, an illness or condition its simply defined as unexplained periods of excessive crying in an otherwise healthy infant.
What Is Colic And How To Treat Colic In Babies
All babies cry to communicate. However, when your baby is healthy, well-fed and lying in a peaceful environment yet it cries, theres something unusual. All babies cry, but when a baby cries in a systematic pattern over a period of time with no apparent issue, its time to check for colic in babies.
Generally, from birth till the fourth month, all babies suffer from colic. It is hard to understand for new parents, and the worst is that there is no particular treatment for colic. It is something you would never like your child to face. However, we have seen a lot of first time parents asking that how do I know if my baby has colic.
So, if you are a first-time parent having a colicky baby, first you need to learn that how to treat colic in babies? For this, the article will assist you a lot. Here, we will introduce you to the basics of colic in babies, some of the major symptoms and the treatment for a colicky baby.
Follow this draft religiously to find your solution.
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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.
What Are Treatment Options For Colic
Infantile colic is a condition that is difficult to treat. Current conventional treatments fall into one of the following four categories: dietary, physical, behavioral, and pharmacological. With little evidence to favor the first three approaches, there is some evidence that the drug dicyclomine hydrochloride can be effective, although its safety came into question after reports of severe side effects occurring in about 5% of infants, and in some extreme cases it has been linked to infant death
Although some encouraging results exist for fennel extract, mixed herbal tea, and sugar solutions, design flaws and the absence of independent replications preclude practice recommendations. The evidence for probiotic supplements and manual therapies does not indicate an effect. Thus, the notion that any form of complimentary or alternative medicine is effective for infantile colic is currently not supported from the evidence from the included RCTs. Additional research into this prevalent, and often difficult to treat, condition seems warranted.
Many therapies have been tried to help lessen the symptoms and duration of colic. Many of these anecdotal approaches have not demonstrated success in scientific studies. Some involve the following:
Several years ago, a medication was shown to decrease the symptoms of colic. However, rare side effects of sedation, cessation of breathing, coma, seizures, and death occurred and the medication is no longer in use for colic.
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Have Longer Feeding On Each Breast:
Make sure that you infant feeds longer on both breasts individually rather than alternating between each of the breast. After your baby has sucked milk on a breast for some time, the hindmilk comes out that is very much more nutritious than the foremilk coming out at the beginning. This hindmilk contains more of fat, and this is known to promote digestion and also relax the babys stomach. It must also be noted that excess of foremilk can result in digestive stress.
If You Suspect Overstimulation:
- Respond. Crying is a babys only way of communicating his needs. But its also his only way of wielding any control at all over a vast and bewildering new environment: He cries, you come running to his side powerful stuff when youre otherwise completely powerless. In fact, studies show that responding promptly to your babys cries will reduce his crying in the long run.
- Excise excitement. Limit visitors and avoid exposing your baby to new experiences in stimulating environments, particularly in the late afternoon and early evening. Watch how your baby responds to certain stimuli and steer clear of any that seem to offend.
- Create calm. Trying to make your babys environment peaceful might help him relax. Dim the lights, speak or sing in soothing tones and keep other noise and distractions to a minimum.
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