If Your Baby Has Colic The Never
Does your baby have intense crying spells that last three hours or more? They might be suffering from colic. There’s no specific definition of colic, but it generally means excessive crying for no explainable reason, says Barry Lester, Ph.D., director of the colic clinic at the Brown University Center for Children at Women & Infants Hospital in Providence, and coauthor of Why Is My Baby Crying?
Pediatricians generally use the “rule of threes” to determine the condition: “when a baby cries intensely for three or more hours at a time on at least three days of the week, for longer than three weeks in a row for no apparent reason,” says Mary Ann LoFrumento, M.D., author of Simply Parenting: Understanding Your Newborn & Infant.
Colic usually begins around week 2 or 3 of the baby’s life and peaks at around 6 to 8 weeks. Unlike with regular infant crying, attempts to stop colic-induced sessions by feeding, burping, rocking, or changing the diaper aren’t successful. The condition subsidies around 3 to 4 months of age.
“Some babies will respond to many of these interventions, some babies won’t respond to any, and a lot of babies will respond only sometimes,” explains Larry Scherzer, M.D., assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Connecticut Health Center in Farmington. “Usually by the time you try everything, the baby is old enough that a lot of the crying has ceased.”
What If A Baby Wont Stop Crying
Caring for a colicky baby can be hard. If your baby wont 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.
Dont blame yourself or your baby for the crying colic is nobodys 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.
How To Soothe A Baby With Colic
You had just settled into a comfortable routine with your new baby when, at about 3 weeks old, they start fussing and crying for hours each evening. Welcome to one of the most challenging aspects of parenting a baby: colic.
While colic sounds like a disease, its simply the name for excessive crying during a babys first few months. The good news about colic is that it typically lasts until the baby is about 3 months old, then magically disappears, says Catherine Bonita, MD, FAAP, a pediatrician with expertise in newborn care and nutrition at CHOPs Primary Care location in Flourtown, PA.
Thats also the bad news. A few months of trying to soothe a colicky baby through the evening can seem like a very long time.
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Develop A Bedtime Routine
Babies do well on routines. It helps them know that its time to settle down and go to sleep. Routines make your baby feel safe and calm because they know what happens next.
Developing a bedtime routine takes time, but colicky babies may benefit from simple nightly routines, such as a bath followed by lullabies and being rocked. Now is the time to start developing a routine, but dont expect it to help immediately.
Include A Probiotic In Your Daily Regime
If digestive system problems cause colic, then taking a probiotic in your babys daily regime might be a great idea. Talk to your babys pediatrician before introducing probiotics, but its a relatively safe and straightforward step to try.
Probiotics should be given to your baby daily, just like you would take daily probiotics. Mix the probiotics in with your babys formula or breast milk. Powdered probiotics can be rubbed on the inside of your babys cheek with a clean finger.
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How To Help A Baby With Colic
There is no treatment for colic. Different things will help different babies. As you get to know your baby, you will learn what works for you.
Things that might help include:
- Hold your baby close during a crying episode. You are not ‘spoiling’ your baby by responding to their needs in this way.
- Sit your baby upright during feeds.
- Wind or burp your baby after feeds.
- Gently rock your baby.
- A warm bath can really help some babies with colic.
- Avoid over-stimulating your baby with loud noise, bright lights or a crowded room.
- Gently massaging your baby’s tummy before they are likely to cry may help. Do this in a circular motion. Do not massage after a feed.
There are some other things you may like to try. There is no scientific research to support their use, but some parents find them helpful:
- Movement and motion, for example a walk in the buggy or pram, or a car journey.
- ‘White noise’ like the low frequency noise of a vacuum cleaner, a radio not tuned in properly or ‘white noise’ music or apps.
What Are The Symptoms And Signs Of Colic
Colicky babies tend to cry inconsolably, often screaming, with episodes that have a clear beginning and end. This occurs irrespective of prior activity, whether an infant was feeding, sleeping or even previously happy. Crying spells can occur at any time, although they are perceived worse in the early evening hours.
During crying events, babies may exhibit physical signs of increased muscle tone, which include a red face, tense belly, legs drawn into belly, an arched back, stiff arms or fingers clenched shut.
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How Common Is Newborn Colic
My daughter used to get bouts of colic so much so that some friends of ours started calling her the colic baby.
Although colic is common, yet it is not ordinary. Sometimes your newborn may become inconsolable at the same time each day and the condition can last as short as a few weeks or as long as a couple of months. Try the above mentioned methods of preventing or minimizing newborn colic and do your best to keep your baby comfortable.
Avoid Cheese During Pregnancy
Moreover, the same study found a link between the perinatal consumption of cheese by the mother and the development of colic in her baby .
Note that the term perinatal is related to the time immediately before and after birth. Accordingly, it seems that it does not only pay off to avoid cheese during the weeks right before pregnancy, but also during the weeks after birth.
Please note that it is unclear why the consumption of cheese by a mother would lead to colic in babies. However, if there is the slightest chance that it helps avoiding colic in babies, why not giving it a try?
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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.
Key Points About Colic
- Colic is when a healthy baby cries for a very long time, for no obvious reason.
- It affects some babies during the first 3 to 4 months of life.
- Colic usually begins suddenly, with loud and mostly nonstop crying.
- Colicky babies can be very difficult to calm down.
- Changing how your baby is fed, and using different calming methods, can help to soothe a colicky baby.
- Colic goes away on its own, sometimes by age 3 months. In most cases it is gone by age 6 months.
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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 Your Doctor Immediately
A number of signs and symptoms may suggest that your baby is more seriously ill. It is recommended that you contact your doctor immediately if your baby:
- has a weak, high-pitched continuous cry
- seems floppy when you pick them up
- takes less than a half of their usual feeds
- passes less urine than usual
- vomits green fluid
- passes blood in their stools
- has a fever such as 38°C or above or 39°C or above
- has a bulging fontanelle
- turns blue, blotchy or very pale
- has a stiff neck
- has breathing problems, such as breathing quickly or grunting while breathing
- has a spotty, purple-red rash anywhere on their body
None of the above symptoms is caused by colic. If you cant get hold of your doctor, call healthdirect on 1800 022 222 for advice .
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Information for consumers
If you have a bottle of Infants’ Friend oral liquid, do not use it. Return it to the place you purchased it from for a refund.
If you have any questions or concerns about this issue, talk to your health professional or contact Infants’ Friend Pty Ltd customer service on 1800 981 403.
For more information please see TGA’s alert on Infants’ Friend oral liquid.
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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.
Soothe Your Baby With Sound And Motion
Walk or rock. Motion helps calm babies. Walk around with your baby in a baby carrier . The combined warmth and rhythm may lull them to sleep.
Hold and rock them or put them in a swing or stroller. The gentle movement may stop their tears.
If all else fails, secure them in their car seat and go for a ride. Just make sure youâre not so tired itâs unsafe to drive.
Use sound to calm your baby. Many babies respond well to the gentle hum of a machine, such as a:
- Clothes dryer (But donât be tempted to put your baby on top of a dryer — not even in a carrier or car seat — because they could fall.
- White-noise from a machine or an app
You could also try classical music or a “heartbeat soundtrack” next to the crib.
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What Are The Symptoms Of Colic
Colicky babies are healthy infants who have recurrent periods of inconsolable cryingwithout apparent reason. These sometimes occur for hours without stopping. The baby can be difficult to comfort during these stretches of time. These periods of fussiness are not linked to hunger or discomfort, and the babies are otherwise normal. They may appear to be in pain. They might arch their backs, clench their fists, or pull their legs up to their tummies. In addition, the baby’s face might turn red after a long period of crying. Although the baby is fussy and cries, he or she continues to eat well and gain weight.
Breastfeeding Care To Prevent Baby Colic
Breastfeeding in noisy places can cause tension and restlessness in the baby, making colic attacks worse. Therefore, choosing quiet places to breastfeed is a way to prevent or minimize the effects of colic.
During breastfeeding, the baby can also swallow air when sucking breast milk, or also when feeding with bottles, increasing gas and aggravating colic. To prevent symptoms, after a feed, the mother should place the newborn in a position to burp . As for babies who use bottles, there are some specific types to avoid air suction.
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What Is Gas In Babies
Baby gas is when your babys stomach is inflated with air due to digestion that is still developing or when the baby has swallowed a lot of air while feeding. Gas can cause a baby to bloat, experience pain, and be irritant.
It is important to note that gas is a natural product of the bacteria that line the digestive tract and babies swallow air when feeding. Since babies suck in air while feeding, its important to burp your baby during and after feeding to relieve some of the gas.
How To Help Your Baby
It can be difficult to soothe a baby with colic, but there are a few things you can try to help calm your little one:
- hold your baby upright for feeds and burp them afterwards
- if your baby is breastfed and seems worse after mum eats certain foods, talk to your Plunket nurse, or other Well Child provider
- if your baby is bottle-fed, check you are preparing it correctly
- hold your baby while they are crying and talk to them with a soothing voice
- play soothing music
- keep the lights dimmed
- babies like to move so try gentle swaying, push them in a pram, or use a front pack to carry your baby while you do things around the house
- give your baby a warm bath or a gentle stomach rub.
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If You Suspect Overstimulation:
- Respond. Crying is a baby’s only way of communicating his needs. But it’s 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 you’re otherwise completely powerless. In fact, studies show that responding promptly to your baby’s 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 baby’s environment peaceful might help him relax. Dim the lights, speak or sing in soothing tones and keep other noise and distractions to a minimum.
Are There Any Medicines Or Supplements That Ease Colic
Other than probiotics, you can try anti-gas drops sold over-the-counter. Anti-gas drops have not been proven effective for colic, but they are commonly used for gas pain in babies and are generally considered safe.
Don’t give your baby any of these in an effort to calm them down:
- Infant cereal or other solid foods. Your infant baby isn’t ready to digest solid food, and giving it to your baby won’t help them feel better.
- Medicationssuch as antispasmodics or antihistamines. These can be unsafe for your baby.
- Herbal teas or supplements. Herbal remedies can be unsafe because the strength, dosage, and quality of the herbs can’t be guaranteed. That’s one reason why many experts advise against giving herbs to your baby, while others recommend that you only do so under the guidance of your baby’s doctor.
Talk with your doctor before giving your baby anything other than breast milk or formula.
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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.