Is It Colic?
Terry Ross
If your baby is crying for prolonged periods of time it maybe
due to the fact that your baby is suffering from colic. Colic
tends to start without warning and stops as abruptly as it
starts.
Crying as a result of colic generally occurs during the day
more often around the evening feed and if colic going to occur,
it usually becomes apparent within 3 weeks of birth, normally
lasting up to 3 months.
Colic is thought to be a type of spasmodic stomach ache
resulting in cramp like pains which causes the baby to scream
and draw their legs up in pain. The baby will be extremely
miserable and show signs of distress with periods of calm being
followed with bouts of screaming which can continue for several
hours at one time.
Colic can affect both bottle feed and breast feed babies with
possible causes being:
• The quantity of food offered, either too little or too much
in one go.
• A feed which is too rich or too weak (if bottle feeding
always follow the manufacturers instructions).
• A bottle feed that isn’t offered at the right temperature
being either too hot or too cold.
• With breast feeding the wrong type of food being eaten by the
mother. If colic arises in a breast feed baby try cutting out
anything that you have eaten within the last 24 hours which you
think might have affected your baby. Speak to your midwife or
healthcare visitor who will advise you as too what types of
food may affect your baby.
• Constipation or diarrhea.
• Indigestion
It is thought that there could be a link between tension and
colic with colic occurring more frequently at the end of the
day. The evening tend to be a more stressful part of the day
when mothers are tired with the baby to feed and make ready for
bed, possibly other children to attend to and general chores to
get cleared.
Babies are sensitive to moods and may cry when they feel the
atmosphere is tense which just compounds the situation with the
babies crying causing more tension and so it goes on until
mother and child are exhausted.
One recommendation is to take as much pressure off the end of
the day as possible by preparing bottle feeds and clearing as
much work as possible earlier in the day. A more relaxed
evening atmosphere could help to calm and soothe your baby and
reduce the incidences of colic or lesson the impact.
When colic occurs you can try holding your baby close to your
body providing warmth and comfort to your baby’s stomach,
gently rubbing their back. With possibly several hours to go it
is always advisable to try and share the comforting of your
baby, with your partner, which will help reduce the tension and
provide you both will a well earned break.
As yet, there are no 100% reliable treatments for colic
although there are some over the counter treatments available.
If you and your baby are struggling with colic seek medical
advice before trying any colic preparations.
If your baby’s colic is beginning to get you both down just
hold onto the fact that it generally only lasts for a couple of
months!
About The Author: Terry Ross is the author for and creator of:
http://www.1st-4-baby.com/Baby_Care.html , a site targeted at
pregnancy, babies and baby care.
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