Infant Colic: Understanding Causes and Finding Relief

The infant colic it is a situation that, when unknown, can distress parents. It is a sudden abdominal pain that is accompanied by crying and irritability.

Cause of infant colic

The cause of colic in infants is currently unknown; the persistent crying of the infant is called colic during the first three months that it is not caused by any disease or. It is a cry that is not calmed by performing the usual maneuvers to comfort the baby: food, diaper change or arms.

When the baby has colic, he looks good, does not have a fever, and sometimes curl your legs over your abdomen and clench your fists during the crying spell.

Usually colic they start at three weeks of age and typically begins in the evening. It is an inconsolable cry that can last minutes or up to three hours; also this situation is repeated two or three nights a week.

Crying in the baby is a common situation, it is a natural way of communicating that he needs some attention: hunger, dirty diapers, hot or cold, sleepy, wanting to be with his mother. In the event that all and, that there is no health problem that justifies us crying, we can talk about infant colic.

It is important to know that between colic attacks, when the child does not cry, he is a happy baby, eats normally and grows well. It is a physiological situation due, probably, to the neurological and digestive immaturity of the baby.

Measures to calm colic

First of all you have to remain calm, nervous parents can aggravate the situation, since babies perceive the emotional state of their parents. What a baby wants is to have confident and calm parents who convey that "everything is under control." A good dose of patience is also important, colic is a situation that will improve with time.

Each baby can be calmed by something different, there is nothing that is a panacea; must test and observe the reaction of the infant:

• Sing him a quiet song (lullaby);
• Pick him up and place him face down (with his tummy in the adult's arms);
• Rock it;
• Offer the breast or pacifier;
• Help the baby to expel gases well after feeding;
• Give him a warm bath;
• Give a circular massage on the tummy, clockwise;
• Soft music or the constant soft noise of appliances such as the dryer or washing machine;
• Going for a ride with the car or cart;
• Do not offer any medicine without the supervision of the pediatrician.

When to see the pediatrician

It is important to consult the first crying crisis with the pediatrician so that confirm it is colic and rule out other problems in the newborn: constipation, gastroesophageal reflux, gas, food allergies, infections, intussusception.

Parents should be informed of what colic is, what measures can be practiced and what are the warning signs to go to the pediatrician's office:

• Fever;
• Refusal of food by the baby;
• Frequent vomiting;
• Bad color, bad appearance of the child;
• Crying that does not calm in any way for more than three hours;
• Sudden spots on the skin.