Posts Tagged ‘Baby Colic’

Colic Baby

Colic Baby – Tips & Guide For New Parents

By Yulia Yunus

What is colic baby?

Colic baby is a condition which infants feel abdominal pain and cry for no apparent reason during a specific time of the day. It’s a temporary condition that usually experienced by a three weeks old baby and will disappear when the baby was 3 or 4 months, the term may be different  for each baby.  Colic baby is more common in bottle-fed baby than breast-fed baby.

Baby Colic

Some people said colic baby is part of the process of growth in infants and you must allow nature to take its course. But for a parents especially the new one, it’s so hard to see their baby going through this phase without doing anything.

Maybe there is no cure for colic baby medically but there is something you can do to ease the pain.

What is the cause of colic?

A lot of research has been done to find the cause and the cure of colic baby, but they still can’t find the real cause of colic because it may be vary for each baby.

The most common theory of what cause colic baby is the undeveloped digestive system that can make accumulation of gas in their intestines which can’t be released.  For bottle-fed baby, the cause can be from holes on the used nipples that allowing air came into stomach when the baby sucked on the nipples for milk.

While for breast-fed baby, colic in babies can cause by mothers who eat gas producing food and consuming product that contain unsafe chemicals which trigger off allergies or allergen-containing food, and passed on to a baby through breast-milk.

Another theory for causing colic baby are lactose intolerance or intolerance to powder milk or cow’s milk.  Baby with mother who smokes during pregnancy or after birth has more chance to get colic baby.

How to prevent it?

There are no surefire way on how to prevent colic baby but here are some tips that can help you to reduce it.

1. If you are breastfed mother, you must limiting from eating gas producing foods like beans, cabbage, onions, caffeine, spicy foods or dairy product, and you must consult with your doctor for adding calcium supplement while you’re nursing.  However, there is only limited evidence that non-dairy breast milk are effective at reducing colic baby
2. If you are bottle-fed your baby, you must regulary inspect the nipples for stretched holes.
3. Be carefull when holding your baby during feeding to avoid baby taking an air from the bottle.
4. Don’t put down your baby after feeding without burp-in him previously. Hold your baby in standing position and rub their back and make sure all gas is gone.
5. If your baby lactose intolerant, you can use soy formula, but you MUST consult it with your doctor beforehand

What is the symptom?

Colic baby can be diagnosed by their behaviour. Here are few symptom you must be aware that can help you to recognize if your baby is suffering from colic baby or not.

1. Your baby crying in the specific time of the night or day, non-stop for 3 hours or more, in three times a week for almost a month
2. The crying is different with small whimper or normal crying.  It’s loud and have a great deal of strength.
3. Your baby is crouching and pulling his knees close to abdominal like squeezing motion
4. His fists is clenched, his back is arched and swinging arms and legs. The feet and hand may become slightly colder.
5. The stomach feels hard or belly bloating and distended due to gas in the stomach.
6. Usually happen in the evening or late night

It is also usefull to make a journal and write down your baby’s behaviour during the crying and rule out other reason for crying like sleepy, hunger or need to change the diaper.  If there is fever, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody stool, it can indicate of more serious digestive problem and need urgent medical attention.

What should parent do for remedy or cure?

Since the cause of colic baby haven’t be found, there are no cures available for this condition. But there are something you can do to ease your baby pain.

Treatment for colic baby can be different for each baby, you must try and see which one are suitable to soothe your baby and help him going through this phase.

1. Be Patient and Don’t Panic.  Armed yourself with usefull information about colic baby from medical book, parents who has been through with colic baby, parent magazine or internet.  If you know in advance what you’re going through than you can be prepare and it can help you and your baby going through this condition. Baby will sense their parents feelings, if you’re panic, unsure, tense or stress, it can make the colic worse but if you’re calm and confident, then your baby will feel safe and secure which will help to reduce his discomfort
2. Hold your baby and get moving. Hold your baby in upright position close to your body, the warmth of your body will help to release the gas in your baby abdomen. You can also singing, rocking your baby gently and keep moving to make him relax. Some parent even take their colic baby for a car ride because the engine sound and the moving motion seem to calm and make their baby sleep.  It may take time until his discomfort subside, so you can use sling and take turn to hold your baby.
3. Touching and Massage.  Another babies colic remeday that you can try is touching and massage. Baby massage especially on the stomach can help relieve the gas and make him relax. Move his legs up and down gently and give warm application around his tummy. Lay your baby on his tummy across your lap and rub his back.
4. Swaddling your baby.  Swaddling your baby nice and tight to make him feel secure like in his mother womb.  Make sure to find the right techniques for swaddling from book or internet or you can use swaddling blankets.  But if your baby don’t like it, don’t force them.
5. Playing white noise and vibrations. According to Dr. Harvey Karp, in his book The happiest Baby on the Block, white noise can soothing a baby’s cry.  You can try this method with household appliances such as washing mechine, vacuum cleaner, dishwasher or hair dryer.  If this method is work out then you can buy the white noise cd or download it from internet.
6. Medication.  When all of above method is unsuccesfull you can try medicine like simethicone, mylicon drops, colic tablets, gripe water, peppermint, fennel or ginger for your baby.  Whatever medicine that you choose, you MUST consult with your pediatrician, before giving it to your baby and don’t forget to read dosage instructions carefully.
7. Take a break.  Having baby colic can be stressing for new mother, you should take a break once in a while to help you calm yourself. Make a list of your family, friend or babysitter that you can trust and willing to babysit your baby for awhile.

When your baby take a nap in the day, it is recommended for you to take a nap as well to minimize your sleep deprivation.

Colic in babies is a temporary condition  and nobody knows the cause or the cure of it.  Always Consult with your doctor for treatment that suitable for your baby. A  better preparation can help you going through this phase.  Don’t give your baby treatment or medicine that you can’t be sure about and always look for a second opinion.

You may want to check out my other guide on: Baby Travel Systems and Maclaren Volo Stroller