Determining if Your Baby Has Colic

     I know many tired mommies of baby's who cry and cry and cry. Besides the crying, their baby seems to be healthy in all other aspects. If this is true of your baby, your baby may have colic. It is one of the most common problems in babies.

 

What is colic? According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, colic is "a clinical manifestation of normal emotional development, in which an infant has diminished capacity to regulate crying duration." Basically your baby cries a lot for no apparent reason and cannot be comforted during this time.

 

 

What are the signs of colic? Colic usually appears when the baby is 2-3 weeks old. A baby with colic will not only cry when they are wet, tired, or hungry, they will cry for long periods of time. They are often inconsolable.  They will often have clenched fists, legs flexed over its abdomen, arching back, flushing, a hard distended abdomen, regurgitation, passing of gas, and an active, grimacing, or “pain” face. It usually happens around the same time of day every day and is usually around late afternoon to evening time.

 

How long does colic usually last? Colic will usually peak around 6 weeks of age. By age 3-4 months, colic should be subsiding. By the age of 5 months, it should be totally gone. It will be a long few months, but try to figure out ways that soothes your baby during this time.

 

 

 

Will colic hurt my baby? No. Colic itself will not cause any long lasting damage. It is a hard and long journey for both you and your baby, but once you get through it, then it is over.

 

Why do some babies have colic and not others? They are not really sure. There could be many factors that play into it. Things like gender, when they were born in the family, breastfed or formula fed, digestive issues, etc. No one really knows for sure what causes it and some babies are more prone to it than others.

How can I help my baby with colic? 1) Check their bottle and make sure they are not gulping and getting air when they eat. 2) When you feed them, keep them as upright as you can. 3) Feed your baby before they are starving. This causes them to be franctic and gulp more and get more air. This makes colic worse. 4) Burp them often. 5) Try and rock them. 6) Create white noise with things such as a vacuum. 7) Place a warm towel on their abdomen. 8) Go for a car ride.

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I hope that this helps you determine if your baby has colic. If you do think your baby has colic, I would recommend taking them to see your pediatrician just to double check. You can be on the safe side that it is not something more serious.

 

Until next time,