Recognizing a baby with colic

One of the many things that parents fear is the incessant baby crying, especially when they try to soothe him, but the attempts prove unsuccessful. Such a baby cries very loudly and visibly shows signs of pain. His face turns red, he begins to bend his legs towards his tummy and stretch them down. Understanding what your baby needs will certainly help in this case. But distinguishing between crying fits and the condition known as colic are two different situations in themselves. The latter is the subject of discussion in this article and every parent should inquire.

There is no explanation of exactly what colic means and its cause, however there is much speculation as to its source. It is often said that parental inadequacy is to blame, but this is still more myth than fact, as colic is more common in the second child than in the first. Recent studies suggest that it is typical for a baby who has colic to show symptoms of stomach pain. Many babies show signs like gas, however, gas is not the only culprit here and experts agree that there is something else that causes colic, but they have not yet figured out what it might be.

Although there is no evidence to show what actually causes colic in babies, we now realize how they usually start or end. We also recognize most of the symptoms to help parents distinguish babies with colic from those who just need attention, are hungry or are just tired. A baby suffering from colic usually cries during the afternoon or early evening. These episodic bouts of crying usually end in the evening hours when the baby falls asleep from exhaustion. Additionally to this, colic mainly occurs when the baby is two or three weeks old, with the worst phase subsiding between 12 and 16 weeks. Of course, this is an average time and there will be babies who start showing signs later as well as overcoming them later than the above.

If you suspect that your baby is showing signs of having colic, it would be wise to take him to see his paediatrician as soon as possible. He can advise you on what to do in the future and will teach you how to recognize such a condition. Just remember that there is no known cure for colic, however it is wise to rule out other possible causes of this behaviour, such as gastritis or possible allergies. If the doctor does not find anything wrong happening to your baby and concludes that he is healthy, it is very likely that he has colic.

Once it has been confirmed by a paediatrician that your baby has colic, there are additional medications and suggestions you can try, although you will need to keep one thing in mind that colic is not a treatable condition and will go away on its own after a while. Over-the-counter medications like simethicone drops tend to do a good job with any gas problem your baby has. There are also a few herbal remedies that can work well too. As an adjunct to over-the-counter medications, try putting your baby in the car and giving him a ride around the neighborhood because some parents can attest from personal experience that this does a good job. The other thing you might try is to run the vacuum cleaner for a while to see if that would calm him down. In general, colic is just a condition that sooner or later subsides and goes away completely. Just as they appeared one day, seemingly out of nowhere, they will disappear without you having done anything different. Remember, it is necessary to keep your baby calm as well as you to keep your composure while going through this period.