Colic

Symptoms & causes Diagnosis & treatment Doctors & departments Care at Vejthani

Overview

In a healthy infant, colic is marked by frequent, prolonged, and intense bouts of crying or fussiness. Parents often find colic particularly challenging because there appears to be no apparent reason for their baby’s discomfort, and soothing them doesn’t always provide relief. These episodes typically occur in the evenings, when parents are already fatigued.

Colic episodes tend to peak around the baby’s sixth week of life and gradually diminish by the time they reach three or four months of age. While the extended crying eventually subsides, managing colic can cause significant stress when caring for your newborn.

To address this situation, you can take steps to reduce your own stress, minimize the severity and duration of colic episodes, and build confidence in your relationship with your child.

Symptoms

Babies, especially during their initial three months of life, tend to cry and fuss. Defining what constitutes normal crying can be a complex endeavor. Colic is often identified as crying for three hours or more a day, on three or more days a week, and persisting for three weeks or longer.

Colic symptoms could include the following:

Apparent lack of cause for crying, as opposed to crying because of hunger or the need to change diapers
Prolonged, intense crying that resembles screaming or an indication of pain
Relentless fussiness even after the crying has stopped
Tension in the body, as shown by tense arms, clinched fists, arched backs, or pulled-up or stiffened legs.
Regular occurrence, with evenings being the most common time for episodes to occur
Discolorations of the face, such as flushing or blushing

Occasionally, when a baby has a bowel movement or releases gas, it can alleviate some of the symptoms. It’s probable that gas is produced from swallowing air during extended bouts of crying.

Persistent and uncontrollable crying may indicate colic or another source of discomfort. If your baby is crying excessively or displaying signs or symptoms of colic, it’s advisable to schedule a thorough evaluation with your child’s physician.

Causes

Colic’s etiology is uncertain. It could be caused by a variety of circumstances. Although many causes have been investigated, it is challenging for researchers to explain all the significant aspects, including why it typically starts late in the first month of life, how it differs in newborns, why it occurs at specific times of the day, and why it eventually goes away on its own.

Several potential contributory factors have been investigated, including:

An imbalance of beneficial bacteria in the digestive tract
Not fully developed digestive system
Infrequent burping, underfeeding, or overfeeding
Intolerances or allergies to food
Stress or anxiety in the family
Childhood migraines (early form)

Risk factors

The causes of colic are not fully known. Studies have not demonstrated variations in risk when the following variables are taken into account:

The child’s gender
Babies who are breast or formula fed
Babies born full-term or preterm

Babies born to mothers who smoked either before or after giving birth are more likely to experience colic.

Diagnosis

The caregiver for your child will perform a thorough physical examination to determine the source of your child’s discomfort. Exam topics will include:

Examining the eyes, ears, limbs, fingers, and toes and genitalia.
Paying attention to the heart, lungs, and abdominal sounds.
Measuring the height, weight, and head circumference of your child.
Keeping an eye out for rash, irritation, or other indications of allergies or infection.
Evaluating response to movement or touch.

Although diagnostic tests like laboratory examinations and X-rays are usually unnecessary, they can be valuable in ruling out other potential causes in cases where the diagnosis is not straightforward.

Treatment

The primary goals are to offer parents the support they need to manage the situation and to employ various therapies in an effort to soothe the child as effectively as possible.

Soothing strategies

Having a strategy, or a list of calming techniques you might try, might be useful. It can be necessary for you to try new things. Certain methods may be more effective than others, and their efficacy may vary from one instance to another.

Strategies for calming down could be:

Bringing your baby in a stroller for a stroll or a car journey
Strolling withor rocking your infant
Covering your infant with a blanket
Bathing your infant in warm water
Massaging your baby’s stomach or putting them on your stomach to give them a back rub
Lowering the brightness and cutting back on other visual stimulants
Utilizing a pacifier
Playing a recording of heartbeats or other calming, peaceful noises
Generating white noise by turning on a white noise generator, clothes dryer, or vacuum cleaner in an adjacent room.

Feeding practices

Adjusting feeding practices could also provide some relief. When feeding your baby from a bottle, consider an upright position and ensure they burp regularly both during and after feeding. Using a curved bottle for upright feeding and a collapsible bag bottle can help reduce the intake of air.

Trial changes in diet

In the event that your child’s weeping or irritability persist despite calming or feeding techniques, your doctor can suggest a brief trial of dietary adjustments. However, there would probably be additional indications and symptoms, such a rash, wheezing, vomiting, or diarrhea, if your kid develops a food allergy. Among the dietary adjustments are:

Formula changes. If your baby is fed formula, your doctor might advise giving an extensive hydrolysate formula containing smaller-sized proteins a try for a week.
Maternal diet. Try following a diet free of common food allergens, like dairy, eggs, nuts, and wheat, if you’re nursing. You should also try avoiding irritating foods like onions, cabbage, and caffeinated drinks.

Parent self-care

Even for seasoned parents, caring for a baby with colic may be demanding and frustrating. You may take care of yourself and obtain the assistance you require by using the following strategies:

Take a break. Ask a buddy to step in for a bit, or take shifts with your partner or spouse. Give yourself a chance to leave the house if at all possible.
Express your feelings. It’s common for parents to feel furious, guilty, hopeless, or depressed in this kind of situation. Talk about your emotions with your loved ones, close friends, and your child’s physician.
Don’t judge yourself. The amount of crying your child does not indicate how good of a parent you are. It’s not bad parenting that causes colic, and it’s not your kid rejecting you when they cry themselves to sleep.
Use the crib for short breaks. When your kid is wailing, it’s acceptable to place them in the crib for a little while you gather yourself or get your own nerves back.
Take care of your health. Consume nutritious meals, prioritize regular physical activity like taking brisk daily walks, seize opportunities to rest when the baby does, including daytime naps, abstain from alcohol and substances.
Remember that it’s temporary. Episodes of colic usually become better after three to four months.
Have a rescue plan. If at all possible, arrange for a friend or family member to step in for you in times of need. For more support, get in touch with your healthcare physician, a nearby crisis intervention program, or a mental health help line, if needed.

Diseases & Conditions Colic