What is Colic (The Crying Baby)?
You may find your little one crying for hours without any appropriate reason. Especially, if you are a new parent, you might feel terrified about the whole crying thing.
Colic is generally defined as the loud and continuous crying of the babies without any apparent reason which may last for about 3 hours a day, 3 days a week, or even 3 weeks at a stretch!
This can start when your baby is just 2-3 weeks old, and also it can last till your baby turns 4-6 months old. The colic can differ from baby to baby.
Some babies cry during the daytime and some in the night. Usually, the “crying period” is seen to start from evening 6 until midnight No pause, no break!
1 out of 5 babies is prone to colic. However, the baby’s gender, type of feeding, or the birth month does not affect whether the baby should be colic or not. It is just a period that eventually vanishes as soon as your baby celebrates its “Half year” birthday!
You might not know what to do, how to calm your crying baby, or what is causing your little one to cry out that loud in a continuous manner? Here are the details gathered.
Symptoms of Colic in Babies
Well, almost all babies leverage the advantage of crying when they want their mummy’s and daddy’s attention or when they want to say they are hungry and it’s feeding time!
As I told you before, it is important to know the difference between normal crying of your baby and colic.
Check out these symptoms to ensure that your baby is colic:
Just to be double sure, check out these symptoms too:
Causes of Colic in Babies
Well, there is no surety among the experts about what actually leads to colic in babies, especially among newborns.
So, now that you know the symptoms of colic in babies, you might be wondering about what are the causes of colic that makes your little one cry out so hard for long hours.
Here are some of the causes for which the baby might feel uneasy and express the irritating, uneasy feel by crying out loud.
Developing the digestive system:
Just so you know, the newborn baby’s digestive system will still be in the developing stage.
Thus, the baby might feel uneasy, and this might cause total discomfort in the baby’s little tummy.
Thus, the baby expresses its discomfort by crying out quite loud.
Acid reflux:
As the baby might be prone to discomfort because of acid reflux, even this can cause uneasiness leading to some lengthy screams of your baby!
Extra gas in the body:
As the baby pushes out the gas from its body, some experts claim that even this might be one of the causes that might make your baby uncomfortable.
Too much to take up!:
The babies, especially the newborns might feel over stimulating when it comes to getting acquainted with the new environment.
Thus, by the end of the day, processing this new information may also lead to colic.
Colic Diagnosis and Treatment
The doctor will help to diagnose and treat your baby if he/she is suffering from colic. You need to collect the following information that helps the doctor to diagnose properly:
Treatment for Colic
You can first try some strategies to soothe your baby. If that doesn’t work, then, try:
Change in Feeding:
Change some feeding practices, say, bottle-feed your baby. Always remember to get the burp after the feeding time.
Self-care for Parents:
Need a break:
Take some short breaks by switching the baby with your spouse, granny, or any other person. Give some time for yourself and relax for a while.
Using the crib:
It is ok to use the cribs for a short time. In this way, even you get some time and relief to soothe your nerves!
Take good care of your health too:
Your health is as important as your baby’s health. Make sure you keep it right and stay healthy by properly consuming the right amount of food and having some for minimum exercise.
Colic does not last long:
It is ok to panic when your baby cries for a longer period. Remember that the colic will last for about 4-5 months.
How Long Does the Colic Last?
Well, as already you know, 1 out of 5 babies are prone to colic. The gender of the baby, the type of feeding (breastfeeding or formula), the birth type, or any other factor does not influence the baby to be colic.
Also, the baby suffering from or used to suffer from colic is no different from the ones who didn’t or did not. Colic is just a loud cry made by the baby which feels somewhat uncomfortable or painful when it is just 2-3 weeks old.
There is no harm if the baby is colic. It is a matter of `fact that the baby is getting acquainted with the new world it has just arrived.
Also, as the digestive system and other organs are gradually developing, this might make the baby uncomfortable and thus express its discomfort by making a loud high-pitched cry for 2-3 hours a day!
So, parents, don’t worry! If your baby is colic, then, have some patience and continue to cope with the loudest cry possible till your cute little angel turns 4-6 months old.
As soon as the baby turns 4 months or so, the crying eventually vanishes as time passes. Thus, it doesn’t even leave a trace that your baby was once colic!
Read also: How To Give Massage To A Baby
How to Get a Colicky Baby to Sleep?
Once the colic baby starts its loud cry, you can use these ideas to soothe your baby that will help you to calm your baby down:
Read Also: Baby Swing for Colic.