What Exactly Is Colic?
Colic is a term that every mother dreads… the mere thought of your precious newborn suddenly crying for hours on end, unable to be comforted. What exactly is Colic? Today I want to share with you some research that I have found that will give you a picture of what Colic is and some symptoms to watch out for in your baby.
My oldest son developed Colic at about four weeks of age, so I have a special place in my heart for any parent who is struggling with it. I know the frustration that you feel at not being able to give any comfort to your little bundle of joy. I know what it is like to cry with them because you cannot relieve their pain. I did not understand much about Colic at the time that we were struggling with it, however, I have made an effort to educate myself since that time.
I have learned that experts cannot agree on one pinpoint cause for the development of Colic. Some believe that it is tied to formula made from cows milk and soy proteins given to infants or even the traces of cows milk that a nursing mother may pass along to her baby. Twenty to thirty percent of infants will have Colic and it normally will develop between week two and week six of their little lives.
Colic causes infants to appear to be experiencing bouts of abdominal pain that can last anywhere from three hours a day to fifteen hours a day in more extreme cases. The baby will often be red faced, crying in excess, and seems very uncomfortable.
This is normally due to excess gas that builds up in the baby’s system normally from excess air that they take in while feeding vigorously. Most babies with Colic will have a greenish tint to their stools. Another symptom of this condition can be reflux, or spitting up frequently after taking a bottle.
Most children seem to grow out of the Colic stage by four months of age, however, those three or four months can be stressful and not at all what parents had envisioned in having a new baby. Make sure that you take your fussy baby to the pediatricians office if he or she is showing signs of Colic to verify that Colic is the problem and not anything else.
I know, first hand, how hard it can be to have a colicky baby at home and next, I will share with you some proven ways to help relieve pain for your baby as well as some ideas that I tried with my own son.
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