He spends sleepless nights, worries his parents. All about baby colic

Baby colic affects most babies. This ailment can effectively disturb the peace and cause sleepless nights, but it should be remembered that colic is not a disease. It’s just a pain that goes away with time.

By name infant colic is defined as paroxysmal crying, during which it is impossible to calm the baby. It appears suddenly and lasts from a few minutes to several hours. It most often appears around the 3rd week of the baby’s life, lasting up to 3 months, but it can also appear in older babies.

It usually occurs in the evenings and afternoons, with the most intense attacks occurring between 6 and 8 weeks of age. Unfortunately, there is no rule here – both breastfed and formula-fed babies suffer from colic. We deal with it when:

• The baby starts crying hard
• He tenses up, jerks his legs violently,
• His belly is enlarged and sometimes hard.

First colic attack. Where does it come from?

When the first attack of colic occurs, it is worth taking the child to the pediatrician and checking the causes of its occurrence – we will make sure that other ailments, such as infections or intestinal obstruction, which have a similar course, are ruled out.

The causes of colic are:

1. Immaturity of the digestive system, which causes improper bowel function,
2. Swallowing air while eating, especially in bottle-fed babies
3. Sensitivity to some foods eaten by a breastfeeding mother, e.g. to cow protein,
4. Immaturity of the nervous system, colic is then the result of releasing excess stimuli,
5. Overeating – when the child’s body cannot cope with proper digestion.

Help with spikes – what you can do

There is no magic formula for colic – you can only soothe the baby’s suffering. Keep calm, take the baby in your arms, carry it and hug it. Proximity will ease the pain of the baby. You can gently massage the baby’s tummy alternately with the edge of your hand from top to bottom or clockwise. Sometimes a hot water bottle applied to the tummy or a warm bath helps. Unfortunately, some babies cannot be put in a bath tub during a colic attack.

For the future – how to prevent spikes?

1. Use good quality teats if bottle feeding – replace them often
2. Hug your baby often
3. Put baby on tummy
4. If you are breastfeeding, make sure that the baby latches on well and does not swallow air,
5. When breastfeeding, your diet must be light and wholesome,
6. Make sure your baby burps after eating (especially when bottle-feeding)
7. Do not give your baby too many impressions during the day.