Infant colic is a very common disorder that affects the baby during the first months of life. It generates an intense and vigorous cry that usually lasts more than 3 hours. Find out what its causes are and what you can do to treat them.
Most babies suffer from colic during breastfeeding. It is important to know how to differentiate the cry produced by gas colic or the cry produced due to other causes or possible pathologies.
Sucking is the newborn’s first reflex, but by the time it has to combine it with swallowing, it still does not know how to do it well and swallows air. The air that the baby swallows turns into gases that will later cause colic.
Colic can appear whether the baby is breastfed or artificially fed. Babies usually suffer from these discomforts between 15 days old and up to 3 months, and around 4 months they usually disappear.
During the baby’s breastfeeding period, it is normal for the baby to suffer from colic due to the gases that are produced either when swallowing air or during the digestion process when the milk proteins do not feel good.
The causes that cause these colic can be several and we must bear in mind that it is not a disease and that a high percentage of babies suffer from them.
To avoid as much as possible that the baby suffers from these annoying colic we can help you by following a series of recommendations. Surely many new parents will wonder how to differentiate them.
What is infant colic?
Basically we could define baby colic (also known as infant colic, three-month colic or simply evening colic), as a typical disorder of the first months of life with episodes of intense and vigorous crying.
To be effectively dealing with infant colic, crying must last at least 3 hours a day, 3 days a week for at least 3 weeks, in a baby who is effectively well fed and perfectly healthy.
What are your causes?
Contrary to what many parents think, the truth is that the cause of infant colic is unknown. In fact, studies show that in only 5% of cases there is a demonstrable organic cause. However, it is estimated to affect between 5 and 19% of infants.
Many pediatricians associate this problem with the fact that the baby’s digestive system is not yet mature, which is why these colic tend to disappear between three to four months of age, when the child’s digestive system has matured.
On the other hand, it is known that the type of feeding does not influence its appearance, not finding differences between those babies who are fed with breast milk, and those who follow a feeding from artificial lactation.
How to tell if a baby cry is caused by colic:
- The baby cries suddenly and intensely.
- The crying seems inconsolable.
- The baby curls his legs and clenches his fists.
- Crying usually occurs at the same time in the afternoon or evening feedings.
- If we touch her tummy we will notice it swollen and hard.
What we can do to avoid baby colic:
- In the event that the baby is being breastfed, we must place the baby in an inclined rather than horizontal position.
- In the case that the baby is being fed with artificial lactation, it is convenient that the nipples are anti-colic that come equipped with valves so that the baby does not swallow air.
- The position in which we keep the bottle is also important, so make sure it is inclined enough so that the nipple is covered with milk so that the baby does not suck air.
- Once he has finished eating, put him to burp.
- If he is being breast-fed, he should be burped before changing breasts.
- Sometimes it is necessary to burp him without having finished eating, you will notice it because the baby is uncomfortable.
- To make it easier for him to burp, we will place him in a vertical position against our chest and we will help him with a few gentle touches on the back.
- We should not put the baby to bed after he has finished eating and without burping first.
- We must ensure that the time of feeding is as relaxed as possible so that the baby eats calmly and slowly.
How to help the baby to calm colic naturally?
The first thing we must do is take the baby in our arms and try to comfort his crying.
- Once in arms we can try the following guidelines to help you expel gas.
- We put him upright against our chest as if to burp, and massage his back.
- We place the baby on his stomach and with gentle movements massage his back.
- We place the baby on his back, flex his legs and massage his tummy with gentle, circular movements.
On the other hand, we must take into account something fundamental as well as important: we should never administer medications to the baby without previously consulting with the pediatrician.
Without a doubt, the pediatrician will advise us what we can administer to our baby in these cases.
