Wait – Do I have a colic baby?

Hello Hello Parents, Siblings, Guardians, Care Givers, Aunts, Uncles and Grandparents! Whew I think I covered the list pretty well 🙂

Over the weekend a friend of ours was officially diagnosed with a colic baby – She finally took the baby to her pediatrician to put a rest to the constant “Is my baby colic?”  question. And I use the word diagnosed since many a times you cannot tell why your little one is crying despite the diaper change, feedings, naps all taken care of.

I’ll be sharing some helpful tips that totally made my life easier and yes it does go away after the first 3-4 months and in some cases even within the first 6 months. With my little one, she seemed to be good with her timing – the day she turned 15 weeks – Boom no more colic. Just like that.

What is Colic?

To begin with, it’s great to actually understand what exactly do people mean when they say their baby is colic. When you have an otherwise healthy baby who cries or is excessively fussy for hours.  The crying seems to peak around when the baby is a little over a month old (give or  take). The most common source of pain is caused by gas or tummy pain.

Given you’re already sleep and rest deprived it can be super frustrating. And nothing seems to work when it comes to soothing the little ball of fury.

Symptoms Your Child Is Colic

This is a pretty common occurrence that effects 1 in 5 babies. So how do you know if you have a colic baby? Below are some of the signs that will help you identify if that is the case:

• Intense crying episodes
• Cries around the same time every day or at least 3 times a week
• The episodes have been happening for 3 weeks or more
• Cries for no apparent reason ( not hungry, sleepy or needs a diaper change…even rocking the baby doesn’t help)
• Body language is all tense with clenched fists, stiffened legs, tummy is dissented and face all red from crying

What causes Colic

This is still a bit of mystery for the medical community. Many  believe that

1.  Gas may be causing the discomfort
2. Over-sensitivity or overstimulation
3. A developing digestive system that may spasm sometimes
4. Many times this could be related to infant reflux as well. In fact many believe that Infant GERD has been attributed to triggering Colic.
5. Food allergies
6. Exposure to Tobacco and second hand smoke during and after pregnancy

How can we help the baby feel better

Well there are lots of ways to do that. Of course above all, always take heed to what your pediatrician recommends. But in the mean time below are some of the remedies that helped me and other moms out:

• Make sure you are giving sufficient tummy time.
• Colic babies respond well to being carried and hugged. If you have one, make sure of the baby carrier to keep your hands free.
• Swaddle the baby so he/she feels soothed
• Many times giving the baby a warm bath helps relax the little one
• After every feed, keep the baby upright, especially if there is suspected GERD.
• Moving the baby in rhythmic motions – that can be from a baby bouncer, swing or even a quick drive.
• Giving the baby a pacifier also helps in soothing the baby
• Create a quiet and calm environment around the baby, especially leading into the hours the crying episode starts. That around that time take your baby in a quiet, dark room that doesn’t have any sort of simulation. Adding a white noise as a background helps at times.
• Lay the baby on his/her back and move the legs in a slow cycling motion
• I would recommend using any gas or colic drops only on your pediatrician’s recommendation

I hope this helps out many parents. Also remember always have a doctor diagnose anything and everything first, just to make sure there is no underlying issue.

Good luck parents!