Information on Baby Colic - Parenting Tips

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Baby Colic

According to a long-standing definition, if your baby cries three hours a week, three days a week for three weeks, and he's between two weeks and three months of age, he has colic. A simpler definition, without counting hours and days more to the point, is a whole lot of crying that doesn't calm down with the measures, and the doctor says there's nothing really wrong with him. The colicky episodes tend to occur around the same time each day, usually in the afternoon or evening, and are marked by intense activity on the baby's part, such as flailing about or pulling his knees to his chest. From all appearances, he like he's feeling a lot of discomfort—and undoubtedly he is.

The classic theories about the cause of colic have assumed that the baby's intestinal tract is at fault—that it goes into uncontrollable spasms, perhaps because of immaturity or a reaction to something in Mom's milk. Other proposed explanations include a problem interacting with parents Mother is tense or high-strung, and as a result the baby is also. But feeling patterns or formulas may or may not help, and colicky babiesfamilies that are intact or disjointed, relaxed or uptight. Basically, acause for colic has yet to be determined.

If your baby begins having long stretches of crying, you will need to address two concerns:

1. Does he have a medical problem?

2. How is everyone—baby included—going to get through this?

The first question needs to be answered relatively quickly, because a medical ill- a much more serious problem during the first three months of life:e baby is older. Some indicators of a disturbance that might need a physician care include:

• Any fever over 100.4°F taken with a rectal thermometer

• Poor sucking at the breast or bottle

• Change in color from normal pink to pale or bluish (called cyanosis)during feeding or crying

• Overt vomiting, as opposed to spitting up. (When a baby spits up, the partially digested food burps into his mouth and dribbles down his chin and ciothes. When he vomits, this material becomes airborne.)

• A marked increase in the amount and looseness of bowel movements

• Unusual jerking movements of the head, eyes, or other muscles that you don't recall seeing before

• If any of these occur, you should contact your physician, and your baby should be checked—especially if he has a fever. If he is crying up a storm but seems okay otherwise, he should still have a medical evaluation, either as part of a checkup or at an appointment specifically for this purpose. The more specific information you can give the doctor, the better. When did the crying start? How long does it last? Does anything seem to set it off? Is it improved or a feeding? Are there any other symptoms?

Assuming your baby is doing well otherwise (gaining weight, arriving at his developmental milestones more or less on time, showing no apparent signs of hess), your primary tasks during his crying episodes are to be there for him and to make ongoing efforts to comfort him. You are not a failure, and you ;iye up if your measures do not succeed in stopping the crying. Eventually each crying episode will end, and the crying season overall will come to a c:in nearly all cases by the third to fourth month of age.

Baby Colic Treatment

So what do you do for a colicky baby, assuming that he is fed, dry, andsick? You can try any or all of the following, once or many times. If a particular measure helps one time but doesn't the next, don't panic. You may get impre:results today with something that failed miserably last week.

Soothing movements. Gentle rocking or swaying in someone's arms is ahonored baby comforter. Unfortunately, when a baby is wailing at full volume, you may unconsciously begin moving faster or more forcefully—but you she should avoid rapid, jerky movements, which not only make the problem worse but 7even injure the baby. Cradles and baby swings that support the body andcan also provide this type of movement.

Soothing sounds. Provide humming, gentle singing, white noise, or pleasant recorded music.

Soothing positions. Some colicky babies respond to being held tummy-de.against your forearm like a football or across your thigh. Others seem to calm down while being carried close to Mom's or Dad's body in a baby sling. Swaddling in a light blanket and resting on one side or the other might help.

Soothing environments. Spending time in a quiet, dimly lit room can help ca.-baby who may be in sensory overload at the end of the day. Turn down theand unplug the phone if you have to.

Soothing trips. A ride in the car or a stroller may provide the right mix of gentle movement and sound to soothe the crying. Soothing touch. Gentle touching or stroking of the back, stomach, or head 7help.

Soothing sucking. Nursing may seem to calm the crying, even if he justfeeding. A pacifier may also work. If your baby doesn't seem satisfied byyour feedings, you should check with his physician and possibly a lactationsultans as well. This is particularly important if he's not gaining adequatebecause the problem may be that his hunger is never satisfied. If your cc.baby is formula-fed, you may at some point want to try a different brand orferent type of formula—for example, switching from cow's milk to soy---:formula. (Check with your baby's health-care provider on this.) Sometimes a change will bring about some noticeable improvement.

Self-soothing. Sometimes all the rocking, singing, touching, and pacifying ma-:tingly overload the baby's capacity to handle stimulation. The self-soothing measures mentioned in the previous section on sleep mayrs when everything else has failed.

What can you do for yourself while all of this is going on?

Keep reminding yourself that "this too will surely pass." You will deal with crying problems only a short period of your child's life. Believe it or not, before youwill come a time when you'll wonder where all those baby years.

If you find yourself reaching the end of your rope, don't take it out on the baby. Mounting frustration and anger are indications that you need a brief time-out. arrives, don't allow yourself to become a martyr or a child abuser. Sounding off verbally at the baby will accomplish nothing, and you must not carry put any physical act of anger—picking him up or putting him down roughly, hitting him, or anything else that inflicts pain or injury—no matter how upset you may feel. Instead, put him in his cradle or crib and walk away for twenty minutes until you have a chance to collect your thoughtssown. It won't hurt him to cry by himself for that period of time, and try comforting him again. He may have expended enough energy more responsive to calming efforts at this point. If necessary, call a- relative and get your frustration off your chest, or let someone elseafter your baby for a while.

If all is possible, husband and wife should pass the baton during a prolonged crying. Let Dad hold the baby while Mom takes a walk around the block and vice versa. Single moms—and for that matter, married ones—shouldn't be embarassed to seek help from an experienced relative or friend. If Grandma wants for a while during a rough evening, by all means let her do it.

Try to find some humor in all this to maintain your perspective. Pretend you are the next Erma Bombeck and jot down some of your observations. If you have one or more books that have made you laugh out loud, by all means keep them close at hand.

Try to mantain "self-preservation" activities as much as possible. A quiet time forand prayer may have to occur during a feeding, but it will provide im-erspective and strength. Having a world-class wailer is a humbling experience, and it is during these rough times that special intimacy with God develops. The question to ask Him isn't "Why did You give me such ababy?!" but "What do You want me to learn about myself and life in ge:.through this experience?" You may be surprised at the answer.

If you have "gone the distance," repeatedly trying every measure listed here a -perhaps a few others as well) without success, check back with your baby's doctor. Be prepared to give specific information—for example, how many hoursbaby has been crying, not just "He won't stop!" Depending upon your situ.::and the baby's crying pattern, another medical evaluation may be in order.

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