Everything Nice: Manage Colic

Manage Colic

What is colic?
Prolonged recurring bouts of hard crying- sometimes lasting hours despite every effort of parental solace- usually indicate colic, abdominal pain that is probably caused by feeding problems or gas. It rarely occurs before the baby is two weeks old and almost always wanes by the age o three months.

Although colic appears painful to the baby and certainly is very stressful to parents, it is not dangerous unless there are symptoms other than crying and abdominal pain. If prolonged crying is accompanied by fever, vomiting or diarrhea, or if the baby seems listless or uncomfortable before or after the crying bouts, then illness, not common to colic, is the problem.

Note: Colic should not be treated with medicines unless your physician recommends doing so.

Symptoms:

loud, hard crying with few or no interruptions
sudden onset of crying in the late afternoon or evening
rejection of bottle or breast after eager acceptance
tense position legs drawn up, hands clenched and feet cold
tight, distended abdomen
bowel movement or passage of gas near the end of attack

What to do:

Burp your baby
Avoid frequent feedings
If you are nursing your baby, abstain from drinking cow's milk for a brief period to see if the colic stops.
Try cuddling, soothing talk, soft music, rocking and walking.
Swaddle your baby snugly.
Lay your baby's stomach down on your lap or on a hot-water bottle wrapped in a towel, and rub the baby's back gently.
Give the baby a pacifier.
Check bottle nipples and the position of the bottle during feeding to make sure the baby does not suck in air.

Call the doctor if:

The youngster continues to cry for longer than four hours.
The child exhibits other symptoms of illness, such as fever, runny nose, coughing or vomiting.
Such long bouts of crying still occur after four months of age.