Colic
Colic can be upsetting and exhausting for new parents – if your baby suffers from it, it’ll test all your parenting skills and your patience in the early months. The good news is that it causes no harm to your baby.
Colic is characterized by recurrent bouts of unexplained crying, usually for longer than three hours a day, for more than three days a week. These bouts of crying will usually occur in the evening, just when you’re tired too. All babies cry – it’s their main form of communication. But the crying that’s a feature of colic is intense and your baby may be very difficult to soothe. Other symptoms can include your baby drawing her legs up to her tummy, as if in pain, and wind.
As yet the cause of colic is unknown – some experts reckon it’s a digestive problem associated with abdominal gas; others think it is due to overfeeding or underfeeding. Over-stimulation is another potential cause: your baby is having to absorb a host of new experiences and sensations on a daily basis, which means he may find it difficult to process it all throughout the day, culminating in a release of energy and a crying bout at the same time each evening. Some experts don’t even believe colic exists.
Treatment
Babies can cry uncontrollably for reasons other than colic, so always check with your pediatrician to rule out anything more serious. If your baby’s cry is abnormally high-pitched and she has a fever call your pediatrician straightaway, as these symptoms can signal meningitis.
Because there’s no single cause for colic, there’s no single ‘cure’. It often comes down to using a variety of different techniques to soothe your baby…
- Many babies calm down with a rocking motion, either in your arms or in a swing.
- Your baby may cry less if she’s swaddled, as it’ll help her feel secure and remind her of life in the uterus before she was born. It’s also thought that the pressure swaddling exerts on your baby’s abdomen might help relieve painful wind. For tips on how to swaddle, see our swaddling article.
- Baby massage may also help – gently rub your baby’s tummy in a counter-clockwise direction, since that’s how food travels through her digestive tract. Read our feature on baby massage for more advice.
- Giving your baby a pacifier or letting her suck her thumb may help to soothe the crying.
- Removing all colorful toys and stimuli from her field of vision may help if she’s finding it difficult to process information she’s learning. Try winding her down in the evening: read her a simple baby picture book or rock her in your arms while you sing lullabies. Turn the lights low to make the environment more restful.
- Try giving her a warm bath. Most babies love the bath and will be soothed by the warm water and being able to kick around diaper-free for a while.
- Some experts suggest that if you breastfeed your diet can make your baby’s colic worse because she may be unable to process some of the proteins that pass into her body via your breast milk. Reduce your intake of caffeine and avoid orange juice, cabbage and onion and spicy foods.
- Lots of parents report their babies being soothed by music or monotonous sounds like the vacuum cleaner, white noise on the radio or the washer.
- There are remedies you can buy, such as gripe water, that aim to help colic by dispersing wind in your baby’s tummy. Some parents also report success with probiotic drops. Ask your pediatrician or pharmacist for advice.
Coping with a colicky baby
Colic can be hard to deal with because the symptoms seem to peak at a time when you’re likely to be tired and busy. Here are our tips on coping through this difficult time.
- Remember that colic doesn’t usually last for long – for most babies the symptoms will stop within the first three months.
- Your baby is not crying to annoy you, or because you’re a bad parent. Try not to blame yourself – instead focus on helping to relieve your baby’s symptoms.
- Try to share a bit of the responsibility of your baby with your partner, family and friends to give yourself a break once in a while. If your baby cries at the same kind of time each night, ask a your mom or a friend to pop in to help.
- If it does happen at the same time each night, you can prepare yourself for it beforehand. Prepare a simple meal in the morning so you don’t have to cook while juggling your crying baby in the evening.
- Try to think positively before the crying starts. You know it’s going to happen but even if your baby seems inconsolable and you feel helpless, she probably derives some comfort from you.
- Forget chores – concentrate on you and your baby. When things get easier you’ll have time to clean up!
- If it gets to be too much, place your baby somewhere safe – in his crib or swing – and go into another room to calm down.
Keep in mind that this is only a short period in your baby’s childhood that WILL pass. She’s perfectly healthy and will continue to thrive as well as babies who don’t suffer from colic. If you find you can’t cope with your baby’s crying sessions, ask your physician for support and advice.
The information in this feature is intended for educational purposes only. If you have any concerns about your health, the health of your child or the health of someone you know, please consult with a doctor or other healthcare professional.
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Last Modified: 27/06/2008