Colic is a term in medical jargon used for inconsolably crying babies. Such babies cry at least once every 3 hours. The intensity of crying is usually high during late afternoon or evening. It has been observed that colic generally begins after the baby is three weeks of age. However, cases of newborn colic after one week of birth are also found.
There can be many reasons for colic such as undeveloped digestive tract, gas and some experts suggest that colic can be due to an immature nervous system which does not allow the child to adjust with over stimulation or sensitivity to sound or light.
Symptoms of Colic in Babies
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- Regular crying – Colic occurs in the late afternoon or evening. Crying can last from a few minutes to as long as 3 hours, or even longer in some cases. The crying very often ends with passing of gas or bowel movement.
- Inconsolable crying – A colic baby is likely to go red with crying as the intensity of it is extreme. Try whatever you may; the infant just won’t relent from crying. It is always a very taxing time for the parents or whoever tries to comfort the baby.
- Unusual postures – Colicky babies are found in unusual postures such as clenched fists, curled up legs, tensed abdominal muscles and similar. The discomfort they feel is visible in such postures.
- Gas – One of the major causes for colic in babies is excess gas build up in the abdomen. This makes them burp and pass gas frequently.
- Worsening of colic – Some things aggravate the colic in babies. Overfeeding or giving undiluted juices can turn the situation for the worse. Food allergies as well as stress have an aggravating impact on the colic of babies.
Most infants go through a phase of colic with the usual symptoms of discomfort and crying for hours. It can have an adverse impact on the infant’s health as the feeding patterns can get disturbed. When the crying session of a baby’s colic ends, the parents find him feeding, playing and peaceful once again. The relief from the crying is short-lived though.
A study on the symptoms of colic baby has shown that mothers who breast feed their children reduce the frequency of colic. It was also seen in the research that mothers who were on a nourishing diet did their babies a favour as their colicky behaviour was reduced by 25 percent, compared to mothers who did not have nourishing diet.
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