When a colicky baby cries
Your baby cries – Understand colic and soothe your colicky baby
If your baby cries for hours at a time without any apparent reason, you might be dealing with a colicky baby, since up to 40% of all babies have colic. Therefore, it is very important to understand this condition and learn how to turn a colicky baby into a happy little baby.
Colicky Baby Cries
Colic usually starts between the 3rd and 6th week of a new born baby and it’s gone before the baby is 3 or 4 months old. If your baby cries many hours every night after this age, you might consider other conditions apart from colic.
Causes of colic
Colic is a kind of mystery for the medical doctors, since they are not sure what exactly causes this condition. Some doctors don’t take this condition seriously, while others think that colic is a severe condition that has to be urgently cured. Regardless your doctor’s opinion, when dealing with a colicky baby, you certainly think that colic is a terrible thing that gives you and your baby sleepless nights.
Although milk intolerance used to be considered as a possible cause of colic, researches show that milk formula hasn’t much to do with the colicky baby. It is very possible to have a colicky baby even when breastfeeding. In this case, many women have found that smoking and caffeine or dairy products in their diet might lead to colic.
A colicky baby often gets to this condition due to gas, but it is also uncertain if the gas is a major cause for colic. When your baby cries, swallowing too much air could be a cause of gas accumulation which worsens the colic.
Other theories try to explain why a baby cries by the food movement through the colicky baby’s digestive system. If the food is not completely digested, it might cause colic.
Although the causes of colic are not completely understood, you might think that your baby cries just because it takes a little longer for a temperamental baby to get adjusted to a new world.
Colic symptoms and signs
Normally, a baby cries when wet, hungry, frightened or tired. But a colicky baby cries constantly and excessively, without any of these plausible reasons. The colic crisis often appears at the same time of day, mostly in the late afternoon, in the evenings or late nights.
Your colicky baby’s belly may look a little bit enlarged or you may notice some gas elimination during the colic episodes.
A baby cries or gets fussy soon after a feeding. The colicky baby’s face looks red, the feet may be cold and the hands clenched.
Key facts about a colicky baby
Sleeping baby
A colicky baby has a healthy sucking reflex and a god appetite. Colic is not an illness and even if your baby cries a lot during the colic crisis, he or she is growing well.
A colicky baby needs to be cuddled and pampered. If your baby cries on and on and it seems difficult to console him or her, call your doctor.
Colic might get your baby to spit sometimes, but not vomiting. If your colicky baby is vomiting or losing weight, also call the doctor.
A colicky baby has normal stools. Diarrhea or blood in the stool should worry you, so call the doctor in any of these cases.
What can be done when your baby cries?
There are certain ways to help you make your life easier when dealing with a colicky baby and give your little angel the proper soothing.
Check our eBook “Colic Relief – Help Your Baby Sleep Through the Night” and find the best ways to give your baby the best care during this challenging time.
Also make sure you take a good care of yourself. Take time to relax and remember that you need to be in a good shape for your baby. Prepare for when your baby cries by learning the best ways to relief colic and help your colicky baby enjoy a happy life.