All babies are prone to the occasional bout of crying. Babies cry mostly because it is the only way that they can communicate their needs at such a young age.
However, with babies who are suffering from colic, the crying starts all of a sudden one day for no apparent reason and very rarely stops.
What is Colic?
Even in this day and age, doctors are still not sure what colic is however there is a combination of behaviours that doctors use to diagnose the problem.
Colic usually occurs in a pattern of threes. The crying starts when a baby is between three weeks and three months of age. The crying usually lasts for more than three hours at a time, occurs at least three days a week (although it usually occurs every single night) and it continues for at least three weeks in a row.
Bizarrely enough, most babies with colic tend to cry at the same time every single day. Their cries are loud, continuous and can sometimes turn into full-blown screams. When a baby is suffering from colic, it tends to pull up its legs, ball its hands into fists and tighten its abdominal muscles.
Colic can be a traumatic experience for the child itself and for its parents. Most babies become so frantic during a bout of colic that their faces can turn bright red and the child can seem like it’s in a lot of pain.
Colic can be a very distressing problem for your baby and for yourself
Possible Causes of Colic:
Colic is a problem that affects 20 per cent of all babies, and while its cause remains a complete mystery, experts do know that it’s not caused by bad genetics or anything that may have happened to their child during pregnancy.
There are lots of different theories as to what causes colic. Here are just a handful:
- Overstimulated senses
- Infant acid reflux syndrome
- An immature digestive system
- Food allergies or sensitivity
Tomorrow we’ll be looking at ways that you can prevent your child from developing colic and, more importantly, how you can cope with the problem.
