What is Infantile Colic (Babies with Colic): How do you Know if Your Baby has Colic?

A healthy and well fed baby can be described as an infantile colic if the baby is found to be:

1. Crying for almost three to more hours in a day and
2. Crying for more than three days in a week and
3. Crying for more than three weeks.

The condition of Infantile Colic (Babies with Colic) is one frustrating situation. Some well-fed and healthy babies are also victims of Infantile Colic (Babies with Colic) which is an absolute distress. Nothing can bring relief to a baby when they cry for hours, days and weeks. No help is good enough to make the Infantile Colic (Babies with Colic) baby stop from crying.

Infantile Colic (Babies with Colic) is a challenging situation both for the parent and the infant. However this condition does not last for long. It ends within few weeks or months.

Babies get affected with Infantile Colic (Babies with Colic) mostly at the age of 2 to 3 weeks. Babies affected with infantile colic (babies with colic) cry excessively even when they are not hungry, tired or frightened. The time of the cry is often the same time in the day. The time is often in the late afternoon or evening in most babies.

Infants between the ages of two weeks to four months sometimes have a syndrome of crying excessively without any reason. This syndrome is called infantile colic (babies with colic) which occurs in healthy infants for an unknown reason.

There is no confirmed reason for infantile colic (babies with colic) in babies. However some medical practitioner considers indigestion or winding in the stomach could be the reason behind it. They find the baby’s gut to be sensitive to milk (breast or formula). Infants with lactose intolerance show similar kind of symptoms as those affected by infantile colic (babies with colic).

The exact reason behind infantile colic (babies with colic) is still unknown. There can be a number of reasons behind the occurrence of infantile colic (babies with colic) in babies. These can be allergies, bacterial infection, lactose intolerance or problems in the digestive system. Anxious parents often over feed the babies and their undeveloped digestive system cannot support it. This causes an irritation in the stomach or accumulation of wind. There are a number of unknown reasons which causes infantile colic (babies with colic) in healthy well-fed babies as well.

There is a unique connection of the digit 3 with infantile colic (babies with colic) in babies. Babies with infantile colic (babies with colic) usually cry for over 3 hours in a day or for more than three days in a week. Doctors can only help in diagnosing there is no presence of any other organic reason behind such crying. There is no prescribed treatment for Infantile Colic (Babies with Colic) other than providing support to the parents.

Babies usually turn out to be crying & fussy behavior is more than the normal standard when they are affected with infantile colic (babies with colic). Healthy babies also may have this syndrome in them. The signs and symptoms of infantile colic (babies with colic) are:

• Babies are noticed to go through excessive or distressed crying. They cry intensely with distressed and high pitched sound. The baby’s face usually flushes and it seems to be extremely difficult to comfort them.
• Another symptoms of Infantile colic or babies with colic is babies curl up their legs, or clench their fists or even have stiff abdominal muscles during the event of infantile colic (babies with colic).
• Yet another symptoms of infantile colic is that babies affected with infantile colic (babies with colic) are found to be crying in the similar time everyday and for the same hours. These crying sessions usually happens in the evening or afternoon. After the baby stops to cry, he may record to have bowel movements or pass bowel gas.
• There is no known reason for such intense cry. Babies usually cry when they want food or feel uncomfortable. But in a baby affected by infantile colic (babies with colic) there is no definite reason. The baby can cry for hours without any reason.

Infantile colic (babies with colic) is common in many new born babies. It grows in the babies usually after some weeks of their birth and leaves by itself as the baby turn 3 or 4 months old. In other cases by ages of four to about five months the syndrome leaves the baby.

Consult your doctor immediately if your baby is showing symptoms of unnecessary crying due to infantile colic (babies with colic) or else it can bring other illness to the baby. Talk to your pediatrician if the following things happen:

• If there is bluish-cast to the infant’s skin or lips during the crying session.
• If the baby shows disorders in eating or sleeping due to extreme crying sessions.

Maintain a journal and jot down all the sleeping, eating, crying schedules of your baby. Keep a track of the crying sessions for your baby’s doctor. Keep a note when exactly the baby starts crying and usually for how long. These data will be helpful to the pediatrician to treat your baby well.

Females who have the habit of smoking and smoke during the period of pregnancy often find their babies to grow the symptoms of infantile colic (babies with colic). There are however no proven theories which are suspected to be the reason of infantile colic (babies with colic) in babies.

The risk factors for infantile colic (babies with colic) are:

• Infantile colic (babies with colic) occurs more in the second or third babies for couple, not for the first born.
• Infantile colic (babies with colic) occurs more to babies who are formula-fed.
• Babies who are on breast-feeding do not get affected with infantile colic (babies with colic).
• Both baby girls and baby boys get affected with infantile colic (babies with colic).

Also Read:

• Home Remedies for Infantile Colic (Babies with Colic) & Its Recovery Period
• Treatment for Infantile Colic & Ways to Avoid Colic in Babies