Parents of newborn babies often face the problem of colic in the baby. This trouble torments not only the little son, but also his parents, because often young, inexperienced mothers watch with helplessness the torment of the baby and do not know how to help him. How many months does the period last when a child suffers from colic and what methods will help relieve bloating and periodic attacks of pain?
Why do newborn babies have colic?
First of all, it should be remembered that the baby was only recently born, so his digestive system has not yet had time to fully form and adapt to new nutritional conditions.
Colic occurs due to an incompletely formed digestive system.
The baby's stomach is just beginning to get used to breast milk or formula and does not produce enough enzymes to digest it. As a result, new products irritate the gastric mucosa, which is why the baby suffers from colic.
Excess air
Another cause of this problem is air that enters the baby's intestines while crying or feeding. Air bubbles can enter the newborn's digestive system if, when feeding, he only latches on to the mother's nipple and not the part of the breast with the halo.
Air bubbles can enter the newborn's digestive system during feeding.
Allergy to mixture
If the mother has little milk or it is not nutritious enough and the baby is additionally fed with infant formula or cow's milk , the baby may develop an allergy to these products.
Infant formula can cause allergies in your baby.
In this case, not only bloating is observed, but also diarrhea. In this case, you should choose a different brand of baby food.
Let the newborn burp!!!
Many young women make the mistake of not allowing the baby to burp after eating. This process is very important, since when belching, excess air comes out of the intestines, an excess of which leads to increased gas formation and bloating.
After eating, the newborn should be allowed to burp.
Don't overfeed
You should not overfeed a newborn, because his immature digestive system is not able to digest large amounts of food.
Do not overfeed a newborn.
Excess undigested food stagnates in the stomach, fermentation begins in it, so the baby suffers from colic.
Of course, mothers tend to panic when their baby suffers and starts crying heart-rendingly, but it should be understood that colic in newborns is a completely normal phenomenon and not a fatal disease. This is how the digestive system reacts to new foods and adapts to them.
When should you sound the alarm?
The symptoms of intestinal colic in newborns are very similar to the symptoms of appendicitis and intestinal diseases, so the manifestations of this ailment should not be taken lightly.
If the baby has lost his appetite, he has become lethargic, inactive, his temperature has risen, his stool is upset and he is vomiting (not to be confused with regurgitation), then perhaps the problem is much more serious than ordinary colic. In this case, the baby should be shown to a doctor, and the sooner the better.
How to determine colic in a boy
Crying is the only way a newborn can tell adults that something is bothering him. But the baby does not always cry because of tummy pain. Sometimes, to calm him down, it is enough to feed the child or change his diaper. So how can a mother understand that the baby is suffering from colic?
The baby does not always cry because of tummy pain.
There are several specific symptoms that can be used to identify colic in a newborn.
- The child kicks his legs , bends them and tries to pull them towards his tummy.
- The baby's face turns completely or partially red .
- When crying, the newborn arches his back .
- The baby's tummy swells and becomes hard and dense to the touch .
- The child begins to cry for no apparent reason and just as suddenly calms down.
If colic is accompanied by diarrhea, vomiting or fever, you should immediately seek help from a pediatrician.
Until how many months do newborn boys suffer from colic?
As a rule, colic is a relatively short-term phenomenon and usually lasts for the first three months of the baby's life.
Colic is a relatively short-term phenomenon.
Colic begins in infants who have reached two weeks of age , because it is during this period that the mother’s protective hormones are finally removed from the child’s body.
The duration of colic depends on the individual characteristics of each baby’s body. In some children, the gastrointestinal system returns to normal already in the second month of life , while other babies may suffer from attacks of abdominal pain until three or four months .
Many mothers are interested in the question of how long colic lasts in small children. The intensity and duration of colic also depend on the physiological characteristics of each infant. Typically, attacks can last from three to six hours.
There is an opinion that babies who were born before their due date are more likely to suffer from colic.
Walk while holding your baby and rocking him to sleep
During colic attacks you will have to do this most often. Try carrying your baby in a sling or baby carrier while you walk around the house to free up your hands. If your baby doesn't like rocking, place him face down on your stomach and stroke his back.
Make sure your partner (or someone else) is there to help rock you to sleep, because it can be very draining, both physically and mentally. You may even think about hiring an assistant: a nanny who comes at least once a week will already help you relieve stress, because she can go out with the child for a walk for a couple of hours.
How to help a colicky baby
Before feeding your baby, you should place him on his tummy.
Are there ways to rid your baby of this painful problem? Unfortunately, there are no medications that would completely eliminate colic in newborns. But there are several methods by which a loving mother can relieve unpleasant symptoms and help the baby survive this period.
- Before feeding your baby, you should lay him on his tummy for a few minutes.
- After eating, it is advisable to carry the baby in your arms for ten to fifteen minutes so that he remains in an upright position .
- a light tummy massage several times throughout the day .
- gymnastic exercises with your baby (gently bend and straighten the arms and legs).
Drugs and medications
BabyCalm helps reduce pain in the tummy.
Experts have developed some medications that can be given to infants to relieve colic.
- Medicines such as BabyCalm and Plantex are created specifically for newborn babies and help reduce pain in the tummy.
- You can give your child medications based on Simethicone , for example, Espumisan L or Bobotik . They help against increased gas formation, which is a common cause of colic.
- When newborns have bloating and attacks of pain, experienced mothers give them dill water.
- But you can also make your own tea from carrot, fennel or dill seeds, or a decoction of sage and chamomile .
We have already written in more detail in the material: what is the best medicine for colic in newborns.
Baby's mother's nutrition
During the period of feeding the baby, the mother should not eat legumes.
The mother’s nutrition during the period of feeding the baby with breast milk is also important Some foods that cause allergies or increased gas formation should be excluded from the daily menu.
Prohibited products:
- white or cauliflower;
- legumes (lentils, beans, peas);
- carbonated drinks, especially sweet ones;
- chocolate;
- baked goods and confectionery;
- peanut;
- drinks containing caffeine (tea, coffee).
Walks
When an attack of colic begins, you can always collect the baby, put him in the stroller and go for a walk so that he can sleep or at least get distracted. You can also take him for a ride in the car, as almost all babies fall asleep when he does this. The main problem with this strategy is that the peak of a colic attack may occur late at night, when you are unlikely to want to run outside with a stroller or drive. And you definitely shouldn't always rely on this method, so avoid using it for more than three days in a row - that's how long it takes for your child to develop a habit.
Features of the procedure
How to properly place a newborn on his tummy? It is recommended to start with the mother placing the baby on herself. This calms him down and helps him feel protected. And it’s also useful for the parent to just lie down once again, at least for 5–10 minutes, to rest,
So, take the baby in your arms and lie down with him on the sofa. Then you arrange the child on yourself so that his tummy lies on the mother’s. You can lie in this position for 10 minutes or more, stroking the child’s back and talking to him.
Feeding
One possible answer to the question of how to help a baby with colic is proper breastfeeding. Or selecting the optimal nipple when the child is fed formula.
So, when it comes to breastfeeding, we recommend using the following technique:
- We put the baby to the chest in a sitting position. The baby's tummy is pressed tightly against the mother's.
- Grasp the areola with your fingers so that the upper finger is parallel to the lower ones.
- Squeeze out a drop of milk and run the nipple along your baby's lower lip, forcing him to open his mouth wide.
- When the baby latches onto the nipple, his lower lip should completely cover the areola. And during feeding, it is important to hear only the sound of sucking and swallowing milk coming from the baby. The child should not make any other sounds.
When the baby is bottle-fed, the bottle is selected in such a way that the mixture passes through it in small drops. If its flow is too large, swallowing air is guaranteed.
Symptoms
When colic occurs in children, the symptoms are as follows:
- The tummy is hard to the touch.
- You can hear your bowels making sounds.
- The baby starts crying and squirms. This behavior is especially common late in the evening or late at night.
- The baby presses his legs to his stomach and screams.
- During feeding, the baby throws the breast, screams and worries.
- There may be problems with bowel movements.
