All babies cry. However, some babies cry more than others do. And some cry
a lot, to say the least.
Approximately 10-20 % of all babies get infant colic, and it’s affecting boys
and girls, first-born and last-born, breast-fed and formula-fed, equally and in
similar numbers.
The cause of colic isn’t known and there is no commonly accepted explanation for
the phenomenon. This is probably because it is a mix of causes that furthermore
varies from one child to another. Therefore it is not possible to prevent colic
at present. Many possibilities have been researched, and many of them are very
likely to be involved in the syndrome, even if it isn’t likely that it’s always
a matter of the same reasons combined that cause infant colic.
The first and primary sign is, of course, that your baby is crying. Colic
crying is intense. It can appear so forceful and unstoppable that there is
seemingly no way of comforting your child. For that reason it is logical to
believe that your child is in pain. Colic is not necessarily due to pain. Yet, a
baby with colic looks uncomfortable or appears to be in pain. During a colic
episode many babies clench their fists hardly. Furthermore they are likely to
lift up their head while curling up their legs to the tummy. Meanwhile the
abdominal muscles will be strongly tensed. The baby’s face is most likely
flushing dark-red. Combined with the nature of colic-crying it is easy to come
to the conclusion that your child is in lack of air. Don’t worry – this is not
the case. Of course, if the situation differs from the normal episodes and you
have any doubt whatsoever, it is advised to consult your doctor. Difficulty
falling and staying asleep is also a common symptom.
The crying episode usually begins suddenly and for no clear reason whatsoever.
A baby with colic most often cries at around the same time every day. For some
reason it usually starts in the late afternoon or evening. It can appear at any
given time of the day, though. Colic episodes may last from a few minutes to
three hours or more on any given day.
The condition most often appears at about two to four weeks of age and can last
for three months or more. Sometimes it lasts even longer, but colic has ended by
the age of nine months for 90 % of all colicky babies. A common rule of thumb
says that babies may have colic if they cry uncontrollably and frequently about
the same time each day for more than three hours a day for more than three days
a week for at least three weeks.
The excessive crying typically worsens in the evenings, although it can occur at
any time.
Having ruled out other causes of crying, such as an identifiable source of pain,
hunger, tiredness, lack of contact, shock from sudden noise or movement, heat or
coldness, etc. it is reasonable to consider infant colic as a possibility. The
condition is usually harmless even if it is extremely distressing for you as a
parent as well as for your baby. Even if left untreated, the condition will
improve on its own eventually. Take comfort in the fact that it’s not permanent.
The baby may very likely be healthy, well-fed and comforted so there is no
obvious reason to believe that your baby is not well cared for.
The first step in treating a child with infant colic should always be general
advice, consultancy and reassurance. This includes the information that even if
you are unsuccessful in treating infant colic, it is a self-limiting condition
and is not due to a disease or to anything parents have or have not done to
their infant. A baby that screams often does not necessarily have colic. The
excessive crying in a child with infant colic could also be regarded as merely
the extreme end of a child’s normal crying behaviour.
Either way, there are ways to help calm a baby down.
Don’t do anything in panic even if you think you’re losing your mind. Act calmly
in whatever you do. Eventually it will be reflected in your baby. Babies with
infant colic are in much higher risk of becoming victims of the abusive head
trauma: Shaken Baby Syndrome
