Contents:
- Medical Video: Pediatric Answers : Evening Colic in Infants
- What is colic?
- What causes colic babies?
- How to deal with colic babies?
Medical Video: Pediatric Answers : Evening Colic in Infants
Has your baby cried all the time? Crying is a normal thing for babies to do, but if babies cry all the time, babies can make mothers worry. Babies who cry all the time, may be more than 3 hours, usually called colic. Your baby is usually often colic at less than 5 months of age.
What is colic?
Colic is a condition that is not included in the disease and will not harm the baby, but may be a bit annoying and worries the parents. Usually babies cry because they are pee, hungry, afraid, or want to sleep, but colic babies will continue to cry and without any cause. There are several things that can distinguish colic from ordinary crying, namely:
- Colic usually starts at the age of 2 or 3 weeks, usually in the afternoon or evening
- Babies cry more than 3 hours, can occur more than 3 days a week, and can last for at least 3 weeks
- Usually has a peak period of 6-8 weeks and can last until the baby is 3-4 months old.
If the baby is colic, usually the mother will be confused handling it. The baby's cry when colic is also harder than he used to cry.
What causes colic babies?
No one knows what causes colic in infants. Experts estimate that around 8-40% of babies have had colic. No one knows why there are babies who have colic and some who don't. Yes, not all babies will experience colic, some will not experience it. Colic babies may be caused by various things.
Some experts suspect that long colic is a physical release in sensitive infants. When the day changes, the baby may not be able to handle what he sees, the sound he hears, or the sensation he feels, so the baby becomes confused and cries constantly. Some also consider colic to be the natural development stage of a baby because it adjusts to a different environment than it feels when it is in the mother's womb.
Another theory states that colic is sometimes caused by an imbalance of good bacteria in the intestine. Research shows that babies with colic have different intestinal microflora than babies who do not experience colic. Treatment with probiotics, especially Lactobacillus reuteri, helps relieve colic in some babies.
Some people might think colic is caused by a baby's stomach containing gas, which makes the baby uncomfortable. However, it turns out the gas in the baby's stomach is not the reason for colic babies. Gas in the baby's stomach actually appears because of colic babies (crying constantly). When crying, the baby unconsciously swallows a lot of air, causing his stomach to gobble. Maybe you will notice the baby will clench his fist, bend his legs and then straighten it, and then he will feel better after he gases in his stomach or there is movement in his intestine.
If your baby has milk intolerance or allergies, maybe this can also cause colic in your baby. Stomach problems caused by milk intolerance may make your baby cry constantly. If this problem arises because your baby is given formula milk, you might be able to replace your type of baby formula into milk specifically for babies suffering from milk intolerance where the milk protein has been broken down.
How to deal with colic babies?
Before calming your baby, you should calm yourself first. Sometimes hearing a baby who doesn't stop crying can make you feel angry and upset. Baby colic is normal for all babies. You as a parent don't need to feel bad or feel guilty about this. You just need to be patient and give more understanding to your baby.
When your baby is colic, you may not be able to make him stop crying directly. But, by doing a few attempts, maybe you can make your baby more calm until he really stops crying.
According to Dr. Harvey Karp, author of the book The Happiest Baby on the Block, there are five ways to calm babies while crying, namely:
- membtong baby, so the baby feels more warm and comfortable
- whisper the sound of "sssshh ..." which is long to the baby's ear
- carry and swing the baby gently
- let baby suck pacifiers or pacifiers
- carry your baby in a tilted position
Doing all these things together is the best way to calm your baby.
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