A Short Guide to the Colic Infant

Although a colic infant can be very distressing to you and your family, it is a fairly common ailment and does not cause any real threat to your baby’s health. Even so, it can be hard to see your baby in pain and not be able to do anything. Not to mention that the crying can become so loud and obnoxious that it can disturb the whole family. Interestingly enough, while there are many excellent theories out there concerning what causes colic in newborns, it is still not known for sure. The following information will act a short guide to this topic to help you better understand it. One of the good things to keep in mind about a colic infant is that these symptoms will not last forever. In general, it will begin within the first few weeks of taking him or her home and will usually go away within 5 months time.  These bouts of crying can last for up to 3 hours and seem to get worse as it gets later on in the day. Your baby will look like he or she is in pain; her face will get red and she will generally look quite uncomfortable. Even though your baby will cry a lot, she should still be eating regularly and gaining weight, so be sure to see your physician if she is not. Doctors currently believe that there may be many different reasons why your baby may be experiencing this problem. For one thing, it may simply be temperament that causes colic in newborns. If your baby seems to be highly sensitive to his or her environment, he or she may react to this situation by crying. Also, while you are carrying your baby, keep in mind that mothers who smoke while pregnant are almost twice as likely to have a baby that gets colicky. The culprit could also be Gastro-esophageal reflux disease, but in this case there will be vomiting and difficulty suckling as well. Before seeing your doctor concerning a colic infant, consider just what may be causing this problem. Typical causes could include:•    Too much gas, in which case you will want to give your baby more time to breathe while feeding•    If she is drinking too fast, try finding a smaller size nipple for her bottle•    Your baby could be hungry or thirsty, maybe even tired. Keep a journal to see what the problem could be. •    Your baby’s clothes may be too itchy as well which may also cause colic in newborns.•    Also, be sure to check the temperature of your baby’s room as it could be too hot or coldIf you have been keeping track of your colic infant and none of these seems to be the problem, it may be time to pay a visit to your doctor to get his advice.