Baby colic
Baby colic is a medical condition in which an otherwise healthy baby cries incessantly without any apparent reason (such as hunger or loneliness).
A common rule of thumb is to consider a baby "colicky" if it cries intensely more than three days a week, for more than three hours, for more than three weeks in a month.
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Causes
There is not yet any generally acceptable explanation for colic. Some doctors claim that it is a combination of a baby's sensitive temperament, the environment and his immature nervous system, which make him cry easily and then not being able to control it, while others believe that it originates in problems in the baby's digestive system, specifically because of excessive gas. New studies at the Colic Clinic at Brown University demonstrate that nearly half of babies with colic have mild gastroesophageal reflux.
Treatment
After having ruled out other possibilities, doctors diagnose the condition as colic. Not much can be done, except for taking temporary measures to calming the baby (giving him a pacifier, taking him to a quiet environment, rocking him, and so forth).
While medications can be given for colic, generally this is discouraged without specific advice from a doctor. In such cases simethicone is often prescribed.
Colic generally stops about three months after birth.
An alternative treatment
Dr. Harvey Karp, a private practioner in Santa Monica, California, U.S., claims that he could calm a screaming baby in minutes without killing it. The point is to recreate a womb-like environment.
- Swaddle the baby in clothes.
- Hold the swaddled baby in the arms or lap and roll it onto its side or stomach.
- Send a very loud shushing noise into the baby's ear. That noise must be louder than the its cries. This is to imitate the noise naturally generated inside the liquid-filled womb.
- Jiggle the baby like your shivering. It must not be too harsh.
- Let the baby suck on a finger.
External links
- WebMd on colic
- Baby Colic
- Baby Colic Advice
- Colic Q&A at BBC
- Colic at eMedicine Health
Categories: Pediatrics