Colic is the term given when infants have recurring bouts of abdominal pain, often accompanied by crying. The pain comes in spasms, and often they will draw their legs up in obvious distress. It commonly starts when the baby is about ten days old, and may persist for three months. It seems more common in the first-born child and may be a source of distress for the parents who often think there is something seriously wrong with their baby. There are many causes, and the presence of air (commonly referred to as wind) in the bowel is the most frequent.
If breast-fed, the baby sucks away at the nipple, often swallowing a lot of air as well as milk. In bottle-fed babies, the same thing happens. Often if the nipple (teat) is too small, the baby will suck valiantly and unconsciously swallow a lot of air. Alternatively, if the milk flow is too fast, in the process of gulping it down the baby may also swallow too much air.
Air in the stomach and bowel creates distension, and this is uncomfortable. So baby cries. The more the baby cries, inhaling quickly at the end of each wail, the more air tends to be swallowed. So the evil cycle goes on. More crying, more air, more bowel distension, more unhappiness, more emotional tension—a worried frantic mother whose tension is quickly felt by the baby. A cycle can quickly develop. The wind-colic syndrome can easily become established on a regular basis.
On the other hand, some babies are simply overfed, sometimes by anxious mothers who fear they are not getting enough food; so overdistension of the bowel will also give pain. Of course, a hungry baby is an unhappy one and will often start crying as an alarm that it’s time for tucker. Never overlook this fact. Most parents soon come to understand their babies and the various signals that they give.
Emotional factors are a common cause of colic. Many babies are active and tense, and they are then more likely to develop this symptom. Family tensions and parental anxieties are readily picked up by sensitive infants; and this can reflect on their nervous systems and tummy system which rapidly senses when all is not well in the environment.
Some infants are allergic to cow’s milk, and colic is then much more likely. There may be a family history of milk allergy; other infants in the family may have had similar experiences, which is worth remembering.
Treatment
What to do? It is worth trying the simple measures first, for they often work. They are usually easy and don’t cost anything but a bit of time and effort.
Burp the baby. Remove the air from the stomach by lying the baby partially over your shoulder, patting the baby’s back and gently pressing on the baby’s abdomen. Air tends to rise, and in this simple manner it will find its way to the exit through the small valve at the lower end of the food pipe, the oesophagus. Baby will give a few lovely loud burps, and often will settle down and be happy and quiet thereafter.
After this, if the baby is still unhappy, try simple repetitive movements such as gently rocking to and fro, in the position in which the baby appears most comfortable. Speak soothing, comforting soft words, and coo the infant into a sedated state.
Most mothers are unaware of it, but they are the world’s best hypnotists—for this, in truth, is a simple form of medical hypnotherapy. Soothing words spoken in a soft monotone, especially in association with comfortable warmth and gentle movement, can work wonders. Every mother can do it and many become experts. Ideally, freedom from loud noises is advisable. Many babies will slip off to sleep. Some parents of very sensitive infants find that placing their baby near a dull, repetitive noise is helpful—near running water, a humming vacuum cleaner, or a radio softly playing.
Sometimes, placing warmth over the abdomen may help (but be careful you do not burn the baby’s sensitive skin). A warm water bottle wrapped in blanket may help. Occasionally, if baby has not had a recent bowel action, an infant bowel suppository may assist in stimulating a bowel action and, at the same time, help the trapped air to move on through the bowel.
Preventing recurrences is a good idea. Check for possible hindrances in feeding methods. Check bottle nipples to make certain the fluid flows at an even and satisfactory rate, not too meagre but without flooding. This may be readily adjusted. If breast-feeding, if the flow is excessive try feeding baby whilst you are lying down, with baby lying on top. In this way the baby must suck uphill, and this may reduce the oversupply and the gulping and air swallowing. Make certain baby is getting adequate food, and is not yelling simply because of hunger. A little experimenting will soon give you the answers, and you can then gauge feeding times more suitably.
Try simple remedies
It may be necessary to re-evaluate the food the baby is being given. If allergy appears to be the fault, a switch to some other product may be necessary. There are other, non-cow’s milk products now readily available, and these are often beneficial in certain cases of milk allergy. Lessening the milk’s fat content may be necessary. Often this may be done with the assistance of a baby health centre sister or after the doctor has checked the baby to eliminate any serious underlying cause of the symptoms.
Many other simple measures may be checked. The surroundings should be examined for possible aggravating factors. Excitement is always a big bogey and is not for babies; this may readily over-stimulate their sensitive nervous systems, and produce or aggravate symptoms. Always keep excitement to a minimum when the baby is around. Anxieties and tensions are often relayed to babies through their sensitive receptor mechanism; we don’t know how this works but it certainly is highly sensitive and very efficient. A calm approach at all times is the ideal, even if you have some inner stresses.
lake all measures to prevent-, overheating the baby, or alternatively letting the baby get cold.
Enlist the help of your doctor if the simple measures fail to work. Sometimes there may be underlying reasons. In any event, it is often difficult to tell if the baby simply has wind and colic, or if there is pain for some other reason such as an underlying disorder. Pain is a common problem, and there are many causes—some serious—as other sections in this chapter will indicate. Never be fearful or embarrassed about asking your doctor. The doctor will not consider it a waste of time, and neither should you. The sooner you develop a good rapport with your family doctor the better.
Occasionally, medication may be prescribed. Mixtures containing so-called antispasomodics, once popular, have declined a bit, but are still often used with reasonable efficacy. These are usually given in a pleasant liquid form. At other times mild sedatives may be prescribed. But never give medication unless specifically prescribed by your doctor. Try the simple measures first every time.
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