Colic in babies: know the symptoms and ways to relieve

Anyone who is a mother knows how painful colic can be in babies. Did you wait a long time to hold that little baby in your arms, but now he cries nonstop and you don’t know what else to do?

Calm! Colic in babies is an absolutely normal and even expected condition. They usually appear two to three weeks after birth and stop around the third month of life, which is when the intestinal flora is formed and the brain and intestine communicate better. However, colic can cause distress for the baby and stress for the family. So let’s understand how it happens and ways to relieve symptoms.

Signals and symptons

There are some signs that indicate that the baby may be colicky. Pediatrician Eliete de Castro Fonseca cites the most common symptoms:

• Prolonged and frequent crying
• contraction of the legs
• Expulsion of gases
• Irritability

Colic usually appears in the late afternoon and early evening, but in more difficult cases the baby can have symptoms at any time of day.

Causes

• immature digestive system
• Nervous system has not yet matured and therefore becomes sensitive
• Baby’s difficulty passing gas

The most likely cause of colic in babies is the fact that the newborn’s digestive system is still immature and therefore reacts to different stimuli and food components.

Eliete points out that colic is a normal condition for babies. “It is caused by an intestinal spasm or contraction and the tendency is for it to gradually decrease after three months of life.”

Foods that cause colic in babies

Have you ever heard that some foods cause colic in the baby? The mother’s diet is a very complex issue, underlines Eliete, as the relationship between the food consumed by the breastfeeding woman and the baby’s colic varies greatly from woman to woman and from child to child.

“The mother’s diet can influence the appearance of colic, so it is important that she adopts a healthy diet and consumes plenty of water”, he teaches. See which foods can cause cramps when ingested by breastfeeding:

• Milk
• Chocolate
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Cabbage
• Bean
• Onion
• spicy foods

A tip is to make changes in food and see if the cramps improve. But always remember that if you breastfeed, you need to eat well.

Remedies for colic in babies

1. probiotics
2. antispasmodics
3. antiflatulence
4. Analgesics

Eliete emphasizes that medicines should be avoided as much as possible for newborns, but if the colic is bothering the baby a lot, what can be prescribed is the use of probiotics, which contribute to the formation of the baby’s intestinal flora. Antispasmodics, which can help relieve symptoms, anti-flatulence drugs for gas, and pain relievers, may also be prescribed.

“But it is important to emphasize that self-medication can cause serious problems, so it is essential that the baby is monitored by a pediatrician and that he/she only uses medication when indicated”, he emphasizes.

How to relieve colic in babies

Some homemade alternatives can relieve cramps. Eliete cites: giving a warm bath, burping after feedings, placing the baby’s abdomen in contact with the parents’ and placing a heated diaper or thermal bag on the baby’s abdomen, in addition to always encouraging breastfeeding.

The teas, according to the pediatrician, should not be offered to the newborn.

• Holding: Holding the baby and providing skin-to-skin contact can calm him down.
• Breastfeeding: breastfeed on demand, without fixed schedules, the sucking movement helps to calm the baby.
• Burp: Burp your baby after each feed.
• Correct latching: the correct latching of the baby to the breast, when breastfeeding, prevents him from swallowing air and, consequently, having colic.
• Bottle: If your baby is bottle feeding, try changing the bottle or teat, this may reduce the amount of air he swallows.
• Relax: Provide relaxing moments for baby, as he may be feeling overstimulated by light and noise.
• Compress: with a thermal bag or a heated diaper, relieves abdominal discomfort.

When you feel very tired, stressed or frustrated, ask for help. See if someone can stay with the baby for a while until you recover.

Talk to the pediatrician about the baby’s signs and symptoms so he can guide you in the best way.