April 1st, 2009Colic - Symptoms, Treatment and Prevention
The first twelve to thirteen weeks after birth, a baby is likely to go through colic. Ways of handling intestinal colic have been passed down for generations through word of mouth or via baby books and magazines. Until now, scientists and medical experts still do not know what causes intestinal colic, in fact few can understand even though intestinal colic is a problem seems to be known. The only sure thing is that colic is characterized by a abdomen ache. What induces the problem stays unknown.
Numerous are of the opinion that colic is genetic and will be passed on from parents to their babies. Some put the blame on allergens that babies get from their food or from the breast milk that their mommies supply them. Others think that colic is just abdominal wind that gets stuck inside the still developing systems of the baby. For premature infants, onset will be a little later on because their bodies have not yet grown. Intestinal colic cycles will happen around the 2nd month of life and will lessen by month 3 and finish by month four.
It is impossible for moms and dads miss them although actually it is not a serious problem in babies since colic signs are obvious. Of course, it is essential that you also know what differentiates a colic episode from something that is really major because what you think is just intestinal colic can be something already serious. For this reason, if you think your baby is colicy, it is imperative that you confer with your pediatrician so that he or she can rule out the more serious conditions. Since there are no examinations that can nail to intestinal colic, the most that pediatricians can do is to exclude other possible causes of crying and screaming episodes.
There are other, more serious issues that can be mistaken for colic, including intestinal blockage, ear infections, or even a scratch in the infant’s eye. Regarding the colic relief, other causes are obstruction in the digestive tracts, hernia and troubles in the bowel. Curing intestinal colic or treating it is impossible, it is because the specific cause is not yet determined. The only thing that moms and dads can do is to make sure that their babies become as comfortable as possible when they are suffering from a intestinal colic episode.
One of the matters that you can do is to walk your baby and to wrap him or her up in a swaddling and have them hear to some easy music that will settle them down during an episode. Be careful not to feed your infant, often parents do this just because the infant cries. Also, check with your pediatrician if your baby is susceptible to some foods or liquids that they are taking in and often allergies that can cause colic can be passed from the mom to the child through breast milk.
