Baby blues

Nature has its own ways of jolting us out of our comfort zone. Colic is one of them. Almost all babies develop a fussy period. The timing varies, but it usually begins at about three weeks of age and peaks somewhere between four and six weeks of age. For most infants they tend to be, fussier during afternoons and evenings.

During an episode of colic babies can cry for longer than three hours a day. Babies may bring their knees up, clench their fists, grimace, hold their breath, and generally be more active.

While crying babies gulp in whole lot of air which in turn produces more gas and baby cries more, a vicious cycle. For relieving a colicky baby gently rock the baby, as it helps in expelling gas.

Hot towels can help. But be careful, baby has a delicate skin.

All infants, particularly those with colic, need to be fed on demand and not by a specific clock schedule. Often low blood sugar triggers cry in babies. Unlike adults, infants do not have a carefully regulated ability to maintain healthy blood sugar levels in the absence of food.
A baby may want to suck without being hungry. Sucking is a natural reflex of baby, so offer a clean pacifier to calm a colicky baby.
Over the counter anti-gas medicine containing simethicone may be used to reduce pain due to excess gas.
Feeding babies while they are sitting up, or burping them more frequently, may help prevent colic if too much air is being swallowed during feedings.

Allergies may be responsible for colic in some infants. If the child is fed with formula, the problem may be an intolerance to milk proteins from a cows’ milk-based formula. Switching to a soy formula may ease colic in such cases.

Colic demands attention. As parents grope for solutions to their child’ s crying, they bond together with their child. They rock the baby more, sing more lullabies, hold the baby more and forge stronger bonds with the latest arrival in the family.

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