Intestinal colic in newborn babies is quite common. They are one of the most common causes of loud crying of the child , provided there are no other irritating and discomforting factors - hunger, heat or cold, wet diapers or lack of sight in the mother's field of vision .
In this article we will consider
colic in newborns, the causes of their occurrence and the main ways to alleviate the condition of the child. The term “colic” does not mean a specific disease, but a set of certain symptoms, such as bloating, cramping, fermentation,
increased gas, pain. When do babies get colic? As a rule, more than 70% of all babies experience discomfort in the intestines from almost the first weeks of life. By the age of four months, colic usually disappears, since it is believed that the gastrointestinal tract adapts to food intake.
Colic in newborns. Causes of Pain Symptoms
So far, modern medical science has not established a specific cause of colic in newborns. As a hypothesis for the origin of abdominal pain, several points are put forward:
- Immaturity of the digestive system of the child or insufficient amount of enzymes to break down food.
- During artificial feeding, while sucking the mixture from a bottle with an irregularly shaped nipple, excess air can be swallowed.
- Lactose intolerance and mixture allergy.
- Violation of the intestinal microflora.
- Anxious or depressed emotional state of the mother during breastfeeding.
- Overheat.
- Overfeeding the child.
Colic in newborns, the causes of which depend on different factors or their combination, can be different for each child: the baby may be too anxious, some babies cry sharply and piercingly, especially in the evenings and before going to bed. The child can sleep poorly, constantly waking up, screaming plaintively, and after the gas has passed or defecation has calmed down for a while. At the same time, the baby’s stomach may look puffy. Despite all these
symptoms of concern to the baby and his parents
, intestinal colic is not a disease, but is considered a transient condition. After observing the mode and features of feeding, the temperature conditions in the apartment and your emotional state, you can independently identify the specific cause of anxiety and abdominal pain in your child.
Colic in newborns: causes and methods of alleviating the condition of the baby
How can we help a child who is bitterly crying and in pain? First of all, you must normalize his diet. It is worth remembering that the ideal food for the newborn is your breast milk, which has not yet come up with a full-fledged alternative. Feeding should be carried out at the request of the child, but not overfeeding. Giving your child a breast for each smallest squeak, you can oversaturated him. If the baby just recently sucked on his mother’s breast well and ate, and after a while cries again, try to calm him down and distract him with something interesting to begin with. Remember that a hungry baby cries in a special way - demanding and impatient. If the child is on artificial feeding, then it is necessary to purchase highly adapted mixtures, which contain bifidobacteria. The choice of mixture for your child should be carried out under the guidance of a pediatrician. You also need to choose the right bottle for feeding - its nipple should be of a special shape and with a small hole. Keep your baby's stool regular.
Long stool retention can cause abdominal pain. A newborn can defecate from 7-8 times a day and up to 1 time in two days. In no case should a child overheat. The air in the children's room should be cool (+20 ° C) and humid. You should not wrap the child in several layers of clothing. Overheating is terrible because intestinal juices, due to lack of fluid, become more dense and, as a result, digest food poorly.
Methods for the prevention of intestinal colic
If your baby suffers from spasmodic attacks of abdominal pain, try to give him a light massage of the tummy (clockwise), as well as simple exercises (bending the legs in the knees, followed by pressing to the tummy). These manipulations contribute to the escape of accumulated gases and overcoming painful sensations. You should also often lay the child on the tummy. What to give a newborn with colic? Often for prophylactic purposes they use drugs that reduce gas formation, for example, Simethicon, Bobotik, or Plantex. Use the vent pipe very carefully and only in a pinch, when you are certain that the child is really tormented by gases.