Colic is perhaps the most common cause of crying in the first months of life. What just do not take young parents to calm the crumbs in such moments! The best tips and tricks are given by the famous Dr. Komarovsky.
Who is that
Dr. Komarovsky Evgeny Olegovich is a well-known children's doctor who has gained worldwide fame thanks to the highest professionalism and the "School of Dr. Komarovsky." Millions of parents trust him with the problems of their children. And this is not surprising, because his approach concerns not only treatment, but, above all, parenting! And this is not for everyone.
The “School of Doctor Komarovsky” has been broadcast since 2010, and today it can be seen on seven television channels. The TV program attracts the attention of young parents of Ukraine, Russia, Moldova and Belarus, as well as viewers of Russian-language channels in Israel, Canada and Germany.
The official site is the Komarovsky School in the online version. Answers to all questions can be found in the publications of the doctor himself or discussed on the forum with other parents. This is one of the most important sections of the site, which allows young parents to understand that the problems that arise with the baby in their family are not unique, and each of them can be solved.
Dr. Komarovsky about colic
If the baby is tormented by colic, what should I do? The problem that young parents most often face causes a lot of controversy even among doctors.
Colic is an attack of intense pain, short but recurring over a period of time. They are different: hepatic, renal, intestinal. As Dr. Komarovsky explains, colic in newborns, from the point of view of science, is still not fully understood. However, unlike infantile colic, all the rest are quite easily explained, for example, by stones or the passage of hardened feces.
Infant colic is not associated with any of the above reasons. The main thing that parents should understand: when the child is a month old, colic in the intestine is not dangerous and is not considered a disease. Moreover, infant colic goes away without any additional action on the part of the parents.
Reasons for baby crying
In fact, there are plenty of reasons for the baby to be restless. If you take good care of the baby - he eats up, gets enough sleep, he has no problems with a chair, then to understand why the child is crying, a pediatrician examination is required.
The pediatrician first of all examines the skin for the presence of rashes and diaper rash. In the process, he finds out the level of temperature and the regularity of the stool. Excludes otitis media and signs of colds. Only after a thorough examination does he establish a diagnosis of “infant intestinal colic”.
Do not be presumptuous and try to determine the cause of the problem yourself. There can be no question of any independent examination of the child; contact a specialist.
Causes of the problem in infants
Whatever information you could get earlier about the cause of this ailment, Dr. Komarovsky explains colic in newborns in the following way: there are a number of hypotheses that doctors consider as possible causes of their appearance in infancy, but no version has been confirmed by medical science. The only thing that doctors can say unequivocally is that overfeeding and overheating significantly increase the likelihood of such a problem.
Possible causes of colic:
- Immaturity of the nerve endings of the intestine.
- Underdeveloped digestive system.
- Enzyme deficiency due to immaturity of the enzyme system.
- Unbalanced nutrition of a nursing mother.
- Incorrect mixture preparation technology.
- Swallowing air while the baby is feeding.
- Increased gas formation.
- Constipation
- Weak abdominal muscles.
The doctor will be able to exclude the version of malnutrition during the initial examination and questioning of parents. All other reasons should also not be discounted.
Signs of ailment
The main sign of the appearance of infantile colic, of course, is unjustified crying. In this case, the child’s tummy may be mild, there is no temperature, there are no signs of disease.
According to Dr. Komarovsky, colic in newborns makes them scream so that mom literally starts to go a little crazy. This phenomenon has long tormented the pundits of medical science, who in vain try to explain it. They even conducted a series of experiments regarding the effect of baby crying on the psyche of parents. According to the results of the studies, it was possible to explain everything except the crying baby, who was diagnosed with “infant colic”. The special frequencies at which the child yells at such moments do not fit into the framework of any scientific research.
The magic rule of three
For such an ailment as colic, parents should prepare in advance. In fact, this is a fairly predictable phenomenon, moreover, its occurrence, development and completion are subject to a certain algorithm, the so-called magic rule of three: colic appears about three weeks after birth, stops by three months, lasts about three hours a day ...
Do colic boys differ from colic girls
On this occasion, Dr. Komarovsky says this: boys suffer from this problem more often, and they suffer much longer. The causes of this phenomenon are not known for certain. The only thing left for parents is to try to alleviate the condition of the child.
How should mom behave
As mentioned earlier, a mother may react completely inadequately during infant colic. And this is connected, by the way, not only with sleepless nights, but also with postpartum depression. As you know, many recently born women undergo a number of changes - both in the psyche and in physiology. These disorders directly affect the hormonal background of the young mother, making her vulnerable and extremely vulnerable.
The most reasonable solution in such a situation is to trust the baby's dad and not interfere with his desire to control the process.
How should a man behave
Dad as the head of the family, the most powerful and wise, should keep a cold mind. Most importantly, he needs to understand how important his role is during this difficult period.
First of all, the pope must make sure that his wife is able to cope with the baby. But even if the mother does not give up, in no case should you put all the worries about the newborn only on her. Dad should not only be an assistant, but also the leader of a young family so that his wife, feeling his strength and calmness, can cope with her fears and worries. Otherwise, he risks getting a tired and nervous wife and, as a result, a restless child who, even after a period of colic, will often cry.
What to do with a newborn if he screams a lot
Despite the abundance of funds designed to alleviate infant colic, there is no cure for this ailment today. Another thing is that drugs can help when the true cause, one way or another, is established.
According to Dr. Komarovsky, colic in newborns is a diagnosis of exclusion. That is, before making this diagnosis, the doctor excludes the presence of infectious diseases and digestive disorders.
The most common cause of colic is increased gas formation . With the accumulation of gases in the intestine, you can successfully cope with both improvised means (for example, a vent tube), and various decoctions or medications that reduce bloating. Colic caused by other problems cannot be eliminated by these methods.
Another common cause of pain in infants is constipation. Komarovsky often warns young parents about factors contributing to the development of this condition, which include unhealthy mother's nutrition, overfeeding, overheating and other reasons. However, this ailment can and should be fought, and quite successfully.
The main way to eliminate constipation is an enema. Firstly, because it is it that allows you not to resort to various kinds of drugs that can not only help, but also harm the microflora of the intestines of the baby. Secondly, because this tool is available in all circumstances.
How to choose an enema
When acquiring such a desired item, it is important to consider some of the nuances:
- Enema is a matter of personal hygiene. After acquisition, it must be boiled before first use. For further manipulations, just rinsing with warm water will suffice.
- It is advisable that the enema for your baby be equipped with removable tips that can be thermally processed. This is especially true for those cases when you get a used product. If the child has constipation, Komarovsky recommends an enema, putting the baby on the back. Legs bent at the knees should be pressed to the stomach.
How to carry out the procedure
To thin the stool of a newborn, you will need no more than 30 ml of warm boiled water. A six-month-old baby is 80-100 ml, and a one-year-old is 150 ml.
The danger of enemas is that the immature microflora of the infant intestine may not respond to the introduction of fluid. Moreover, water, warming up to body temperature, begins to be absorbed into the baby's body, carrying with it all the toxins collected in the hardening feces.
In order to prevent intoxication, with the introduction of an enema, it is necessary to monitor the condition of the baby, and especially the stool. If he did not appear within 10-15 minutes after the introduction of an enema, everything must be done to exclude intoxication:
- Enter an enema tip to let water out. Too dense feces suggests that the procedure must be performed several times.
- A more gentle and less traumatic gas pipe is considered . Moreover, it can be entered deeper than a conventional enema. Pediatricians recommend the use of a vent tube, connecting it to an enema.
What else to do when a child has colic
In the language of Dr. Komarovsky, if a mother does nothing to help her child, then she is a stepmother. Despite the fact that there is still no magic pill from this ailment, help with colic is definitely necessary, first of all, for ... mom. If relatives have the patience to calm themselves and calm their mother, we can assume that half the problem will be solved.
In fact, the best cure for colic is mind and patience. If parents understand that there is a place to be, then they must also understand that it is necessary to endure this stage of development of the baby. They should understand and explain to their loved ones that no conspiracy will help with the crying caused by colic.
It may seem strange, but the baby's condition reflects the state of the parents. If adults feel insecure, then the child will be restless.
Some myths about colic
There are a lot of folk ways that supposedly help to defeat colic. “Komarovsky School” helps a lot in helping parents understand what needs to be done and what is better to refrain from:
- During colic, you need to take the child in his arms and rocking. Dr. Komarovsky explains: if the baby is calmed by motion sickness, then this must be done, unless they last for several hours before the baby calms down. However, if the child subsides on the handles, then there is no question of any colic.
- The shape of the nipples on the bottle affects the appearance and intensity of colic. One of the possible causes of pain is swallowing air when sucking. Therefore, Dr. Komarovsky does not exclude that an irregular shape of the nipple can affect the occurrence of colic. However, most often a magic bottle appears in the house after a long search and experiments with different forms. Parents find this an effective cure for colic by the time they are about three months old. That is, exactly when the problem goes away on its own.
Colic, the causes of their occurrence and appearance - all of this we have examined in detail above. Gain strength and patience, your newborn baby just needs confident parents.