In anticipation of a child, a young mother paints a lovely picture in her imagination - the long-awaited baby sleeps sweetly in a bed, wrapped in love and a warm blanket. But the charm of the moment quickly disappears when the newborn does not behave as it seemed, but screams, without ceasing, for several hours in a row. One of the reasons for constant crying may be colic, which is a real test for parents.
Why is the baby crying
Crying is the only form of communication available to the newborn. With a cry, the baby informs the world that it is hungry, cold, or tired of lying in one position. Such a cry is easy to calm, just feed or shake it. But it happens that the usual measures do not help in any way, the child continues to scream out and sob in the absence of obvious problems. In this case, crying is a signal of help, because the baby is tormented by colic.
Most babies under the age of 3-4 months suffer from colic.
Hearing this word, an inexperienced mother can be frightened - this term can denote any condition associated with something incomprehensible and threatening. To understand what colic is and how they affect the baby, you need to know the physiological characteristics of the infant body. In pediatric practice, the term is not a diagnosis, it is rather a collective name for physiological disorders that are accompanied by pain and discomfort.
What causes colic
Colic is a common name that pediatricians and neonatologists use to refer to a pain syndrome caused by digestive characteristics in infants. In the first months of life, the child adapts to the environment, gets used to food and external stimuli. In the neonatal period, physiological systems are adapted, reflexes are replaced by more complex forms of activity, which does not always go smoothly.
There are several reasons that cause colic:
- improper digestion of food (active or reduced gastrointestinal motility);
- swallowing air while feeding;
- adaptation of the nervous system;
- incorrect body position.
As a result, bloating, frequent regurgitation and stomach cramps occur, which cause pain to the newborn.
How to help with colic
Continuous crying of the baby does not benefit anyone - the child gets tired physically, and a tired mother experiences psychological stress. The newborn feels his mother’s nervousness, experiences even greater discomfort, and now sleepless days and nights merge into a continuous veil of irritation and despondency.To break this vicious circle, you need to help your child cope with colic.
It’s quite easy to understand that colic is caused by digestive problems - either drugs that suppress gas formation or a gas tube help and immediately help the baby quickly calm down. For the removal of gases, you can give special medications that suppress bloating, or use proven agents:
- after feeding, keep the baby upright and pat on the back until air is out;
- put a warm heating pad, diaper or bottle on your tummy;
- drink a decoction of dill seeds;
- change the position of the child in the crib (place a pillow under the head or replace the mattress with a softer or harder one);
- use a vent pipe;
- do a massage.
If belching and regurgitation occur after each feeding, mom will have to change her diet. Exclude from the diet foods containing substances that penetrate into breast milk and contribute to increased gas formation.
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Life hacks experienced mom
Comment experienced mom Mila Ohina:
Dr. Harvey Karp believes that sucking (including nipples), swaddling, lying (not sleeping!) On his stomach or side, motion sickness and white noise helps the child. Here, like everything for everyone in children, everything is individual, someone loves sling, someone hates him, but I had to accustom the child to the nipple, which I condemned so much, and he felt much better.
Another important thing that not every mother thinks of is the baby’s dream. When a child has colic, you find yourself in a vicious circle - he cannot sleep, because he feels bad, and then he gets overworked, and he becomes sick already because of this, and he cannot sleep again. Very often, it becomes easier for everyone, if you like, without any hesitation in the means, to give him a good night's sleep.
When I realized that this was just the case of my child, we began to live by the clock, and I put him to sleep according to the wakefulness standards - sometimes I had to swing, sometimes walk for hours several times a day, but sometimes it was enough to swaddle and give out a pacifier - and the intensity of colic in my eyes began to subside.
Well and most importantly - according to statistics, colic lasts about 12 weeks. Unfortunately, I can’t promise that at exactly 3 months of the baby his cries will stop at the click, but the very realization that I need to hold out only for a limited amount of time, and then it becomes easier, saved me a lot on dark sleepless nights with a kitchen hood turned on for noise ...
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