Colic in infants: symptoms and how to save the baby from pain. You don't wish it on your enemy. How to Survive Infantile Colic Check Your Feeding Technique

This phenomenon affects almost every baby, but it always comes unexpectedly. The first two weeks after birth, parents get used to their new role, to the fact that they need to wake up several times at night, but in general, the baby’s condition makes them happy: he eats well and sleeps sweetly.

But then, like a bolt from the blue, they appear: intestinal colic in newborns. Where do they come from? How to recognize them in time? And most importantly, how to deal with them. This is the topic of our article.

Symptoms

The following symptoms are typical for colic in newborns. So:

The kid screams piercingly, sometimes heartbreakingly, for several hours without a break; in the evening, the climax comes when the whole family is in suspense, and there is nothing special to help. At the same time, during the day the child ate with appetite and nothing indicates that he is sick.
The baby brings the legs to the tummy, thus trying to reduce spasms in the intestines, the face turns red.
Restless behavior almost always begins some time after feeding.
There is bloating in the tummy, sometimes gases escape.

Colic is temporary. They will surely pass

According to statistics, this painful condition affects about 70% of newborns. Colic in infants begins around the 3rd to 4th week of life and stops after 3 months. Not all babies deal with pain in the same way.

An interesting fact is that first-borns suffer from colic more often, and there are more victims among boys. This is partly due to the fact that a pregnant woman who is overly worried about the child, his health, and how the birth process will go, experiences stress. Perhaps, at the level of hormones, it also affects the child.

Colic in infants occurs almost daily, only in some they appear from 3 to 5 hours a day with interruptions, others are exhausted by pain for 8 hours a day (with a duration of 1.5-2 hours and short breaks), completely exhausting both the child and his parents.

Until now, medicine does not know the true reason why colic appears in a newborn, as well as an effective way to treat them. There are speculations about their origin. There are methods to help relieve pain symptoms, but not completely eliminate them.

The good news is that colic is a temporary phenomenon, sooner or later they will pass. Another positive point is that in most cases this is not a disease, but only a painful condition that needs to be experienced. At the same time, the baby eats with appetite and gains weight well. Therefore, to overcome such a life difficulty, time and long-suffering are needed.

Causes of intestinal colic

As already noted, the real cause of colic is still unclear. But there are factors that can provoke and increase pain in young children.

Incorrect latch on the nipple. This situation leads to the swallowing of air, which, if not directly causing colic, definitely exacerbates the situation. The problem is technical. As soon as the baby learns to capture the entire nipple along with the areola (and you will help him with this), the sensations will become less painful.
Incorrect nipple on a bottle with artificial feeding. Perhaps the hole is too big and you just need to change the nipple. There are also bottles with an anti-colic valve that prevent air from entering the baby's tummy.
Long stay in a supine position. The human body is so arranged that food (even with air bubbles) moves faster through the intestines and is evacuated from it when a person is in an upright position. And since the newborn is forced to lie down most of the time, pain and spasms occur. The way out is to carry the baby in your arms more often, after feeding, hold him in a “column” until the air that has got inside leaves.
Overfed. With too much food, enzymes do not have time to digest it. The fermentation process begins. As a result, all the same gas formations put pressure on the walls of the intestine. Conclusion - do not overfeed, excessive care is useless here.
Long-lasting crying. Quite a serious problem, reminiscent of a vicious circle. The child, experiencing severe pain, begins to cry, while involuntarily swallowing regular portions of air, which leads to an aggravation of the situation. The task is to calm the baby as soon as possible by all available means.
Colic as a symptom of the disease. Sometimes spasms in the intestines in infants indicate the presence of a disease of the digestive tract. For example, food allergies or digestive problems on the background of lactase deficiency are accompanied by colic. Enterocolitis, characterized by inflammation of the intestines, also causes infant crying.
The wrong mixture. Baby colic can be the result of feeding too concentrated or inappropriate formula. In view of this, pediatricians recommend opting for mixtures based on fermented milk products, with a low iron content.
Mother not following diet. If the baby is breastfed, the nutrition of the mother directly affects the well-being of the baby. It has been proven that certain substances are able to penetrate milk. Therefore, it is important to know the foods that cause flatulence.

Take the baby in your arms more often, wearing it vertically

Products provocateurs

milk (can be replaced with sour-milk products);
raw or sauerkraut;
black bread (alternative - whole grain bread);
legumes (as a source of protein, it is recommended to use cottage cheese, lean meat, cheese in small quantities);
kvass;
fresh apples, pears (as an option, baked apples).

The diet of a nursing woman, of course, should be varied, you can eat almost everything and a little. But if a beloved child suffers from intestinal colic, the diet for the first three months should be observed at least in terms of the listed products.

With colic in a child, a temporary taboo is introduced on certain foods

What are the dangers of prolonged colic

When colic torments a child for quite a long time, new negative aspects of this condition appear:

The nervous system of the baby is overloaded, overexcitation leads to new spasms of the intestines and a slowdown in its work. As a result of this, the intestinal walls are stretched, the pain intensifies.
Prolonged spasms and pain can provoke disturbances in the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, so it is important to determine why intestinal colic occurs and how strong their intensity is in order to seek medical advice in time.
Frequent hysterical crying, increased gas formation lead to an increase in intra-abdominal pressure, the muscles of the peritoneum are in tension. As a result, the baby can "scream" an umbilical hernia.

How to behave to parents

A familiar picture: the baby cries and bends over in pain, and is held in her arms by a sobbing mother, who feels sorry for both the child and herself (after all, her head breaks from screaming). What to do?

Mom can't lose her temper

During an attack of colic, keep yourself in control. Tears will not help in any way, on the contrary, the baby will feel that he has nowhere to wait for help, even moral. Do not break out with anger and scream at the child. It's not his fault that he's sick. Most of all, he needs your support and care. Try different pain relief methods and never give up.

How to help a child?

Here are a few tricks to deal with colic:

Do daily massage in the navel area in a circular motion clockwise, stroke the tummy.
During an attack, apply heat to the stomach. It can be a diaper, ironed, just need to make sure that it does not turn out to be too hot. Alternatively, mom's or dad's warm palm will do.
Before feeding, lay the baby on the tummy, after - keep it upright. During the day, wear it in your arms more often, following the technique of wearing babies.
Use a sling to carry your baby - this is both the prevention of hip dysplasia and movement, which has a good effect on bowel function.
Call in a lactation consultant to make sure you're doing the right thing.
Use a gas tube. Unfortunately, it turns out to be effective only for the removal of gases accumulated in the area of the rectum. Those that are located directly in the intestine itself are not subject to it.

What tools can be used?

There are two of the most common and effective medications available today to reduce gas in babies:

Simethicone is an inert substance that does not in any way affect the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract itself. It only binds the gas bubbles together, turning them into a liquid, thereby reducing swelling. Representatives: Espumizan, Infakol, Bobotik.
Fennel preparations. Representatives: Plantex.

Summarize. Colic in newborns is the first test that tests the strength of maternal feelings of pity, love for her child and care for him. This is a time to cry, often with the whole family. But the day is coming when the colic will disappear without a trace and the time will come to laugh, because your baby is about to give you the first smile.

There is no point in misleading new parents about infant colic: you must immediately accept the fact that colic in a newborn is a painful but normal phenomenon for which there is currently no cure. In essence, infantile colic is a severe pain in the abdomen. That is why the baby cries and screams so piercingly that the whole entrance worries about him. However, even in this difficult situation, there is something to console yourself with: firstly, colic in a child eventually goes away on its own. Secondly, there are several ways that theoretically help relieve pain during colic.

The nature of the origin of colic in a newborn

Young children - newborns and infants - often yell, which gives their loved ones a stream of stressful experiences. The most common cause of infant ora is colic. Simply due to the fact that, by the nature of its colic, infants have nothing more than pain. More precisely - a strong, "blatant" and recurring pain in the abdomen for some time.

An amazing fact: as long as humanity exists, the same amount of time it deals with infantile colic. However, until now, medical science cannot accurately describe the nature of the occurrence of these same colic - neither in a newborn, nor in a child a few months older (whose gastrointestinal system is already somewhat stronger and more adapted).

The most common hypothesis about the cause of colic in infants says that the blame for everything is the air that the baby willy-nilly swallows when feeding or when crying.

This air, getting into the "bowels" of the child, squeezes the fragile walls of the stomach and intestines, thereby causing hellish pain. Whereupon the kid and votes for the whole district with all his might. As a rule, an attack of intestinal colic in a newborn ends after 3-4 hours, in a baby of 2-3 months of age - after 1.5-2 hours.

The only thing that doctors managed to clarify in more or less detail is the circumstances that (theoretically!) Can provoke the occurrence of colic in newborns and infants, and most likely simply increase their duration and pain:

The baby does not properly latch on to the nipple when feeding(and the artificial "has" a mixture horn that is not suitable for him) - in other words, there is a "poor-quality" feeding technique. In this case, the baby swallows a large amount of air, which, even if it does not directly cause colic, definitely increases their painful course.

After feeding, you did not give the baby the opportunity to burp excess air from the stomach, so this air went towards the "back door", through the intestines, squeezing the walls and causing unbearable pain in the baby.

Baby spends too much time lying down, because of which the process of digestion (including gas formation and the passage of air through the intestines) causes additional discomfort, a feeling of heaviness and pain. Still, no one canceled such a beautiful physical phenomenon as gravity. When we spend almost half of our day in an upright position, the natural passage of “food” through the intestines resembles a slightly slowed down descent of an obese tourist along a winding slide of a water park. Now imagine that we will place both the slide and the tourist in a horizontal plane - how long and how difficult will it be to crawl to the finish line? Of course, a newborn baby is still deprived of the joys of a solid and varied diet, nevertheless, his intestines are never empty. And what is in it (including air) passes through the vertical intestine much easier and faster than through the horizontal one.

The child cries a lot. This is the real trap. Experiencing severe pain from colic, a newborn baby, of course, screams and cries. But, opening his mouth wide, bursting into tears and roaring, he inevitably swallows more and more portions of air. Which, in turn, can cause another bout of colic.

The child is overfed. If a child eats an amount of food that he is not able to digest (in other words, you overfed him), then in his intestines, the remains of food that lacked enzymes begin to ferment - more gases appear that press on the intestinal walls. In other words, infantile colic occurs.

How to understand that a newborn has colic: symptoms of pain

Symptoms of infantile colic, basically, come down to certain features of the behavior of a newborn or baby. The main feature is a loud cry and crying, which begins suddenly and can stop just as suddenly. Often in babies, colic generally proceeds “by the clock”, starting 20-30 minutes after the evening feeding and suddenly stopping on average 3 hours later.

The classic behavior of an infant during colic is a bursting cry, crying, clenched fists and legs tucked up.

In any case, you must understand that the symptoms of colic are nothing more than symptoms of pain. And every person - even a tiny one - has their own. Some children may try to “bite” the pen, others may actively “wave” their arms and kick their legs, someone desperately arches, etc. After all, when you yourself are unbearably hurt, you also do not behave “according to a strictly described pattern”, right?

And one more important point for parents: colic in newborns and infants is a conclusion that only a doctor can make. Because in itself, infantile colic - always refers to the so-called diagnosis of exclusion. In other words: if your child suddenly howled and no one can even console him, you should show him to the pediatrician.

The doctor, upon examination, must understand that the baby is screaming not because it itches unbearably, and not because the ear “explodes” from “shooting”, and not because ... And only by excluding all possible options for ailments, the doctor can suggest that the baby's siren does not stop due to stomach and intestinal colic.

How to help the baby: methods of "treatment" of infant colic

The methods of treating colic in a newborn and in an older baby are approximately the same. All of them are aimed solely at relieving the crumbs of the pain symptom - the pain will disappear, the problem itself will disappear.

Alas, the situation around infantile colic develops in such a way that it is sometimes impossible to separate safe and effective ways of its “treatment” from ineffective advertising propaganda or even theories built like sand castles from literally nothing. Let us give as an example several hypotheses about the origin of colic in newborns and infants, which in turn gave rise to the corresponding methods of treatment - most often simply ineffective, but sometimes unsafe for the health of the baby.

HYPOTHESIS: There is an opinion that colic in a newborn is caused by some foods that a nursing mother consumes. And if she reconsiders her diet, the colic will disappear.
COUNTER ARGUMENT: Where then do these substances enter the body of babies who are bottle-fed? And after that, a peremptory verdict from Dr. Komarovsky: “The nutrition of a nursing mother in no way, in any way, affects colic in a newborn and infant.”
HYPOTHESIS: It is believed that colic in infants is caused by dysbacteriosis.
COUNTER ARGUMENT: Everything would be fine, but you can’t argue with science - many years of research prove that during the period of “formation” (while the baby is in tender infancy), the gastrointestinal tract system does not have a more or less stable microflora at all. That is why such an ailment as dysbacteriosis does not appear at all in any registry of childhood diseases.
HYPOTHESIS: Newborns and infants up to 3-4 months have "immature" intestines, so colic occurs during digestion.
COUNTER ARGUMENT: According to statistics, about 70% of all newborns and infants under 3 months experience infantile colic. It turns out that the remaining 30% are born with perfectly adjusted, “adult” intestines?
HYPOTHESIS: Often, parents (especially under the influence of a whole retinue of peripheral relatives) believe that colic in newborns occurs due to lactose intolerance (a carbohydrate of the disaccharide group that is part of the milk of all mammals, including humans).
COUNTER ARGUMENT: And not one, but two at once: firstly, where does colic come from in children who eat lactose-free mixtures? And secondly, statistics: about 70% of all babies under the age of 3 months suffer from colic, while only 1 newborn baby per 130,000 of their peers suffers from congenital lactase deficiency.

So, rescue measures from infantile colic, which stem from unproven hypotheses regarding the causes of colic in infants, cannot be considered adequate and effective. In other words, by radically changing the diet of a nursing mother, choosing drugs for dysbacteriosis, any additional enzymes or drugs that help digest lactose, you are doing amateur activities that will not only not help in getting rid of colic in the baby’s abdomen, but can also cause potential damage baby health.

Isn't it better to use the proven methods of "treatment" of colic, which are advised by experienced doctors to parents? Not guaranteeing, of course, that this will certainly “work” (recall that until the nature of the appearance of colic is determined, no method of getting rid of them can be considered absolutely effective and correct), but on the other hand, assuring worried moms and dads that these methods are completely safe. You can even safely “overdo it” with them - there will be no harm to the health of the child from your efforts.

Safe methods of dealing with colic in newborns and infants

Despite the fact that the modern pharmacological market is literally littered with “infantile colic” remedies, many doctors rightly argue that in reality there is not a single proven remedy for this ailment. Simply due to the fact that the very nature of the occurrence of colic in infants has not yet been determined.

Approximately the same position is expressed by our respected pediatrician, Dr. Komarovsky:

“With infantile colic, only two things really help - time and parental patience. Colic in newborns is painful, but not terrible. And most importantly, this is temporary: regardless of whether you are fighting with them or not, at about 3 months they will pass from the baby.

Therefore, the first thing that your pediatrician will advise you as a countermeasure against colic, most likely will not be any pharmacy drug. To begin with, he will offer you:

Every day (or maybe several times a day) to do to the baby belly massage. Approximately as follows: press (but without pressure!) the base of the palm of your baby's pubic bone. And without moving your hand, make fan movements strictly clockwise with your fingers, gently stroking the baby's tummy.
More often (and not only after eating!) carry baby upright, invoking the force of gravity to help the young, unformed intestines.
If possible from time to time to carry the baby in a sling or a special backpack- besides the fact that this is a good prevention, it is also some kind of movement for the baby, and therefore for his intestines.
If you're breastfeeding, it makes sense invite an experienced, competent and modern breastfeeding consultant for consultation. And not "from the street", but from the center with good recommendations. Russians, for example, can use the services of the Association of Breastfeeding Consultants (AKEV).
If the baby is an artificial buy a special bottle for him, which has a special tube for venting air and which thereby qualitatively minimizes the ingress of air into the baby's stomach during feeding.
Use a gas tube in cases where your baby is actively pushing for some time, but at the same time (sorry for physiological folklore) he neither poops nor farts. Just keep in mind - this device really helps to remove gases, but only those that have already "reached" the rectum. Alas, the most painful accumulations of air are those that pass through the intestines (thick and thin). It is they who cause painful colic, but, alas, it is impossible to speed up their movement with any tube.

What to give a newborn with colic to relieve pain

Despite the fact that many pediatricians (including the respected Dr. Komarovsky) are convinced that today there are no drugs that can reliably save babies from painful colic, there is a small list of drugs that they do not forbid and consider to some extent justified with severe colic in newborns and infants. It is not known for sure whether these remedies help with colic in infants, but the fact that they help reduce gas formation is absolutely certain. For example:

1 Group of drugs containing simethicone- a chemical compound that reduces gas formation in the intestines. The substance simethicone does not interact with human cells and tissues, it acts directly on the gas bubbles themselves, turning them into a liquid and thus reducing pressure on the intestinal walls (which means that it is fair to assume that it helps to reduce pain with colic in newborns).
2 Funds, which include fennel fruit. They have a so-called carminative effect and reduce gas formation in the intestines.

For practical parents: you do not have to look up and remember the names of any specific drugs containing simethicone or fennel fruits. Any pharmacist in the pharmacy will offer you a range of products and they will all have a similar effect. Take the cheapest or "attractive" one for you - there is no significant difference between them, they work the same and are equally safe for the baby.

Colic in newborns and infants: a summary

Colic in a child is a normal phenomenon in the life of a novice person. The phenomenon, unfortunately, is painful, and it is from pain that this person yells and cries sometimes louder than the trumpet of Jericho.

So far, modern science has not come up with any cures for infantile colic, so the maximum that a sane adequate parent can do is to be patient and learn a few tricks that help to some extent (and even then - only presumably!) relieve the child's pain. Patience should be enough for about 3 months, after which the baby's colic will go away by itself.

Eating disorders in a nursing mother. Colic in a baby occurs if the mother ate cabbage or other vegetables, abuses flour products and coffee.
Overfeeding.
Violation of feeding technique.
Hold your baby upright after feeding. The baby will regurgitate the extra air that he swallowed while sucking.
Inappropriate mix. Children's intestines cannot process some of the components of the mixture, so it is necessary to change it.
The nipple on the bottle also needs to be chosen correctly. The AVENT company produces nipples with bottles that specifically remove excess air.
The digestive system of the baby during the first month of life is not yet adapted to the environment. It begins to be populated by many bacteria that are useful for digestion. The motility of the large and small intestines is not yet fully formed. Therefore, colic in newborn children is an integral part of their life.
Spasms of the smooth muscles of the intestine.
There is a stereotype that colic occurs more often in boys. This is wrong. Colic in girls, as well as in boys, occurs with the same frequency and does not depend on the nation and the nature of feeding.

Intestinal colic in newborns begins at a week of age and disappears by 4 months. In premature newborns, colic occurs 1 to 2 weeks later.

Intestinal colic occurs in 70% of children, so it is a mistake to assume that everyone has them.

How do you know if a baby has colic?

All children behave differently - they clench their fists, close their eyes tightly. But the main symptom is strong crying, pulling the legs to the stomach.

The child begins to behave restlessly after eating. They are worried about a tight stool or even. Bloating. These signs will help to understand that these are intestinal colic in a newborn.

Colic in most cases torments children in the evenings. This is due to fluctuating hormones in women's milk and an increase in its fat content in the evening.

How to help a child with colic?

Gas and colic in newborns can be relieved certain activities.

Let's baby.
Lay your baby on your stomach more often. This will help to form the correct functioning of the intestines. It is best to do this 30 minutes before feeding.
Colic in babies can be relieved by placing a warm towel or heating pad with warm water on their stomach.
Newborn tummy massage. With a warm hand, lightly stroke clockwise, preferably before and after the next meal.
Every mother should understand how to properly breastfeed. Indeed, with incomplete closing of the baby's lips around the areola, the child swallows excess air, which leads to the accumulation of gases.
Manifestations of colic in infants can be reduced by walking in the fresh air or motion sickness.
Gas tube. Lay the child on the side, pressing the legs to the stomach. Be sure to lubricate the tip of the tube and gently insert it into the anus.
With the accumulation of gases in the intestine itself, this method will not help, unless the gases have accumulated at the base of the anus.
Medications to help with colic.

Alleviate gas symptoms the following groups of drugs:

reducing the level of gas formation (Espumizan baby, Bobotic,);
means that remove gases from the intestines (activated charcoal, Smecta);
restoring intestinal microflora (Linex, Bifiform).

When artificial feeding is added to the bottle. Dosage for children up to a year - 25 drops (per day). Shake before use.

Bobotik - simethicone emulsion

It is a suspension with a rather pleasant taste. Reduces the surface tension of gas bubbles. It is taken according to the instructions in the age dosage. Drops can be diluted with water. After the symptoms disappear, the medicine is canceled.

Plantex - a magical remedy for colic

The basis of the medicine is fennel. In its action it is similar to dill. The contents of the sachet are dissolved in 100 ml of water. You can give the baby from the first days of life.

When does colic go away in newborns? - it's not a disease. Their best healers are time, patience and the above tips, thanks to which it will be easier for the child to endure this condition.

Infant colic is an accumulation of gas in the tummy of a baby. A large accumulation of gases causes spasms, which give the child pain and anxiety. The child's body adapts to a new life outside the womb. If earlier the child received food through the umbilical cord, now you have to work hard to get enough. And along with food, be it breast milk or formula, new bacteria colonize the body. Accordingly, other food will be digested differently. It gets to the point that every mom visits the forum to find out answers to questions about colic. Whether to give drugs to remove gases. The baby is suffering, and the mother is worried, wants to help him get through.

Colic and gas in newborns: why do they appear, how to understand that it is colic, how do they manifest themselves in a month-old baby?

Formation of the gastrointestinal tract. Bloating in newborns may occur due to the fact that the baby's gastrointestinal tract is still developing and has not yet fully formed.
Attachment to the chest. Perhaps colic in infants occurs due to improper attachment of the baby to the chest. The child may take the breast incorrectly and swallow air along with milk during feeding. Because of this, bloating occurs and, as a result, intestinal colic.
The character of the child. There is a possibility that the newborn has a tummy ache due to the fact that he was crying, screaming, overexcited, swallowing air. There are babies who cry little and do not require attention, but there are children with character, so the special temperament of the child can become the cause of colic.
Mom's food. If the baby is breastfed, then you should know what it is. Colic in infants can be precisely due to malnutrition.
Baby formula. If the child is bottle-fed, then it may make sense to change the mixture or once again make sure that it is prepared correctly.
feeding mode. Try to exclude the possibility of colic due to non-compliance with the feeding regimen. Here the opinions of pediatricians differ. Someone continues to believe that feeding should be strictly according to the regime (an interval of at least three hours), because the food does not have time to be digested in a short time and disorders in the gastrointestinal tract appear. And others consider this belief “the last century” and offer to feed “on demand”. What is right for your baby is up to you. But if nothing helps, you can still experiment one day.

Colic in a newborn: symptoms and signs

The baby cries and presses his toes and hands, pulls his knees to his tummy, sleeps and cries.
The baby cries loudly, while the face turns red.
There is bloating, rumbling is heard. After the gaziki have moved away, the child calms down.
Colic in babies can begin around the tenth day of life and last up to three to four months.
Usually with colic, the baby's stool is regular and unchanged.
More often, colic occurs in babies who are rapidly gaining weight.

10 tips on how to relieve the pain of a child with colic at home. Treat or wait for a miracle

Be sure to do all the procedures, taking the baby in your arms. The kid will relax and will not be afraid of anything. Colic occurs in both boys and girls.

Stroke the tummy clockwise around the navel.
Place a warm palm on your tummy, and gently rock with the other hand.
Attach the baby to the breast during colic. This will allow him to relax and relieve spasms.
Put a warm diaper on your tummy. It should be folded in several layers and ironed. If the diaper turned out to be hot, then put it on top of the vest, and when it starts to cool, attach it to your bare tummy.
Lay the baby on your stomach. The baby will be very pleased to sleep on your stomach. When mom is around, children always sleep sweetly.
Do gymnastics: pull your knees up to your tummy, so you get a natural massaging of the abdominal cavity. Connect the right knee to the left elbow and vice versa, and so on several times. Gaziki will immediately begin to depart on their own.
Rock the child in the "tiger on a branch" pose. This pose is more suitable for dads who have strong arms. Bend your arm at the elbow and place the child on it with the stomach down, the head should be on the palm of your hand. In this position, you can not only alleviate the condition of the child, but also wear at the usual time. For many dads, this is their favorite walking position.
Make an "airplane": put the child in your arms with your stomach down and gently rock it to the right, then to the left. Many children begin to squeal with joy and laugh for the first time during this exercise. By the way, you can always do this when the child starts to act up.
If the child likes to swim, make a warm bath for him with the addition of chamomile brewed in a water bath (three tablespoons of flowers per half liter of water). This will help relieve pain from colic and gas in newborns. The pain passes.
Gas tube. We deliberately talk about it last. Yes, it helps to get rid of gas, but you can not abuse it, otherwise the baby will quickly get used to it, and you will no longer be able to do without this tube. The child will not want to deal with the problem himself, besides, this is an unnecessary irritation of the anus. For those who nevertheless, on the advice of pediatricians, decided to fight colic in infants with the help of a gas outlet tube: grease the tip with petroleum jelly or baby cream and gently insert the tube into the anus, but no more than 2 cm. At the slightest resistance of the child, stop this lesson. Be prepared for the fact that such interference can cause diffraction.

Use our tips, and you will definitely be able to relieve the pain of your baby with colic!

what drugs are usually prescribed by doctors for colic for newborns,
7 tips to prevent colic,
And if it's not colic, then what is it?

Nothing worries and worries parents more than the crying of their newborn baby. Especially if the cause of strong and prolonged crying is intestinal colic, which torments babies in the first months of life. A painful attack of colic is accompanied by a piercing cry, the baby refuses to eat, is naughty, presses his legs to his tummy and blushes. What is the cause of abdominal pain? How to eliminate colic in a newborn, what should parents do to alleviate the suffering of the baby?

Colic in newborns: what is it?

The birth of a newborn is an exciting and joyful event that the whole family is looking forward to. The little man evokes affection and admiration, and the young mother gradually gets used to her new role, takes care of the baby, rejoicing in his calmness. But, already after 3-4 weeks, changes take place in the life of the family, its usual rhythm is disturbed.

Their, until recently, calm and happy baby is changing before our eyes: it screams piercingly and hysterically, arches its body, kicks its legs, it is simply impossible to calm it down. Confused parents simply do not know how to help and calm the baby and suffer with him. Because of this, intestinal colic is a common occurrence among infants, which is faced by about 80-90% of families.

Intestinal colic is a sharp, paroxysmal pain that occurs in the large intestine due to the accumulation of gases in it. A large accumulation of gaziki stretch the walls of the intestine and cause spasm, causing discomfort and pain to the child.

Parents who had to deal with colic in babies in the third week of their life should remember that this is not a disease, but a temporary, natural physiological phenomenon that occurs in all children at 3-4 months.

What causes colic in babies?

Intestinal colic is a phenomenon associated with the adaptation of the child's immature digestive system to self-feeding. The body of a newborn is only adapting to a new life unfamiliar to him, especially his digestion. All nine months, while in the mother's womb, the child received good nutrition through the umbilical cord, and his intestines were inactive. Now the little man has to work himself to be fed.

The baby actively sucks the breast or receives a mixture from a bottle, it is more difficult for his body to cope with the digestion of enzymes that enter his gastrointestinal tract along with new food. In addition, with food, in the process of sucking, air is swallowed and the work of the digestive system is difficult. In addition to these main causes, pediatricians identify other factors for the appearance of colic.

Causes of intestinal colic in newborns:

Immaturity of the central nervous system of infants, which regulates the vital processes of the body. The central nervous system is just beginning to form and the newborn's body does not receive the impulses necessary to process certain products.
During feeding, new bacteria enter the body of newborns, including beneficial ones, and the intestinal microflora is gradually formed. Dysbiosis of the intestinal microflora can cause intestinal colic.
Since the size of the baby's stomach is too small, the large volume of food and gases formed during digestion, stretching its walls, lead to pain.

Also, pediatricians do not exclude that the cause of colic attacks in infants can be a stressful situation in the family, as well as the bad habits of a nursing mother. Women who smoke during lactation themselves provoke the appearance of colic in a child. Nicotine, supplied with food, impairs gastric motility, disrupting the absorption of nutrients.

How to understand that a newborn has colic: symptoms of pain

Attacks of colic are most actively manifested after feeding, are especially pronounced in the evening and last for quite a long time. Consider the main symptoms of intestinal colic in a child:

With colic, the baby's tummy is tense, swollen, the baby tries to help himself by tucking his legs. During colic, the child feels severe discomfort, behaves restlessly, groans, is naughty, clenches his fists.
With a strong spasm, the baby screams piercingly, then calms down for a while. This is due to the fact that pain in the intestines occurs in waves, attacks. During this period, it is impossible to calm the baby.
When feeding, the child turns away from the breast or bottle, is naughty, demonstrating a refusal to eat. Sometimes the baby may actively begin to suck, and then scream piercingly from an attack of colic.
Sudden and sharp crying of the baby during wakefulness or play may indicate an attack of intestinal colic.
During crying, gas discharge is observed, which greatly alleviate the suffering of the baby.

If you notice that the child has become capricious, restless, and he has the symptoms that were listed above, we recommend that you perform the following procedures to eliminate pain and alleviate the suffering of the crumbs.

The first thing mom needs to do is calm down and take the baby in her arms so that he relaxes and is not afraid of anything. The child subtly feels the emotional state of the mother, and babies, along with mother's milk, receive both the hormones of happiness and the hormones of anxiety and stress. Therefore, only a positive attitude and the belief that together you will cope with such a problem as intestinal colic!
You should not swaddle the baby much, you need to give him freedom of movement. So, the accumulated gaziki will quickly leave the intestines.
After feeding, it is necessary to hold the baby vertically, to give him the opportunity to burp the excess air that has entered the stomach.
A warm compress on the tummy will relax the muscles and relieve spasmodic tension. Fold the flannel diaper into quarters and iron it with a hot iron. Apply a warm compress to your baby's tummy. Also, mom can cover her stomach with a warm diaper and put the baby on it, tummy down. Babies love to sleep on their mother's tummy. This effective "grandmother's method" is quite effective during sharp bouts of pain from intestinal colic.
Lay the child down, lightly stroke his tummy around the navel, moving clockwise. Place your hand on his tummy, warming him and soothing the pain.
With colic, light gymnastics is excellent. At the same time or alternately, pull the crumbs' knees to the tummy. So you will make a natural massage of the abdominal cavity, which favors the passage of gases.
In the fight against colic, exercises on a fitball are effective, when the baby is placed on the ball, tummy down and slightly swayed on it. Light wiggles soothe children, help release gas.
For those kids who love water procedures, you can make a warm bath. Add a decoction of chamomile, infused in a water bath, to the water. Bathing in water at a comfortable temperature will relax the baby.
A gas tube is an emergency measure to combat colic and should be used in an emergency when other methods of struggle have failed. It is worth remembering that inept use of the gas outlet tube can lead to serious consequences and injure the intestines. Check with your pediatrician before using it. If the baby protests and resists the insertion of the tip into the anus, stop this procedure.

Safe home remedies for colic in babies

Alternative methods effectively help eliminate painful spasms in the intestines. The most common folk method is herbal teas, which can be taken by both mother and newborn. Dill water, tea with fennel, chamomile perfectly cope with the problem and soothe the pain.

Ready-made teas can be purchased at the pharmacy. Trademarks such as Nutricia, Hipp, produce tea in granules, it is enough to dilute it with warm water and give the child to drink before feeding as a prophylactic against the accumulation of gas. You can also prepare dill water yourself: pour 1 teaspoon of dill or fennel seeds with one glass of boiling water, leave for half an hour. Strain the remedy, offer the baby 1 teaspoon 3 times a day.

Treatment of colic with medicines

To relieve severe and prolonged pain in the tummy, pediatricians recommend medical treatment with drugs that are safe for babies and that effectively improve the condition.

Probiotics

These drugs are designed to normalize the intestinal microflora. Their action is aimed at suppressing the growth of bacteria that cause fermentation. Allowed from birth and taken by the course (3-4 weeks). These drugs include Lacidofil-WM, Liveo, Lactobacterin.

Plantex and Bebinos

Antispasmodic herbal preparations that reduce pain and the frequency of attacks of intestinal colic. Allowed for babies from the 15th day of life.

Espumizan, Baby Calm, Babotik

Simethicone preparations. This is a substance that breaks up gas bubbles in the intestines. After taking these drugs, painful spasms in the intestines quickly go away. Approved for admission from the 20th day of life.

What should a mother do if a newborn has colic?

Children who are breastfed are most often prone to attacks of intestinal colic, the culprit is the malnutrition of the mother. You should take a closer look at your daily diet and exclude from it those foods that can provoke a painful spasm in the child's intestines.

Products that promote gas formation in the intestines of a child during breastfeeding:

Homemade cow's milk can cause severe spasms in the baby. Sometimes pediatricians recommend completely eliminating it from the diet.
It is not recommended to consume fresh vegetables and fruits that have not undergone heat treatment. Eat only boiled, stewed and baked foods.
Dried apricots and dried fruits, raisins and even fresh grapes can cause excessive gas formation in the baby's intestines.
It is necessary to exclude from your menu all legumes, fresh cabbage. These products contribute to the accumulation of gas in the intestines of the baby and cause severe pain in the intestines.
Eliminate yeast dough products from the diet. Replace white bread with wholemeal bread or cereals. Useful buckwheat bread or dry biscuits - crackers.
Provoke colic can be excessive consumption of butter, which mom adds to dishes.
Temporarily exclude all sweets from the menu, including condensed milk.
Do not abuse black coffee and tea. Pediatricians recommend that mothers drink herbal teas and infusions of linden, mint, fennel, anise, lemon balm, thyme. These teas are safe for newborns and promote greater milk production.

Babies whose mothers daily consume kefir and other fermented milk products are less likely to suffer from intestinal colic.

Prevention of colic in newborns

To reduce attacks of intestinal colic, in addition to eliminating harmful foods, the mother must properly breastfeed the baby. It is necessary to ensure that the child captures the halo with the mouth along with the nipple.
Let the baby take the breast as much as he needs. If possible, do not supplement with infant formula or cow's milk, as introducing new foods into the baby's diet will only exacerbate the problem. Any new product is a colossal burden for the baby's digestive system, and he does not have the enzymes for digesting cow's milk at all. Therefore, use all methods to increase lactation and continue to breastfeed your baby, while not forgetting about the diet.
After feeding, hold the baby upright and wait for the burp.
Take small breaks between feedings of 2-2.5 hours to allow food to be digested well. If the baby has bloating and the tummy is tense, do not feed him. Help your baby get rid of excess gas by doing light exercises aimed at eliminating them.

Should I continue breastfeeding if my baby has colic?

Many mothers mistakenly believe that if they stop breastfeeding and pick up an expensive, good formula for feeding, they will solve the problem of intestinal colic in infants. This is absolutely not recommended. Breastfeeding is an important and necessary period in the life of a baby, not even the best mixture can replace mother's milk, which helps strengthen immunity, provides the child with all the nutrients, trace elements and vitamins he needs.

Why is colic dangerous?

Despite the fact that colic in infants is a natural physiological process, parents are still required to consult a pediatrician. In some cases, in the absence of supervision by a doctor, you can not notice and ignore the diseases of the baby's digestive system. Only an experienced doctor will be able to distinguish the symptoms of ordinary intestinal colic from serious disorders and pathologies of the development of the newborn.

Symptoms, in the presence of which you should immediately consult a doctor:

a prolonged attack of pain that lasts more than 4 hours, a significant deterioration in the baby's condition;
elevated temperature, with colic it remains normal;
vomit;
diarrhea or loose stools with bloody or greenish discharge.

Parents should remember that the cry of a baby is a cry and a request for help. The task of adults is to recognize the cause of the baby’s bitter crying and come to his aid. Intestinal colic is not a disease, but a natural physiological process in a child's life. This difficult period for everyone brings him closer to his mother, allows her to better understand and feel the needs of the crumbs. Use our advice and do not forget that this temporary phenomenon will end soon, and you can continue to enjoy happy motherhood.