Colic in Babies

Information Available
What is colic?
How can I tell if my baby has colic?
Why do some babies get colic?
Is colic serious?
I've heard colic is caused by the mother's diet. Is this true?
Will all that crying hurt my child?

What exactly is colic?

About 20 per cent of all babies develop colic, a catch-all phrase for uncontrollable crying in an otherwise healthy baby. A baby with colic cries or fusses for more than three hours a day, for more than three days in one week. It occurs with equal frequency among first- and later-born children, and in boys and girls.

It's hard to know who finds colic harder, a parent or a baby. A colicky baby is obviously in distress, uncomfortable, and can't soothe himself. But a parent can be just as upset - listening to a baby's cry for hours on end is enough to drive you to tears of your own.

How can I tell if my baby has colic?

All babies cry sometimes; in fact, the average baby cries about two and a half hours a day. But in addition to persistent crying, a colicky baby looks truly uncomfortable. He may alternately extend or pull up his legs and pass wind. Colic usually occurs between 6 p.m. and midnight, though it can occur around the clock, generally becoming worse in the evening.

Generally, a baby becomes colicky around two to four weeks and is over it by about three months or, in less fortunate cases, six to nine months.

Why do some babies get colic?

Scientists have been trying to answer that question for more than 50 years. It's often blamed on the baby's immature digestive system. In fact, the word colic comes from a Greek word, kolikos, which roughly translates as "colon." There is also some science to back this up. For instance, a newborn's digestive tract contains very few enzymes or digestive juices, which break down food substances. Or, according to some, a child's still-developing nervous system simply tenses up. Others subscribe to the theory that the baby is tired or overstimulated, and that colic is his way of blocking everything out so he can sleep. Babies who are exposed to smoke are also more likely to develop colic.

Is colic serious?

Not really -- apart from the household tension it creates. However, it is wise to seek assurance from your doctor or health visitor that the root of your child's prolonged crying isn't a hernia or other medical problem.

I've heard colic is caused by the mother's diet. Is this true?

Both formula and breast milk can be linked to a baby's colic.

Occasionally breastfed babies become colicky because of something in their mother's diet. Some mums find that if they stop drinking cow's milk and other dairy products, the situation improves. If you're breastfeeding, try cutting out dairy products for a few days to see if that makes a difference. If your baby's colic improves, you have your culprit. If not, don't give up hope -- and at least you won't need to deprive yourself of butter and milk.

Some breastfed babies seem to be bothered if mum indulges in a lot of spicy food, wheat products, or cruciferous vegetables. Again, to test if these foods are making your baby uncomfortable, avoid eating cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, garlic, caffeine, alcohol, and other irritants for a few days. If your baby seems better, reintroduce the foods into your diet, one at a time, allowing a few days between reintroductions. It should be fairly easy to pinpoint which one is causing your baby problems: if he starts fussing again after a food is reintroduced, then you'll know that's the offending substance. You'll have to abstain from it until your baby outgrows his sensitivity, which usually at around 3 months, but that's a small price to pay for a happy child.

If your baby is bottle-fed, you might try switching formulas to see if that's the irritant. And whether you're feeding your baby formula or breast milk, make sure that you're burping him during and after feedings - it helps relieve the pressure that builds up when he swallows air.

Will all that crying hurt my child?

In truth, it may be more painful for the parents who must endure the alternately heart-rending and irritating crying of a child. Colicky babies do just fine. "In spite of hours of crying," wrote the venerable Dr. Spock, "they continue to gain weight, not just average-well but better than average. They are hungry babies. They gulp down their whole feeding." And one study even found that colicky babies turned out to be better problem solvers later in life.

Meanwhile, you can try our tips to get your baby - and you - through colic.

Reviewed March 2006.

Related topics
Go to our Health area.

Related links
How do we cope with colic?
Indulgences: How mums stay sane
New dad's survival guide

Reader comments
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HI, My first son got Colic once, because of the amount of pain he had, I did a research on colic. I changed my diet completely, eat no acidic fruit or juice and elimated cabbage until he was 3 months. It worked fantastic with my 2nd son he never experienced colic.Why not try it ,I told my friends about it and it worked them too.
18 Jul, 2007 - Wilma

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my baby is 7 weeks, had colic in her fourth week, and we found the perfect solution, although the doctor told us it was at the early stages, we bought DR browns natural flow bottles at mothercare when we did put her on the bottle and by her fifth week, colic was history. so happy we tackled it early.
13 May, 2007 - toyin

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http://raisingchildren.net.au/articles/colic_what_is_it.html/context/736
'Colic' generally refers to babies who seem to cry or fuss a lot or cannot be settled. It is one of the most vexing and difficult problems of infancy, equally common in breastfed and bottle-fed babies.

In one recent Australian study, 60% of parents reported that their babies had suffered from colic. The fact that it is so common is little consolation for parents faced with a baby who is crying, fussing, irritable for no apparent reason, and who cannot be settled. It is very distressing for parents and other family members, and often exasperating for doctors and nurses as well.

There have been scores of articles and research reports published over the years. But still little is known about the cause of colic or what to do about it.

Cause
The vast majority of babies have no clearly recognisable cause for their difficult behaviour.

There are many opinions about what causes colic, ranging from medical conditions in the baby to maternal anxiety. Recent research confirms what some authors have been saying for many years – there is no such thing as colic.

Repeated studies suggest that infant crying and fussing is a normal part of development and that it gets better with time, whatever you do.
Crying has been blamed on:

feeding techniques – too little or too much milk, or milk given in the wrong way
emotional problems in the mother
a difficult temperament in the baby
too much wind, though this has never been proven to cause crying. It is more likely that ‘wind’ is the result rather than the cause of crying – crying causes the baby to swallow air.
Some of the medical reasons given include:

gastrointestinal (gastroesophageal reflux, excess gas)
infections (ear or urinary tract)
hernias (inguinal, umbilical)
nerves (irritable nervous system, neurological immaturity)
allergy (mother’s diet, cow’s milk given to baby)
nappy rash and other sources of irritation.
It is probable that a very small proportion of babies who are said to have colic suffer from an identifiable medical problem. However, the common ‘diagnoses’ of too much wind or milk allergy are made far too frequently, with very little evidence that they represent real conditions in this age group.

Younger babies cry because of their temperament, sleeping cycles, and feeding patterns (‘expressive crying’). Later, the crying and fussing is more likely to be about something in their environment, or a way of communicating with carers.

Stressed or anxious parents do not cause crying and fussing, but can make it worse. It is perfectly natural for mothers and fathers to worry about their baby’s crying. You might manage to cope with it, knowing it is a phase that the baby is going through and that it will pass. Or you might worry that a crying baby means you are a bad parent.

Crying is very common in infants and it has little or nothing to do with how good you are at parenting. The most confident, calm and competent parents will also have babies who cry all the time.
What are the symptoms?
If you have a baby, you probably know the symptoms: crying and fussing. At some stage after your baby arrives home – sometimes a few days, sometimes a few weeks – the crying starts.

Your baby is restless, irritable, and does not seem to settle into anything resembling a predictable routine of sleeping and feeding. On the contrary it is the unpredictability which many parents find so difficult.

Your baby might feed hungrily, but soon after a feed seems to be hungry again. Some babies do not feed well, often fighting the breast or bottle. They might spend long periods fussing or grizzling, but might also scream loudly. During this crying period they might draw their legs up, as if suffering from pain. It is very difficult to settle or console them.

The crying and fussing might seem to go on for hours, and is often worse in the evening.

Studies show that the normal baby cries and fusses on average for almost three hours a day (and some for a good deal longer than this). The crying reaches a peak at about six weeks of age, and then gradually lessens as the baby gets older. Most of this crying and fussing seems to take place in the late afternoon and evening, although there is considerable variation from day to day. As babies get older and their crying becomes more communicative, it is more likely to be spread throughout the day.