Description
Colic is a condition that causes a baby to scream or cry endlessly for no apparent reason and it usually affects babies between three weeks and three months old. Often, it occurs in babies who are bottle-fed, but may also affect those who are breastfed. Pediatricians do not know the exact causes of Colic, but most of them believe that it is brought about by a milk allergy; most probably formula, though breast milk may also be a cause. All in all, there are some specific factors that have been thought to increase the chances of an infant developing Colic.
Risk Factors for Colic
One of the risk factors for Colic is the gastrointestinal system, which may not have properly matured. This may cause the infant to have difficulty in digesting the milk thereby causing stomach spasms to occur or abdominal gas, which can be very painful. Those taking care of infants are therefore advised to frequently burp the babies during feeding and give them more space in between meals to properly digest their food. Another likely cause could be sensitivity to dairy products. There are some babies that are unable to digest sugar lactose, which is found in milk; a condition referred to as lactose intolerance. This inability to digest milk may cause gas and bloating as well as stomach cramps thereby causing the baby to cry. Colic may also be caused by environmental conditions such as a difficulty in interaction between the parent and the infant.
Anxiety and Tension
Babies are very sensitive to anxiety and if the parent is tense, they can tell and usually become tense themselves, hence the crying. In fact, if a mother experiences some amount of stress during pregnancy, then the baby may develop Colic once he or she is born. Some babies may also develop Colic simply due to their fussy character traits. However, people caring for infants are advised not to make such assumptions, but try to establish the cause behind the crying. There is also a link between the mother’s diet and Colic in infants with dairy products topping the list of offending food types. Mothers should therefore try and eliminate suspected food types from their diets then observe the manner in which the babies react with gradual reintroduction. Other suspected foods include wheat and foods that are acid based. By the third month, most infants will be able to tolerate the mother’s food. An over stimulation of the Central Nervous System may cause Colic, especially if the CNS is immature.