Colic: The basics

My baby cries all the time. Could it be colic?

Colic is a term used to describe uncontrollable crying in an otherwise healthy baby. If your baby is younger than 5 months old and cries for more than three hours in a row on three or more days a week for at least three weeks (phew!), chances are he's colicky. Colic isn't a disease and won't cause your baby any long-term harm, but it's a tough thing to go through for both babies and their parents.

If your baby is colicky and you need help, you'll find more than 20 sanity-saving tips in Colic: How to Cope.

What are the signs of colic?

Colic most often shows up when a baby is around 2 or 3 weeks old (or two or three weeks after the baby's due date, if he's a preemie).

While babies normally cry when they're wet or hungry or frightened or tired, a baby with colic cries inconsolably and excessively, often at the same time of day, frequently in the late afternoon or evening.

If your baby has colic, his belly may look enlarged. You may notice that he alternately extends or pulls up his legs and passes gas as he cries.

How long will this last?

Thankfully, there's a light at the end of the tunnel. Colic tends to peak around 6 weeks, then improves significantly between 3 and 4 months. By 5 months, your baby should be over it.

Yes, that's a long tunnel. In the meantime, learn how to comfort your baby as best you can and ask for help when you need it. Caring for a colicky baby can be very stressful, and you need to take regular breaks to maintain your own well-being. Have your mate or a friend or relative take over while you go for a walk or let loose with a good cry yourself when you need to.

Why are some babies colicky?

Colic is one of the great mysteries of baby life. About 20 percent of babies become colicky. The condition is equally common among firstborn and later-born, boys and girls, breastfed and formula-fed. No one knows why some babies are more prone to it than others, but theories abound. And there may well be more than one cause.

Your baby may have colic because his digestive system is a bit immature or sensitive. (In fact, the word colic comes from a Greek word, kolikos, which roughly translates to "colon.") A newborn's digestive tract contains very few of the enzymes and digestive juices needed to break down food, so processing the proteins in breast milk or formula can lead to painful gas.

The act of screaming itself can cause your baby to swallow a lot of air and that, too, leads to gassiness. If your baby has colic because of tummy trouble, you may notice that his symptoms get worse after a feeding or before a bowel movement.

Some experts believe that long bouts of colicky crying are a physical release for overwrought babies. Your baby might be easily overwhelmed if he's sensitive by nature, for example, or if he's recovering from a difficult birth or was born prematurely and his nervous system is still developing. By the time evening rolls around, these babies just can't handle any more sights, sounds, or sensations, and they cry to blow off steam.

By the way, if you smoked during pregnancy or smoke now, your baby is twice as likely to have colic (though this risk is reduced if your baby is breastfed).

Should I take my baby to the doctor if I think he has colic?

Yes, it's a good idea to talk with the doctor about your baby's crying. She can rule out other potential causes, like intestinal or urinary infections, and help you determine the best course of action for your baby if he does have colic.

And if your baby has other symptoms — like fever, vomiting, or bloody stools — call his doctor immediately. These symptoms are not due to colic.

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

Some breastfed babies seem to become colicky because of something in their mother's diet. (See our chart for a list of foods that may irritate your nursing baby.)

There's plenty of controversy about which foods are problematic, but dairy products are some of the prime suspects. If you're breastfeeding, try cutting back on milk, cheese, and yogurt for a couple of weeks to see whether it makes a difference. (Cow's milk protein can remain in breast milk that long, so this dietary experiment takes some patience.)

Other suspects include spicy food, wheat products, nuts, strawberries, cruciferous vegetables (such as cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower), garlic, caffeine, and alcohol.

To see whether one of these foods is making your baby uncomfortable, avoid them all for a few days. If your baby seems better, reintroduce one food at a time, allowing a few days between re-introductions.

If your baby starts fussing again after you start eating a certain food, you've discovered the offending substance. You'll have to abstain from it until your baby outgrows his sensitivity, which will probably be at around 3 months. Of course, kicking coffee or any other food for a few months is a small price to pay for a happy baby.

Can the wrong formula cause colic?

Not usually. But if your formula-fed baby is colicky, you might talk with his doctor about switching to a formula that doesn't contain cow's milk protein, just to be sure.

source: babycenter