I Love You From Colic!

What is colic?

Infantile colic is a behavioral syndrome (not a disease or diagnosis), due to abdominal pain, presenting with crying which usually lasts more than 3 hours a day, more than 3 days a week for more than 3 weeks. Colic is extremely common and occurs at six week after birth in up to 40 % of all infants, and carries on till the infant is three to four months old.

Rocking the infant, singing, warm towel, massage therapy and benefiting from the best supplements for colic available in the market, are the treatment recommended for infantile colic.

What’s the difference between colic and normal crying?

The significant difference between a colic cry and other types of crying is that:

• Crying turns to be more furious and high-pitched
• Baby’s face becomes red and flushed
• Baby may suffer from a hard belly, stiff arms, or arched back during a bout of colic
• Colicky episodes recur suddenly without any obvious reason at the same time daily
• Crying periods last from a few minutes to much longer hours usually in the afternoon, in the evening and at night
• Parents are mostly unable to soothe their babies during a bout of colic

What causes colic?

While there is no exact physical and medical cause of colic crying, gastrointestinal, psychosocial, and neurodevelopmental disorders have been suggested as the causes of colic.

In the meantime, it has been also proved that infantile colic is associated with postpartum depression and mothers’ anxiety and stress.

Here are some possible explanations:

An immature digestive system. The baby’s digestive system is still developing, causing food to pass through too quickly and not break down completely. This results in pain from gas in the intestines, provoking discomfort that the baby communicates by crying.

Overstimulated senses. Near the end of the first month, babies become more sensitive to the stimuli in their environment.  To release the stress comes to the babies due to processing too much information, they cry.

Food allergies or sensitivity. Some experts suggest that colic is the result of an allergy to food (milk protein) or exposure to tobacco smoke. Less often, colic may be a reaction to specific foods in mom’s diet in breastfed babies. These allergies or sensitivity can cause colicky behavior.

How to soothe your child during bouts of colic?

No treatment has been proven to relieve colic pain. However, there are some tips to improve the condition in colicky babies.

• Stop feeding your baby if they are not hungry.
• Try different positions such as, walking with your baby in a kangaroo-style or sitting in a rocking chair.
• Try burping your baby more often during feedings.
• Swaddle your baby.
• Place your baby across your lap on his or her belly and rub your baby’s back.
• It is said that motion and vibration may have a soothing effect. Therefore, it would be helpful to put your baby in a swing or vibrating seat. You can also put your baby in an infant car seat in the back of the car and go for a ride.
• Playing music provides some babies the same calmness as movement.
• Some infants find the constant low noise soothing. Place your baby in the same room as a running clothes dryer, white noise machine, or vacuum.
• Decreasing outside stimulation may help babies of 2 months and younger with their colic.
• Take dietary supplements formulated for colicky babies, such as Kidssi Colic.
• Consider massage therapy, particularly the “I Love U” massage technique, as a complementary treatment for alleviating the infantile colic symptoms.

What is “I Love You” massage technique?

The ‘I Love U’ massage technique is named as such because the massage movements are like the letters ‘I, L and U’. It should be repeated three times as follows:

1. Lay your baby on a warm blanket or on a carpeted floor.

2. Pour a little baby oil in your palms and rub your hands together to warm them and the oil.

3. Try to look into your baby’s eyes, and pay attention to his response. If he doesn’t seem to be enjoying himself, try a lighter touch, or simply stop.

4. While facing your baby, use two or three fingers to trace the letter “I” on the right side of his abdomen with firm but gentle movements.

5. Start under his ribs and go straight down to his hip joint, using the oil to smooth your way.

6. Next, stroke from left to right across your baby’s abdomen, forming the long side of a sideways “L.”

7. Use a short downward stroke on the right side of his stomach to complete the “L.”

8. To begin the last letter, the upside-down “U,” stroke up from your baby’s hipbone, on the left side of his tummy.

9. For the middle segment of the “U,” move your fingers along the top of your baby’s tummy.

10. And for the final part of the “U,” stroke down your baby’s right side.

       Dayonix Pharma/ March 16, 2019

The content of this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health professional regarding any medical condition. While every care is taken to ensure the accuracy of the information presented in the blog and to describe best generally accepted current practices we cannot accept any liability for errors or omissions or for any consequences from application of the information given.