Colic - the severe, often fluctuating pain in the abdomen caused by intestinal gas or obstruction in the intestines, suffered especially by babies.
There is no easy way to deal with a crying and screaming baby, and knowing your baby cannot physically stop crying is extremely hard for a parent to deal with.
Colic Symptoms
In Lawrence Kagan’s video, “Colic Symptoms and Treatment,” he talks about the mass amount of pain that both the child and parents are in. Kagan breaks it down for us and explains that colic can only occur in a newborn around six weeks but can last up to sixteen weeks, usually occurring in the afternoon and early evening. The crying can often be unbearable and may last up to a few hours. What’s happening is that the baby’s small intestine cannot handle the mass amount of gas from the day’s worth of food, so he/she begins to scream.
A baby’s stomach will hurt because he/she is growing at an extremely fast rate and gaining a mass amount of body weight.
Colic Treatment
The treatment for colic has been inadequate. Some people have tried to use a variety of home remedies. This includes gripe water - which is sugar water, fennel roots, and ginger. However, pediatricians and parents have found that this has not been very effective.
The most effective method, according to Dr. Kagan, is a probiotic, specifically the bacteria lactobacillic ruteri. If given in the proper form, it can decrease the crying up to fifty percent.
Colic can be extremely difficult on the parents because they see how much agony their child is in, and they cannot do anything to help them. It is important to know that as a parent you must stay calm and try the various remedies that are out there.
