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FAQ on COLIC  IN  INFANTS 

• What is a colic ?

• How do I identify a colic ?

• What can I do to prevent colics ?

• What do I do for immediate relief ?

• Why does my baby have colic at all ?

• When shall I expect the tendency for colics to go down ?

• Does some mothers’ dietary modification help ?

What is a colic ?

Colic is a sharp , painful sensation in the abdomen manifested by infants by excessive crying and usually a relatively tense / tight tummy and the child may tend to fold his legs upon the tummy and get red in the face and cry incessantly.

How do I identify a colic ?

The points outlined above shall usually prompt you to recognize a colic and you shall have naturally , by then , ruled out simple causes as hunger, ( you may have fed the child already and find he is crying still. ) ; you may have cuddled the child already , you may have by now found that there is no explicable cause of his cry.You may find that the child is very “ gassy “ – he is passing a lot of gas and there might be a small quantities of stool squirted out with each passage of gas.

What can I do to prevent colics ?

The following shall usually reduce the tendency for colics :
 

• Feeding in the head up and legs lower position

• Burping the child after a feed - properly and for long periods

• Laying the child in the prone position ( tummy at the bed ) or laying down the baby on your thigh so that gentle yet firm pressure is exerted on the tummy

• If bottle fed – make sure there is no air in the nipple while the baby is sucking – this air goes into the tummy and the resultant gas accumulation is what aggravates the colic

• If bottle fed – use “ ANTI COLIC “ nipples – these are specially designed nipples that have a port for expulsion of air that may be trapped in the nipple.

• If bottle fed – check the milk powder and its proper dilution – do not use a tin of powder beyond 1 month of opening it – dilute it in the 1:1 proportion ( 1 scoop of powder to an ounce of boiled , cooled water)

• Powder ( formula ) milks tend to give a higher  tendency to colics – if your child is really having very frequent and troublesome colics – consider shifting to natural milks ( like a “ desi “ cow’s milk or a medium fat dairy milk – WITHOUT dilution.

   

  

What do I do for immediate relief ?  

Try soothing the child by rocking him fairly vigorously in your arms or a rocking bed Put the child on your thigh ( as outlined above ) Put the child in the prone position ( as outlined above) Some medicinal preparations that contain antispasmodics ( anti colic ) ingredients like  COLIMEX DROPS /  MEFTAL SPAS DROPS  and a host of other ones , in a dose of 8 drops right away and may be repeated as per need upto say 3-4 times a day. A useful home remedy is APPLICATION OF WARMED “ HEENG” ( asafoetida) on the navel and rest of the tummy works wonders ( do not ask HOW ! ) -  you may take a pinch of the Heeng commonly used in Indian cooking – take a spoonful of water and add the Heeng to it – heat the mixture to a temperature that you find uncomfortable . Now soak a small quantity of cotton wool in the warmed mixture and apply it on the parts explained. By the time you shall have soaked and taken out the cotton wool and got it to the baby tummy – it shall have cooled down optimally. Use this remedy frequently as you need – perhaps there shall be no medication needed !

Why does my baby have colic at all ?

Interestingly , this apparently harmless problem is a cause of great misery to young parents and you shall find the mother crying and screaming in concord with the baby.

• Intensive investigations have been done into the causes of colic – science is still befuddled :

• Some common denominators have been worked out :

• Babies of educated and first time mothers have more colic – some psychological element may underlie it

• The colic typically is more common ( worldwide so ) in late evening and has been nicknamed tongue in cheek as “ the 7  P M horror “ – why it is so – hit GOD.com

• Babies of working mothers are more prone to have colics – probably again some psychological bias

• The second child is less prone to have colic than the first one.

   

  

When shall I expect the tendency for colics to go down ?

You may discover the tendency getting less on its own by the age of some 3-4 months.

Does some mothers’ dietary modification help ?  

Avoiding the following has been found to be generally useful : Spicy foods “Heavy “ pulses ( daals ) like Urad Ki Daal , Chane Ki Daal , Besan Spinach Fresh fruit juices ( orange , sweet lime – mausami)