What to do when a newborn baby has colic. Colic in newborns

Why does even a healthy, normally developing breast-fed infant with a good appetite suffer from colic? He cries loudly, draws his legs, his face turns red. By these and several other symptoms, intestinal colic in newborns can be accurately recognized. It is believed that boys react more painfully to problems with the tummy and suffer longer than girls. How long does it take until the gaziki stop, will homeopathy help to avoid pain and how to calm the child?

Causes of colic in infants

Why do babies suffer from colic? After birth, the body adapts to the new environment. From the side of the stomach and intestines, gas formation increases, sharp strong spasms begin.

The causes of intestinal colic are:

improper grip on the breast. The newborn sucks, swallowing air with milk;
with artificial feeding, mommy should ensure that the bottle is placed at a 45 degree angle so that air accumulates at the bottom;
overfeeding. It is large portions of milk that cause the formation of gases in the stomach. It is better to feed the baby on demand little, but often;
a mixture that is not suitable for the child;
Mom can't eat certain foods. Why is there a certain diet that limits;
cannot be used. Children whose mothers are addicted to forbidden foods and like to relax with a drag on a cigarette suffer from colic more often than others.

At what age do colic begin and go away?

Intestinal colic in newborns occurs 2-4 weeks after birth. This is normal and nothing to worry about. Parents need to understand that this goes away by 3-4 months, when the stomach gets stronger and develops. While the colic lasts, the baby needs to be helped to fight the pain, calm down and get rid of the torment as far as possible. Mommy, when breastfeeding, should eat right so as not to cause anxiety and suffering for the baby once again.

Symptoms of colic in newborns

the child begins to be nervous, capricious, worried. He presses his legs, cries sharply, piercingly - these are the first signs that the pain is strong, grasping. Symptoms of colic appear in the late afternoon, sometimes at night after feeding. Even if the child was healthy all day, ate and slept;
colic can be recognized if the baby farts often;
food intolerance can be indicated by symptoms such as slimy green feces or.

What to do if a baby is suffering from colic

Bloating, spasms and colic that have arisen in a newborn can be alleviated at home without resorting to the help of specialists:

For a few minutes before the feeding process, the crumbs should be laid out on the tummy on a hard flat surface.
After eating, the child must be lifted vertically in his arms, stroked on the back, waiting until the air leaves and he burps.
A light massage of the tummy will relieve the condition and help calm the baby.
Mom can hug the baby to her stomach.
Use a warm diaper or heating pad.
Give him tea with fennel to drink (it is allowed to drink such tea from the first month of life).
Give the newborn dill water.
If colic appears in a newborn artificial, the mother should consult a doctor and transfer the baby to another mixture.
Fight gases with a gas outlet tube.

Food elimination and diet

A nursing mother should follow a diet, excluding such foods from her menu as:

cabbage;
spicy seasonings;
corn;
whole cow's milk;
onion garlic;
tomatoes;
raw bell pepper;
radish;
legumes;
roasted seeds;
nuts;
cocoa, coffee;
chocolate.

If intestinal colic is associated with the use of these products, then after their exclusion, the pain and anxiety in the newborn will pass in one to two days.

Required reading: What foods are allowed for a nursing mother -

Use of drugs

Before you start treatment with a medicine, you need to visit a doctor and take only what he prescribed. You can’t listen to a neighbor who put candles on her baby and they helped a lot. Each organism is individual and the doctor will prescribe exactly those drugs that are best suited to a particular small patient.

Doctors conditionally divide all pharmaceutical preparations from colic into prophylactic (homeopathy) and stopping.

Preventive medicines will not save you from pain and do not guarantee that there will be no problems with the tummy. They will ease the attacks of intestinal colic, reduce the formation of gases, make the pain less sharp and prolonged. These include extracts and extracts of dill, anise, fennel.

Cupping, based on simethicone. This chemical relieves the tone of the intestinal walls, splits gases into small bubbles. Treatment is used when colic begins.

Common prophylactic drugs:

Plantex in sachets. Fennel based. Granulated. Easily soluble in warm liquid. One package requires 100 ml. water. Newborn babies are soldered 1-2 pieces, in 3 doses between applications.
Dill water. Sold in finished form. Babies who have reached the age of two weeks are allowed to drink 3-6 spoons per day. Dill tea bags are available for sale. It is brewed as usual and insisted.
If mom wants to brew dill water for babies at home, she can take a spoonful of dry fennel seeds, grind them, pour boiling water, insist and strain. A teaspoon of infusion is added to expressed breast milk and 15 drops are dripped into the child's mouth. For home-made, fennel essential oil is taken. 0.05 g is enough per liter of water. The solution can be kept in the refrigerator (not in the door) with a tightly closed lid for a whole month. Before taking it on a steam bath, warm to room temperature.
If the parents have a garden bed with greens under the house, mommy can make tea from fresh dill. Chopped greens are poured into 100 ml. boiling water and insist hour. It can be offered to the baby as pharmaceutical dill water -.
Baby Kalm. The drug from the Israeli manufacturer. A mixture of anise, dill, mint essential oil. It is diluted in water and dripped into the baby's mouth 10 drops before feeding. Store the finished emulsion in the refrigerator on the far shelf.

Popular stopping drugs:

Espumizan El. Contains simethicone. It is allowed to treat children from the first days. A sweetish emulsion of 25 drops is added to expressed milk, milk mixtures, or given to a baby with a syringe, pipette, measuring cup before and after feeding, as well as when colic attacks occur. The duration of taking Espumizan is not limited. It does not cause side effects and is absolutely harmless.
Suspension Sub Simplex. Based on simethicone. Babies are given 15 drops after feeding. If the baby is artificially fed, the drug is dripped into the mixture.
Bobotonic. Drops with simethicone are given to newborn babies who have reached the age of four weeks, 8 drops after meals. It does not penetrate into the blood, does not affect the microflora of the stomach and is excreted by the intestines. Reduces bloating, relieves colic and relieves pain in the newborn.

All preparations based on simethicone include flavoring additives. Babies often do not refuse to take them and do not spit them out. But if the baby has an allergy, you should stop taking such medications.
Doctors sometimes prescribe probiotics that contain bacteria. But the reason why colic and bloating appear is not dysbacteriosis, but the immaturity of the digestive system.

Most doctors think , that the microflora of the baby should be formed naturally without outside interference .

medical devices

From the accumulated gases in the baby, you can get rid of the gas tube. For the treatment of newborns, they buy the smallest within 15-16 cm. Before using this method, parents should consult a doctor. He himself will show for the first time how to use the device correctly, so that, due to inexperience, they do not injure the child.

After purchase, the gas outlet is boiled. Wash their hands. On the table where the procedure will be carried out, an oilcloth and a diaper are laid. The tip of the tube is lubricated with fat (oil, cream, petroleum jelly). Children up to six months are laid out on their backs and legs are pressed to their stomachs. Older kids are laid on their side and their legs are pressed tightly. With rotational movements, the tube is shallowly inserted into the anus. The other end of the tube is lowered into a vessel with water. It can be used to track whether gases have escaped or not.

Massage and gymnastics

An effective way, after which colic in newborns quickly passes. Before feeding, massage, as a prophylaxis against possible colic, is done for 5-7 minutes. The diaper is heated with an iron and laid out for a few minutes on the baby's stomach. Then stroking movements are carried out from the ribs to the edge. Carefully refer to the area of the right hypochondrium. They do not touch it, since the liver is located there.

It is important to stroke clockwise. The anatomical position of the intestines and the corresponding movements of the mother's hands will contribute to the removal of gases. After the procedure, they do gymnastics - the child's legs are pressed against the stomach so that it bleeds.

Folk methods of treatment

You can cope with pain and relieve colic with simple methods. An ordinary heating pad, a warm diaper that can be kept on a radiator in winter. The heating pad is not placed on the naked body, but on a T-shirt or T-shirt. Mom can pick up the baby and press it to her stomach. Heat relieves pain, relaxes muscles. Many people use not only a heating pad or a warm diaper, but also a warm bath.

Prevention of intestinal colic

The prevention methods for colic are simple. Pediatricians advise parents:

Do not overfeed your baby. Even 10 extra grams of milk in the stomach can cause bloating and gas.
Do not overheat. In a newborn, thermoregulation is imperfect, and it is easy to overheat it. The room should not be stuffy and dry. Frequent airing, wet cleaning, and the rejection of heaters will help improve metabolism and quickly get rid of problems with the tummy.
Correct attachment to the chest. A loosely grasped nipple, greedy sucking causes air to be swallowed.
Well-chosen nipple and bottle. In pharmacies, you can find anti-colic bottles that do not allow you to swallow excess air when feeding. It is important to choose the optimal shape of the nipple and its size. The hole should not be large, otherwise the baby will choke on food.
Suitable mixture. Some artificial formulas are not suitable for milk formulas due to a reaction to cow protein. A change in diet also causes colic and indigestion in newborns. The transition to another mixture should be gradual.
Neonatologists advise from birth to lay the baby on the tummy. The muscles of the neck and back will be strengthened, and gasses and spasms will decrease.
Wear it with your stomach on the bent elbow of dad or mom. Massage will be carried out imperceptibly and without inconvenience.
Heat. Mother's palms are considered the best heating pad for a newborn. They are tedious to keep on the tummy of the crumbs in various positions. The touch of mother's hands for a baby will be the best medicine that relieves many problems.
Diet. A nursing mother must understand that her diet is the key to the peace of the baby. If she herself has dysbacteriosis, diarrhea or constipation, then this will absolutely occur in him.
Physical activity and proper care. Swimming in the bath, lying on your stomach, wearing a sling, music, games - all this contributes to the removal of colic and gas discharge.

If colic does not go away in a newborn 4-month-old baby, a doctor's consultation is required.

Often a child has severe pain in the stomach at night or during the day. The appearance of such cramps in the tummy of newborn boys and girls is the most common problem that occurs in newborns in the first 2-3 months of their life. There are various causes of colic, but most often they are caused by the adaptation of the gastrointestinal tract to the characteristics of post-natal development. If you experience pain in the tummy, you should immediately start treatment. However, first it is better to determine when the colic in newborns passes and how long the pain in the stomach lasts.

Before treating the baby and helping the baby with colic, you need to understand the features of such pain. There is no scientific definition for colic and gas in newborns. Pediatricians describe the behavior of a newborn in this way: a healthy and fed child experiences discomfort and starts crying every 2-3 hours. Describing such pain in infants from changes in their body, we can say that they are caused by the accumulation of gases in the intestines.

When does colic start in a newborn baby?

The first signs of pain appear in children under the age of 2-3 weeks. When breastfeeding a baby and in premature babies, colic in the stomach appears later.

When will the colic go away?

Many are interested in how many months the pain lasts and when it will end. They cannot last longer than four months. Most often, colic disappears 2-3 months after the onset.

What is the difference between colic and gas?

Most parents combine these concepts and do not notice any difference between them, but there is one. Gases in people appear at any time and are not accompanied by pain. Only with a large accumulation of them, the newborn's tummy hurts, and colic appears.

Symptoms

If a newborn has colic, then they are accompanied by symptoms that you need to familiarize yourself with. It is difficult to determine exactly when the pain began, since you cannot ask anything from an infant. You have to independently examine the baby and observe the peculiarities of his behavior. During discomfort for newborns, the following changes are characteristic:

Pulling the knees towards the abdomen. This change in behavior is most often seen with colic in the abdomen.
Increased release of gases. At the same time, some newborns spit up food more often.
Toddlers experience bloating due to accumulated gases.
Change in behavior, manifested by increased moodiness, problems with sleep and refusal of food.

Less often, the baby becomes worse and he develops nausea and severe vomiting. When the first such complication appears, you should seek help from a doctor until the baby's condition worsens.

Why does pain appear?

It is known that the main cause of stomach problems in children is the adaptation of their digestive system to new conditions. However, there are other reasons that depend on the nutritional habits of children.

natural nutrition

In a newborn with breastfeeding (HB), pain appears if the young mother does not eat properly. When feeding a baby, mothers will have to give up sweet pastries, coffee, hot sauces and seasonings. Due to the frequent use of such products, mothers worsen lactation, the children begin to accumulate gases, and there are stabbing sensations in the tummy.

artificial nutrition

Some parents feed their children formula milk, which causes problems with the digestive system. To prevent the development of pain, it is necessary to change the diet after the first symptoms appear. Nutrient mixtures do not have the same composition and differ from each other.

How to deal with colic in infants?

To get rid of colic in newborns, you need to familiarize yourself with the main methods of their treatment. Treatment of colic in newborns is carried out in several ways.

How to help a newborn with medicines?

Doctors recommend the use of medications that will help to cope with pain and avoid their development. To select the best medicine, it is necessary to study effective children's drugs for restoring the gastrointestinal tract.

Bobotic

A remedy called Bobotik can help with colic. With the help of this drug, the baby is relieved of gas accumulations and stabbing sensations in the abdomen. Simethicone is used in the manufacture of gas control products. After entering the intestine, the substance destroys the walls of gas bubbles, which is why they are torn apart. Gradually, the gases end and the colic disappears. Bobotik is used to prevent flatulence, as it prevents new gas bubbles from accumulating.

Before you reduce colic with Bobotic, you need to familiarize yourself with the contraindications of the drug. You can not give medicine to patients who have problems with the gastrointestinal tract, which are associated with intestinal patency and peristalsis. It is also impossible to treat newborns under one month old with Bobotic, as they may develop allergies.

To calm the pain in the stomach, you need to familiarize yourself with the features of the use of Bobotik. It is necessary to give the medicine three times a day before meals. One dosage of the drug leaves 5-8 drops diluted with warm water. In the treatment of children aged 5-6 years, the dosage increases to 15 drops four times a day.

Plantex

Sometimes, in the treatment of intestinal colic in newborns, Plantex is used. It contains natural ingredients that help correct disorders of the digestive system of babies. Preparations such as Plantex are made from fennel essential oil, which has a carminative effect and improves the formation of gastric juice. With its help, colic is prevented, which prevents the accumulation of gas accumulations in the gastrointestinal tract.

The main difference between Plantex is the almost complete absence of contraindications. It should not be used to relieve spasms only in children allergic to fennel oil.

Before you get rid of pain with Plantex, you need to familiarize yourself with the rules for taking it. Sold medicinal powder in bags of 5-7 grams. To use the drug, the powder will have to be poured into a container for feeding the baby and add 100 ml of boiled water to it. The mixture is then shaken and cooled to room temperature. The medicine is used every day three times before taking or with meals. Two weeks after use, all the bacteria that caused colic will die.

Smecta

The drug Smekta can help end the pain in the abdomen. A feature of the drug is an adsorbing function that soothes pain and helps get rid of harmful microorganisms in the intestines. Smecta is used during the fight against chronic and infectious diarrhea. It is also commonly used in the treatment of bloating, heartburn or gastritis.

Before using the powder, you should familiarize yourself with its main contraindications. Smecta should not be given to children with intestinal obstruction and high sensitivity to components from the composition. If you give medicine to such people, then they will develop constipation and intensify colic in the abdomen.

You should figure out how to treat colic with Smecta, and how long to use it. During treatment, the dry mixture is poured into a baby bottle and 80 ml of warm water is poured. Every day the child should drink Smecta three times.

The end of treatment occurs only after the disappearance of symptoms.
How to deal with pain with a belt?
Few people know how to relieve colic in babies. To do this, you can use a special belt designed for babies. The belt is made of pleasant and soft cotton, which does not harm the baby's skin. The treatment belt is sold with a battery and a gel that heats up in a liquid.
To figure out how to treat pain with a belt, you need to familiarize yourself with the nuances of its use. During treatment, the belt warms up to 45-50 degrees. When checking the heating temperature, a hand is applied to the belt. When touched, there should be no burning sensation or other discomfort. The heated belt is laid out on a flat surface, after which the baby is placed on it. Place the baby very carefully so that the battery is near the navel. Warming up the tummy is done twice a day. Treatment of the baby ends in a week and a half.
Folk remedies
Sometimes for treatment at home, parents use folk methods.
Massage
If medications do not help, we fight discomfort in the abdomen with a massage. When performing a massage, gently stroke the tummy in a circular motion for 5-10 minutes. Sometimes these movements do not help, and you have to use the "mill" technique. To perform the reception, both palms are placed across the tummy and stroke it from top to bottom.

Warmer
When the peak of pain occurs, a warming salt heating pad is used. Outwardly, the device resembles a small container with dissolved salt inside. When you press the surface of the heating pad, its contents are heated to a temperature of 50 degrees. During treatment, a heating pad is placed on the baby's tummy and held there for 10 minutes.
Conclusion
Often, a child under 1 month old has colic in the tummy. To figure out how to survive such pains for a child and how to alleviate them, you need to figure out how long the discomfort in the stomach will not go away and what to do to treat it.

Colic in newborns is a common occurrence that is characterized by severe abdominal pain. For the baby, this does not pose any danger, but it gives the child great discomfort. It is important to know how colic manifests itself and how to alleviate the condition of the baby.

Colic in newborns is a physiological condition or a kind of adaptive reaction of the baby to the new environment. This is temporary and goes away after a while. After the restructuring of the body from intrauterine nutrition to normal digestion, colic disappears.

The main causes of colic in babies are not known, but the following factors can provoke their appearance:

Incorrect latch on the nipple during feeding. If the baby does not grasp the chest correctly, then it swallows air, which is why colic appears in the tummy. This applies to the nipple on the bottle: if the hole is too large, air also enters the stomach. Bottles for artificial feeding should be chosen with an anti-colic valve.
Long lying position. The newborn spends most of the time lying on his back, so spasms and pain often occur. Food moves through the intestines faster when the baby is in an upright position.
Overfeeding. If the child ate more than the established norm or the mother always overfeeds, then the food does not have time to be digested and the fermentation process begins.
Wrong mix. If the milk mixture is highly concentrated, then colic is also possible.
Mother's failure to follow the diet. The nutrition of the mother also affects the well-being of the baby. If the mother eats foods that cause flatulence, then the baby will have a tummy ache.

Colic can be a sign of illness. This may be due to a food allergy or lactose indigestion. Enterocolitis can also provoke the appearance of colic in the baby.

Abdominal cramps in a newborn are due to an immature system of digestive enzymes.It is important to properly help the baby get rid of this unpleasant condition.

Main symptoms

If the baby has colic, then you can notice this by the following symptoms:

Scream and cry for hours.
restless behavior.
Bloating.
Bringing the legs to the tummy.

Also, in some babies, colic is accompanied by additional symptoms: reddening of the face, arching in the back. The baby may push.Colic usually begins at 3-4 weeks and ends after 3 months of age.

These attacks are usually observed daily, only in all babies in different ways. For some, they appear within 3-5 hours, while for others for 7-8 hours. This is very exhausting not only for parents, but also for the baby.

If colic lasts more than 4 hours, is accompanied by fever, vomiting, loose stools, you should immediately call a doctor. This may be a serious pathology.

Colic - dangerous or not?

Colic is observed in almost every child from birth. This phenomenon does not pose a danger to the life of the baby, but only causes discomfort. There is an opinion that if a child had colic in childhood, then at an older age the child will be prone to diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. However, this is an erroneous opinion.

Colic in a newborn will not affect the formation of the gastrointestinal tract in the future.

If adequate assistance has not been provided, then against the background of intestinal colic, some complications may occur in the form of regurgitation syndrome, impaired parietal digestion and absorption of nutrients.

First aid for colic

To help your child get rid of colic, there are a number of activities that should be followed:

You need to lay the baby on his back and put a warm diaper on his tummy. It can be heated with an iron. This must be done until the child calms down. For this purpose, it is not recommended to use a heating pad, as you can burn the baby's thin skin.
It is also useful to massage the abdomen in a clockwise direction. You can make springy movements with your legs to the tummy. This will facilitate the removal of gases from the intestines. You can use toys with natural fillers. They retain heat well.
You can help the child with skin-to-skin contact - mother and baby. It is very calming and relaxing for the baby.
If there is a gas outlet tube, then you can use it. When using a gas outlet tube, it must first be boiled and cooled. Before insertion into the anus, it should be lubricated with oil or petroleum jelly. It should be remembered that it is often impossible to use a gas outlet tube. This is an unpleasant procedure and with frequent use of the tube, the intestines can "get used" to it.
You can alleviate the condition if you take the baby vertically and hold it for a while.
Good dill water helps with pain in the tummy.

Medications

If you can not cope with colic with the help of the tips suggested above, then you can use medications.

To get rid of colic, there is a wide range of medicines:

Plantex. Herbal preparation, which includes the fruits of ordinary fennel. They increase the secretion of gastric juice. This herbal remedy stimulates digestion and reduces gas formation in the intestines.
Espumizan. The active ingredient simethicone is not involved in digestion and does not have a negative effect on the body. A single dose should not exceed 25 drops of the drug.
Bobotic. The tool has a carminative effect and helps to quickly get rid of colic. The dosage up to 2 years is 8 drops 4 times a day, and over 2 years the dose is increased to 14 drops.
Bebinos. Herbal remedy based on the following components: extracts of fennel, chamomile flowers, coriander. The combined collection effectively eliminates spasms, inflammation of internal organs, and normalizes digestion.
Infacol. The active ingredient is activated dimethicone. Babies up to a year are given 20 ml before feeding.
Babykalm. Preparation with herbal ingredients: natural oils of fennel, anise, mint. This remedy has a carminative, antispasmodic effect.
Simplex. The drug with the active substance simethicone. Newborns are prescribed 15 drops before feeding.

Many preparations contain simethicone - a substance that promotes the crushing and removal of gases from the intestines. Some drugs contain herbal ingredients, so if you are prone to allergies, you should refuse to take these drugs or give a small dose to see the reaction.All drugs should be prescribed by a doctor, taking into account the severity of the symptoms, the age of the child and the tolerance of the components.

For more information on how to calm a baby during colic, see the video:

Colic appears in almost every child and it will not be possible to completely avoid these unpleasant sensations. However, they can be minimized if the following measures are followed:

Mom must follow the diet during breastfeeding. Fatty, fried, sweet foods, as well as legumes and cabbage should be excluded. You can eat cereals cooked in water, boiled meat, fish, sugar-free yogurt, baked fruits and vegetables. If you stick to such a diet for several days, the child will noticeably become calmer.
You need to learn how to properly apply to the chest.
The mixture must be chosen carefully. Be sure to include bifidobacteria in the mixture.
You should buy special feeding bottles with an inclined shape. Therefore, the baby will not throw back his head during feeding.
Soothers should be anatomically shaped and have one small opening.
After feeding, you should hold the baby in an upright position for several minutes. Even if the baby swallowed air, then this position will help to get back out.
It is recommended to periodically spread the baby on the tummy, this is a kind of massage for the abdomen and strengthening its muscles.

The child must have sufficient physical activity, this will contribute to the coordinated work of all organs.If you follow these recommendations, you can avoid the appearance of colic in a child.

The most common cause for concern in young children is functional disorders of the digestive system. A functional disorder is a condition in which clinical symptoms are observed, but there are no organic lesions of the internal organs. In other words, the condition is not associated with structural abnormalities, tumors, infections and inflammations.

In infants, a functional disorder associated with the digestive system is called the general concept of infant colic. According to various sources, from 45 to 70% of infants experience similar symptoms.

Specific traits

How to understand that the condition is safe for the baby? How long can this go on? First of all, it is necessary to exclude any possible diseases and make sure that there is no intestinal infection. To dispel doubts, it is better to seek the advice of a doctor.. If, according to the results of the examination, the child turns out to be healthy, it can be argued that the baby is worried about colic.

Colic is characterized by uncontrollable crying, which occurs, as a rule, for no apparent reason. Attacks begin immediately after feeding or even during meals. Some children refuse to eat. Sometimes a mother may confuse this condition with symptoms of breast failure. It is difficult to calm the child, ordinary motion sickness does not help. At the same time, the baby can bend, push. His face flushes with tension. The tummy is dense, slightly swollen, a characteristic rumbling is heard.

Most often, attacks begin at about the same time of day - usually in the evening - and last more than 3 hours, after which they disappear without a trace. In the beginning, attacks occur several times a week. Gradually, the frequency increases, and soon they become daily. Between attacks, the child does not express concern, there are no other symptoms, he eats well and gains weight normally. When probing the tummy is soft, painless. After the discharge of gases or stools, there is an improvement.

Signs of illness are easy to recognize. Attacks begin suddenly, then last for a certain time and end abruptly without any help.
Colic usually begins at the age of 2 weeks to one and a half months. In 3-4 months, the attacks completely disappear.
Origin theory
The causes of infantile colic have not been reliably established. However, a number of factors have been identified that can provoke their appearance or worsen the general condition.
It is important to understand that this is a functional disorder and not a disease. By the age of 4 months, the symptoms disappear or are extremely rare.
Since the causes of occurrence have not yet been established, there is no specific treatment. There are some methods that can have a positive effect on the general condition or smooth out the picture. However, how effective they are, it is impossible to understand without trying them. In such a situation, parents will have to independently select those methods that suit their baby.
To date, it is believed that colic can be caused or exacerbated by the following reasons.
Immaturity of the digestive system
When the baby was in the womb, his digestive tract was sterile. The transfer of the necessary substances occurred through the umbilical cord. When a baby is born, the intestines need to adapt to the new way of feeding. The gastrointestinal tract is tuned to work, populated with beneficial microflora. The peripheral nervous system learns to regulate the work of internal organs. How long will this process take?
By about 3-4 months, the adjustment of the digestive system is completed, when the intestines are populated with beneficial microflora. Up to this point, lack of enzymes, insufficient levels of hydrochloric acid and weak intestinal motility provoke the formation of spasms and accumulation of gases.
Due to an inferior motor function in the process of peristalsis, the wave can cover only part of the intestinal tube. When this happens, a spasm is formed in other parts of the intestine. Due to the imperfect ability of the digestive system to break down fats and carbohydrates, sometimes leftover food is fermented inside the intestines, which causes increased gas formation.
Spasm and increased gas formation play a primary role in the development and increase in the symptoms of intestinal colic.
Why should a breastfeeding mother change her diet? Some large molecules, without being digested, can directly enter the woman's bloodstream, and then into milk. Hence, the nutrition of the mother to some extent affects the digestion of the baby.
A nursing woman, if symptoms of colic in a baby are detected, should be excluded from her diet foods that contribute to increased gas formation:
fresh fruits and vegetables rich in fiber;
milk products;
legumes;
Rye bread;
sweets;
soft treat.

Fruits and vegetables are desirable to use baked, boiled, stewed. It is worth refraining from taking fried, smoked and spicy foods. The diet will have to be observed for as long as the baby needs to overcome this condition.
If the child is bottle-fed, you should carefully consider the choice of the mixture. When, against the background of feeding with a certain mixture, the attacks do not go away, but intensify, it must be changed. There are adapted breast milk substitutes labeled "Comfort" that help improve digestion and help improve the baby's condition. The doctor should recommend how long the baby needs to be fed with a similar mixture.
Psychological susceptibility of the baby
According to one theory, the cause of colic lies not at all in the physiological, but in the psychological plane. In connection with the birth, the baby is having a hard time adapting to new conditions. Now he is outside the mother's body, various external stimuli give him discomfort. The baby reacts sharply to bright light, sound, air temperature, humidity, weather changes. When negative emotions accumulate, they manifest as physiological problems in the form of intestinal spasm and colic.
There are examples that partly confirm this opinion, when parents manage to calm the child with methods that do not affect digestion:
the sounds of working devices that create the so-called white noise, vibration;
monotonous music;
motion sickness in a sling.

Mom's anxiety
One of the factors contributing to the occurrence of colic is the psychological state of the mother. A woman who has recently given birth may experience stress associated with the emergence of a large number of new responsibilities. Some do not cope and experience psychological discomfort, which is why a woman has an unstable hormonal background at this time. Under the influence of maternal hormones, the baby may also experience certain sensations, feelings of anxiety, anxiety, which can provoke physiological disorders, spasm and colic.
Improper feeding
The next factor is a violation of the feeding technique of the child. In this case, while eating, the child swallows air, which then accumulates and bursts the walls of the intestine, causing pain. To prevent this from happening, it is necessary to teach the child to properly attach to the chest. If the baby is bottle fed, parents should make sure that the nipple is completely filled with milk or formula to prevent the baby from swallowing excess air.
Another reason is lactase deficiency. It is characterized by a lack of the enzyme lactase, which breaks down the milk sugar lactose. As a result, undigested sugar is fermented and causes gas.
Lactase deficiency can cause colic, but is not the root cause of colic in most children, as it is quite rare - about 1 case per 100,000 newborns. Lactase deficiency cannot be established on the description alone. It is necessary to conduct an examination that will confirm or refute the diagnosis. In the future, the child is prescribed the necessary drugs in combination with special mixtures, after which the attacks usually disappear.
In accordance with all possible causes, it is necessary to take measures to alleviate the condition of the child.
First of all, you need to create a favorable environment for mom and baby. A calm state will contribute, if not to the disappearance of symptoms completely, then at least to reduce their intensity. When it is difficult for a mother to cope with all the duties herself, you can turn to relatives for help.
For the first time, a nursing woman needs to adjust her diet by excluding foods that cause increased gas formation from the diet. Products should be removed gradually, one per week, and monitor the reaction of the baby. Perhaps it will be possible to calculate exactly the type of food to which the child has a similar reaction.
Take care of proper feeding technique. Babies who are breastfed must properly grasp the breast - the nipple along with the areola. As a result, the mother should not experience pain. For bottle-fed babies, you need to find suitable nipples, in which the food will flow out drop by drop, not a stream. Make sure that there is no air in the nipple during feeding to prevent the baby from swallowing it.
There are drugs that can reduce gas formation and alleviate the condition of the child. But they should be taken only after consulting a doctor. Simethicone-based preparations are considered safe for infancy. Their principle of action is based on the splitting of gas bubbles in the intestines and removing it naturally. At the same time, the drug itself does not interact with the enzymatic system, is not absorbed in the digestive tract and is completely excreted from the body. Such a medicine can alleviate the condition, but not eliminate the cause. The doctor should recommend in what dosage and how long a similar drug can be used.
Some doctors recommend herbal preparations based on fennel. Fennel essential oil relieves spasm and promotes the removal of accumulated gases. However, such preparations often contain lactose as a sweetener and are contraindicated in children with lactase deficiency. Why you should not abuse this medicine, and consult a doctor before using it.

To alleviate the condition, it is recommended to spread the baby more often before feeding on the stomach so that he can burp the accumulated air. Fan-shaped stroking of the tummy in a clockwise direction contributes to the passage of gases. Carrying the baby in a sling helps the passage of food - so the food falls through faster under the influence of gravity. In addition, tactile contact with the mother improves the emotional state of the baby.
It must be understood that colic is a non-dangerous condition for the health of the child, although unpleasant. At the age of 3-4 months, they completely disappear without any treatment. Since the causes are still unclear, a specific treatment cannot be selected. It is worth being patient and waiting until the child reaches a certain age, and the attacks will go away by themselves, and until that time, try to provide the baby with adequate assistance.

Doctor
Good article. Laying out on the tummy, a warm diaper, dill water or fennel tea also helps.
Marina
Evgenia
The article is interesting and useful for the peace of mind of mothers. The only thing I don’t agree with is the statement “It’s impossible to recommit a child to breastfeeding”. Even as possible .. I admit that the baby knows how much to eat, but like an adult, he can “seize anxiety”. And allowing the baby to seize minor anxieties each time we get big problems in the form of a bloated tummy (causing pain) and profuse regurgitation, including through the nose, which causes even more discomfort and crying.
Irina
Thank you for the article
Tasya
Mamalak saved us (although they did massages and was on a strict diet, and they drank all sorts of espumizans bio gays, to no avail ...), then they advised the enzyme to be served with each feeding, and after 3 days we stopped suffering! The effect of this drug has already been tested not only on us, but also on nephews (I have 3 of them))
Maria
Eva Ivleva
With our youngest daughter, we suffered from colic almost from birth. She could not sleep peacefully day or night, constantly crying. And then, at the next appointment, the doctor suggested that we try babynos drops, a natural drug, consisting of only chamomile, fennel and coriander, not addictive. They gave 4 drops in a spoon diluted with water (be sure to dilute!) 3 times a day. Already from the first day there were noticeable improvements. All subsequent nights began to sleep peacefully. Happy for my baby. Verified personally, I sincerely advise if your child suffers from colic.
Basil
In fact, opinions are expressed on the basis of the doc. research, otherwise in Russian. honey is not welcome. And secondly, regarding “experience”, you can see who advises, among them Melnichenko Galina Afanasievna (title, academic degree - academician of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, professor, MD) and others like her. How they find time is the second question. Everything is individual. And they judge for themselves.

If there is a medical student, but smart, who relies on the dock. research of the highest level (and this is already level 1 a), why not? In general, do not create an idol for me, and that's right. Evidence-based as a religion already. And prof. Zaitsev (a mathematician, just in the topic of mathematical calculations with evidence) correctly noted that sometimes studies contradict each other (although on one problem), and that no one canceled individuality, with all due respect to the "average"

All health!
Elena
I’m curious why it’s written everywhere that colic starts from two weeks, but for me both the first and second began to suffer from them for a month, my sister’s younger one has the same thing, her friend is now one and a half and colic has begun? What are we doing wrong? We didn't have any pathogenic bacteria, dysbacteriosis or even diarrhea. Everything that was supposed to be done from birth. I wore both in a sling. And when they have already relaxed - here they are colic! And don't talk about diet! She was! And the pediatrician saw us regularly. And we had gaziki too. Only they began almost immediately, from about three weeks, and the same for both. Of all the simitecons, there was only a bobotik. From gaziki the most it! And from colic, no matter how much they tried everything, it did not help. The only thing is that when there were no jeeps, colic did not bother much. And it became easier for my daughter with a fitball. It all ended only at three with my son and four and a half months, just recently, with my daughter.
Elena
Oh, what a horror, so much has been written! I read it with difficulty and even felt ashamed. Of all of the above, we only had a drop of bobotik and a heating pad, which I inherited from my older sister. And almost no problems with colic. But there is something to think about. I'm waiting for the second one soon :) Thank you very much for such work and patience! The article is definitely bookmarked!
Anastasia
and we only saved ourselves with a cherry heating pad, and stuffing drugs with everyone in a row is very fraught. After some, we had such a rash that I don’t even know who cried louder, the baby from colic, which still didn’t go away, or I was afraid that she had such an allergy. After that, she swore to give all these funds with a bunch of fragrances and were treated only with a heating pad. It helped us, I think that everyone should try before stuffing the child with drugs
Oh, how many letters ... I will also write a lot))))
In general, there can be a great many reasons. When my child screamed at the whole apartment, I was not interested in the reason. In my 20 years, just coming, I honestly had a panic! Then the Internet and the computer were not yet available to everyone, so I went to the pediatrician every week. With the advice of grandmothers on the bench, it turned out that my child is sick with everything! Massage did not help much, all sorts of dill water and Khilak are also not so hot, but at least somehow. Over time, by six months, slowly began to pass.
With the second, I myself could read a lot of advice on the Internet. So, espumizan is an allergy, a bobotik is nothing at all, a sub-simplex helped, but not for long, and you can’t constantly stuff a child with it. There was a way out from where they did not guess. A friend from Moldova arrived with a little son and brought a miracle drop of Liflax. Before leaving, I asked me to leave, because she will buy more houses for herself, but here, I have not seen such. Well, the bubble was enough until the time when it completely ceased to be needed.
According to the instructions, it is suitable for adults. Gas, bloating. If I see it in our pharmacy, I will definitely buy it. And I will advise everyone!
Alfiya
Hello! I don’t know how mothers mentally endure the incessant crying of their child after birth during the day. Our colic started as soon as the meconium passed. And she didn't cry for days. I noticed that for two or three hours once a day something bothers her, does not allow her to sleep peacefully. And nothing but sissy calmed her down. I think it was colic. At the same time, I wrapped my tummy in a warm diaper and gave simethicone (sometimes dill water). She was getting better. In my opinion, if nothing helps (and it is impossible to look at the torment of your child!) You can give a quarter of activated carbon (it is a natural adsorbent). As the pediatrician explained to me, at the birth of a baby, either the ears (which is checked by pressing on the tragus) or the tummy can disturb. But, it seems to me, it is important to exclude perinatal encephalopathy after birth (which is very often the cause of causeless crying of the child). And for this to do at least neurosonography (ultrasound of the brain).
1. Post author
  Good time of the day! I'm just one of those "mothers" who got a restless baby.
  As you have already read, the remedies listed against colic practically did not help us. My child was crying all the time when he woke up. He also did not sleep and did not lie in a wheelchair without crying. And with the sling, to which they sing odes, there was the same song.
  
  For the first month, because of my worries, various bad things were constantly coming up to me. Of course, I was too well informed about ears and VHF, and this only added fuel to the fire. But our medicine has already “taken care of” everything, and the results of the monthly examination revealed a “bad ultrasound”. For which the neurologist immediately "undertook". I was very sorry that, out of ignorance, I succumbed to this provocation and conducted a course of actovegin and massage with an excess dosage from the best masseuse in the city.
  
  I recommend that all parents in my situation study the branches of the medical forum http://forums.rusmedserv.com/forumdisplay.php?f=7, where doctors make it clear that in many cases a child can cry and not get sick. In addition, doctors emphasize that the child feels the mother's restless state and his anxiety increases from this. Therefore, there is no need to invent non-existent sores and delve into this topic on the Internet. For adequate primary diagnosis, there is a pediatrician. You just have to choose one you trust. And it’s not at all necessary to inject courses of the most dangerous drugs and do massages with excess dosages.
  
  After a couple of months, our condition gradually improved and we forgot about sleepless nights.
  
  By the way, there is an opinion that in crying children it is simply more difficult to adapt to new conditions after birth due to increased susceptibility. Our case is very similar to this - colic began in the maternity hospital, i.e. in fact, we did not observe any signs of illness other than crying.
  
  P.S. Activated charcoal does not cure or relieve colic.
  1. Alfiya
    Hello! It seems to me that you are a little confusing some of the concepts of diagnosing the unreasonable crying of a child. I read your articles about ICP and massage. Let me explain my position and some concepts. Perinatal encephalopathy is a brain lesion that occurs as a result of the pathological course of pregnancy (infection, toxicosis, anemia of the mother) or the characteristics of the course of childbirth (rapid labor or vice versa protracted, clinically narrow pelvis, etc.). As you know, most of the oxygen in the human body is consumed by the brain, therefore, with a lack of oxygen, it is the brain that suffers in the first place. During the passage of the birth canal, the child's head adapts to the birth canal and, under certain circumstances, certain structures of the baby's brain may be pinched and, as a result, cerebral edema, which may later manifest itself as ICP and hydrocephalus (but this is in severe cases), so ICP can occur with perinatal encephalopathy and after the birth of a child, this condition must be excluded. The outcome of perinatal encephalopathy can be both cerebral palsy and epilepsy. But it may simply be hypoxia, which does not require therapeutic measures and which can be resolved on its own. It is important to exclude perinatal encephalopathy because, unlike other types of encephalopathies, the cortical layer of the brain can suffer in perinatal encephalopathy (you can search on the Internet for what the cortical layer is responsible for). An instrumental method for diagnosing perinatal encephalopathy is an ultrasound of the brain. You can conduct several studies to see the dynamics of the disease.
    Now about actovegin and massage. Massage is generally an unconventional method of treatment. This is oriental medicine! And oriental medicine is not a treatment, but a philosophy. All sorts of meridians, points of organs. I think it is necessary to believe in this in order for there to be at least some effect from a “professional” massage. And a real “professional” massage can be done by a Chinese or Japanese. In general, a person adhering to this Eastern philosophy. But each mother independently stroking her child improves the blood supply and trophism of the baby's muscles, plus it conveys positive emotions to him. Actovegin is a drug obtained from the serum of calves. It has more epithelializing properties than antihypoxic. Read the instructions, there is not a single word about perinatal encephalopathy in the indications for use. Moreover, in my opinion, the evidence base for the treatment of neurological diseases is either completely absent or very, very weak (especially children's neurology). Because randomized trials are conducted where? in Western countries. Neurological diseases are difficult to treat. And Western doctors do prevention of their occurrence (I mean adult neurology: strokes), and this is achieved by treating cardiovascular diseases. As for child neurology, it is unlikely that dying Europe will give its children for research. But still the disease "perinatal encephalopathy" exists. And it needs to be treated somehow. Moreover, the opinion of an experienced doctor is taken into account even by evidence-based medicine (this is the level of evidence "C").
    Now about activated carbon. I emphasized in my comment that if you have tried all the methods to relieve colic, but the baby is still crying. So why not use activated charcoal? It is a natural adsorbent. Read Wikipedia about active coal. It adsorbs gases, therefore it is used for flatulence. For comparison with simethicone: simethicone breaks gas bubbles in the intestines (antifoam), therefore it is also used for flatulence. If the end result of both active charcoal and simethicone is similar: they “remove” gases from the intestines, then why not use active charcoal? Moreover, it is a NATURAL adsorbent.
    P.S. Looked Russian Medical Server on your link. And she stayed with her mind. Namely: I think that the advice of doctors on the I-net is an ineffective and unreliable diagnostic tool. It is not known which doctors (or maybe first-year medical students in general) express their opinion, sometimes not confirmed by evidence-based medicine. Should I refer to their answers? And in general, I think that an experienced doctor, having come home, wants to relax, be with his family, and not hang around in the Internet, giving consultations. And there are huge queues for an appointment with an experienced doctor, which also excludes the possibility of giving consultations on the I-net due to lack of time.