A major concern for parents is a baby who is always cranky. It may seem at times that there is nothing you can do to comfort your baby. If that’s the case, your baby’s discomfort may be caused by colic.
What is Colic?
If your baby cries for more than 3 hours a day, more than 3 days a week, for more than 3 weeks, your baby is possibly suffering from colic. It is present in 5-25% of infants, starts at around 2 weeks and is likely to go away on its own by 3 or 4 months.
Unfortunately for 3 or 4 months the colic can cause issues such as:
- relationship stress between parents
- breastfeeding failure
- postpartum depression
- excess visits to doctors
At times, it may seem as though it is caused by bottle feeding. Therefore, it’s important to know that neither breast or bottle feeding has any impact.
Colic’s exact cause is still unknown by researchers and doctors, but there are some things that might affect your child. These include:
- gas
- a loping nervous system
- cigarette smoke
- hormones that cause stomach pain
- mooiness
- underlying organic diseases such as constipation, reflux disease, lactose intolerance
Initially your baby may cry for an average of just over 2 hours, with the duration peaking at 6 weeks. With colic, these periods mostly happen in the evening, and for no obvious reason.
Remember that it’s OK for your baby to cry when they’re wet, hungry, tired, or frightened. But a baby with colic cries excessively and for no obvious reason.
Our experienced doctors know how colic affects your whole family. It can cause short-term anxiety or depression in the parents, and can also lead to exhaustion and stress. This is why our doctors treat your baby according to his or her needs. The treatment is extremely conservative and involves the reassurance of parents. Our doctors will give you some exercises and ways to relax your baby, and will also advise you on the best course of action to calm the infant. At times, you may feel angry and may even start considering yourself to be a bad parent, but you must accept that it’s not your fault.
If your baby is being cranky, simply call FRONTLINE ER at [geolifycontent id=”26138″] to access quality and compassionate care for your baby. Our experienced staff will soon be able to consult with you regarding your baby and receive quality medical service.
