In the first months, it is difficult for a newborn to adapt to life in the extrauterine world. Previously, the baby was always in the same temperature environment, was connected to the mother by the umbilical cord and received all the nutrients without any effort. Now, after feeding, the baby may experience pain in the intestines.

How to determine colic in a newborn and what medicinal teas to use to eliminate them, the employees of the Daughters and Sons online store will tell.

How to recognize colic in a newborn

After birth, the respiratory organs, skin, nervous and digestive systems go through the process of adaptation. The intestines are the most difficult: it has not yet fully formed beneficial microflora, the enzyme system has not been fully activated, and the processes of digestion and motility have not been established. Symptoms of colic in newborns are a sign of the immaturity of the gastrointestinal tract, but by no means a disease.

Pain causes a desperate cry in an infant. Loud crying begins 25-30 minutes after the evening feeding and can last 2-3 hours. The most paradoxical thing in this situation is that the child is absolutely healthy, but the gases in the intestines exert pressure, and the spasmodic areas cause pain.

Recognizing the signs of colic in newborns is not difficult, but even experienced parents can make mistakes. In order not to jeopardize the health of the baby, if you experience anxiety and persistent crying, show the baby to the doctor. A professional will tell you right away what exactly is bothering the child.

Important!

If, with regular crying, the baby gains weight, has a good appetite and has no problems with stool, then you do not need to call a pediatrician. These are intestinal colic. Parents should be alert: poor appetite, fever, diarrhea, vomiting, quiet crying or groaning during sleep. These symptoms indicate a serious illness. The doctor needs to be called immediately.

Signs of colic in newborns

The behavioral features of babies who are tormented by intestinal colic boil down to the fact that the child suddenly starts crying loudly. Colic is a sharp pain in the intestines, which does not occur in stages, but immediately. When the pain passes, the child suddenly becomes silent.

Symptoms of colic in a newborn usually appear as follows:

• a sharp prolonged cry of the baby after feeding;
• loud crying is repeated daily at the same hours;
• the cry lasts for several hours, then suddenly stops;
• a crying baby has bloating;
• when crying, the baby tightens its legs and arches;
• when you take the baby in your arms, the crying doesn't stop.

If your baby has these symptoms, then it is colic. No motion sickness and repeated feeding will not help. Slightly reduce the pain of carrying a child in his arms in a “column”, pressing him to himself. Sometimes children are soothed by light stroking of the tummy, a warm (not hot) diaper applied to the abdominal cavity. Some mothers note that bathing helps, but this procedure must be carried out very carefully so that the baby does not choke.

Colic in a newborn: symptoms and treatment

Although colic occurs in about 80% of healthy children, it is very difficult for parents to go through this period of the formation of the gastrointestinal tract. It is a pity for the child, it is impossible to listen to his cries. Loving mom and dad start looking for ways to get rid of the baby's pain, but then a cruel reality awaits them. Modern medicine knows how to understand that a newborn has colic, but has no idea how to treat them.

There are several traditional and new drugs that do not cure, but eliminate gas formation, improve intestinal motility and bring relief to the child for some time.

Medicines can be given to a child only after a doctor's prescription. The action of "Espumizan" is based on the removal of the surface tension of the gastrointestinal tract during colic. Droplets of the emulsion turn gases into liquid, the pain goes away, and the baby calms down.

conclusions

Intestinal colic in infants are not symptoms of a disease and do not negatively affect the health of the child. It is impossible to say with mathematical accuracy how many months colic can occur in newborns. Doctors note that three- and four-month-old babies very rarely suffer from this problem.

There is no ideal remedy for colic, but there are many remedies that improve intestinal motility, relieve spasms and normalize digestion. Tea with fennel, chamomile, as well as dill water, mothers can give the child without a doctor's prescription. Medicines are used only on the recommendation of a pediatrician.

Infant colic is sometimes jokingly referred to as the problem of three by pediatricians. This funny name is deciphered as follows: in children, intestinal colic begins at THREE weeks of age and ends by about THREE months, while the attack itself lasts about THREE hours.

In fact, this is of course a very rough rounding. It happens that the baby continues to suffer from pain even after he is 3 months old. Yes, and the attack can last a different time.

Therefore, the definition of infantile colic should be clearer. What is it? Colic refers to the resulting pain in the intestines in healthy babies. The key word in this definition is "healthy". Let's remember him.

Why do they arise?

The body of a newborn child is not fully formed. In particular, babies are not yet very good at producing the enzymes needed to digest food. In addition, sometimes a hungry baby may swallow some air along with milk.

An increased amount of gases is formed in the intestines, the motor activity of its walls is still perfect, and as a result, painful spasms appear, causing great discomfort to the baby.

How to determine that the baby has colic?

For parents, the main symptom of intestinal colic in a newborn is loud crying, which cannot be stopped in the usual way.

1. The first sign is the unaccustomed anxiety of the child, which ends with a loud cry.
2. At this time, the baby presses the legs to the tummy. On this basis, you can immediately understand that problems have arisen in the intestines.
3. The baby has increased gas production. Gases sometimes depart, which brings temporary relief. Sometimes there may be a mucous stool or vice versa the problem of constipation. All this points to problems with digestion.

1. If you observe the child for several days, then a pattern is determined - crying and anxiety begin some time after feeding.
2. Another important sign of infantile colic is that the rest of the time the child looks completely healthy and happy with life with a good appetite. More often attacks occur in the late afternoon.

We summarize: the child is restless, it is impossible to rock him, and all the neighbors will find out that something is wrong in your house.

What to do if the baby has colic?

First of all, parents need to contact the pediatrician. By themselves, neonatal colic refers to the so-called "exclusion diagnoses". This means that the doctor must exclude the presence of any diseases - inflammatory processes, infections and others.

If the doctor confirms that the baby is healthy, then your problems are typical newborn colic. After a while, everything will pass. However, this does not mean that you cannot try to help your baby.

All ways to help with colic in babies are aimed at one thing - to save the baby from pain. This problem does not require special treatment in children of this age, since it is not a disease (have you established that the child is healthy?).

This means we will not address the problem of dysbacteriosis and other serious diagnoses. All the baby needs is to get rid of the discomfort. What to do to help the child?

How to deal with colic at home?

First of all, we draw your attention to the fact that all the methods that can be offered to alleviate the pain of colic in newborns should not be based on taking medications.

1. Be careful when feeding - it will be better if the child does not overeat. More often, abdominal pain occurs in children who eat too greedily.
2. Lay your baby on your tummy before feeding.
3. Be sure to let the baby burp after eating. To do this, you need to hold him in your arms in an upright position - some mothers call it.
4. Use the grandmother's method - iron the diaper with a hot iron and attach it to the tummy. Important! The diaper should be warm, not hot. Don't burn your baby. As an option, lie on the bed, lay a heated diaper on your stomach, and put the baby on top. The belly-to-belly position with the mother gives the baby the necessary pressure on the intestines, plus pleasant warmth and a soothing feeling of love and care.
5. For a baby lying on its back, place your palm on the tummy, slightly pressing. A slight pressure can help to expel accumulated gases.
6. Sometimes clockwise massage of the abdomen works quite effectively. Lay your baby on the back and place your hand on his stomach so that the base of the palm rests on his pubic bone. With light pressure, move the brush like a fan across the abdomen from left to right. Your hands must be warm.

1. Carry your baby upright in your arms or in a sling (carrier) more often. Children love to be close to their parents. Everything works together here - pressure and warmth on the abdomen, love and new impressions from the opened review.
2. You can try to use such a device as a gas outlet tube. However, those who are especially counting on it, we, unfortunately, will disappoint. The fact is that only those gases that have already passed into the large intestine can exit through such a tube. Those that have not yet reached here and are located in the upper part of the intestine, just deliver the most severe pain.

How else can you help a breastfed baby?

1. It makes sense to contact a breastfeeding specialist. You need to put the baby to the breast correctly. The fact is that improper grip of the nipple during feeding can lead to the fact that the baby swallows air along with milk. That's the reason for gas.
2. Make sure that the baby eats from only one breast at one feeding, completely emptying it. Foremilk is rich in lactose and contains little fat, which means it passes very quickly into the intestines, where milk sugar (lactose) can begin to ferment.
3. It makes sense for mom to try to exclude foods from the diet that can contribute to excessive gas formation.

What to do if the child is bottle-fed?

1. Strictly follow the instructions when diluting the mixture.
2. Stick to a feeding schedule. Overeating can cause problems with digestion.

1. Talk to your doctor - he may be able to advise you on a more suitable milk formula.
2. Use feeding bottles with special anti-colic nipples. If milk flows too strongly, the baby may choke or swallow air while eating.

We have already said that colic in newborns is not considered a disease. So parents just need to be patient. Try different ways and options. Massage helps someone with colic, someone dill water, and someone perfectly calms the child by driving a car or turning on a vacuum cleaner.

Surprising but true! Non-standard things also work. In principle, this once again proves that the problem of colic is not the worst and will pass by itself. However, such calm is appropriate only for those parents who have already consulted with their pediatrician.

So, we remind you - make sure that your baby is not sick.

When do you need urgent medical attention?

In what cases it is necessary not to warm the diaper for massage, but to hurry to the doctor:

• the child has a fever;
• stool problems do not fit into the “everyday” ones: the stool is of an unusual color, has a bad smell;
• vomiting joined the colic;
• the baby does not calm down for too long;
• the baby is lethargic and pale, has weak reactions;
• even after the attack stops, the baby does not look healthy.

Is there a way to prevent colic in newborns?

It is quite difficult to answer this question, since the reason why children have colic and gaziki has not yet been precisely established. Painful sensations in the intestines do not occur in all babies, therefore, pediatricians cannot explain their occurrence only by the immaturity of the gastrointestinal tract in infants or by improperly organized feeding.

However, knowing the main causes of increased gas formation in the intestines of the baby, parents can try to avoid them.

How can increased gas formation be prevented?

1. It is reasonable to approach feeding a newborn, do not overfeed him.
2. Monitor the correct grip of the nipple during breastfeeding, use special bottles and nipples - with artificial.
3. If necessary, use herbal teas based on dill or fennel.
4. Carry the baby in a “column” after feeding, massage and activate his physical activity, in general.

Well, and most importantly, be patient and remember that intestinal colic and gas in healthy children are only a temporary phenomenon. After four months, they will pass from the child and be forgotten, like a bad dream.

Colic in babies is such a common phenomenon that all young parents fearfully expect a period of onset of screams and frustration in newborns. As a rule, the first symptoms of colic in infants begin at 2-3 weeks after birth and last up to 3-4 months. Colic occurs in almost all children, regardless of health, birth conditions and even nationality, for example, among the Chinese, the period of colic in newborns is called “one hundred days of crying”, which roughly characterizes the average duration of this unpleasant phenomenon. Why do colic occur and how do babies manifest, what to do with colic to help the child?

Features of the digestive system of babies

The digestive organs of the child, like his whole body, after birth begin to get acquainted with new living conditions. The circulatory system and muscle tissues adapt to the new gravity, the vestibular apparatus and the perceptual system learn to recognize the position of the child, the respiratory organs get used to the breathing process itself, because before the birth, air did not enter the lungs of the fetus. And the digestive tract begins to get acquainted with food.

Despite the fact that nature provides the most optimal of all possible foods for a child - breast milk, and the stomach and intestines need to get used to it. Movements, contractions of internal organs, balance in the production of digestive enzymes, even breathing patterns - all this affects the state of the process of digestion of food and causes colic in infants. How does this happen?
Colic is called several manifestations of discomfort at once: spasms in the intestines, pain due to increased gas formation, difficulty with defecation. These normal, physiological phenomena occur in the body of every person, but babies are especially sensitive to them. What are the causes of colic?

Why does colic occur in the tummy?

The symptoms and signs of colic in babies are varied, but they all indicate that something is happening in the small tummy that the baby does not like. Moreover, the average time of onset of colic coincides with the period when maternal hormones obtained during fetal development and childbirth cease to act in the body of children. They have a relaxing, relaxing effect, and their removal from the body, as a rule, coincides with the beginning of the "hundred days of crying." Moreover, it is often accompanied by skin rashes, the so-called "three-week rash", acne of hormonal origin, similar to teenage skin problems.
Colic can manifest itself as follows:

• the baby is worried for no reason;
• legs are often bent at the knees and pulled up to the stomach;
• screams sharply and piercingly during feeding or cries in the evenings, although the rest of the time is quite healthy and calm;
• possible difficulties with the chair;
• increased gas formation and flatulence.

The nervous system of babies is imperfect: it is still learning to recognize which impulses are important, and which signals from the internal organs should not be responded to. The movement of the food mass through the intestines can be perceived as discomfort and cause discontent in the child. This is the first reason for crying from colic.

The second reason, which is often associated with the mother's diet, is increased gas formation. Numerous studies have shown that the formation of gases in the intestines of a child is not at all a consequence of non-compliance with special diets by a nursing mother. Everything that enters the mother's stomach goes through the process of splitting into basic elements, and in this form it does not matter at all whether the mother ate allowed drying and boiled beef, or enjoyed cabbage, sushi and buns. In the composition of milk with an unbalanced diet, there may be more or less proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals, but there will be no more or less cabbage. That is why formula-fed babies also have colic. Although no "forbidden" products are included in the mixture.

So, maternal nutrition does not affect the digestion of a healthy child. Why do colic occur?
The main reason for increased gas formation in babies is learning the breathing process. During eating, crying, overexcitation, the child swallows air. If further it enters the intestines, then the distension of the walls delivers the same discomfort, which is expressed in sharp crying during feeding and in the evenings, when the child gets tired and the volume of air accumulates.

When does maternal nutrition cause colic?

The diet of a nursing mother, as well as an improperly selected mixture, can cause intestinal colic in newborns and infants if the child has allergic reactions to food / mixture components, or food intolerance.
In such a situation, colic, as a rule, the symptoms are not limited. Skin rashes, loose stools or frequent constipation, frequent regurgitation with an increased volume of excreted masses, up to vomiting, laryngeal edema and shortness of breath can be noted to the signs.
What to do if colic in a newborn manifests itself in this way? Go to the doctor to determine the cause of the allergy or food intolerance, and adjust the diet. Most often, allergens are cow's milk proteins, soy, wheat, chicken eggs and their products. Eliminating allergens from the mother's or baby's diet (when formula-fed) helps to improve the well-being of the baby.

What to do with colic in the baby?

Receptions to help the baby can be divided into two groups: preventive, which help prevent the causes of flatulence, and "emergency", working if colic has already begun.
Preventive measures include:

• Checking baby's nipple latch. Although nature provides for babies, babies also need to learn this process. Proper breastfeeding protects babies from swallowing air while feeding. With artificial feeding, it is necessary to carefully choose the most appropriate size and shape of the nipple per bottle;
• carrying a child in a “column”, “soldier” is a great way to help the air masses swallowed in the process of eating or crying to go out and not get into the intestines. Even if the baby does not have the habit of spitting up after eating, wearing a few minutes on the shoulder will not hurt, but rather, it will help to avoid an evening session of sorrowful crying.

And before the onset of colic, and in the process, you can use the following simple methods to help children:

• the “bicycle” exercise, familiar to all experienced parents, in which the child’s legs are alternately bent at the knees and pressed against the tummy. This helps the food mass move evenly through the intestines;
• tummy massage is a method that babies gratefully accept (as well as mothers in the postpartum period, since their digestive organs also need attention after a change in the volume of the abdomen). With gentle pressure, slowly move clockwise around the umbilical fossa;
• warmth on the stomach, a warm diaper, a warm soothing bath will help relieve spasms that occur due to overexcitation of the nervous system.

In some cases, the pediatrician may recommend carminative preparations (fennel teas, dill infusions) or simethicone preparations (Sub-Simplex, etc.). They reduce the amount of gases in the intestines and help to get rid of them more easily, but they do not remove the cause of increased gas formation - swallowing air, which means they do not contribute to teaching the baby to eat and breathe properly. And the period of colic can be delayed.

Every parent sooner or later faces the problem of intestinal colic in newborns. Newly made mothers and fathers, as a rule, face the question of how to alleviate the suffering of a child during this difficult period. You can borrow several practical ways to treat this ailment from the material below.

Massage for colic

Mechanical external impact on the abdominal region of the infant's body is useful in that it allows for more efficient peristalsis. The undulating contraction of the intestinal walls promotes the movement of its contents towards the outlet. Massage from colic in newborns should be done with confident circular motions clockwise. At the end of the session, it is necessary to bend the legs of the newborn at the knees and press them to the stomach. As a preventive measure, massage is recommended for a few minutes after each feeding.

Diet for colic in newborns

Today, the trend is that mothers are increasingly inclined to end breastfeeding early and switch to artificial formulas. When asked by parents about how to deal with colic in newborns, young doctors often give strange answers. The recommendations of such unfortunate specialists often consist in the complete exclusion of breastfeeding (HB).

Another point of view on the problem of "Colic in a newborn - what to do" deserves a more trusting attitude. So, in order to prevent severe bloating in babies, GV consultants advise the mother to revise the diet in the direction of reducing products that provoke colic. As a rule, legumes, vegetables, fatty meats, and some fruits are excluded from the daily menu. It is important to say that the diet of a nursing mother with colic in a newborn should be balanced. The future health of her baby depends on the nutritional value of a woman.

Colic medicine for newborns

Experienced experts do not advise the use of medications for bloating. However, when answering the question of how to treat colic in a newborn, pediatricians note that sometimes it is even necessary to alleviate the baby's condition with medicines. Meanwhile, often parents decide to abandon chemical preparations in favor of homeopathic treatment of colic. This method is a safer means of combating bloating in infants in the first month of life. You can find out how to get rid of colic in newborns with medications below:

1. Espumizan. Quite safe emulsion (Espumizan 40) or drops (Espumizan L) from colic. The required amount of the drug is collected with a special spoon or cap. Espumizan for colic is given 25 drops or one scoop (depending on the dosage form) before or after each feeding.
2. Simethicone. The medicine for newborns is available in the form of a suspension. A single dosage of Simethicone for colic is 10-15 drops. The product must be used before or after feeding.

Folk remedies for colic in a newborn

You can also save your beloved baby from excess gas with home remedies. Mothers who decide on self-treatment of a newborn should take into account that folk recipes for getting rid of colic must be checked for allergenicity. If the experience of generations in the issue of eliminating flatulence has not had the desired effect, you need to think about the use of drugs. Below you can find information on how to deal with colic in newborns with alternative methods:

1. Dill water. Many mothers are sure that this is the best remedy for colic. A teaspoon of the seeds of this plant is poured with a glass of boiling water, after which it languishes for 20 minutes in a water bath. Next, the drink is aged under the lid for 45 minutes, after which it is filtered and given to the child 1 tsp each. three times a day.
2. Fennel infusion. A teaspoon of the fruits of this plant must be poured with boiling water, after which the liquid is left under the lid for half an hour. A filtered, cooled remedy is given to a newborn in a teaspoon several times a day.

How to help a child with colic with sensory stimulation

This method of combating bloating in newborns helps to create conditions for the release of excess gases. During sensory stimulation, the baby's muscle tissue contracts more intensively, which has a positive effect on intestinal motility. It is also important to say that many pediatricians tend to prefer free swaddling of children. In addition, when answering the question of how to help a baby with colic, experts urge parents to:

• lay the baby on the tummy before feeding;
• feed the baby on demand;
• massage a newborn.

How to deal with colic by removing gases

You can eliminate the symptoms of excessive gas formation by warming the baby's tummy. The procedure must be performed with a warm diaper or a salt heating pad. If this method of dealing with colic does not help, use a special gas outlet tube, which, in addition to its direct purpose, also helps to cope with constipation in babies. Using this simple device is very simple. How to help a newborn with colic through a gas tube will be described below:

1. Lay the baby on his back and lift his legs.
2. Insert the rounded end of the tube, pre-lubricated with baby cream, into the anus by 2 cm.
3. Massage your newborn in circular motions.
4. Dip the other end of the tube into a container.

Video: what to do with colic in a newborn

Often parents do not know how to help their baby with sudden bouts of colic that periodically occur during or after feeding. How to alleviate the condition of the crumbs tells the EMC pediatrician, candidate of medical sciences, Maria Shilko.

What is colic in babies?

Colic is an intestinal spasm, usually caused by a violation of its motor function and increased gas formation. To characterize this condition in babies, pediatricians use the "rule of three": colic lasts a total of about 3 hours a day, occurs at the 3rd week of life and lasts about 3 months. Parents should understand that colic in infants is not a disease, this condition is temporary, passing by the age of four months.

The exact cause of infantile colic has not yet been established. Experts associate the phenomena of digestive discomfort in newborns with immaturity and reduced activity of enzymes that help digest and assimilate food.

How do you know if a baby has colic?

The baby cries and screams a lot, moves his legs restlessly, pulls them up to his stomach, during an attack the baby's face turns red, the stomach may be swollen due to increased gas formation. Crying occurs most often in the evening, but can be observed at any time of the day. Between seizures, the child is calm.

How to help the baby?

If the mother is breastfeeding:

Limit milk and dairy products in your diet. It is enough not to use them for 8-10 days for the mother to notice an improvement in the child's condition.

Try to avoid foods that cause flatulence and increase fermentation in the intestines: beans, peas, cabbage, radish, grapes.

Do not abuse drinks containing caffeine (tea, coffee, Coca-Cola).

Make sure you attach the baby to the breast correctly. Make sure that the baby captures the entire areola of the nipple and does not swallow air.

Let the baby completely empty one breast. If a mother changes breasts too often during feeding, then the baby receives a lot of "forward" milk, which is low in fat and rich in milk sugar - lactose. Relatively low-fat milk quickly leaves the baby's stomach and a large amount of lactose, entering the intestines, causes increased gas formation, bloating and abdominal pain.

If the child is bottle-fed:

Seek advice from a pediatrician. He can choose a mixture that is easier to digest and does not cause discomfort after feeding.

Use special bottles and anti-colic nipples that allow you to adjust the flow rate of the milk mixture, the baby will not “choke” and swallow air.

Try to feed your baby in a calm environment.

When diluting milk mixtures, follow the dosage exactly.

After feeding, be sure to hold the crumbs in an upright position so that “excess air” comes out.

If the baby starts to scream, take him in your arms, press him to your tummy, stroke his back. From the changed position and increasing intra-abdominal pressure, the baby will release gases, and the pain will be released.

Massage the abdomen clockwise with light pressure, heat (a freshly ironed diaper on the stomach), a vent tube will help relieve colic.

A walk in a stroller in the fresh air, quiet pleasant music will have a calming effect.

Prevention of colic in a newborn

For the prevention of colic, special children's teas are traditionally used, containing medicinal herbs (fennel, chamomile), a plant-based preparation "Plantex", which have a beneficial effect on the gastrointestinal tract, improve digestion, and prevent gas accumulation.

It is important for parents to remember that functional intestinal colic is not a disease and occurs in 20% of healthy children. However, it is possible to talk about intestinal colic only if in all other respects the baby is healthy, develops correctly and gains weight well.

Check with your pediatrician. The doctor will examine the child, determine the exact cause of the baby's anxiety and give the necessary recommendations.