The Causes of Colic
Because your baby can’t tell you where it hurts, and the symptoms are similar, we must use other diagnostic tools to figure out which type of colic they have.
Type 1 Colic – Stomach Colic
Imagine how milk and gas are taken into the body – through the mouth to the first stop – the stomach. Feeding and burping issues are the main culprits in stomach colic. Most commonly, mom can’t get the burps out and this leads to bloating, cramping, crying, etc. We know this because babies who have trouble burping are often colic sufferers but once they learn or are helped to burp regularly, symptoms improve dramatically. Milk flow problems, including gulping, can contribute.
Type 2 Colic – Intestinal Colic
The next and most common cause of colic symptoms is an excessive amount of gas in the baby’s intestinal tract. This can be gas that passes from the stomach through to the intestinal tract or gas that is a bi-product of the digestive process or simply gas that gets trapped in the immature intestinal folds. Whichever, the result is cramping, bloating and discomfort. We know this is a cause of colic because of the frequent success enjoyed by the various massage and gas release techniques which stimulate gas release (farting) as well as the fact that various medications and ‘remedies’ relax the intestinal tract and bring relief.
Type 3 Colic – Muscular Colic
The next cause of colic has nothing to do with gas yet the symptoms are very similar – an uncomfortable and crying baby. This type of colic is due to muscle spasm or joint tension. It is frequently, though not necessarily, present from the very early days and is more common in caesarian deliveries, forceps deliveries, breech births, etc. This could arise either because of the babies position during pregnancy, a traumatic birth (forceps, ventouse) or perhaps no traumatic birth (caesarian babies who don’t pass through the birth canal are often a little stiff and ‘stuck’ in the fetal position). We know this ‘musculoskeletal’ type exists because of the significant number of sufferers who ultimately obtain relief through treatment from a chiropractor or baby masseur.
Type 4 Colic – Neurological Colic
And finally, there is a category of colic that just can’t be pigeon-holed and I will refer to this as neurological colic, for want of a better term (you could call it ‘Developmental Colic’ if you liked). These, often inconsolable babies, are the most challenging to treat. How could it start? In most cases, it’s simply the final stage of another form of poorly treated colic. In other words, they were only treated for symptoms and the problem eventually exhausts the baby. It may be due to over-stimulation. Sometimes we simply don’t know, so we assume it’s the brain and nervous system having some sort of crossed wires.
Treatment – What Really Works?
The first step is to identify your most likely situation. Otherwise you will simply be treating symptoms and trying one remedy after the next.
Stomach gas will have to be relieved through better burping techniques. In our training section, we teach six burping techniques – 3 standard burping techniques for shallow burps and 3 dynamic burping techniques for deeper burps.
Intestinal gas will need to be un-trapped and it’s passage speeded along. In our training section, we will teach you how to do this through a range of ‘release techniques’ or exercises that are very effective for stimulating the intestinal tract.
Likewise, muscular colic can usually be relieved through gentle stretches that can safely and easily be learned by the parent. In some cases though, professional help may be required.
Neurological colic is a special case and requires a step by step approach which we will teach you. Symptomatic relief is the initial goal but we will still need to try and establish the underlying cause if at all possible.
Your Situation – Diagnosis
We help you do this. In our training section, your first step will be to work through our diagnostic video clips and slide-shows. You should soon be able to identify the type of colic you are dealing with.The second step will be to study the techniques that are most likely to help with that type of colic, reflux or fretfulness.
What is clear is that the sooner the parent takes effective steps to help, the greater the likelihood of breaking the cycle.