What is Colic
Colic is a term used to describe episodes of intense, unexplained crying and distress in otherwise healthy babies.Colic can be extremely stressful for exhausted parents, especially if sleep and feeding patterns are disturbed and weight gain is affected.

 

Signs Your Baby May Have Trapped Gas
Colicky babies may cry for long periods, draw up their legs, arch their backs, appear windy or uncomfortable, and often struggle to settle, especially in the late afternoon or evening.
 

• crying for long periods

• knees pulled toward tummy

• trapped wind

• difficult burping

• reflux or spitting up

• arching backwards

• evening distress

• difficulty settling after feeds

Read more about the 3 phases of colic.

 

Most Common Cause of Colic
True colic is caused by trapped gas in the digestive tract. This causes bloating, discomfort, cramping, feeding difficulties, etc.

More about the different causes

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How To Relieve Colic Naturally
Most babies will grow out of colic as they get bigger and solids are introduced. But those early months can be a nightmare. For true gassy colic, techniqes that get the gas to release work the best. This includes burping technique as well as deep abdominal massage techniques. Specific medications may help, provided they target the correct area - either stomach or intestinal tract.

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Baby Cries After Feeding
Gas trapped in the stomach or upper digestive tract prevents milk from passing downward and can cause bloating and acid burn pain. This is usually best treated with burping techniques that get gas to escape upward. There are many variations and positions to try and parents with this type of colic should be willing to experiment with different styles. See our Masterclass for good burping routines for colicky babies.

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The correct medication may alleviate immediate symptoms.

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Why Baby Arches Their Back and Cries
Gas trapped in the lower intestinal tract is often the worst type of colic because it is quite deep. Cramping and arching are common with intestinal colic. It is usually best treated with practical exercises to mobilise untrap these deep pockets of gas which need to escape out the bottom end. See our Masterclass for good examples of how to untrap abdominal gas.

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The correct medication may alleviate immediate symptoms.

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Muscular and Spinal Issues
Some babies appear colicky but symptoms are more due to muscular imbalance, (short or tight), a 'tight'' diaphragm or issues with spinal alignment. These may stem from position in the womb, caesaren delivery, birth trauma (forceps, ventouse) or simple developmental variations. 

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Why Does My Baby Cry at Night
An overtired baby and ongoing discomfort can disturb or prevent sleep. It is common and parents should be willing to experiment with different sleeping positions. Irrational fears about certain positions can cause more problems with sleeping than necessary. This is a common topic of discussion in our online consultations due to the disruptive effect of sleep deprivation.

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Food and Milk Allergens

There are cases of allergies to milk (lactose) and various foodstuffs, preservatives or environmental factors. These can be tricky to diagnose and may require special dignostic tests.

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Other Issues To Consider

There are other issues that cause similar symptoms and need to be considered:

• Feeding Issues - Hunger, overfeeding (comfort feeding)

• Formula,

• Breast vs bottles

• Pacifiers

• Mom's diet

• Over or understimulation

• Environmental factors like noise, room temperature, etc.

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When to Seek Professional Help
Colic is not a sickness that causes elevated temperature, listlessness, rashes, jaundiced appearance, etc. If these signs are at all present, get your specialist to examine your baby before assuming it's just colic.

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Online Consultation
With over 30 years of experience and having personally treated over 6000 babies, I have a lot of experience in recognising the different symptom patterns. If you need help and guidance, please book a consultation and together we'll get your baby feeling better!