Does Your Baby Have Colic?
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When to seek medical advice
Contact your baby’s doctor if you’re concerned about your baby’s crying — especially if your baby isn’t eating, sleeping or behaving like usual. You can help your baby’s doctor by noting in a diary what times your baby cries. Also record your baby’s sleeping and eating patterns.
Seek medical attention right away if you think your baby’s crying might be the result of a fall or injury.
Tests and diagnosis
Your baby’s doctor will do a physical exam to identify any possible causes for your baby’s distress, such as an intestinal obstruction. If your baby is otherwise healthy, he or she may be diagnosed with colic. Lab tests, X-rays and other diagnostic tests aren’t usually needed.
Complications
Although colic often takes a toll on the entire family, it doesn’t appear to have any lasting medical consequences. Babies who have colic grow and develop normally.
Treatments and drugs
Colic improves on its own, often by age 3 months. In the meantime, there are few treatment options. Prescription medications such as simethicone (Mylicon) haven’t proved very helpful for colic, and others can have serious side effects.
A study published in January 2007 suggests that treatment with probiotics — substances that help maintain the natural balance of “good” bacteria in the digestive tract — can soothe colic. More research is needed, however, to determine the effects of probiotics on colic.
Consult your baby’s doctor before giving your baby any medication to treat colic.
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Comment by nicole on Apr 26 2011 01:13:11:
im 21 years old and i have 2 kids. my first son did not have colics but now for my second son wen he was born he cried alot and i would give him milk and nothing at first i thought it was gas but i used about every medicine there was for the gas and nothing so i took him to his dr and he changed his milk 5 times in less than a month i thought it was too much and i live in puerto rico and we use alot of home made medicine so i went to the supermarket and bought goat milk i tried it and his colics are all one now he stopped his crying episodes oh yea i also changed his bottle i used to use dr browns bottles and changed them to avent bottles and that was another relief…
Comment by Dr. Paul Blake, N.D. on Apr 27 2011 11:40:32:
One simple scientifically proven remedy for colic and one of the possible causes has been known for years. This particular cause is the intestinal flora in the babies gut is out of balance causing poor digestion and gas pain. The remedy is simple probiotics (see study below) that you can find at any health food store, I have seen it work almost immediately. Buy only refrigerated for freshness as they tend to be of the better quality.
Poor Intestinal Flora Symptoms: irritability, bloating, abdominal pain, foul smelling bowel movements, constipation/diarrhea, food sensitivities, rectal itching, spitting-up, poor immunity
Colic Symptoms: crying suddenly after a feeding, crying is loud and continuous for one to four hours, baby’s face often is flushed or red, hands clenched, belly is distended or prominent, the feet are often cold, baby may arch their backs, draw up their legs to their tummy, extend their legs rigidly, pass wind.
A 2010 scientific study published in the Journal of Pediatrics reports the effectiveness of a probiotic treatment for colic. The authors report states that the probiotic Lactobacillus reuteri significantly reduced crying time among infants with colic, compared to placebo. The subjects included 50 exclusively breast-fed infants, that were administered either L. reuteri or a placebo.
Savino F, Cordisco L, Tarasco V, et al. Lactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938 in infantile colic: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Pediatrics. 2010;126(3):e526-e533.
Doc Blake