Monday, September 29, 2014

Newborn Parenting FAQs - Colic

Q:  In which month does colic start and how to cope with it?
A: Colic is actually something that we pediatricians do not know much about either :)
It is believed to be possibly due to spasms in the intestines, that occur without any apparent cause in a certain percentage of babies between the age of 1-6 months. 
If the baby is otherwise active, playful through the day and has crying episodes lasting for a few hours in the evening / night, without fever, diarrhea, vomiting etc. during this age group, please talk to your pediatrician regarding the possibility of colic.
Just like we are not sure about the cause of colic, the treatment of colic is also unsatisfactory. We commonly suggest simethicone drops (brands like Colic Aid, Spasease, Espumisan). Traditional home remedies like massage, relieving flatulence and other remedies like gripe water & even janam ghutti (traditional ayurvedic medicine) have been used in India to help the babies. It is important to try to stay relaxed and hand over the baby to a sympathetic ( & preferably calm disposition) if you are feeling too stressed out since anxiety in parents has been shown to worsen the colic in some babies. Driving around in the car has been shown to work in many kids as well ... though doing this in the middle of the night may lead to weird looks from the neighbors :)
The good news is that colic resolves by 6 months in most babies.

No comments: