After nearly nine months of staying in the mother’s womb, an infant is finally brought out into the world. It is here that the job of both parents becomes challenging, as a baby will cry for more than three hours daily making it impossible to get the much-needed rest.
Doctors refer to the long excessive crying of a newborn as Colic. Until now, research is unable to pinpoint why this happens. There are various theories that explain this.
The first is when the baby ingests air during breastfeeding. Another claims that the infant is drinking too fast which leads to gastrointestinal pain. It is also possible that the food being eaten by the mother is the cause while some claim that the baby’s newborn’s immune system is not yet able to adapt to life outside the womb.
Regardless of what caused it, doctors believe that this is very common among newborn children. This means there is nothing to worry about since this will gradually disappear in the next few months.
Parents should take it as the first step in nurturing and caring for a child. Some believe that if this did not happen, the period of adjustment will be more difficult.
There is single solution to take care of a colic baby. Sometimes, this idea will work while at times it doesn’t. Here are some of the things that parents can try to find out if it works on the child.
1. If the newborn is in the crib, perhaps getting it out and holding or rocking it in one’s arms can do the trick. Sometimes singing a song is effective, as the baby will once again fall asleep.
2. Making the baby burp after breastfeeding can also prevent the infant from waking up.
3. The baby may be hungry so it is time to breastfeed. If the infant is full and the arms are sore from carry, maybe going for a ride in the car or in the carriage can make it go away.
4. The baby’s sensitivity to noise can make it wake up again and cry. This can be prevented by not making too sounds. Playing a CD of classical music can help make the infant get enough rest.
5. Giving the newborn a warm bath can also help it stop crying. The parent should make sure it is not too hot because this could be too much for the infant’s skin.
6. It is never too late to give the newborn a pacifier. This will make the baby think that it is still sucking onto the mother’s breast when it is feeding time.
7. Since Colic is associated with gas pains, the parents can also try using Simethicone drops, which has been proven to be effective for making the newborn stop crying.
8. Lastly, the mother should make some changes in the diet. This is because the food being consumed may produce gas, which is converted to milk and passes to the child.
Colic is nothing serious because it is not even classified as a disease or a disorder. It is part of the growing phase of becoming a parent until the newborn is able to stand and even speak for itself. This is just one of the many challenges that anyone will face should the couple decide to have a family.
Colic is one problem that both humans and horses share. But unlike with babies, of which colic is just an incidental problem that will go away after a few months; colic in horses is a serious problem that need to be addressed immediately.
Baby colic
Colic is a problem in the digestive tract characterized by a pain in the stomach or in the abdomen. Until now, there is still no reason why this happens in babies. Experts believe that colic arises from the gas in the intestines. In babies, colic starts as early as three weeks.
First signs will of course be frequent crying and screaming that can last anywhere from an hour to five hours nonstop. It peaks during the second month and declines during the third month. By the end of the fourth month, incidents of colic will just cease.
And though there is really not much danger that colic poses to babies, parents are still worried because of the amount of crying that it can ensue. Because there is no known cause, there is also no specific cure or solution. In fact, the only thing that parents can do is to make their experience of colic as less painful as possible. This is done by putting babies in comfortable positions like in swaddling, walking them or making them listen to some soothing music. Parents should avoid giving them too much food because this will only exacerbate the problem.
Horse colic
Colic in horses is not the same. In addition to being a serious problem, colic in horses can appear anytime, any age. The same reactions are elicited in horses. They will also be crying and groaning, prancing and kicking all over the place. In severe cases, they can even become so wild that they will assume difficult and almost unnatural positions just to be relived of the pain.
However, horse owners should remember that colic in horses has a much different onset. Unlike with humans where the pain can be readily felt and shown through crying, horses will deal with it alone through listlessness and lack of energy.
They will start to refuse food and will not have any appetite for eating. This is one of the signs that horse owners often miss when trying to deal with colic. Remember that they will only get wild and restless when the pain is too severe for them to bear. Otherwise, they only suffer in silence.
Wired differently
Horses cannot also cope with colic the same way humans can. Because of their different body structure and body system, they are not able to vomit or relieve the pressure that they are feeling in their stomach. Because of this, the pain and the problem can build up inside; thus worsening the situation. This is perhaps why colic in horses is much serious. In fact, while some horses do respond to therapy and eventually get well; most will deteriorate despite medication and treatment.
Another reason why colic is a problem with horses is the fact that they are built in different ways. Passages of blood and food in their bodies are much narrower; thus, more susceptible to impactions and obstructions especially with food.
When afflicted with colic, it is important that you call a veterinarian as soon as you can so that he can administer appropriate treatment. Make sure also that your horse does not have any access to solid foods such as hay or grass. The only thing that the horse is allowed to take in is water.
Deciding to start a family is a serious decision. This is because a lot of tender loving care must be given the moment the baby comes out until he or she grows up to become an adult.
There are many reasons why babies cry. This could be because it is hungry or sometimes it is just cranky. But when it cries a little longer than before, this means that the infant is colic.
What is colic? This is a term given to a baby who cries for more than three hours in a given day. This is normal in newborns, which may begin from 3 weeks until four months of age.
Parents who are unaware of this will panic. A good doctor can reassure the legal guardians that this will go away gradually over time.
There are many reasons why a baby is colic. Since there is not a single reason, which can be attributed to it, the parents should stop thinking about this and focus on the more important task of making it go away.
There will be times late at night when the parents wake up because the baby is crying. The infant will not understand the concept of being told to be quiet so the father or the mother will have to carry the infant and rock it back to sleep.
The baby could be hungry so maybe it is time to feed it again. The mother should make sure to make the infant burp because this could be the cause of the colic behavior a few minutes or hours from now.
If this is the behavior of the baby during the day, maybe it is time for both to go outside. Sometimes taking the newborn on a carriage ride will help. Giving the newborn a pacifier can also remedy the situation.
A warm bath is sometimes what parents need to relax after a stressful day at work. Studies have shown that doing the same thing for the baby can also stop the colic behavior. The parents should make sure that the water is not too hot for the child.
Grownups get cranky when disrupted by noise. A baby does not know that yet and will cry in order to be noticed. The parents can play some music in the room of the baby so he or she will not suddenly wake up.
The food that the mother eats could produce gas, which causes the baby to feel discomfort. It will be a good idea to consult with the doctor regarding the proper diet so this can be prevented. If this still happens, maybe using Simethicone drops can work.
One way to check on the baby from time to time will be to have a monitor nearby that with one unit in the room and the other carried around the house. The parents should take shifts to avoid feeling exhausted.
The biological clock of a baby is very different from a child or an adult. It will still take time to develop and until that happens, the parents will have to deal with this situation. After all, a baby that is colic is normal since it is part of the growing phase. This means that this is not a disease or a disorder so there is nothing to worry about.













