How to understand that a child has colic: signs, symptoms

Colic is a common cause of crying in a baby during the first three months after birth. When children are born, the body's work is not yet established:

• The gastrointestinal tract does not cope well with the incoming food;
• Excessive gassing;
• Intestinal motility is weak.

Most families experience the excruciating moments of the first days after the arrival of a new family member. According to statistics, this condition affects 70% of children. Parents often don't understand the reasons for crying. Relatives are afraid to miss an illness that requires urgent medical attention. Colic and baby - inseparable concepts. A number of characteristic signs of colic will help pinpoint the underlying cause of an infant's anxiety.

How to identify colic

To understand that the child has colic, and it was they who became the cause of crying, other diseases should be excluded. It is worth knowing the main signs of the mentioned physical condition. This will help to facilitate understanding of what is happening with the newborn, increase the chances of parents on time, and most importantly, to correctly recognize the state of health of the baby.

In order to accurately determine the presence of colic in children, it is worth knowing the main signs of the specified physical condition, what are the clinical manifestations. Colic is called cramping pain in the abdomen associated with increased gas production. The process is localized in the intestines of the child, which is explained by the adaptation of the baby's gastrointestinal tract to new conditions of existence after the womb. The intestinal tract is poorly developed, or rather, the nerve endings are underdeveloped, which complicates the digestive processes that cause an increase in the amount of gas.

Each parent will be able to recognize the signs of colic in newborns by paying attention to the characteristic manifestations of the infant's behavior. The symptomatology of the condition is so numerous that it is more convenient to conditionally divide the symptoms into two groups:

1. A group of features that are characterized by the concept is a time period.
2. The second group includes physical symptoms of body language.

Signs of intestinal cuts in children, united by the concept of time

Signs associated with the period of time will help to recognize the symptoms of colic in newborns, according to which increased gas production is accurately determined:

1. Infant abdominal cramps begin in the first month, from about 3-4 weeks.
2. The duration of colic is within 3 hours.
3. Repetition frequency, starting from 3 times a week.
4. Symptoms must be repeated continuously for 3 consecutive weeks without interruption.
5. The peak of pain in infants falls on the period of the first, second month of life.
6. The baby's colic ends after the third month.

For a short definition of the listed signs, pediatricians use the so-called "Rule of Three" in terminology. It says: if a healthy baby cries three hours a day, at least three times a week, the duration pain is a period of three months, then in 99% of cases the newborn suffers from increased gas formation.

Signs of colic by the body language of children

When a toddler is suffering, he or she will express dissatisfaction with body movements. During the period of acute pain, the child has symptoms:

1. Pulls the legs to the stomach. People say: twists with legs. The algorithm is approximately as follows: the baby first brings the lower limbs to the stomach, then lowers them. The movement is rhythmic and constant. The reason is spastic contractions in the muscles, characteristic of colic.
2. Expression of obvious pain.
3. The kid is red.
4. Strongly arches the back into an arched position.
5. The jaws are clenched, the handles are raised.
6. Frequent regurgitation.
7. The baby screams shrilly.
8. Constant evacuation of gases. The intestine contracts, peristalsis occurs every 5-7 minutes. Passage of gases provokes pain. Shouts are repeated at intervals of 5-7 minutes. At the time of the passage of gases, temporary relief occurs, the baby becomes easier, the behavior changes, and calming sets in. Often the painful process ends with a chair.
9. The abdomen is distended. On palpation, it is soft, sometimes somewhat tense. If you listen to the sounds occurring inside the stomach of a child, you can hear the characteristic rumbling and gurgling.

Children's behavior during the day

Recognizing that the baby is really tormented by colic or the cause of tears is another disease, one should observe his behavior throughout the day. This should be the main feature of the physical condition of the newborn. The kid develops well physically, mentally, gaining weight corresponding to the norms. There should be no medical signs of another illness.

A number of health indicators below will help to correctly determine the condition of the infant:

• Normal appetite
• A baby should not cry for no reason;
• The temperature is correct;
• There is no redness in the throat;
• No cough;
• Skin without redness, no rashes.

These indicators are available for self-checking by parents, but it is better to show the baby to the district pediatrician, who will rule out the presence of signs of other diseases. All day long, the baby's behavior is calm. He is sociable, plays, well-disposed.

The suddenness of childhood colic

The main symptom that distinguishes colic from simple whims is a change in the child's behavior. Until recently, a cheerful kid suddenly rolls up crying for no apparent reason. This change of mood occurs abruptly against the backdrop of complete well-being. Nothing on the part of the parents helps to calm the baby down. This becomes an additional indicator of colic.

Motion sickness, hugs do not bring relief. Suddenly, the baby calms down. The onset and end of the attacks are the same - they start suddenly. The baby again enjoys life, smiles.

The period of pain from gas is a feature of crying

Crying in children with colic has characteristic symptoms. These differences will additionally help parents to correctly determine the condition of the baby. The nature of the screams will tell the family a lot. Painful tears:

• Loud;
• Piercing;
• Suddenly arising;
• Loud in tone.

Of course, each baby's screams are different. This is influenced by the types of temperaments of children, the threshold of pain sensitivity. Variations in the nature of tears are possible, but all babies are characterized by sudden onset. In moments of extreme pain, the screams take on a heartbreaking character, crying out for help.

An analysis of infant sobbing during colic was performed using an audiogram. The study showed that tears during the period of increased gas production differ in individual characteristics. "Cries of colic" can have a negative effect on the female psyche.

There are differences in children's tears from colic pains, depending on the gender of the children. Although official medicine denies such features, the practice of doctors reveals something else:

1. The whims of boys in this period occur more often.
2. Girls scream less.
3. The boys sob longer.

Features of the infant's nervous regulation affect the increase in colic in the evening. Therefore, the peak of crying is more often in the afternoon. The period from 18.00 to 24.00 is considered active. These evening cries of pain are called "duty colic".

A variety of signs will help parents be more likely to identify colic. One has only to remember that the physical condition of the baby at the indicated stage of development is temporary, and does not mean illness. Colic disappears by the third month after birth, less often by the fourth. Therefore, parents should be patient, treat with understanding what is happening in order to establish proper order and tranquility. This will help the baby to survive the unfavorable period of life and grow up as a happy, confident person.