Intestinal colic of newborns

It is known that more than 70% of newborns in the first year of development have intestinal colic. But this is not a disease in most cases, since this process is a natural adaptation of the stomach of the newborn to the digestive tract and new conditions. This is due to the fact that before this nine months the stomach was in an inoperative stage, and now the mother's milk functions in full and helps it.

Why does this happen?

As a rule, in the very first days and weeks the baby feeds exclusively on breast milk and the longer he does this, the more healthy the baby will be. Processes of digestion of food occur during this period safely, as the volume is given to the stomach a little and the food is very light. But already in the third week the volumes of milk consumed by the baby increase at times, and the stomach needs to quickly adapt to new working conditions. Moreover, many young mothers often do not have enough milk, or it simply declines due to improper feeding of the baby, or for physiological reasons. That is why the baby's stomach is required to cope with the "front" milk, which is very rich in carbohydrates. This contributes to the origin of excess gas in the stomach of the baby and, as a consequence, in newborns, intestinal colic.

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Many met with the fact that when breastfeeding the baby starts to tuck the legs to the tummy, this is not showing satisfaction and showing some anxiety. After that, the child often starts screaming and blushing, which happens very long. This is what is called intestinal colic, which is typical for almost every infant.

The very meaning of "colic" means( from the Greek language) a sharp pain in the intestine, namely in the colon - it is an attack of pain, which alternates gas formation in the intestine, which expands it, thereby creating a certain discomfort. But the cause of intestinal colic can not only be the gas formed in the intestines of the child, but also the functional immaturity of the stomach itself, which can not yet digest such food, or else an underdeveloped system for the formation of enzymes.

Colic can occur almost throughout the first year of development of the child, but there are several patterns that determine the occurrence of colic in children:

  • Colic is present and begins only in children under 3 weeks.
  • Colic lasts no more than three hours.
  • Present mainly in three-month-old children, then they disappear.

What should I do?

Intestinal colic of newborns is a problem that worries all young parents and it is her decision that is given a lot of time and labor. But what to do to eliminate colic was effective? The first thing to do is to calm the baby and calm down by himself, since there are many cases when the baby was crying precisely because of the frightened reaction of the parents who were running around in confusion what to do with colic, and the child felt it. It is necessary to be self-confident and the child will also calm down, as he will understand that there is no need to worry about him and that this will soon pass - nothing supernatural.

You can also consult a doctor, so that he confirms to you that there is nothing terrible, and that he reassures you, so that you do not run scared around the child. When visiting a doctor, for an effective consultation, you need to specify the following in detail:

  • When exactly intestinal colic occurs: after feeding or before it( in order to better choose the time of taking medications and creating more comfort for your baby).
  • Periodicity and duration of colic relative to time of day.
  • Time of day when the largest colic in newborns in the tummy.
  • Type of baby nutrition( artificial mixture, breast).

Much will be easier if your baby uses breastfeeding, in which case you just need to check the correctness of feeding and duration of breastfeeding and the problem can be solved by itself. It should be borne in mind that, if the child is in the wrong position, the child can also use the air with milk, which will fill the tummy and thus press on the walls of the stomach, causing some discomfort.

It should be taken into account that if the mother of the child did not drink milk before pregnancy, or if earlier, before pregnancy of milk there was some kind of nausea, during breastfeeding it is necessary to exclude these foods from the diet. It is worth noting that when breastfeeding the milk may not be enough and then it is required to use a variety of artificial mixtures, the selection of which must be treated very carefully. After all, many mixtures can contain enzymes and elements that will be very poorly perceived by your child, thereby provoking his intestine to the well-known already colic.

Sometimes bad weather even contributes to colic, as small children like the elderly, often specifically react to the weather and while their digestive system is in development, they will very strongly experience these changes.

In pediatrics for the removal of colic and struggle against problems with the digestive tract the following measures are used:

  • Colic and acuity of the stomach is often removed by temperature regime - tummy massage, warmer.
  • The mechanical method is also very effective: an enema and a gas pipe.
  • Essential oils, lactose, fennel( often used elements in teas) also contribute to lowering the gaseousness of the intestine.

No less effective way to eliminate colic is the use of a variety of active elements and enzymes that are specifically used to prevent and eliminate colic in infants.

The main thing is not to forget that all actions related to the change of nutrition, enzymes and other elements, the action of which can be negative in certain cases, must be agreed with the attending physician and applied only by prescription.