Intestinal colic is quite common among infants (according to statistics, from 30 to 70% of babies suffer to one degree or another).
This phenomenon affects both babies who are breast-fed and babies that their mother breastfeeds. The nature of such pain is associated with increased gas formation and stretching of the intestinal walls with gas bubbles.
Colic in children - causes
Reason for occurrence colic in newborns children associated with problems in the gastrointestinal tract. The fact is that the digestive system of the child does not work well enough, due to its immaturity. When a child is born and begins to eat on his own, his intestines gradually inhabit the flora.
Over time, the amount of food consumed by the baby gradually increases, however, the glands of its enzyme system do not always secrete a sufficient amount of enzymes for its processing. This leads to problems with the discharge of feces. In addition, the baby’s milk nutrition causes increased foaming in the stomach, which leads to the formation of a large number of gases, which cause flatulence or painful bloating of the tummy due to the fact that they are "locked" in the intestines.
All this is compounded by the air swallowed by the baby during feeding. As a result, painful sensations appear, and the baby suffers due to the inability of his body to cope with the excretion of gases and feces.
Colic in children - symptoms
Experienced parents immediately recognize them by the behavior of the baby, who cries loudly, bangs her legs, presses them to her tummy, pushing and blushing, and also refuses to eat. It is impossible to reassure him at this moment until he has no pain.
Colic in children - treatment methods
Firstly, if the baby is developing well and gaining weight normally, parents should not panic when he has colic. As they grow older they will inevitably decline, and as soon as the gastrointestinal system of the baby is fully adapted to new conditions, this phenomenon will disappear altogether. As a rule, this happens by about 3-4 months.
However, with colic, the baby should be helped to alleviate his condition. First of all, a nursing mother should make sure that there are no foods in her diet that contribute to increased gas formation (cucumbers, cabbage, legumes, dried apricots, prunes, nuts, etc.).
To prevent colic in the baby less often, you should follow a number of simple rules:
- ensure a calm state of the baby’s nervous system (by creating a favorable environment in the house, bathing it in calming herbs, etc.);
- more often spread it on the tummy between feedings;
- to do gymnastics with the child, pulling up his legs and easily pressing them to the tummy to facilitate the discharge of feces and gases;
- babies who are on artificial nutrition should be drunk with chamomile tea or tea with fennel or anise during the day, dill water is also an effective way to prevent colic in all babies (it should be given several times a day with a teaspoon);
If colic has already begun, then you can take the following steps:
- take the child in his arms in order to calm him, create support for the muscles of his abdominal muscles and influence him favorably with his warmth;
- put on his tummy a piece of heated tissue to reduce pain and spasms through exposure to heat;
- gently massage his tummy clockwise;
- you can immerse the baby in a bath of warm water, which will not only warm the tummy and reduce cramping, but will also contribute to the discharge of gases.
