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My baby has colic
There is hardly anything more stressful for parents than when the baby has colic. Newborns in particular often suffer from it. Your stomach hurts and you just don’t want to breathe out. The baby is in pain and cries a lot. The parents suffer too. Science still disagrees as to what could cause babies to have colic. There are different theories about the so-called three-month colic. These usually begin in the second week of life and last up to the third month of life. One theory is that the baby’s body has to adjust to life outside the womb. The fact is that the first three months of life with a baby is a very stressful time for the parents anyway. If the baby also suffers from colic, this drives many parents to the brink of despair.
How can the baby be helped?
Many babies find it pleasant to be swaddled during this time. For this purpose, the baby is wrapped tightly in towels using a special method. The towels are relatively tight around the body so that they enclose the baby tightly. Other babies, on the other hand, do better with exercise. This can be weighing in the arm, pushing in the stroller or rocking in the baby carrier. Dancing with the baby in a “flying hold” can also help. There are even parents who have discovered driving a car as the only solution to screaming and crying. In the middle of the night, the baby is fully dressed, put in the child car seat and mother or father go for nightly drives. But it can also be that this only works through the other environment in which the baby is. It is also said once a baby starts crying itself, try changing rooms with the baby. Sometimes that’s really enough to calm you down. All parents should find here the best way to calm their baby.
Abdominal massages can also help to release the excess air in the abdomen. To do this, the baby’s stomach is gently massaged in a clockwise direction. This helps relieve gas and constipation. You can also try to relieve the flatulence by gently pressing your legs against your stomach. Some babies also calm down surprisingly well with the same noise or vibration. There are cuddly toys on the market that can, for example, simulate the heartbeat and thus calm the baby. Sometimes it also helps to put the baby seat next to the running washing machine. The steady sound can soothe your baby. Fennel tea or caraway tea can also relieve flatulence. You can also put a small hot water bottle or a warm cherry stone pillow on the baby’s stomach.
Can colic be prevented?
Parents can take a few preventive measures to reduce gas and bloating. The most important thing is to let babies burp in an upright position after each meal. By then, much of the air that was ingested while drinking has escaped. Breastfed babies suffer less from flatulence than bottle-fed babies. This is because the feeding bottle makes it easier to swallow air. It is also important not to let your baby cry unnecessarily. The longer a baby cries, the more air it swallows, leading to colic. Surely there are also medicines against flatulence that you can give your baby. These are in the form of drops and are usually added to the milk or water the baby is drinking. You should seek advice from your pediatrician. You should consult this anyway if nothing helps against the flatulence. After all, it is possible that your baby does not tolerate the baby food or suffers from a milk allergy.
