Colic Treatment in Westminster Denver Colorado
Overview
●
Colic is frequent, prolonged and intense crying or fussiness in
a healthy infant. Colic can be particularly frustrating for parents because the
baby’s distress occurs for no apparent reason and no amount of consoling seems
to bring any relief. These episodes often occur in the evening, when parents
themselves are often tired.
●
Episodes of colic usually peak when an infant is about 6 weeks
old and decline significantly after 3 to 4 months of age. While the excessive
crying will resolve with time, managing colic adds significant stress to caring
for your newborn child.
● You can take steps that may lessen the
severity and duration of colic episodes, alleviate your own stress, and bolster
confidence in your parent-child connection.
Symptoms
●
Babies have been known to fuss and cry, especially during the
first three months of life. The range for what’s considered typical crying is
difficult to pin down. In general, colic is defined as crying for three or more
hours a day, three or more days a week, for three or more weeks.
Features of colic may include the following:
● Intense crying that may seem more like
screaming or an expression of pain
● Crying for no apparent reason, unlike crying
to express hunger or the need for a diaper change
● Extreme fussiness even after crying has
diminished
● Predictable timing, with episodes often
occurring in the evening
● Facial discoloring, such as skin flushing or
blushing
● Body tension, such as pulled up or stiffened
legs, stiffened arms, clenched fists, arched back, or tense abdomen
Sometimes there is relief in symptoms after
the infant passes gas or has a bowel movement. Gas is likely the result of
swallowed air during prolonged crying.
When to see a doctor
● Excessive, inconsolable crying may be colic or
an indication of an illness or condition that causes pain or discomfort.
Schedule an appointment with your child’s health care provider for a thorough
exam if your infant experiences excessive crying or other signs or symptoms of
colic.
Causes
The cause of colic is unknown. It may result
from numerous contributing factors. While a number of causes have been
explored, it’s difficult for researchers to account for all the important
features, such as why it usually begins late in the first month of life, how it
varies among infants, why it happens at certain times of day and why it
resolves on its own in time.
Possible contributing factors that have been
explored include:
● Digestive system that isn’t fully developed
● Imbalance of healthy bacteria in the digestive
tract
● Food allergies or intolerances
● Overfeeding, underfeeding or infrequent
burping
● Early form of childhood migraine
● Family stress or anxiety
Risk factors
Risk factors for colic are not well-understood. Research has not
shown differences in risk when the following factors were considered:
● Sex of the child
● Preterm and full-term pregnancies
● Formula-fed and breast-fed babies
Infants born to mothers who smoked during
pregnancy or after delivery have an increased risk of developing colic.
Complications
●
Colic does not cause short-term or long-term medical problems
for a child.
●
Colic is stressful for parents. Research has shown an
association between colic and the following problems with parent well-being:
–
Increased risk of postpartum depression in mothers
–
Early cessation of breast-feeding
–
Feelings of guilt, exhaustion, helplessness or anger
Shaken baby syndrome
● The stress of calming a crying baby has
sometimes prompted parents to shake or otherwise harm their child. Shaking a
baby can cause serious damage to the brain and death. The risk of these
uncontrolled reactions is greater if parents don’t have information about
soothing a crying child, education about colic and the support needed for
caring for an infant with colic.
Diagnosis
Your baby’s care provider will do a complete physical exam to
identify any possible causes for your baby’s distress. The exam will include:
● Measuring your baby’s height, weight and head
circumference
● Listening to the heart, lungs and abdominal
sounds
● Examining the limbs, fingers, toes, eyes, ears
and genitals
● Assessing reaction to touch or movement
● Looking for signs of rash, inflammation, or
other signs of infection or allergies
Lab tests, X-rays and other diagnostic tests
aren’t usually needed, but in unclear cases they help to exclude other
conditions as possible causes.
Treatment
The primary goals are to soothe the child as
much as possible with a variety of interventions and ensure that parents have
the support they need to cope.
Soothing
strategies
You may find it helpful to have a plan, a list of soothing
strategies you can try. You may need to experiment. Some may work better than
others, and some may work one time but not another. Soothing strategies may
include:
● Using a pacifier
● Taking your infant for a car ride or on a walk
in a stroller
● Walking around with or rocking your baby
● Swaddling your baby in a blanket
● Giving your baby a warm bath
● Rubbing your infant’s tummy or placing your
baby on the tummy for a back rub
● Playing an audio of heartbeats or quiet,
soothing sounds
● Providing white noise by running a white noise
machine, a vacuum cleaner or clothes drier in a nearby room
● Dimming the lights and limiting other visual
stimulation
Feeding
practices
Changes in feeding practices may also provide
some relief. Bottle-feed your baby in an upright position and burp frequently
during and after a feeding. Using a curved bottle will help with upright
feeding, and a collapsible bag bottle can reduce the intake of air.
Trial
changes in diet
If soothing or feeding practices aren’t reducing crying or
irritability, your doctor may recommend a short-term trial of dietary changes.
If your baby has a food allergy, however, there would likely be other signs and
symptoms, such as a rash, wheezing, vomiting or diarrhea. Dietary changes may
include:
● Formula changes. If you feed your infant formula, your doctor may suggest a
one-week trial of an extensive hydrolysate formula (Similac Alimentum,
Nutramigen, Pregestimil, others) that has proteins broken down into smaller
sizes.
● Maternal diet. If you’re breast-feeding, you may try a diet without common
food allergens, such as dairy, eggs, nuts and wheat. You may also try
eliminating potentially irritating foods, such as cabbage, onions or
caffeinated beverages.
Parent
self-care
Caring for an infant who has colic can be exhausting and
stressful, even for experienced parents. The following strategies can help you
take care of yourself and get the support you need:
● Take a break. Take turns with your spouse or partner, or ask a friend to take
over for a while. Give yourself an opportunity to get out of the house if
possible.
● Use the crib for short breaks. It’s OK to put your baby in the crib for a
while during a crying episode if you need to collect yourself or calm your own
nerves.
● Express your feelings. It’s normal for parents in this situation to feel helpless,
depressed, guilty or angry. Share your feelings with family members, friends
and your child’s doctor.
● Don’t judge yourself. Don’t measure your success as a parent by how much your baby
cries. Colic isn’t a result of poor parenting, and inconsolable crying isn’t a
sign of your baby rejecting you.
● Take care of your health. Eat healthy foods. Make time for exercise,
such as a brisk daily walk. If you can, sleep when the baby sleeps — even
during the day. Avoid alcohol and other drugs.
● Remember that it’s temporary. Colic episodes often improve after age 3 to 4
months.
● Have a rescue plan. If possible make a plan with a friend or relative to step in
when you’re overwhelmed. If necessary, contact your health care provider, a
local crisis intervention service or a mental health help line for additional
support.
Our
expert providers are experienced and skilled at treating colic and are your
source for expert treatment of colic in Westminster and Denver Colorado. Not
only are we the premier treatment for spine injuries and chiropractic in
Westminster and Denver Colorado, but we also specialize in many other advanced
treatment techniques such as shockwave, cold laser, graston technique, KT
Taping, activator, instrument aided spinal alignments, drop table, toggle, in
house rehab services, and on site digital xrays. We are your Premier
destination for colic treatment in Westminster Colorado and Denver Colorado
Chiropractor.