With a baby that vomits or spits up a lot, it's relatively easy to understand that the baby may have reflux, where as a baby that might just have excessive bouts of crying but is rarely sick and still gains weight would often be deemed to just have 'colic'.
Many babies with reflux find it uncomfortable to lie down, and difficult to sleep because the pain in their body is keeping them awake. Colic is a subset of reflux, that is focused on digestive discomfort and it seems that babies “grow out of it” by the age of 12 weeks.
In most babies, reflux causes no pain or problems with weight gain. Reflux and crying are very common in the early months but are not necessarily related. Colic is when babies cry a lot or are unsettled for long periods of time.
In addition to a milk allergy like Madilyn's, other conditions that might mimic colic include: GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease): Stomach acid can back up into your baby's esophagus, causing painful reflux.
No one knows for sure what causes colic. Colic usually has the following features: Timing: It usually begins at approximately 2 weeks of age and goes away by 4 months of age. Within the day, crying is concentrated in the late afternoon and evening hours.
Colic usually starts when babies are about 3 weeks old. It gets worse when they are between 4 and 6 weeks old. Most of the time, colicky babies get better after they are 6 weeks old, and are completely fine by the time they are 12 weeks old.
Colicky crying is louder, more high-pitched, and more urgent sounding than regular crying. Colicky babies can be very hard to calm down. Babies who have colic may show symptoms such as: Burping often or passing a lot of gas.
Infants with colic in the present study had a higher frequency of stooling than reported internationally in healthy infants. Minimal acupuncture had no major effect on feeding, stooling and sleep, although a minor effect of minimal acupuncture on stooling and sleep cannot be ruled out.
Instead, they make gurgling sounds like they are trying to spit up. They might be very wiggly and restless during breastfeeding. Other babies cough when reflux happens.
Some babies get acid reflux. This can cause gurgling and grunting sounds during digestion. The muscles of your baby's digestive system are still developing, so the muscle between the stomach and esophagus doesn't always remain closed properly.
Colic and reflux often start at a similar time and can be confused, but a baby with colic has none of the symptoms associated with reflux, and the diagnosis should only be made if your baby is otherwise well.
Symptoms of GERD
Infants with this problem cry numerous times per day. They also act very unhappy when they are not crying. They are in almost constant discomfort. Poor Weight Gain.
Colic is often defined by the “rule of three”: crying for more than three hours per day, for more than three days per week, and for longer than three weeks in an infant who is well-fed and otherwise healthy.
Also, babies with colic may burp frequently or pass a significant amount of gas, but this is thought to be due to swallowing air while crying, and is not a cause of colic. The face may be flushed. The abdomen may be tense with legs drawn toward it. The hands may be clenched.
One reason colicky babies can fuss more at night, he explains, is that serotonin levels peak in the evening. This imbalance, the theory goes, naturally resolves when babies start making melatonin, which relaxes intestinal muscles.
Infacol is often used by parents with colicky babies and it is a 'go to' colic product and many families recommend that Infacol helps colic. It is an anti foaming agent called simethicone. With claims that it reduces the surface tension of bubbles of trapped gas, it makes it easier to pass.
1 Breastfeeding is not a cause of colic, and babies who take infant formula get colic, too. Switching to formula may not help and may even make the situation worse.
Colic can stop gradually or suddenly, or flare up and down until it eventually disappears. Symptoms will usually pass within a few weeks (or months, in some cases)!
Breed Some studies identified Standardbreds, Thoroughbreds, Arabs, and warmbloods as having more frequent colics than other breeds, while other studies found the opposite was true. There are no proven trends. Age There is some evidence that more colics occur in horses between the ages of two and ten.
Colic is an attack of crying and what appears to be abdominal pain in young infancy. It is a common condition and is estimated to affect up to 1 in 5 infants during their first few months. All infants cry for various reasons, including hunger, cold, tiredness, heat, or because the diaper needs changing.