Colic pain is generally described as severe, sharp, cramping, or squeezing and comes in intense, wave-like episodes that can be excruciating, often leading to restlessness and ER visits, especially in adults with biliary or renal issues, while in babies (infantile colic), the crying appears painful (red face, pulling legs up) but isn't necessarily due to physical pain, rather overwhelming fussiness, though symptoms like trapped gas can cause actual discomfort, making it hard to soothe.
The primary symptom of biliary colic is a sharp, abrupt pain just under the breast bone or the centre of the abdomen.
Pain that starts and ends suddenly in severe waves is called colicky pain. Possible causes of colicky abdominal pain include kidney stones or gallstones. This pain is experienced in over half of your belly region and is typical of a stomach virus, gas, or indigestion.
Symptoms of intestinal colic: intestinal cramps, caused by a blockage in the small or large intestine, causing vomiting, nausea, diarrhoea, loss of appetite and bloating.
What causes colic?
Colic is most common in the first 6 weeks of life, and it usually subsides by 3 to 4 months of age. However, it's not unusual for it to stick around a few months longer. There's no need to panic if your baby's still dealing with colic at 5 or 6 months old.
Reflux. Reflux and colic are closely related and are often confused. Reflux can also be caused by oversupply and both are more often a problem when a baby is given large feeds with long gaps in between. A baby who has reflux often spits up milk and cries more when he is lying down or is in a car seat.
The "Colic 333 Rule" is a common guideline for identifying colic in a healthy, well-fed baby: crying for more than 3 hours a day, for more than 3 days a week, for more than 3 weeks. While it's a helpful way to recognize persistent, intense crying spells, it's not a strict diagnosis, and you don't need to wait three weeks to seek help if you're concerned. Colic usually peaks around 6 weeks and lessens by 3-4 months, but it's important to rule out other issues with a doctor.
Avoiding Your Baby's Triggers
If your baby is colicky and you are breastfeeding, avoid eating or drinking the following foods for a few weeks to see if that helps. Stimulants, such as caffeine and chocolate. Dairy products and nuts. Your baby may have allergies to these foods.
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.
Colic is a term that people often associate with infants. However, it can affect adults as well. Adults often experience colic as sudden gastrointestinal or urinary pain that becomes less intense over time. The main symptom of colic in adults is localized pain in the abdomen or urinary tract that comes and goes.
But when your infant has painful gas, especially if it's frequent, it can cause your baby to cry or become fussy—until it's passed; unlike colic, which causes crying and fussiness that lasts for hours across days and weeks. Gas can have distinctive symptoms, too, such as a swollen-looking belly.
Colic is when a healthy infant cries often, long and hard or is very fussy. Colic upsets parents because their baby's distress happens for no known reason. And no amount of consoling brings relief. Colic often happens in the evening when parents are likely to be most tired.
Most babies will have a period of increased fussiness starting at around 2 weeks of age and usually peaking between 6-8 weeks of age.
When colic symptoms occur, fill provided measured oral dispenser up to 1/2 teaspoon and dispense slowly, drop-by-drop into mouth between cheek and gums. A measured dispenser such as the NumiMed that we offer (or the like) can also be used in place of the blue dropper, to administer Colic Calm.
The exact cause of colic is unknown, but it's believed to stem from a combination of factors like an immature digestive or nervous system, gas, reflux, food intolerances (like cow's milk protein), imbalances in gut bacteria, overfeeding, and even environmental stress or sensory overload, leading to intense, unexplained crying fits in otherwise healthy babies.
Sometimes a baby with colic will find it soothing to suck on a dummy between feeds. If you decide to give your baby a dummy, it's better to wait until breastfeeding is well-established and he is gaining weight well. You will also need to follow manufacturer's guidelines on cleaning and replacement.
Each baby is different, but in general • Colic starts when a baby is 2 to 4 weeks old and usually peaks around 6 weeks. Colic usually starts to get better when babies are cooing and smiling sociably, around 8 weeks. Colic usually resolves by 3 to 4 months but can last until 6 months.
When fed too much, a baby may also swallow air. This can produce gas, increase discomfort in the belly, and lead to crying. An overfed baby also may spit up more than usual and have loose stools. Although crying from discomfort is not colic, it can make crying more frequent and more intense in an already colicky baby.
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'.
How to relieve colic symptoms
How do I recognize pain in my newborn?
With the exception of three infants, the pacifier was successful in relieving the irritability and crying of the infant and in causing a cessation of the symptoms of colic.