Colic

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.

All babies cry more during their first 3 months than at any other time. If a baby has colic, most often it's at its worst when an infant is about 6 weeks old. The bouts of colic lessen after 3 to 4 months of age.

But even though the crying calms with time, managing colic adds stress to caring for a newborn. You can take steps that may lessen how bad bouts of colic are and how long they last. This also will ease your own stress and make you feel better about your parent-child link.

Babies fuss and cry, mostly during the first three months of life. It's hard to say what's typical. Mainly, colic is defined as crying for three or more hours a day, three or more days a week, for three or more weeks. But you don't have to wait three weeks to seek help.

Features of colic may include:

• Loud, hard crying that may sound like screaming or being in pain.
• Crying for no known reason. Colic crying is not like the crying a baby does when hungry or wet.
• Being fussy even after crying has lessened.
• Timing you can predict, which is often in the evening.
• Change of face color, such as skin flushing or blushing.
• Body tension, such as pulled-up, stiff legs, stiff arms, clenched fists, arched back or tense belly.

Bouts of long, loud crying that can't be soothed may be colic. Or they may be a sign of a condition that causes pain or discomfort. Make an appointment with your child's healthcare professional if your infant has symptoms of colic.

The cause of colic is unknown. Many factors might be a part of colic. But researchers don't know why it most often 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.

Some factors that might be a part of colic include:

• The system in the body that helps break down and use food, called the digestive system, isn't fully formed.
• There's not enough healthy bacteria in the gut.
• The baby is sensitive to certain foods or not tolerating them.
• The baby is feeding too much, feeding too little or not burping enough.
• The baby has a form of childhood migraine.
• Family stress is affecting the baby.

Risk factors for colic are not well known. These factors have not been shown to increase risk:

• Sex of the baby.
• Early or full-term birth.
• Breastfed or formula-fed.
• Firstborn or later born.

Some studies have shown smoking to be a factor. Infants born to someone who smoked during pregnancy or after delivery might have an increased risk of colic.

Colic that goes away before 6 months of age does not cause short-term or long-term medical problems for a child.

Colic is stressful for parents. Research has shown a link between colic and the following for parents:

• Increased risk of depression after giving birth, called postpartum depression.
• Stopping breastfeeding early.
• Feeling guilty, worn out, helpless or angry.

Shaken baby syndrome

The stress of calming a crying baby has caused some parents to shake or otherwise harm their children. Shaking a baby can cause serious damage to the baby's brain and death. The risk of harming the baby is greater for parents who don't know how to sooth a crying child, haven't learned about colic and don't have the support they need for caring for an infant with colic.