At what age does intestinal colic go away in a baby?

What is colic?

To begin with, it is worth saying that increased gas formation occurs in most newborn babies. Why does it appear?

When a child is born, his intestines are completely sterile. This is due to the fact that in the womb the fetus received all its nutrients and vitamins through the umbilical cord. The infant's intestines were not involved in this process. After the baby is born, it is applied to the mother's breast. With the first portion of milk, many bacteria enter the baby's intestines. They may or may not be very useful.

Due to the fact that the microflora of the digestive tract has not yet stabilized, various problems may arise. So, the child develops increased gas production, pain and cramps.

Symptoms of the disease

When colic in newborns goes away, all signs of the disease completely disappear. So what are they?

The main symptom of colic is restless behavior of the child. Some time after eating, the baby begins to cry and twitch his legs. The screaming may continue until relief occurs.

Also, an observant mother may notice that fermentation occurs in the baby’s tummy and gurgling sounds are heard. The child may cry a lot before his gas subsides.

Treatment

Many parents wonder how long a baby's colic lasts. When a baby has the above symptoms, you should not wait for the spasm to go away on its own.

In such a situation, you can help him cope with them more quickly by using conservative or alternative therapy.

When colic in newborns ends, both the child and the parents feel relief, so you should not wait for this moment, but should use:

• Traditional method. Massage the abdomen, hold it close to you, place the baby's belly on your chest. It will be useful to take warm baths, be in the fresh air and do exercises regularly.
• Medications. At the moment, pharmacies sell a large number of medications that help reduce the symptoms of the disease. One of these remedies is fennel tea.
• Traditional medicine. Drinking a decoction of dill seeds. It is acceptable to give water with chamomile. The concentration of such tea should be unsaturated.

When colic in newborns goes away, the children's faces change and they calm down.

When does a baby's colic go away?

To begin with, it is worth saying that the age of the baby in this case can vary somewhat and range from three months to six months. It all depends on the baby’s nutrition and treatment of the disease.

If a child is fed breast milk, the microflora in the intestines is established faster. This is due to the fact that breast milk contains beneficial substances and bacteria that no formula can provide to a baby. So, when does colic go away in breastfed newborns? On average, this period is two to three months. After this time, you will notice that the baby has become calmer and more cheerful.

In the case when a mother cannot or does not want to breastfeed her baby, she has to choose formula milk. This should be done not on the advice of experienced girlfriends, but with the help of a consultation with a pediatrician. The doctor will select the appropriate formula for your baby, which will help quickly establish microflora and populate the intestines with beneficial bacteria. At what age does colic go away in newborns who are fed formula? On average, this period takes from four months to six months. After the specified time, the child’s digestion improves and the abdominal pain goes away.

When does colic go away in newborns: when does it start and end?

Colic, what is this phenomenon

The body of a person who has just given birth is not perfect, especially with regard to the digestive and nervous systems. Cramps in the baby’s abdomen, accompanied by pain, in simple words colic, occur due to frequent stretching of the intestinal walls by gases, and they can form due to various kinds of reasons.

It is not at all difficult to determine when children begin to experience colic and when their anxiety is associated with illness. During intestinal spasms, the baby begins to cry a lot and pull his legs towards his stomach. If changing position, rocking, or stroking the tummy did not help, then the answer is very simple, he is tormented by colic.

Recently, doctors answer the question of when colic goes away, when it starts and how long it lasts, with a very simple answer. Parents of infants need to be prepared for such a simple and well-known rule: spasms most often begin to bother them from three weeks of age, last no more than 3 hours a day and can be forgotten about three months after birth.

What causes colic

There are many reasons that lead to spasms in the intestines of a newborn; the doctor can determine what causes this in a particular child, but the baby’s parents should also be aware of them in order to prevent their occurrence if possible. To say exactly how long colic lasts in newborns, you need to know what it’s connected with:

• • poor functioning of the digestive system;
• • not yet matured neuromuscular system;
• • immature intestines;
• • constipation;
• • non-compliance with the diet by a nursing mother;
• • swallowing air during feeding;
• • violation of the technological process when preparing infant formula;
• • weak muscles in the abdominal area.

To say exactly how long colic lasts in newborns, you need to know what causes it.

How to help a child with cramps?

If the baby has all the symptoms described above, then there is no need to wait until the spasms end and he stops being capricious. In this case, you can help him get rid of them faster using traditional or folk methods. When colic in newborns ends, not only the child, but also his parents feel relief, so you should not wait for this moment, but you can do everything possible to speed it up.

1. Traditional methods. Massage the tummy, hold it close to you, place the baby with his stomach on your chest. By contacting one of the parents, the child calms down, feeling warmth and a familiar smell. It is very useful to massage your stomach every day. It is very useful to take warm baths, walk more often in the fresh air and do exercises every morning.
2. Medications. Currently, the pharmacy sells a huge number of drugs that will help your baby cope with colic. One of the popular remedies is fennel tea. It tastes good and is healthy.
3. Traditional methods. A good and proven method is to take a decoction of dill seeds. You can also give water with chamomile. The concentration of herbal tea should be minimal.

When babies' colic goes away, a smile appears on their face, they play and fall asleep very quickly.

How can you tell if the spasms have stopped?

It is very difficult to determine exactly at what age a baby’s abdominal cramps end, because they are replaced by anxiety due to the appearance of teeth. You can tell when colic in newborns goes away by their good mood, which lasts quite a long time. If earlier in the evening he cried, now he smiles and plays more.

Parents of a newborn child must remember that colic in the stomach does not in any way affect the baby’s health. Just a few months will pass and you can forget about them. It is impossible to say exactly until what age colic in newborns will bother not only them, but also their parents. This is due to the reasons for their appearance, the state of the child’s health and other factors. But in most cases they go away after 3 months from the day of birth, in extreme cases they can last up to 6 months of life, but this happens very rarely. To make this time less tragic, you need to help the baby in every possible way, and then they will not cause serious problems to either the parents or the baby.

Treatment of increased gas formation in babies

Currently, there are many ways to relieve a child from painful sensations in the abdomen. Consult your local pediatrician about this issue. The doctor will prescribe suitable remedies that will not harm the little person’s health.

Many mothers ask the question of how long it takes for colic in newborns to go away after taking the medicine.

If you give your baby drops or syrups that act on the intestines and break down air bubbles, their effect begins approximately half an hour after administration.

You can also give the baby special teas that soften intestinal perils and gently remove gases from it. Such medications must be taken regularly for preventive purposes. In this case, the possibility of colic will be reduced to a minimum.

In some situations, pediatricians prescribe beneficial bacteria. In most cases, this is necessary for babies who are fed formula. It is worth noting that with this treatment, colic goes away much faster, as the microflora is established and digestion is improved.

In addition to the prescribed treatment, a woman must follow a proper diet. To do this, you should consult with a breastfeeding specialist or pediatrician on the topic of nutrition for a young mother.

When does colic start in babies?

Colic affects all newborns: some to a greater extent, some to a lesser extent. This once again proves that this phenomenon is natural and, if there are no other symptoms, absolutely safe (albeit unpleasant).

Usually, colic in a newborn appears in the first 2–3 weeks of life. At first, the attacks are relatively weak and pass quickly, but over time the colic intensifies and becomes more frequent.

The “peak” occurs at 6-7 weeks, and then the discomfort begins to gradually subside and disappears by about three months.

During the day, attacks of colic in newborns can occur repeatedly and in total last up to three (!) hours.

But it is worth considering that all babies develop differently, so this illness can begin (and, accordingly, end) at different times. For example, in babies born prematurely, colic begins several weeks later.

A light massage will help against colic: stroke the baby’s tummy clockwise

Question of duration

Colic in newborn babies should not cause concern to parents, as these are natural manifestations of the intrauterine period of development. The baby is adapting to new conditions. Colic is associated with increased gas formation in the intestines and partially resolves by 6 months.

How to understand that a child is crying from abdominal pain:

1. The child's condition is restless, but there is no reason for this.
2. If the baby presses his legs to his stomach, it means that the colic in the intestines is very strong and has a cutting nature.
3. Restlessness and sharp crying begin in the evening, despite the fact that the child behaved calmly during the day.
4. The child periodically releases gases.
5. Crying and restlessness begin after feeding.

Green stool indicates unsuitable formula feeding.

What causes gas formation in a baby? During feeding, the baby may swallow excess air. This promotes the formation of gases. The mother should familiarize herself with the technique of proper feeding of the baby in order to alleviate his condition.

When bottle-feeding, it is important to keep the bottle in the correct position. The mixture should completely cover the bottom of the nipple when feeding so that the baby does not swallow air.

If the child cannot handle the entire portion of milk at one time, he should be fed more often, but in small portions. Overfeeding causes regurgitation of excess milk and formation of gas.

It also happens that the baby’s body does not accept certain mixtures; a doctor should help in this matter.

If the child is breastfed, then the functioning of the baby's intestines directly depends on the mother's nutrition. A woman should try to exclude from her diet foods that contribute to gas formation.

Children of smoking mothers most often suffer from intestinal colic. Foods that a nursing woman should avoid:

• cabbage,
• corn,
• legumes,
• cow's milk,
• nuts,
• spicy dishes,
• grape,
• coffee,
• carbonated drinks,
• sugar,
• cakes.

Causes

Before answering how long colic will last and at what age it will disappear, it is necessary to establish the causes.

Initially, you need to take into account that the child was only recently born, because his digestive system has not fully adapted to unfamiliar conditions.

• Colic appears due to an immature digestive system. In infancy, the stomach only gets used to breast milk or formula and does not produce enough enzymes to process them. As a result, new products can irritate the gastric mucosa, causing the baby to suffer from colic.
• Excess air. Air entering the baby's intestines during crying or feeding. They can enter the newborn’s digestive system when, during feeding, he grasps only the nipple, without covering the areola.
• Allergic reaction. When the mother does not have enough milk or it is not nutritious enough and the newborn is additionally fed formula or milk, the baby develops an allergic reaction to this product. Infant formula causes allergies in the baby. During this period, there is diarrhea and bloating in the abdomen. In such a situation, it is necessary to change the baby food.
• Swallowing air during feeding. Many young mothers make the mistake of not allowing their baby to burp after feeding. This process is extremely important, since during belching, excess air is released from the gastrointestinal tract, a large amount of which leads to increased formation of gases and bloating.
• Binge eating. You should not overfeed a newborn, as his digestive system is not fully formed and is not able to digest a significant amount of food.

Excess unprocessed food stagnates inside the stomach, after which fermentation processes begin, which is why the child suffers from colic.

Naturally, women begin to panic when their baby is suffering and crying, but you need to understand that colic in newborns is a normal process, and not any pathology. This is how the baby’s digestive system reacts to new food.

What to do if a newborn has colic?

How to help a baby? Lying on your stomach is very soothing to your intestines. Babies usually like this position. After feeding, the baby should be held in an upright position until he burps. Thus, excess air is released from the stomach.

When a child has severe colic, you can calm him down in the old known way by ironing a diaper and applying it to his tummy. The diaper should not burn the skin.

The same manipulation with a diaper can be done in a different way. The mother can lie on her back, placing a warm diaper on her stomach, and place the baby on it. In this position, the child calms down very quickly, since lying on his tummy, the baby becomes both warm and comfortable, seeing his mother’s face.

Light, clockwise circular movements around the navel with warm hands help remove gases from the intestines in children. Hold your baby's tummy close to you. Try to keep your baby warm, as hypothermia can also cause abdominal cramps. The baby is sensitive to temperature changes, and since at this age he is often changed clothes, hypothermia can occur. Don't leave your diaper too full for too long for the same reason.

Dill water helps babies naturally expel excess gases. It should be given before meals, the dosage corresponds to the age of the child.

At the pharmacy you can buy tea with the addition of fennel, designed for the age of your baby. Choose the appropriate formula for feeding.

Contact your doctor if none of the above measures help. Usually by 6 months, when the baby’s stomach becomes sufficiently developed, gas formation will decrease and will occur within normal limits.

What is strictly forbidden to do? A newborn baby should not do the following on his or her own at home:

• enema - the procedure should be prescribed by a pediatrician strictly under supervision;
• give medications without a doctor's prescription;
• do various manipulations with the rectum;
• use traditional medicine;
• Under no circumstances should you shout at the child, as nervousness will only make the child’s colic worse.

If the baby spits up infrequently, gains weight normally and feels well, there should be no cause for concern.

A newborn baby has a short esophagus, the volume of the stomach is up to 30 ml, the location of the stomach is horizontal, the sphincter (valve) on the side of the esophagus is poorly developed.

Therefore, milk, once in the stomach, easily comes back out, causing belching. If the baby has a tendency to regurgitate, follow the known rules and make sure that the baby does not burp while lying on his back, otherwise milk may enter the respiratory tract, and this is dangerous due to suffocation if the baby is not helped in time.

When is medical help needed?

Concerns should be caused by the child's weight loss, endless regurgitation, as the child will remain hungry, refusal to eat, diarrhea (constant loose stools), the presence of blood in the vomit or in the bowel movements. In such cases, you need to urgently call your local pediatrician or call an ambulance. Never prepare formula for your baby by eye. If you are breastfeeding, try not to put your baby to your breast when you are nervous - this can cause intestinal cramps in your baby. Breasts are very sensitive to their mother’s well-being.

Complementary foods can be introduced after 5-6 months. At this point, the stomach is able to accept other foods. If a woman has enough milk, then it is better not to wean the baby from the breast. Breast milk supports healthy microflora in the baby's intestines.