What To Do If You Have Colic While Breastfeeding?
Colic while breastfeeding will cause your baby to make sudden and desperate cries.
The pain can be long-lasting and very severe. Because these are really painful cramps in the belly of your little darling. This occurs especially in the first twelve weeks of life. And they also represent a great challenge for the parents of the troubled infant.
Even today, colic while breastfeeding is a bit of a mystery for doctors. Because one has still not found an exact cause for it.
According to experts, around 15% of infants suffer from irregular abdominal cramps in the first three months of life. This phenomenon is also called three-month colic. In the process, the baby repeatedly cries inexplicably and excessively.
Such colic during breastfeeding tends to show up more in the evening. They generally last around three hours a day and begin around the third week of life.
They also occur three days a week (or more) and drag on for three months. This is why one speaks of the so-called “rule of three” to define such a three-month colic.
The baby suffers from intense and rapid intestinal cramps. These cause him severe pain.
When colic during breastfeeding, it often happens that the infant hyperextends the trunk backwards. The child also bends the arms and legs with increased muscle tension or pulls them over the stomach. In addition, it often clenches its fists and is very irritable. In addition, there is flatulence.
How does colic occur during breastfeeding?
According to research, colic is common in the first three months of life during breastfeeding (more than 40% of infants suffer from it). And as already mentioned, it is not yet known exactly what is causing this. But several factors can play a role.
Immaturity of the nervous system
In the first few weeks of life, the baby experiences a multitude of new stimuli. This can lead to overexcitability of the infant. Your little one is very sensitive to the new influences of the world.
Immaturity of the digestive tract
The baby may still be suffering from bowel adjustment disorders. Because the digestive system in babies is not yet fully developed. There may be severe belching. And that sometimes causes acute pain in the abdominal area.
Lactose intolerance
Children can suffer from lactose intolerance from birth. This means that they cannot tolerate the proteins that are in cow’s milk. Therefore, it is advisable to replace these with soy milk and other proteins.
This is how you can prevent your little one from suffering from colic while breastfeeding. However, you should definitely see your pediatrician for a correct diagnosis.
Mistakes in breastfeeding or feeding
Colic while breastfeeding can also be caused by certain mistakes in breastfeeding or feeding. This is to prevent your little one from getting food for many hours. And you have to make sure that when breastfeeding or feeding with the bottle, it does not swallow air while swallowing. The baby should also not drink too quickly.
Parents restless
More psychological factors can also have an influence on colic during breastfeeding. In this way, the nervousness or restlessness of the parents is easily passed on to the infant. This can lead to the newborn crying more often.
In any case, it is recommended that you as parents go to a pediatrician. Best to someone who specializes in colic while breastfeeding. Because only he can give advice and answers to your questions.
It can also help parents cope better with their own tension. Because in this way they can help their children better.
How do you know if your baby has colic while breastfeeding?
There are several signs that you can use to determine if your baby has colic. Here we introduce you to the most important symptoms:
- The child begins to show irritability, restlessness and discomfort.
- The baby’s stomach is also hardened at certain times of the day .
- In addition , the baby cannot be comforted with the usual methods.
- In addition, the child has severe gas.
- The symptoms appear at the same time every day, around 5 p.m.
- The baby screams and cries for a long time.
- In addition, the infant sleeps very lightly. And he often has trouble falling asleep.
How can you help your baby
We’ll show you some useful methods below. You can use it to alleviate the symptoms of colic while breastfeeding and so also calm your crying baby.
Warmth. For example, you can place a small hot water bottle, a heat pad or something similar on your little one’s stomach. This will reduce the pain and your baby will cry less.
Massages. If your child is showing signs of colic, you can try to relieve it with light massages. Make this gentle, circular motions clockwise from on the belly or the baby’s back. This will help you relieve the pressure.
Change of position. Changing your baby’s position frequently can lead to better bowel movements. It also helps reduce stomach acid. And the flatulence also goes back.
Music. The best thing to do is to put on the music that you heard a lot during pregnancy. While listening to music, hold your baby in your arms, very close to your chest, and rock it back and forth lightly.
This will make the little one feel safe and calm. And so it can relax more easily.
If you’ve tried all of this advice without success, then go for “Plan B”. Wait for the child to calm down and fall asleep on their own. Turn off the lights and bring about silence. And then take time for yourself.
Try to relax and calm down. Because this way you are relaxed and fit again when your little one wakes up. And then you can continue to lovingly take care of his well-being.
