Causes of neonatal colic

A pregnant mother goes through ten months of hardship before giving birth to a baby. This process is great and difficult, but in the eyes of the mother, all these efforts are worth it. Newborns are relatively fragile, and their organs are not fully developed, especially the digestive system. When problems occur in the intestines, they are often accompanied by severe pain. Newborns cannot speak and can only cry. This is the time for parents to detect problems in time and seek medical treatment in time.

Colic: It means “the doctor doesn’t know why the baby is crying and difficult to comfort.” In fact, to put it bluntly, people just have stomachaches but cannot express it, and doctors cannot explain why, so they came up with the medical term "intestinal colic".

Symptoms of Baby Colic If your baby is always crying, he may have colic. Colic is not actually a disease, but a word used to describe a healthy baby who cries uncontrollably.

If your baby is less than 5 months old and cries for more than 3 hours at a stretch 3 days a week for at least 3 weeks, and there is nothing physically wrong with him, he probably has colic.

There are many causes of "intestinal colic":

1. Caused by eating too much foremilk. Some babies eat too fast and their mothers switch breasts too frequently, causing the baby to only get too much foremilk. Foremilk is rich in lactose. The amount of lactose consumed exceeds the baby's intestinal digestion capacity. The excess lactose that cannot be digested ferments in the stomach and produces gas, which causes bloating. Some babies may have green stools (note: this is one of the many reasons for green stools but it is definitely not some bullshit "hunger diarrhea") and stools with a lot of foam (a product of incomplete sugar metabolism). At the same time, this kind of stool will also irritate the anus to cause redness and even rash. The way to deal with colic caused by this reason is to not change sides for feeding too frequently. It is generally recommended to feed on one side for 15 to 20 minutes before switching to the other side.

2. Caused by swallowing air during feeding.

When the milk comes, the baby swallows big gulps and inhales air, or the baby does not latch tightly to the breast and inhales air, causing bloating. —How to deal with it: burp, hold the baby in an airplane position, and help with exhalation.

3. Caused by foreign protein.

Foreign proteins in breast milk can also cause colic, so mothers should also pay attention to their baby’s reactions when eating dairy products.

4. Immature neurological development. Before 4 months old, the intestinal nerves of infants are immature, and intestinal peristalsis is irregular. The intestines are prone to move too fast or get tangled, causing cramps and pain. (I personally think that children only have the experience of urinating in the stomach and have no experience of defecation. After coming out, they need to digest and excrete by themselves. The feeling of intestinal peristalsis is very unfamiliar to them. Maybe they will be a little scared even if it doesn’t hurt.) - Response: Parents should stay calm and wait patiently for their children to mature. 5. Overfeeding. Especially for bottle-fed babies, whether they are fed with formula or breast milk, many are overfed. It is common to see babies being fed more than 120 ml of food during the confinement period. They suffer from indigestion and stomach pain, but they still have to continue being fed. It is really pitiful. New parents should especially keep in mind the baby's stomach capacity