Osama Abdulhafez*

Pediatrician at Abuzinadah Hospital, Saudi Arabia

*Corresponding Author: Osama Abdulhafez, Pediatrician at Abuzinadah Hospital, Saudi Arabia.

Received: February 22, 2021; Published: May 24, 2021

Citation: Osama Abdulhafez. “Infantile Colic”. Acta Scientific Paediatrics 4.6 (2021): 67.

It is not uncommon for a pediatrician to receive many cases of colic, especially in the first three months of life and many of those doctors have come to know that it is not a serious problem and that they must convey this impression to the parents and advise them to relax and create a calm atmosphere around their baby, because he/she may be affected by their anxiety.

Colic for babies at this age is described as excessive crying poorly understood.

Several hypotheses have been put like:

• It is caused by dietary ingredient such as lactose and cow’s milk protein.
• Intestinal bacteria proliferate due to gastrointestinal motility problems and these bacteria secrete gases which stretch the intestinal loops causing pains.
• Experts attribute this to the immature intestine.
• The mother’s increased anxiety and desire for excessive protection may cause colic.

Clinical hints:

• Colic usually occurs in the afternoon and early evening, and also occurs after feeding. In the latter condition, replacing milk to formula less in lactose and prepared with bifidus will help.
• Colic usually begins with bouts of crying that may last for hours, the child appears agitated, the abdomen is bloated, the legs tucked, and the face became red.
• The colic ends with emission of gases and bowel movement.
• Many specialists diagnose colic as painful gastrointestinal disorder.
• In all cases, it is necessary to exclude pathological causes such as GERD. Esophagitis and acute diseases such as urinary tract infection, ear infection and hernia….

What should we tell parents:

• Do a light abdominal massage if there is distension.
• You may need to do simple things like shake the baby or take him in the air or in the car.
• Avoid feeding too much and too little.
• Do not smoke near the child.
• Take time to help baby to burp after feeding, or even while it is being fed.
• Make sure not to let the baby swallow air during feeding, which occurs when feeding is interrupted or teat is not suitable.
• Mothers who breastfeed their babies should avoid some foods known to cause fermentation such as broccoli, eggs and cabbage.

Copyright: © 2021 Osama Abdulhafez. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.