1 The essence of the

problem Colic in the abdomen of a newborn baby is the reaction of its intestine to food in the form of a pain syndrome. Most often this phenomenon is a normal physiological process of adaptation of the infant's gastrointestinal system to the realities of life. In young children, the digestive organs can not yet work in full measure, which is facilitated by an imperfect enzyme system, the lack of a balanced intestinal microflora, and the low motor capacity of the intestine. The processes of digestion and absorption of even such easily digestible foods as mother's milk are not fully formed.

These imperfections in the body of newborns lead to the fact that in their intestines the process of fermentation and gassing is actively proceeding. It is this process that causes pain in the infant, which is usually called intestinal colic. The first manifestations of colic, usually, are peculiar to the baby 10-30 days after birth. By the age of 3-4 months, such phenomena already occur much less frequently, or even disappear altogether.

Absolute majority of cases of colic occur in completely healthy children with good appetite and normal development. Most often this is a natural reaction that will not harm the baby. At the same time, in order that he does not suffer even for a short time, we must decide how to help the newborn at home, without resorting to the help of a doctor. Along with this, this phenomenon should be treated with all seriousness, because in rare cases colic becomes a symptom of the pathological process, and in such cases it is necessary to carry out treatment.

2 How to recognize symptoms?

A small child can not say that he hurts. The task of parents to learn about colic in the abdomen from the indirect manifestations and behavior of the baby. Identify intestinal colic symptoms such as:

1. Continuous and intense crying, which does not stop with the usual measures of calm( swinging, caressing, etc.).This symptom is most pronounced in the first month of the child's life.
2. The most common phenomenon is observed in the evening.
3. Nerve pressing of the knees against the tummy.
4. Swelling and tension of the abdomen, it is tight to the touch.
5. The baby grasps and groans, because of what can spit up.
6. Redness of the face.
7. Colic can be accompanied by constipation or, conversely, a loose stool with greenish mucus.
8. The most characteristic behavior: the baby arches the body, knocks with his feet and hands, which indicates the presence of pain syndrome.

The child, as a rule, refuses to eat food, but if he managed to persuade to kiss his chest, then during the feeding loud cries are heard. Colic, by itself, is accompanied by intestinal spasms, and feeding stimulates its contraction, which increases pain by the end of the process. Swallowing air when croaked leads to an intense eructation, and sometimes to vomiting.

There is a very simple method that, with a fairly high probability, can reveal the presence of colic in a newborn. To do this, it is enough to take the child in his arms, press him to him, start talking in a soothing voice and caress. Calm the child with colic by this method will not succeed, and he will on the contrary strengthen the crying.

3 What causes this phenomenon?

Before deciding how to help a child with colic, it is necessary to try to understand the causes, their provoking, and try to eliminate them. If you suspect a pathological condition, you should immediately consult a doctor.

The following causes can cause an unpleasant anomaly:

1. Infringement of rules of feeding of the infant: incorrect posture, ingestion of a large amount of air, distraction during feeding.
2. Excessive volume of food, i.e.overfeeding.
3. The emotional state of a nursing woman and her bad habits( smoking, alcohol);
4. Incorrect bottle position when breastfeeding. It should be located at an angle of not more than 45 degrees.
5. Improper mix or improper complementary feeding.

As common causes are such anomalies as dysbacteriosis, individual lactose intolerance, gastroesophageal reflux, increased sensitivity of the child to external influences. The reaction of the baby's organism largely depends on the diet of the nursing woman, since the composition of breast milk can change under the influence of consumed food. The most provocative products can be considered the following: cabbage, corn, onions, tomatoes, nuts, coffee and products with caffeine, sour-milk products, spicy seasonings, carbonated drinks, marinades and pickles.

4 What can I do at home?

When a child is tortured, any woman tries to do everything possible to quickly help the baby with colic. Of course, to give the baby any medications can only be prescribed by the pediatrician, but you can take some measures at home without going to the doctor. The question how to calm a child can be solved by such methods:

1. A light tummy massage helps, but not earlier than 14-17 minutes after feeding. Massage is done by lightly moving the fingers of the fingers clockwise. The effect of massage can be increased if it is carried out after installing a warm warmer on the tummy for 5-6 minutes.
2. Gymnastic exercises: with effort the legs are pressed with the knees to the tummy.
3. When torn from the chest, give the baby a vertical position for 12-16 minutes so that the air can freely exit.
4. The toddler should be laid on his tummy as often as possible. In such a position, stroking the sides of the pelvic bone towards the waist helps.
5. With a very intense manifestation of colic, it is possible with great care to use a gas outlet tube.
6. It is necessary to provide the most soothing conditions: wearing on hands;putting the baby on him so that his bare tummy rests against the mother's abdomen;motion sickness on hands or in a stroller;providing unobtrusive monotonous, soothing sound( buzzing, light music, water bubbling, etc.).
7. When developing attacks of colic, it is recommended that infants breast-feed the expressed milk from a bottle with a pacifier.

It should be remembered that infant colic is very often due to the mother's diet.

If a nursing woman will regularly drink tea with cumin, melissa, anise, fennel, then you can forget about childhood intestinal troubles.

Along with this, you should significantly limit the use of the following products: pasta, fresh vegetables, bananas, apples, grapes, yogurt, kefir, yeast bread, muffins, legumes, garlic, eggs, ice cream.

5 Effective means

Sometimes intestinal colic manifests itself intensively and for a long time. In such cases, you should consult a pediatrician who usually prescribes such medicines:

• probiotics( Linex, Lactobacterin, Bifidumbacterin forte, Probiophore, Bifilysis);
• medications on the basis of simethicone( Smekta, Bobotik, Espumizan, Sab Simplex);
• sedatives that can be given to newborns( Anvifen, Fenibut, Pantogam);
• medications for normalization of intestinal microflora( Acilactum, Biobakton, Probifor, Florin Forte, Bifikol);
• means regulating gassing( Milicon, Gaviscon);
• enzyme-based medicines( Creon, Lactazar).

Medications can quickly eliminate problems, but the risk of adverse events, taking into account the imperfection of the infant organism, is large enough that it requires their use only after examination by a pediatrician. Traditional medicine has long recommended safe formulations. Especially popular are such folk remedies:

1. Drink from fennel in the form of tincture: 2 tbsp.plants for 0.5 liters of boiling water with an infusion of 1-1.5 h.
2. Dill water: prepared from infusion( 1 tablespoon dill seeds per 200 ml of boiling water) - you can use ready-made pharmacy packaging.
3. Anise broth: 5 g anise seeds are poured in water( 200 ml) and cooked on low heat for 12-15 minutes.

Colic in infants, as a rule, do not conceal a great danger, but we must try to help the child, as soon as possible get rid of the problem. To do this, you can use simple advice or contact a pediatrician.