Top Five Signs Of Colic

Does your baby cry more than you feel is normal? What is a "normal" amount of crying to be expected from a baby? Unfortunately, this is a million dollar question that truly can never be answered accurately. Every baby is different and unique, they will all need to work out their own emotions on their own doing as they age. Some, will simply cry more than others...period. However, if you truly feel as if your infant is having a tougher time than others with settling down and crying, then you can speak to your pediatrician for advise.

Top Symptoms To Look For:

Crying (at times nonstop for hours)

Fingers can be crossed

Twisting Legs

Bending tummies

Squirming

Appearing to tighten the body

When the baby seems to be experiencing the colic spells, they are going to be in quite a bit of pain unfortunately. It is cramping and spasms that occur within the abdomen. These attacks have a tendency to last anywhere from ten to twenty minutes. Even worse, the attacks can have the ability to continue happening again during the day and evening. Inside the stomach, the baby's intestines experience a contracting feeling in the intestines.

Some have a theory that the spasms come directly from the infant drinking milk, not just cow's milk, formula and breast milk as well. This does not happen with all babies, it does however effect around twenty five percent of infants around the world currently. If your baby cries for three hours per day without stopping, and they continue to do this for longer than one month, the pediatrician may disclose they do bode colic. It typically lasts until the child is six months of age, some extreme cases can go further than this time frame, but it is highly unlikely.

Remedies For Colic:

All parents want to rush in and help their baby when they are in such utter pain and agony. To help your baby, look into the many homeopathic remedies that are currently bringing relief to the babies. There is a Colic Calm Gripe Water product that has gotten excellent results and reviews from parents of colic babies. It has been noted to treat gas, acid reflux, hiccups, cramping and bloating in babies. You can simply give the product to the infant on occasion when they may need a boost of relief to stay regular. Do be cautious as some of these gripe water items on the shelves in stores can be supplements versus a healing product. If you feel your infant is having a reaction to these waters, contact your pediatrician at once, or at least the manufacturer of the product.

Why You Should NEVER Shake A Baby

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I'm sure you've heard it said that you should never shake a baby. I'm not mentioning this to say that you would ever do this on purpose, although there are parents who have. Unfortunately, it's not uncommon for a new parent to get frustrated and momentarily lose control, especially considering that many live on very little sleep! Also, you are probably not the only person who ever handles your baby; if you ever leave her with a sitter or you have other children in the home, there is a chance that your baby might be handled too roughly. The injuries that are usually called Shaken Baby Syndrome are more likely to be caused by someone violently shaking an infant to try to get him to stop crying than from normal rough play. It's important to know what can happen to a baby if s/he is shaken, if only so that you can tell if you're leaving her with the wrong person.

Shaken Baby Syndrome is a 'blanket' term to describe the type of head injuries that happen to babies who are violently shaken. It was first coined in 1972 when a Pittsburg, PA pediatrician began writing about the cases he'd seen of babies being shaken. Since then, it's been estimated that about 300 infant and young-child deaths occur per year as a result of shaking-related injuries.

The reason babies are hurt severely when shaken is because the neck muscles aren't well-developed enough to absorb any of the shock. This causes their heads to wobble back and forth too quickly, tearing blood vessels and causing the extremely-delicate brain tissue to bump up against the skull. A baby's brain bruises much more easily, leaving it open to more damage than an adult or older child might have. While it would make sense to think that more injuries come from more shakes, it only takes one to do lasting harm.

Injuries that can occur when a baby is shaken include:

• death
• permanent paralysis
• behavioral problems
• blindness or other visual impairment
• seizures
• damage to the neck and spine
• hearing impairments
• mental retardation
• coma

Babies that have been shaken tend to have problems focusing their eyes, uneven pupils, difficulty breathing, lethargy and a swollen 'soft spot', among other things. If you know or suspect that your baby has been shaken, get emergency medical help immediately. Some parents are afraid to tell the doctor what they know because they are afraid of what the doctor may think of them; please do not worry about that! Be sure to tell the doctor what you know, because otherwise they may waste precious time trying to find other causes for the baby's symptoms.

If you feel as though you have reached the end of your rope, take a step back to calm down and get some help. You are not alone! As for caregivers, be sure you know exactly what kind of person you are leaving your child with. Get a 'nanny cam' if you have any suspicion that your baby may be being mistreated while in someone else's care. It could literally save your baby's life.