How to get rid of colic in newborns

The digestive tract of a child who has recently been born is completely sterile. In the first year of life, the intestines are colonized by “good” microbes. They actively multiply, causing bloating and increased gas formation. Pediatricians consider colic a natural process that does not require medical treatment. And in order to make the baby feel better, mother is recommended to use unconventional methods.

Diet for colic

The body of the newborn in the first 3-4 months is very sensitive. Just one product that a nursing woman decided to pamper herself with can trigger another bout of meteorism. Until the infant is 4–6 months old, she is recommended not to use her mother:

• whole milk;
• cucumbers;
• beans and peas;
• carbonated drinks;
• white cabbage;
• raisins and grapes;
• pears;
• Bulgarian pepper.

Zucchini and carrots, cauliflower and prunes are useful. Fermented milk products such as natural yoghurt, cottage cheese, ryazhenka, hard cheese and kefir are recommended for nursing women in whom the intestinal microflora is disturbed due to pregnancy. The maternal organism will share digestive enzymes with the newborn, and babies will experience less colic.

Under artificial feeding, babies are given both regular and fermented milk in flatulence. Combined nutrition helps the intestines of the baby to produce enzymes to digest food. Peristalsis improves, and gases practically do not bother the baby.

In addition to the mother’s milk or mixture, the child should receive boiled water. At the age of 4-6 months, babies are given weak chamomile tea, which soothes and relieves spasms. But some crumbs such drinks are contraindicated, because of them the child has an allergy or increased flatulence.

When dehydration or lack of fluid slows down the digestive processes, the intestine becomes more difficult to process milk. Food stagnates and wanders, gas bubbles are formed,and the newborn's stomach is swollen and starts to hurt. First, babies give a tablespoon of boiled water. Gradually the amount of fluid increases.

Mom is also useful to drink non-carbonated water and herbal teas, if the last in the newborn is not allergic.

Warm from colic

The baby is crying because of cramps in the tummy. Babies who are younger than 3 months are not recommended to give medicine, dill water or to put candles. Medicines are replaced by warming up the intestines with warm diapers or towels.

High temperatures increase blood flow to the stomach, improving the work of the digestive organs. Heat clears spasms and promotes the release of gases. How to warm up the diaper? Lay in several layers and iron with a hot iron. Attach the fabric to the inside of the hand: if the skin is warm and pleasant, you can cover the newborn's tummy with a diaper. Left a red mark and tingling? Cool the fabric a little, and then apply, otherwise you can burn the delicate skin of the baby.

In winter, a terry towel or diaper is heated on batteries. Put a dry compress on the heater, leave for 10-15 minutes.When the tissue is warm enough, remove and place on the intestinal area.

The only drawback of a diaper compress is that it cools quickly. Mom has to constantly warm up the fabric, so neither she nor the child can relax and sleep.

An alternative to a diaper is a hot water bottle, which is filled not with water, but with salt or sand. Dry matter is heated in a pan, oven, or microwave. They fall asleep in a rubber casing and apply to the belly of a newborn, wrapping it with a towel.

There are also special hot-water bottles for babies with woolen covers. As a filler, manufacturers use cherry pits or barley husks. The material retains heat for a long time and is suitable even for babies with sensitive skin or a tendency to allergies. Warmers for newborns are heated in the microwave.

The stomach of a baby with flatulence is covered with a pillow or a bathrobe. Plus: such a compress retains heat for a long time, so newborns do not wake up in the middle of the night from another attack of spasms. Minus: a child who has a bowel ache is difficult to lie in one place and wait until the pillow heats up to a comfortable temperature.

Mom is the best sedative

Colic occurs due to increased gas. To remove cramps and pain, the baby is stripped, leaving only a diaper, and applied to his mom or dad with his stomach. The head of the newborn is placed on the right hand, and the upper and lower limbs are trying to dissolve as much as possible to the sides. The baby is stroked on the back and gently wiggled to soothe.

When the child presses the belly to the mother’s body, his intestines contract and the gases come out. The spasms disappear, and the baby, lulled by warmth and a familiar smell, calms down and quickly falls asleep.

It is possible to apply the newborn to the mother's or father's stomach at night, when the parents have no strength left for motion sickness and charging. If the method does not work, it is recommended to knead the intestines of the infant with careful movements. Slightly pressing, massage in a clockwise direction, and then several times hold your fingers from the stomach to the navel and slightly below. Circular movements will relax the muscles and guts, and the stomach will be cleared of gas.

Restless babies who do not want to lie on the mother, recommend to rock in the pose of an asterisk.Put the head on the elbow, the tummy on the forearm, and let the hands and feet of the baby hang on the sides. Hold the back of the newborn so that it does not fall, and gently rock it, singing a song or talking to the child in a half-whisper.

Mothers who are tired of hysterics and screams of infants, it is difficult to remain calm, but the baby should not be scolded for colic or physical force applied to him. Penalties only worsen the emotional well-being of the newborn, he is more nervous, and the spasms increase. A woman should give the baby to her dad or put him in a crib, go into another room for a few minutes, and when irritation and anger subside, return to the child. The calmer the mother, the faster the crumb will stop crying and fall asleep.

Colic exercises

With newborns it is useful to do exercises. Exercises stimulate intestinal peristalsis, preventing the formation of gases. But you should deal with the child before meals, when he is not disturbed by colic and cramps.

1. To undress the babies and put them back on a changing table or other hard surface.
2. To iron the tummy of a newborn with a palm bent in the shape of a ladle.Move from the esophagus to the navel, slightly pressing.
3. One hand massaging the tummy, and the second to raise the legs to facilitate the exit of gas. Repeat the movement 4-6 times, give the baby a little rest.
4. Feet lower and straighten, 5-10 second, stroke the thigh to relax the muscles.
5. Connect the knees and slowly lift to the navel. Heels slightly diluted to the sides.
6. Count down 10 seconds, gently return to the starting position.
7. Stretch your legs and rub them gently to disperse the blood and help your baby to relax.
8. Use your index fingers to draw a circle around the navel. One hand should move clockwise, and the other in the opposite direction. Repeat the exercise 5-6 times.

Thanks to the charge of the tummy relaxed, now you need to stroke the legs and arms of the baby to relieve tension in the muscles. If you repeat the exercises 3-4 times a day, the child will sleep more calmly, because the gases will go out, and not accumulate in the intestine.

With the next bout of meteorism, babies are recommended to lay their stomachs on a fitness ball, which is covered with a heated sheet. Baby roll up and down or right-left.The direction is chosen individually, depending on the reaction of the child and his intestines.

A child who blushes and grows out should be placed on a table with his back and raised his legs, and then gently press them to the tummy. Repeat 4–5 times until the gases start to discharge. With colic helps exercise "Bicycle". The lower limbs of a newborn are raised and bent at the knees, imitating a ride on a two-wheeled vehicle.

If heat and physical activity were not enough, the child is given medical or homeopathic medicines.

Folk and pharmaceutical means

The colic will pass if the baby is drunk with a decoction of dill or carrot seeds. The drink has a carminative effect and eliminates cramps. Infusion of yarrow or fennel, tea from dried chamomile will relieve meteorism.

Give the child no more than 10 ml of a homeopathic remedy at a time. If a rash appears after the decoction, the newborn is allergic to the herbal component. We'll have to treat colic with medication.

Pharmacies also sell gas tubes that help cleanse the intestines of feces and excess air, but not all children calmly tolerate such a procedure.A humane way to get rid of colic - a cotton swab dipped in massage or simple vegetable oil. The tip is inserted between the buttocks and smeared ass. Oil performs the function of a laxative and carminative agent.

Newborns with colic prescribed:

• Bifidum;
• Plantex;
• Baby calm;
• Espumizan;
• herbal teas with fennel;
• pharmacy dill water.

Colic in newborns pass at 5-6 months of life. If no methods and drugs help with flatulence, my mother can only endure this period. The intestines of the baby will learn to produce enzymes and digest milk, gases will stop accumulating and disturbing the baby, and the baby will sleep soundly all night.

Video: how to help a child with colic