The appearance of intestinal colic in a very small, recently born baby, usually scares young parents a lot. And they can be understood, because intestinal colic, which is usually observed in infants who have not yet reached the age of four months, is accompanied not only by slight bloating of the child’s tummy, but also by severe pain that causes strong cries in the child. At the same time, many babies have a reddened face, they become restless and capricious. And such attacks of intestinal colic in many children appear quite often, and only the discharge of feces or gases brings significant relief to the baby. But parents are also able to help their heir – they must know how to eliminate intestinal colic in newborns.
First of all, young parents should remember the methods, the effectiveness of which is beyond doubt. So, with colic, you can warm the baby’s tummy by putting a warm diaper on it, preheated with an iron. Sometimes even a warm mother’s hand placed on the tummy helps to eliminate an attack of intestinal colic in newborns.
Mom or dad can not only keep their warm hand on the belly of their heir, but also do a little massage – stroke the tummy clockwise. Such movements also often help relieve pain from colic.
An excellent prevention of colic in newborns is to lay the baby on the tummy before eating. At the same time, the gases accumulated in the intestines of the child will easily leave, and will not cause him concern.
You can eliminate colic in a child if you regularly do simple gymnastics with him – you need to bend the baby’s legs at the knees, then press them to the stomach and spread them apart.
To avoid intestinal colic, mothers need to monitor how the baby takes the breast when feeding. If a child takes the breast incorrectly during feeding, then he will also swallow air, which will subsequently cause him an exacerbation of pain in the intestines.
After each feeding, it is recommended to hold the baby vertically for several minutes or, as our grandmothers used to say, “column”. In this position, excess air can easily be expelled from the body. As a rule, children spit up at this time – this is not necessary to be afraid, this is a normal phenomenon.
In the case when the newborn is breastfed naturally, it is better for the nursing mother to limit the use of certain foods. So, it is advisable for her to temporarily give up fresh and sauerkraut, fresh cucumbers, fresh bread, legumes, milk, caffeine, chocolate, grapes, bananas, mushrooms, watermelon, apples and kvass.
If your baby is formula-fed, then in order to reduce the number of attacks of intestinal colic, you need to choose special formulas for feeding, designed for children with increased gas formation. As a rule, they are prepared on a soy basis and do not have iron. Your child’s pediatrician can help you make the right choice of formula.
When intestinal colic occurs, it is better to take the baby in your arms or hug you – tactile contact with mom or dad will calm the baby and reduce pain.
To eliminate colic, it is recommended to give the newborn baby teas with dill or fennel. Dill water, which can be purchased at a pharmacy, also helps a lot. Teas based on fennel or dill can not only be given to a baby to drink – a nursing mother can also drink them.
In recent years, with severe intestinal colic in newborns, special pharmaceutical preparations have been used, which, of course, should only be prescribed by a doctor.
