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| Colic & Your Baby - Colic Articles | |||||
Page 2 of 3 Hormonal Disturbances That Affect Colic Progesterone just happens to be one of the hormones that can have calming and sleep-inducing effects. A baby receives progesterone from the placenta at birth but the soothing effect from it generally wears off in about a week or two and it is also suggested that colic occurs if the infant does not produce enough progesterone on his own. In general, the studies surrounding this are mixed at best but they do indicate colic occurs less in breastfed infants because breastfed babies receive higher levels of progesterone. Prostaglandin; which is a hormone that causes strong contractions of the intestinal muscle, has also been thought of as a culprit in colic. One study even showed the infants develop colicky symptoms when they were given prostaglandin therapeutically to treat their heart disease. Colic occurs at an age and stage of an infant's life when he can do nothing at all to ensure his own comfort and amusement. It is the time when they are almost totally dependent on their caregivers for any type of stimulation at all. Is it possible colic begins to subside at around three months of age because that is when babies can finally see clearly and can begin doing things on their own that they may find soothing, such as finger sucking, eye contact, and waving their arms and legs around, which I think is so that the baby can release stress? At around three months of age most babies also develop a higher central nervous system maturity. More Possible Causes of Colic There are a great deal of studies performed today that suggest that there is any real evidence that in colic incidence between breastfed and formula fed babies, however breastfeeding mothers often seem to exhibit better abilities to deal with their colicky baby. Because studies think that cow’s milk may be causing colic, your doctor may choose to substitute a soy formula for regular baby formulas, but I should tell you that even soy based formula can cause colic. Approximately 35% of infants who are allergic to cow's milk-based formulas will also be allergic to soy milk-based formulas. The reason for this is because a more recent discovery is that cow's milk allergens may enter the milk of a breastfeeding mother and irritate the baby's intestines, which result in colic. In this case trying out a dairy-free diet all together may be the best thing to do. Ear Infections Ear infections can also trigger colic in some babies. Some of the signs that your baby may have an ear infection are: baby seems to be in pain when they are lying down, but not while they are sitting up; he has cold symptoms such as a runny nose, draining eyes, and small fever; and he is not sleeping well. A thorough examination of your baby's ears should be part of a colic checkup. Pediatric Regurgitation Syndrome This condition is also called gastrointestinal reflux or in more severe cases Gastroesophageal Reflux (GERD). PRS is actually a recent discovery as a medical cause of colic. Normally when food goes down your baby's throat and into his stomach, what happens is that the stomach will contract and push whatever is already in there down into the intestines. In some babies this does not work properly, so when the stomach contract, some of the food is actually pushed back up into the esophagus and in some cases even out of the mouth. Along with the food that comes up irritating stomach acids, which may irritate the esophagus and cause heartburn. Signs that reflux may be contributing to colic are: spitting up after eating frequently; colicky episodes that occur shortly after eating; often waking up at night as if in severe pain; and colic that is just not going away. The proper diagnosis of reflux is generally expensive, and often requires x-rays and the insertion of a tube down the baby's esophagus to measure his stomach acids. |
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