What are the main symptoms of the condition Colic and how is it normally treated?

Colic can be defined as a condition where a baby cries for longer than three hours every day for more than three days a week. It effects nearly 25% of all infants, usually appearing at around two to four weeks of age.

The main symptom of colic is obviously excessive crying. Not only will your baby cry morning, noon and night but she will cry for very long periods of time sometimes several hours. The other possible sign of colic is where a baby constantly pulls her legs up in the air when she cries.

Surprisingly, we still don’t why babies develop colic, although many health experts believe the pain may be caused by a difficulty to pass food through their underdeveloped gut. However, in recent years there has been a significant shift away from this thinking. Many doctors now suspect it may be linked to a baby's sensitive temperament and immature nervous system, which make her cry very easily and prevent her from stopping.

Colic cannot be fully cured although medicines can help relive the symptoms. Ask your GP for more information. It also sometimes helps to wind your baby regularly to help increase the flow of air through the gut.

Fortunately, colic usually only lasts for two or three months and very rarely occurs in babies over the age of four months. Colic will not harm your baby and there are no associated long-term effects of the condition.

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