What to do if a newborn has colic or purple crying

What is colic

Colic is a household term that explains why a newborn cries between the ages of two weeks and four months, if other reasons are already expelled. That is, he is full, dry, clean, well-rested and feels safe.

Colic obey rule of three:

• crying for more than three hours;
• more than three days a week;
• longer than three weeks.

No one knows exactly why babies have such a hard time during this period. Perhaps this is due to the immaturity of digestion, the characteristics of the nervous system and the exchange of biologically active substances in the blood (serotonin).

There is confusion with colic. So called and just periods of crying at a certain age, and situations where there is some reason: for example, the baby swallowed a lot of air, he needs to burp, and everything will pass; or he is lactose intolerant and needs enzymes to digest milk; or he is allergic to the mixture.

In the second case, you can and should intervene, go to the doctor, make a diagnosis, and not write everything off as "colic". In the first, everything will settle down by itself by four months.

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When the pediatrician sees no health reasons for crying, he speaksthat it is colic, and lets the parents wait. But the name itself looks like a diagnosis and is confusing. As a result, the mother goes to the Internet, finds all the stories about enzymes with gases and begins to save the child: insert the tube, give dill water, herbs and medicines, and she sits on a strict diet. The newborn is suffering, and the mother is also torturing herself, because she feels that she cannot help.

So now the colic has begun call episodes of purple crying to emphasize that this is not a state of health of a particular baby, but a period of development common to all.

Why is crying called purple

Not because the child literally turns blue (although that would explain a lot). Just for remembering his signs use mnemonic PURPLE (from English - purple):

• P - Peak of crying, or peak of crying. It falls on 2 months - at this time, crying is the loudest, demanding and inconsolable. Before that, it slowly increases, and after that it also slowly declines and stops by four months.
• U - Unexpected, that is, unexpected. Attacks begin and end from scratch, without any hints or signals at all;
• R - Resists soothing, or inconsolable. Parents go through all the circles of hell: motion sickness, jumping on a fitball, swaddling, bathing, tummy massage - and nothing works.
• P - Pain-like face: this means that the face looks like the child is in terrible pain, even if it is not.
• L - Long‑lasting, or long. Crying lasts from 30-40 minutes to several hours.
• E - Evening, that is, evening. This crying most often begins in the afternoon and may continue until late at night.

This abbreviation explains the condition of the baby is much better than the mysterious "colic".

How to understand that the child is all right and it's just purple crying

Purple crying is a diagnosis of exclusion. Children at this age have reasons to cry due to a health condition, so first you need to make sure that it’s not them. Pay watch out for warning signs:

• refuses to eat;
• eats less than usual;
• have vomiting or diarrhea;
• screams louder when picked up or touched;
• the scream sounds strange;
• breathing slower, faster, or with effort;
• more sleepy or lethargic than usual;
• temperature above 38 °C.

If you do not observe anything like this and regularly show the child to a pediatrician who monitors his condition and weight gain, then this is purple crying.

How to ease the period of purple crying

Violet crying will affect almost everyone in one way or another, and there is no cure for it. But you can do a little help to cope with it for a newborn:

• Make sure your child is healthy and eating enough. This will help the visits of the patronage nurse and routine examinations at the pediatrician.
• Try swaddling it lightly and pressing it against your chest. The pounding of the heart and some restriction of mobility will help the infant to remember pre-natal time, and this may comfort him.
• Use a sling or ergo carrier to keep your newborn close by and less tired.
• Turn off the light and go to bed with it. You can also try skin-to-skin contact.
• Play soft music, white noise, or sing to him lullaby.
• Go for a walk with the stroller: sometimes children fall asleep faster in the open air.
• Sit the child in a chaise longue so that he sways a little in it.
• If you have a car, then sit in a car seat and make a few circles around the house: the monotonous swaying is soothing.

Perhaps none of this will help. And so it happens too. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't try.

What won't help relieve colic

There are methods that won't helpso they don't need to be used.

Breastfeeding mother's diet

There is no evidence that special food will somehow improve the condition of the baby, but the restrictions will definitely worsen the mood and condition of the mother. So no need to drive yourself into the framework of buckwheat and boiled breast.

Herbal Supplements

Someone tries to brew herbs, for example, give water with fennel, dill or chamomile. It is better not to do this, so as not to run into an allergy. Besides solder the baby not worth it at all.

Medications

Medications include simethicone-based bloating medications, enzymes, and probiotics. You shouldn’t give them without a doctor’s prescription, but they still won’t help from purple crying.

Osteopathy, including craniosacral therapy

These are methods of influencing the spine and skull of an infant. They are often recommended by adherents alternative medicine, including to relieve colic. As expected, there is no reliable evidence of effectiveness - only rave reviews. At the same time, there are cases when, as a result of the intervention, infants perished.

It can be argued that the effect will depend on the skill of the osteopath. But non-traditional methods have no certification: you only know that a specialist is bad when he accidentally breaks a child’s neck. No need to take risks for the sake of treating a condition that will already pass in a few weeks.

What parents need to remember

When you can no longer name how many hours in a row you listen to the cries of your adored child, you yourself will want to cry. And that's okay.

These theses help you will not fall into despair.

Don't take tears personally

After three hours of unreasonable crying, it will seem to you that the baby hates you and blames you for all troubles, but this is not so. Don't take his tears as something personal. It’s just that at the moment he feels bad, and he can only say about it in one way.

It's temporary

This phrase should be repeated like a mantra all these weeks. No matter how bad it is now, it will pass, and the wait is not as long as it might seem. A whole life ahead, full of happy and joyful moments.

The calmer the mother, the calmer the child

The life of a newborn depends on the mother. If the mother is nervous, then the children notice it by the changed facial expression, breathing and heartbeat. The baby reads that something is wrong and begins to worry that he is in danger. And cry even louder.

Try taking deep breaths and distract yourself from negative thoughts. Yes, he cries, but in general he is fine. Everything's under control.

You don't have to deal with this alone

It may seem to new mothers that they have to do everything themselves, otherwise it will show that they are not coping. This is not so, it is not a shame to use the help. Involve everyone who is ready to be there: dad, grandparents, uncles and aunts, and even your friends.

You help your child even if he is still crying

We cannot alleviate his condition completely, so the baby will continue to cry. But that doesn't mean you can't help. For example, if you rock or hug, the child still feels it and it becomes easier for him, just not enough to shut up.

Enjoy Quiet Hours

The time in the morning when the newborn is calm and friendly should be used to have a positive parenting experience. Play, chat, kiss. These happy moments will help not so hard to experience bad moments.

Sleep with your baby

Many moms don't like this advice because baby's sleep is the time for household chores and living for yourself. But in the first weeks of a baby's life, this is the best tactic. So you can keep your body in a viable state and suffer less from sleep deprivation.

If anger sets in, let the child go

This is the main rule. Even a loving parent can get terribly angry when tired. At this point, the best thing to do is not to hold the baby in your arms. If there is someone nearby, then give him the baby, if not, put him in the crib and leave the room. You need to take a break to calm down.

Why is it important to talk about purple weeping

Because, not knowing about it, you can, due to extreme fatigue, lose your temper and start shaking the child so that he is silent. And this is very dangerous.

Shaking can lead to a serious brain injury called shaken baby syndrome. Because of this perish brain cells, the body does not receive enough oxygen, which can lead to irreversible damage. 25% of children are dying, and 80% of survivors remain with lifelong disabilities.

Moreover, the risk is increased not only in dysfunctional families, but also in young or single parents, in people who are depressed and in those who had unrealistic expectations about parenthood.