Colic is an extremely stressful condition for both the baby and her caretaker. While most infants are fussy, colic is much more severe than the occasional crying bout. The Mayo Clinic defines colic as crying for at least three hours per day, three days per week for a minimal period of three weeks. Your baby's colic may worsen if you breastfeed and also eat food or drink beverages containing caffeine.
Identification
Since most infants are fussy, it can be difficult to determine whether or not a baby has colic. Babies suffering from colic often cry at the same time of the day or night, according to the Mayo Clinic. Colic cries are often characterized by a flushed face, an intense pitch and a significant posture change such as clenches fists.
Causes
The exact cause of colic is unknown. However, caffeine in a breastfeeding mother's diet may worsen symptoms. According to FitPregnancy.com, too much caffeine causes babies to become fussy, agitated and makes it difficult for them to fall asleep. All of these side effects will worse colic symptoms.
Caffeine Amounts
According to BabyCenter.com, less than 1 percent of the caffeine a breastfeeding mother drinks ends up in breast milk. Therefore, small amounts of caffeine--up to 300 mg per day--are typically acceptable while breastfeeding. However, if a baby has colic, the mother may want to completely abstain from caffeine. The main sources of caffeine are coffee, tea, soda and energy drinks. Even decaffeinated versions of these products still contain small amounts of caffeine.
Treatment
Since the cause is unknown, there is no medical cure for colic, and trial and error is the best way to determine the cause of colic in an individual baby. The Mayo Clinic recommends recording each crying episode, how long it lasted and what soothing techniques were used. If breastfeeding, it's also a good idea to keep a food diary to see if there are any links between certain foods and crying episodes. In addition to caffeine, alcohol, dairy products and certain medications may also worsen colic symptoms, according to FitPregnancy.com.
Warning
Even though there is no cure for colic, it's still important to contact a health care provider at the onset of symptoms. A health care provider can run tests to rule out other potential medical problems. Since colic can be stressful, the provider can also give emotional support and suggest a variety of soothing techniques. Symptoms should improve by the time the baby is three months old.
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