Colic
Colic in the infant is common, with periods of crying and irritability and drawing up of the knees, often with the passage of large amounts of wind, usually in the middle of the night. It is thought possibly to be due to disordered contraction of the bowel (so not unlike irritable bowel syndrome in older people) but other tubes that contract - the ureter from the kidney to the bladder, the bile duct, may also be involved. Called ‘three month colic’ because it’s supposed to resolve at the age of three months, many exhausted parents feel cheated when, in fact, it doesn’t, but goes on much longer. The interaction of exhausted parent and inconsolable infant exacerbates the situation: the infant senses the anxiety, and, feeling frightened, screams the louder. Some babies settle swiftly if supported on their stomach rather than their back while being rocked, some respond to anti-colic drops with feed, some to a change in milk formula. Some (and the parents) to a break from each other for a night or two.
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