So, if you don't want to be stressed over colic comprehend this:
What is Baby Colic? Ok colic really has nothing to do with baby tummy. Somebody 100 years ago thought so and named this phenomenon this way. But actually, colic is not physical, but emotional state. It is a state when baby cry for no apparent reason. I knew this when noticed that my baby boy - and yes, apparently boys have heavier colics than girls - was having colic outside of food pattern. Colic always starts at the same time of the day, usually in the evening. In our case it started at around 8 pm. Colic usually lasts upto 4 hours. In our case it was always over by 11 pm. But get this, our boy didn't always ate at 7 or 7:30, his eating schedule varied in the first 3 months. He would start crying at 8 and keep crying till 11.
Why Baby Colic Happens? I think it happens because babies become more aware of outside surroundings and more aware of when is day and when is night. They start developing a routine before long sleep. My mother instinct says that they also need to develop their lungs and yell for a bit. Remember they don't yet talk or do anything physical, they need a way of exercising their vocals and breathing. You will notice that your baby does not actually cry (with tears), your baby actually just yells. He does not turn purple (when there is pain they often do) and the facial features don't contract in the same way as when they are in pain. But often after this exercise they are sweaty.
How to Deal with Colic? Once you realize that there is no pain involved, just really a bad mood or need to exercise you will automatically have easier time dealing with it. No need to start giving your child medicine or try to feed him if he just ate. No need to give him any gripe water or massage his tummy going crazy. What you can do is just be there with your baby and near your baby to help him realize that you are helping him. If you can't take it any longer you can leave the room as long as it's not dark. I was literally doing my things near him while he was yelling. A wonder happened when we got him an automatic swing. His yelling time was cut in a half and he fell asleep faster. When we got a swing, he was already 6 weeks old, so that could have coincided with the colic going away naturally. But if you plan to get a swing, get it earlier than later, you will get a good use of it from first days.
