Baby's got colic and you can't cope

As any new parent will tell you, there's almost nothing more unnerving than a crying baby. Worse still -- an infant who won't stop crying no matter what you do. If your baby fits this bill, it could signify that dreaded C-word: colic.

Colic is common, affecting about one in five babies. It’s a condition characterised by inconsolable crying and fretfulness for hours at a time -- sometimes round-the-clock but usually at the same time of day, typically in the late afternoon or evening. These babies often have excessive wind and may repeatedly pull their knees to their stomachs and clench their fists in distress. 

The causes of colic still largely remain a mystery, although the most common theories are that colicky babies either have an immature digestive tract or nervous system, or that their temperaments make them prone to overstimulation or less able to pacify themselves. There is no definitive test or X-ray doctors can use to diagnose colic in infants.

Time is the cure

The positive news is that if it's just colic -- which usually surfaces at the age of two to four weeks -- your baby isn't in any physical danger, and the remedy is relatively simple: wait it out. Thankfully, there's no evidence that colic is a sign of chronic illness to come, or that having one colicky baby increases your risk of having another.

"Colic is usually associated with a normal, healthy growing child," says paediatrician Dr Rob Squires. Colic typically disappears by the age of three or four months, but unfortunately there's no cure. Doctors say that while certain measures may offer some relief some of the time, a sudden, miraculous cure probably means your baby was ready to outgrow the condition on his own anyway.

Keep a log

The lack of a cure doesn't mean parents should ignore a baby's distress. If crying persists after you make the obvious checks -- dirty nappy? hungry? thirsty? -- check with your doctor, who'll want to rule out any underlying medical conditions, such as infection or gastro-oesophageal reflux (similar to adult heartburn).

Keep a log detailing your baby's fretful times to help determine what, if anything, seems to trigger or relieve the discomfort. If you're a nursing mum, it may help to remove dairy products from your diet to determine if this helps as sometimes a baby may have developed a short-term intolerance to proteins found in cow’s milk. Milk and soya formulas may also upset infant tummies, in which case a predigested hypoallergenic type formula may help; some babies may benefit from the addition of lactase drops to breast or bottle milk. Simeticone drops can be added to a baby’s bottle or breast milk before a feed to help release trapped air bubbles in the baby’s digestive system.

If the verdict is colic, try to keep your cool -- even if the only way you can do that is by silently walking the floor with your screaming baby fastened securely in a baby sling. Crying is one of the few ways a baby can communicate, and your responses reassure your infant that you're listening.

If a baby is crying excessively but has no discernible medical or physical problem, studies have shown that paying attention to your baby rather than ignoring him can help reduce the period of crying each day by as much as 30% to 40%.