All babies have periods of fussiness. The average two week old baby will cry about 1 3/4 hours a day. A six week old will cry 2 3/4 hours. After six weeks, the duration of crying steadily decreases.
As a parent, you will develop an instinctive ability to “read” your baby’s cries. You will learn the “hungry” cry, the “tired” cry, the “pick me up I want to play” cry, and the “something hurts” cry. Some babies cry for lack of anything better to do.
THE AVERAGE TWO WEEK OLD BABY WILL CRY ABOUT 1 3/4 HOURS A DAY. A SIX WEEK OLD WILL CRY 2 3/4 HOURS A DAY. AFTER SIX WEEKS, THE DURATION OF CRYING STEADILY DECREASES.
The most common cause for the “something hurts” cry in the first few months of life is the baby’s normal sensitivity to his own gastrointestinal (“peristaltic”) contractions. The intensity of these contractions vary from baby to baby, with the result that some babies tend to grunt and whimper only on occasion, while other babies appear to be in almost constant pain.
Because bowel contractions, a necessary part of the digestive process, are responsible for the baby’s pain, most traditional remedies for this problem, while worth trying, often yield limited success: e.g. changing the mother’s diet, changing the formula, “colic drops”, chamomile tea, gripe water.
Some non-medical approaches to this problem: mild colic may be relieved by distraction such as carrying the baby, offering a pacifier, using an automatic rocker or the old fashioned rocking chair, taking a stroll, going for a ride in the car, taking a bath. Gentle warmth to the baby’s abdomen may help: use a warm water bottle or have the baby lie on your stomach.
If the baby is having constipation, relieving this problem will alleviate the intensity of the cramps. If the baby is experiencing spitting up/reflux follow appropriate measures to address the issue.
If your interventions fail, an office visit for a complete evaluation may be warranted.
