‘’Colic is like the never-ending party guest who just won’t leave.’’

Infant Colic- Recognize and Treat

Infantile colic is defined as an infant crying inconsolably for more than three hours per day, more than three days per week, for longer than three weeks. It affects approximately 10% to 40% of all infants, peaks around the age of six weeks and resolving by 3 to 6 months of age. It happens equally in male or females and is not affected by type of feed, time of delivery or socioeconomic status (JEREMY D. JOHNSON, 2015 ).

The causes of colic are a wide spectrum of issues that can provide a direction to which the healthcare professional can work towards solving. Fecal microflora, intolerance to cow’s milk protein or lactose, gastrointestinal immaturity or inflammation, increased serotonin secretion, poor feeding technique, and maternal smoking or nicotine replacement therapy. These are a few causes of infantile colic.

 “Rule of three” diagnostic criteria for colic