Colic is a medical term for unexplained crying with no medical reason found. Babies with colic appear otherwise healthy, gaining weight and reaching their early developmental milestones.
It affects 1 in 5 babies and can begin from around 2 weeks postnatal and has usually subsided by around 3-4 months postnatal. Crying for most babies will peak around 1-3 months. Understanding and seeking medical advice is crucial as there are various reasons that can be attributed to this condition, including gut dysbiosis, allergies, tongue tie, excessive intake of air, or transient lactose intolerance. This could be either your health visitor or GP, who will undertake a full medical assessment for your baby to rule out any underlying causes for the colic and provide advice and care for your baby if there is a suspected underlying cause identified.
Colic is defined as crying for 3 hours a day or more, for 3 days a week or more for 3 weeks or more. A baby with colic will often have an arched back, bring their knees to their chest a lot, and they may also have red cheeks. Despite responding to your baby and trying everything to console them it can be difficult to stop the crying and settle your baby. Colic most commonly occurs in the evenings.
For some babies with colic there is a theory that there are lower levels of lactase within the gut, possibly due to an imbalance of gut bacteria (the microbiome) which contributes to colic. Colief Infant Drops contains a natural enzyme, lactase, which helps to break down the lactose in breast milk and infant formula into simpler sugars called galactose and glucose, reducing the discomfort for babies. The Cochrane review on dietary changes for treating infantile colic showed lactase drops are safe to use for babies. Colief Infant Drops is safe to use from birth and can be used every time you feed your baby either with expressed breastmilk or formula milk. Colief has been trusted by parents and healthcare professionals for over 20 years.