Baby Colic – When Is The Right Time to Seek Medical Help?

However frustrating and stressful baby colic may appear to be, it is not usually regarded as a major concern by pediatricians. In fact, the majority of parents will simply be advised to do their best to cope with the situation until it disappears of its own accord.

Nonetheless, even though you think your baby is crying because of colic or colic like symptoms you should contact the baby's doctor for a second opinion if any of the following signs appear.

• A loss of appetite or lack of interest at feeding time. This may be an indication of digestive problems
• Bowel changes and in particular diarrhea. This is often caused by dehydration and can be dangerous, and on occasion, fatal in babies and small children
• Fever can cause brain damage of a permanent nature so a high temperature accompanied with crying requires the baby to be examined by a doctor
• Vomiting is another cause of dehydration and is often a sign of infection
• Rashes are usually indicative of an allergy of some description
• A change in breathing can mean your baby is suffering with an allergy and this can be particularly dangerous amongst young children and babies

All baby crying should not simply be put down to colic even if your baby has already been diagnosed as colic suffering in the past. Any unusual crying sessions which don’t appear to fit in with the typical crying pattern of your baby or small child should be assessed individually and medical help needs to be sought as soon as possible especially when crying is accompanied by any of the above mentioned symptoms.

The baby is not the only one to suffer when experiencing colic. More often than not the parents or those looking after the baby become exhausted from lack of sleep and this is when other more serious symptoms are sometimes overlooked. For this reason it is essential to keep a close eye on what you assume to be your baby's colic to ensure no other more serious conditions are affecting your child. The rule of thumb is to always consult your baby's doctor if you think there are other symptoms present.

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