How Long Does Colic Last?

Having a baby is one of the most rewarding things that we could ever experience in our lives. Taking care of this fragile but adorable individual is something that all of us, especially the parents would definitely want to do. However, caring for a baby also entails a lot of responsibility and patience. This is the reason why some of us would always refer this experience similar to a full time job. Every time babies cry, we should always attend to their needs just to satisfy their wants. But what happens if the babies won’t stop crying at all? If this condition occurs, then we might be facing one of the most common problems among newborns – colic. What is colic and how long does colic last?

Colic, which is also known as baby colic, three month colic, infantile colic or infant colic, is a type of condition wherein the baby exhibits long periods of crying and screaming without any clear reason at all. This problem usually occurs within the first two weeks post delivery of the baby and would eventually disappear. Some say that babies who are bottle fed are more prone to having this kind of condition compared to breastfed infants, but if truth be told, both types of feeding are still affected equally by colic. Colic usually happens in a specific time or period of the day, but it is commonly experience by infants during the early hours of the evening (or the “witching hour”). But how long will colic disappear?

The duration of this condition would usually last on a case to case basis. However, a lot of experts say that colic would usually disappear before the baby would reach three to four months of age. There are also babies with colic that disappears almost instantly. Others can even have this condition for as long as 12 months. In short, the duration of this condition is also as vague as its primary cause. Nevertheless, doctors would usually relate colic with excessive gulping of air and/or an immature development of the nervous system. This is because most infants who experience colic are those who were born prematurely. Nonetheless, it is very obvious that these infants do experience discomforts or pain since they very uneasy and they have no ways in expressing the situation or condition, but to scream and cry.

This is why all couples should be prepared physically, emotionally, mentally and even spiritually before deciding of having a baby in their lives. This is because babies are also humans, and just like any other human being, babies are also prone to having problems and difficulties. Now that we know what colic is and its expected duration, we can also see why it is important for all of us to have patience and responsibility.