???? Find out how to talk to a pediatrician wherever you are: https://salute.santagostino.it/pediat... Dr. Viviana Barberis, pediatrician at the Santagostino Medical Center, explains the origin of colic in newborns, how parents can recognize it and what they can do to alleviate this frequent discomfort in newborns. WHAT THEY ARE AND HOW TO RECOGNIZE THEM Gas colic in newborns is extremely frequent in the Italian population, it is present between 10% and 30% of children especially with an age of onset between 2 and 3 weeks and tends to disappear on its own between the third and fourth month. It is an extremely physiological and absolutely benign phenomenon that resolves itself, even if it creates a lot of panic in the family in the management of the parent-child relationship. It can appear more often towards the evening but in reality throughout the entire period of the day. According to a theory from the 1950s by the famous pediatrician Dr. Wessel we can talk about gas colic in newborns when the baby cries in pain with flexion-extension of the lower limbs (recurrent leg movements) for more than 3 hours a day more than 3 days a week more than three consecutive weeks. CAUSES What are the causes instead? Today it is thought that gas colic in newborns can be attributable to an alteration of the parent-child relationship and also to the adaptation of the gastrointestinal system, therefore of the intestine, to the extrauterine environment. REMEDIES What to do when faced with gas colic in our child? First of all, you can try to massage him face down, positioned on our forearm in a prone position. You can try to sing or hint at a tune from a song that he knows, this to calm him down and soothe him (newborns are very sensitive to the voice of their parents who they recognize well) perhaps trying to walk slowly to gently increase the sensation of rocking. You can also use swaddling, or swaddling the newborn, which has the function of mimicking the mother's womb and therefore the welcoming nature of the mother's womb. As a last resort, you can also use a rectal tube that must be lubricated and then transferred into the anus for a length no greater than 1.5-2 cm and from which you will then see the excess air mechanically come out. The pharmacy also comes to our aid: for years, simethicone has been used, the so-called "anti-colic" that facilitates the release of air accumulations in the tummy through expulsion in the form of small belches and flatulence, on the usefulness of which, however, there are still controversial studies especially regarding the use on newborns. There are also a series of natural remedies, such as herbal teas, one of which is fennel. However, it seems that the most evident impact on the resolution of the problem is through the use of probiotics because with the adaptation of the gastrointestinal system to the extrauterine environment, the intestinal bacterial flora changes and therefore an alteration of this part of our body is created such that the child suffers from abdominal pain. Probiotics would help to re-establish a balance and positively influence the intestinal ecosystem of the newborn. THE KEY WORD IS TRANQUILLITY The key word in the management of gas colic is tranquility. Even if it is not easy for a doctor and a parent, in fact it is difficult to manage a child who cries for 3 hours in a row with tranquility. It is necessary that in the construction of the parent-child relationship this term is always kept in mind. If we can be calm, we can also calm the child and therefore help him in going through what is simply a moment of growth, that is, a moment of development of his intestinal system. Subscribe to our YouTube channel: / salutesantagostino Subscribe to our newsletter: https://cmsantagostino.us1.list-manag... Read our content on: Website: https://www.cmsantagostino.it/ Santagostino Magazine: https://magazine.cmsantagostino.it/ Santagostino Psiche: https://psiche.cmsantagostino.it/ Follow us on our social media: Instagram: / centromedicosantagostino Facebook: / cmsantagostino Twitter: / cmsantagostino