Colic is excessive crying of 3 hours or more. Diagnosing the cause is difficult because the baby cannot tell you what is wrong. A pediatrician needs to examine the baby and rule things out. If the baby breastfed, it may something in the mothers diet could be affecting the child. If the baby is formula fed, the formula may need to be changed. Doctors have also learned that the crying itself may be causing gas because they swallow air as they swallow when crying. Maybe the baby is not being burped enough. It's hard to diagnose because it could be one of many things. The consequences of not having the problem diagnosed quickly and correctly is that the baby continues to suffer. The excess crying can be very hard on the parents as well. It can also increase the possibility of postpartum depression in the mother.
