Colic

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All babies cry, but when is it too much, and when is it colic? Crying is a normal primitive protective reflex that serves as an alarm to alert parents to a problem and to get their attention. However, infants who have colic cry excessively without an identifiable need. Such babies are difficult to console and provoke much parental anxiety. Sleep is interrupted for both infant and caregiver, and mothers experience increased risks of breastfeeding failure, postpartum depression, and marital conflict. When infants cry excessively, they are at a much greater risk of child abuse. Parents become desperate for resolution and accept advice and therapies from a wide variety of resources, including physicians, family, friends, the media, and the Internet. It is estimated that between 16% and 26% of all infants experience colic. Although colic occurs in all socioeconomic, racial, and ethnic groups with no sex preference, the cause remains …