Regulatory disorders

About one in ten babies cries excessively and violently in the first three months of life. Does the infant know one Regulatory disorder a lot of nerve strength, perseverance and inner peace of the parents are required in any case. An outdated term for this disorder is Three-month colic.

What are regulatory disorders?

Excessive screaming intensity occurs when the average age-appropriate screaming duration per day is significantly exceeded. In an infant this is around one to two hours within the first six weeks of life.
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Infants who cry unusually a lot and are difficult to calm down are colloquially referred to as "cry babies". Today's medical term for difficult behavior is Regulatory disorders.

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The expression Three-month colic is considered out of date. Originally it was assumed that air in the belly of infants caused abdominal pain and gas and that excessive crying was an expression of malaise. It is now known, however, that the air in the stomach is the result of screaming, during which the infant swallows a lot of air.

An infant is considered a crying baby if it cries unusually much for at least three days a week for more than three hours on at least three days and it is difficult to calm down. This condition must last for at least three weeks to be considered a regulatory disorder.

causes

Excessive crying is the result of a belated behavioral regulation of the infant. Babies have to learn to regulate their behavior appropriately in the respective, often interactive situation, for example when feeding, sleeping, the desire for attention or self-reassurance.

Crib babies have great difficulty assessing different situations correctly and reacting appropriately. In many cases, the parents are not "to blame" for the baby's regulatory disorder and they can only exert little influence on it: the infant must ultimately learn to regulate itself.

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However, since babies are heavily dependent on their parents and cannot satisfy needs such as food independently, regulatory disorders often occur in connection with disorders of the mother-child relationship. Reasons for this can be, for example, a high stress factor before, during and after the birth, conflicts between the parents or the family of origin as well as mental illnesses of one or both parents.

Symptoms, ailments & signs

The main symptom of regulatory disorders is excessive crying. Excessive screaming intensity occurs when the average age-appropriate screaming duration per day is significantly exceeded. In an infant this is around one to two hours within the first six weeks of life. From the sixth to the twelfth week of life it increases to two to three hours.

After that, it usually goes down again in healthy children. The symptoms occur with regulatory disorders at least three days a week. In many cases, multiple screaming attacks occur daily. Symptoms usually last for at least three weeks. They can also come back in spurts.

In the case of regulatory disorders, it is noticeable that the affected infants otherwise appear completely healthy. The screaming usually occurs in an attack-like manner in the early evening or after meals. The affected babies suddenly have severe abdominal pain and, in many cases, gas. Often times, they have a bloated stomach and hunch over.

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Your skin may turn red. The muscles often appear tense. Other symptoms may include irritability and frightfulness. You may also have difficulty swallowing or sucking. Most infants with regulatory disorders also have trouble sleeping and falling asleep. Failure to thrive occurs in a few cases.

Diagnosis & course

Main symptom of Regulatory disorders is the excessive, apparently baseless screaming and the lack of reaction to appropriate calming measures.

The infant may have just been content and calm and the next moment it may break out into a screaming fit. The attacks mostly occur in the evening. The baby has severe problems falling asleep and rarely sleeps for more than 30 minutes at a time during the day. The child often wakes up at night too. A general feeling of nervousness and irritability are typical of baby cribs. Concomitant symptoms during screaming attacks can be an intense red skin color and tense muscles. Because of the air swallowed when you scream, your stomach may be a little bloated.

In order to be able to make the diagnosis, physical illnesses or damage to the brain must first be ruled out. Child abuse is also considered to be an exclusion diagnosis for a regulatory disorder. Particular attention is paid to the interaction between mother and child. Own experiences from the childhood of the parents, the quality of the relationship between the parents and other psychosocial problems of the parents are taken into account.

A detailed anamnesis and possibly diaries should help to identify and improve difficult situations in the daily routine. In addition, an examination is carried out to determine whether the infant may be delayed in development.

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Complications

Occasionally three-month colic has an impact on the mental state of the parents. Stress and lack of sleep can lead to an aggressive attitude towards the child and partner, which in turn leads to arguments and neglect of the child's best interests. Sometimes desperate parents shake the child, which can quickly lead to serious health damage and even death of the child.

If there are already mental illnesses, regulatory disorders can intensify them and, in the worst case, lead to depression. For the baby itself, regulatory disorders are unproblematic. However, if there are other illnesses, the three-month colic can make them worse. In children with gastrointestinal diseases or disorders of the cardiovascular system, sudden abdominal pain and the associated stress can cause serious complications such as circulatory disorders or diarrhea and constipation.

As a rule, there are no major complications during treatment. Occasionally, the pediatrician will prescribe light sedatives, which can cause temporary physical discomfort. Complications can also arise if three-month colic is confused with another illness. If this is recognized too late due to a misdiagnosis, physical complaints and long-term consequences are conceivable.

When should you go to the doctor?

Regulatory disorders should be discussed with a doctor. As a rule, these disorders do not go away on their own, so medical treatment is definitely necessary. Only through early diagnosis and treatment of the regulatory disorders can further complications be avoided. A doctor should be consulted if the person concerned screams very often and for a long time every day and can no longer control his anger himself.

Children and adolescents in particular can be affected by these regulatory disorders. Often, outsiders also have to make people aware of these disorders and persuade them to undergo an examination or treatment. In some cases, regulatory disorders can also lead to severe gas or abdominal pain. Should these complaints occur over a longer period of time, a doctor should be consulted. First and foremost, the general practitioner can be visited. In most cases, this also results in a positive course of the disease and not in a reduced life expectancy for the person affected.

Treatment & Therapy

To treat Regulatory disorders First of all, the parents carry out calming measures, for example body contact, baby massages and soothing baths, moving the baby into a different position, carefully repeating noises or movements, ensuring even and calming background noises and introducing sleep rituals.

The infant should be carried around by the parents more often in a calm state; studies have shown that this is more effective than carrying around as a calming measure in the event of a screaming attack. Overall, parents should try to remain calm, possibly seek serious help, and ensure a regular and calm daily routine.

Furthermore, various therapeutic approaches can help parents to better understand their child's needs and to be able to respond appropriately. Common methods are, for example, relationship analysis with video feedback or parent-child psychotherapy.

prevention

Around Regulatory disorders A balanced interaction between parent and child is important to prevent. The above-mentioned measures such as a regular daily routine, quiet background noises, minimal hectic pace and overstimulation of the infant as well as a loving bond are the most important factors in preventing a regulatory disorder. In the event of problems and uncertainties, professional help should be sought as soon as possible.

Aftercare

The acute treatment and follow-up care of early childhood regulatory disorders merge, as there are usually several aspects of early childhood development that cause difficulties for the infant. Not all symptoms of the regulatory disorder will be treatable at the same time, nor will all of them lie down at the same time. It is important to closely observe the child and the symptoms that occur.

Regulatory disorders are not uncommon in newborns and do not always require further follow-up care, as they gradually subside with increasing age. In the case of severe regulatory disorders in early childhood, a pediatrician will treat the effects accordingly and advise and educate the parents about food and supportive behavior.

Further follow-up care is usually not expected in a healthy child. The pediatrician will have a corresponding focus on the regulatory disorder during control appointments or during the U-examinations. In addition, the further development of the child is closely monitored in order to exclude any diseases that could have caused the regulatory disorder or to be able to treat them as early as possible. No further follow-up care is required for the regulatory disorder itself if the child is healthy and the symptoms have completely subsided.

You can do that yourself

The regulatory disorders are considered to be a temporary phenomenon. As part of self-help, parents and relatives of a newborn child can try out various methods in collaboration with doctors, but also experienced parents, in order to alleviate the symptoms. Ultimately, by testing different approaches, individual ways are found that calm the youngsters.

The baby should be placed in different physical positions so that changes can be perceived. Body contact, warmth, and affection help in most cases. In addition, warming baths or soothing background noises can help the baby to find inner peace.

It is often necessary to ensure that the parents or the people who look after the infant experience sufficient relief. You need adequate sleep and breaks in caring for the newborn so that they can regenerate themselves. It is important to minimize any stressors in both the offspring and the parents. Loud noises, conflict situations or noise are to be avoided. Sufficient exercise in the fresh air, a healthy diet and the failure to spread restlessness help to improve the overall situation.

Playful activities, encouragement and maintaining sovereignty are advisable during the screaming attacks of the youngsters. Another supervisor should be asked for help in overstrained situations.