Aim: The aim of this study was to assess whether bed rest during pregnancy is a risk factor for infantile colics.
Methods: In a previous paper a questionnaire was administered to 86 women (43 of whom had stayed in bed during pregnancy for a mean of 3.4+/-1.2 months, and 43 were controls) about the clinical history and the present state of their 11-15 year old babies. In the present paper we traced these women and assessed the presence/absence of unexplained infant crying (UIC, infantile colic), diagnosed by a physician in the first year of life of these children. Forty mothers answered the inquiry, and we compared their answers with 40 control mothers.
Results: Babies born after maternal bed rest during pregnancy had a higher incidence of UIC than the control group (26/40 vs 11/40; P=0.0015). No significant correlation was found between UIC and allergies or between UIC and maternal or artificial breast feeding.
Conclusions: Our retrospective study shows a possible association between bed rest and UIC: further studies, including other important variables (stress, drugs, smoking) are needed.