For over fifty years, mums have been familiar with 'colic' - defined as a healthy baby who unexplainably fusses or cries for over three hours a day, more than three days a week for more than three hours.
And since then, it's become a common condition amongst babies.
But Sarah Ockwell-Smith, a parenting expert and author of The Gentle Parenting Book, has criticised the tendency for doctors to quickly look for a medical diagnosis - and suggests that worried mums treat so-called "colic" with simple changes to popular childcare techniques.
"Many babies who cry constantly simply need to be held longer," she wrote in The Express.
"Our society is very much focused on 'putting babies down' out of fear of creating bad sleeping habits, a theory which stems back to Victorian parenting strategies."
"Science actually tells us that the more we hold our babies, the more secure we make them and the less they cry."
Meanwhile, Sarah also believes that while many think colic is caused by trapped wind or tummy pain, "undiagnosed feeding problems" are a more likely cause, such as gut bacteria imbalances in formula-fed babies or babies who've received antibiotics.
"These problems are easily put right with the help of a good lactation consultant and probiotic supplements."
But above all, spending time with a baby, holding a baby and safely sharing a bed instead of "putting baby down" for a nap are all keys to putting an end to those heart-wrenching cries.
"Like all other mammals, our young are meant to sleep with us," she said. "No other mammal sleeps with their baby away from them."
"Research has repeatedly shown that sharing a bed with babies results in significantly more sleep and less crying.
"The Japanese do not have a word for colic and most Japanese parents share a bed with their baby for the first few months of life."
