Colic, as defined by
Webster, can happen to
babies as well, causing
crying fits at certain times of night. However, many babies just
cry. And
cry. And some babies
cry some more. Colic has almost become a
slang term for when babies cry unconsolably for hours. It can be completely
nerve-wracking trying to calm a baby that cries non-stop for hours at a time, especially if the baby has mastered the art of shrieking and screaming. But knowing a few things will help you to deal with it.
First off, crying doesn't hurt the baby. Nor does it make your bonding with your child any less likely. If holding your child and walking him/her helps, that's great, but exhausting. Often however, it won't help at all. Just lay your child down someplace safe (like a crib), and try to calm yourself down. Punch a pillow. Do some housework. Just do anything to direct that tension away from your child.
Apparently, 25-50% of babies with "colic", are actually dealing with a protein from cow's milk, ingested by their mothers and passed on to them. Breast-feeding mothers should certainly try avoiding dairy for a week or two, as an experiment. But don't count on this remedying the problem. Many children calm down tremendously with Simethecone drops, which help the baby deal with all of the ingested air and gas from crying so much. White noise (vacuum cleaners, computer fans), darkness, motion, vibration (take a drive with your child), and wrapping your child up tightly are all different tacts parents have used to succesfully calm down their children. Try these, but most of these probably won't work for your child.
Ask a doctor about colic, and you'll likely get evasive answers. The trick is, it's a difficult condition to diagnose. Get to know your baby. You'll know when the crying is something unusual or serious.
If you have a child with colic, you're not alone. Parents have dealt with this for ages. It gets better. It will get better. Give it a few months. Until then, go punch a pillow.