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2. Preemies are no more likely to have colic than full-term babies.
(And their colic doesn’t start until they are about two weeks past
their due date.)
Preemies are good sleepers, even in noisy intensive-care
units. Their immature brains have mastered the sleep state, but
not the complex state of alertness. This near absence of alert
time fools preemies into thinking they’re still in the womb.
They don’t notice they’re missing the fourth trimester until
they’re past their due date and become more awake and alert.

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3. Colicky babies have twisted faces and piercing wails. Often, their
cries come in waves (like cramps) and stop abruptly.
Your baby’s colicky cries may sound identical to the wails he
makes when he’s in pain. However, many babies overreact to
trivial experiences (loud noises, burps, etc.) with pain-like
screams. They’re like smoke alarms that go off even though
only a little piece of toast burned.
The fact that these shrieks can be quieted by car rides or
breast-feeding proves these babies aren’t in agony. What they’re
really suffering from is the loss of their fourth trimester.
4. Their screams frequently begin during or just after a feeding.
Babies who cry during or right after meals are usually
overreacting to their gastro-colic reflex, the intestinal squeezing
that occurs when the stomach fills with food. Most babies have
no problem with this reflex, but for colicky babies, at the end of
the day (and at the end of their patience), this sensation may be
the last straw that launches them into hysterics.
That this distress vanishes after three months (while the
gastro-colic reflex is still going strong) further supports the
notion that this crampy feeling triggers screaming only in
babies who need the calming sensations of the fourth trimester.