Reflux in a baby is spitting or vomiting up milk. Silent reflux is where milk moves up and down the throat but doesn’t quite come up. Colic can cause reflux.
Almost all babies reflux at some point and is often just a bit of overfeeding. It may last a few weeks and usually stops by itself with no real bother to the baby. They may show no real discomfort at all.
With colic babies, reflux can be the main symptom. Apart from reflux, baby can be fussy, uncomfortable, moan, groan, battle to sleep and even cry. This is due to the acid burn that they are experiencing. In severe cases, medicine should be taken to reduce the burn. This may help the symptoms but doesn't address the cause.
These symptoms are thus very much the same as those causing other symptoms of colic - excessive gas in the digestive tract...a sort of airlock in the pipes leading to a back-up of milk. Consider the thought below as reflux can be dangerous and lead to dehydration.
Treatment
Colic and trapped gas can cause reflux so we must do everything we can to get trapped gas to escape
Try feed your baby in a mostly upright position
keep your baby in an upright position for 30 minutes post feeding
have baby sleep in a slightly angled position – a reflux wedge or simply two bricks under the head of their cot.
experiment with smaller feeds, more frequently
do a thorough burping routine after feeding. experiment with burping breaks half way through the feed.
if breastfeeding, be sure one breast is empty before switching
a thicker anti-reflux formula may help
if bottle feeding, experiment with a smaller and larger nipple.
in some cases, probiotics may help, as can gripe water
consider solid foods when baby is twice their birth weight
if you are not getting enough burps out, or their abdominal area is bloated and hard, this is a problem.
sign up for our Master class and learn some great exercises to get excess gas and wind to release.
Does colic cause reflux and when to see a doctor
if your baby isn’t gaining weight
winding techniques are working but baby continues to vomit forcefully – projectile vomiting
if vomit fluid is green or yellow, contains blood or looks like coffee grounds
has blood in their stool
refuses food
has difficulty breathing
starts vomiting when older then 6 months