How to Tell if Your Baby Has Reflux or Colic

Is It Colic or Something Else?

Female parent'due south intuition told Nikki Leith that something was wrong with her baby girl.

At but 2 weeks old, baby Madilyn spent well-nigh of her waking hours wailing. "She cried all twenty-four hour period. If she wasn't nursing or sleeping, she was crying, screaming, or just unhappy," recalls the 31-year-old mother of two from Owen Audio, Ontario, Canada.

"I was told by pretty much everyone, from medical professionals to other moms, that it was just colic," she says.

Up to 40% of infants go colic -- loftier-pitched screaming and crying that lasts for over 3 hours a day on more than 3 days a week. It begins between 3 and 6 weeks of age and usually ends when the baby is 3 or 4 months old.

Only about babies who have it fit a typical profile, and Madilyn didn't match it.

Colicky babies commonly have predictable periods of fussiness and crying, says Stan Spinner, MD, chief medical officer of Texas Children's Pediatrics and Urgent Care in Houston. For instance, they may cry from 10 at night until 3 in the morning on most days, so parents know when it's coming, he says.

They're nigh impossible to soothe during a crying spell, but between those fussy periods, they eat normally and are salubrious, Spinner says.

On height of the constant crying, Madilyn was projectile airsickness. "The amount she puked was unreal. It was full of mucus, sometimes then thick that I had to pull it out of her mouth," Leith says. Madilyn also had strange poops: green, frothy, and total of fungus.

Solving the Mystery

Doctors ruled out medical conditions, but Leith still wasn't convinced it was colic. She did some inquiry online and plant that Madilyn's symptoms pointed to an allergy to a protein in moo-cow's milk.

Signs of one include crying all twenty-four hours, vomiting, diarrhea, and blood or fungus in their poop, says Ellen Schumann, Doc, a pediatrician at Ministry building Health Care in Weston, WI.

Leith was breastfeeding, so she stopped eating all dairy to come across if it would help Madilyn.

"Madilyn was about a different babe in simply 2 days. She was no longer crying in pain constantly, and the amount of puking went down to a normal corporeality," Leith says. She as well went back to "normal infant poops -- no more than mucus or cream."

Spinner says information technology'southward uncommon for a breastfed infant to react to dairy in her mom'south diet. Simply it'due south possible if she eats a lot of it and the babe is very sensitive. It'southward more of a problem for infants who eat formula made with cow'south milk. Doctors tin can recommend different brands that are easier to assimilate.

Most kids outgrow a milk allergy in early babyhood. Madilyn did. At four years old, she at present eats just about everything but is a large fan of ice cream, Leith says.

Beyond Colic: Signs of Another Problem

Outside of a baby'due south crying and fussing, other signs that a little one has something more than than colic include:

• Fever
• Rash
• A nagging cough
• Problem eating

In addition to a milk allergy similar Madilyn'south, other conditions that might mimic colic include:

GERD (gastroesophageal reflux illness): Tummy acid can back up into your baby'southward esophagus, causing painful reflux. Spitting upwards a lot and crying during feedings are signs, Spinner says. If your baby pulls abroad from a breast or bottle and isn't eating well, talk to your doctor.

Infections: If your baby is fussy, running a fever, or merely looks sick, she could have an infection in her blood, bladder, or somewhere else. They can go dangerous quickly in a very young baby, so call your doc right away, Spinner says.

A centre trouble: Your baby can get fussy if her heart isn't pumping right, Spinner says. One in 100 babies is born with a middle defect. Watch for blue lips, very fast breathing, and poor feeding.

Lactose intolerance: It's very rare, but some babies can't digest milk sugars in formula, so they get extra gassy and upset. Children with a family history of lactose intolerance have a higher chance, Spinner says. The problem usually clears upwardly in a few days when you switch to a lactose-free formula.

Rarely, some bowel problems can trigger colicky-similar crying.

How to Go the Correct Diagnosis

Make sure the doctor sees the baby: Sometimes a call into the office for communication just won't cutting it. Spinner says if you're worried, bring the baby in. Doctors oft tin can tell if something'southward wrong past simply looking at an infant.

Trust your instincts:  Parents accept a sixth sense most their children, Schumann says. Tell your doctor if you think your baby has something other than colic. She may get over the child'southward medical history again, do another examination, or get a 2d opinion.

Share what you think the problem might be. Your dr. may put your mind at ease by ruling out what you're worried about.

And, Schumann adds, there's no such thing as "simply colic." Information technology takes a toll on families. If it turns out your baby has it, talk to your doctor about ways to go through the next few months a piffling easier.

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Source: https://www.webmd.com/parenting/baby/features/infant-digestive-conditions

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