| It can sometimes be difficult for a parent to | | | | muscle between the stomach and esophagus. |
| understand whether the baby has colic or | | | | |
| reflux (and even GERD) since some of the | | | | Some common symptoms of uncomplicated reflux |
| symptoms (eg. poor sleep, constant crying) | | | | can include: |
| can be similiar. It's also extremely | | | | |
| important to rule out reflux as a cause of | | | | *constant or sudden crying or colic like |
| this crying, as it's becoming widely | | | | symptoms |
| acknowledged that many cases of colic are | | | | |
| actually undiagnosed and untreated cases of | | | | *irritability and pain |
| reflux. In these cases, simply treating the | | | | |
| reflux may eliminate the colicky behavior. | | | | *poor sleep habits typically with frequent |
| | | | waking |
| The easiest way to determine whether a baby | | | | |
| has colic or reflux is to look at the | | | | *arching their necks and back during or after |
| definitions and symptoms of each. Then | | | | eating spitting-up or vomiting |
| compare them to your child's symptoms. | | | | |
| | | | *wet burp or frequent hiccups |
| COLIC | | | | |
| | | | *frequent ear infections or sinus congestion |
| Colic can be defined as uncontrollable, | | | | |
| extended crying in babies who are otherwise | | | | Your child does not need to exhibit all of |
| healthy and well-fed. All babies cry, but | | | | these symptoms, in fact, only having one of |
| when they cry for more than three hours a | | | | the above could mean they have reflux. It |
| day, three to four days a week, they are said | | | | does not; however, mean they need treatment. |
| to have colic. | | | | If your child is showing one or more of the |
| | | | above symptoms but is otherwise happy and |
| Symptoms of Colic | | | | healthy then some simple lifestyle |
| | | | modifications will likely make life better |
| The main symptom is continuous crying for | | | | until they outgrow it. Visit for more info on |
| long periods of time. This crying can occur | | | | treatments. |
| at any time of day but it usually gets worse | | | | |
| at night. It's not believed that colic is | | | | GERD |
| caused by pain although a colicky baby may | | | | |
| look uncomfortable or appear to be in pain. | | | | In contrast, GER (Gastro Esophageal Reflux) |
| They may lift their head, draw their legs up | | | | is referred to as GERD (Gastro Esophageal |
| to their abdomen, pass gas and become | | | | Reflux Disease) when complications arise. |
| red-faced. Poor sleep habits is also common. | | | | GERD is a pathological process and the |
| | | | complications can be typical (failure to |
| REFLUX | | | | thrive, feeding and oral aversions, |
| | | | esophagitis, etc) or atypical (wheezing, |
| The term reflux is a shorter way of referring | | | | pneumonia, chronic sinusitis, etc). Patients |
| to GER (Gastro Esophageal Reflux) and is | | | | with GERD have complications arising from |
| simply defined as the backward flow of | | | | their GER that necessitate medical |
| stomach contents up the esophagus. GER is a | | | | intervention. GERD is also referred to as |
| physiological process that happens to | | | | "Pathogenic GER". It is estimated that |
| everyone-young and old-from time to time, | | | | approximately one in three hundred children |
| particularly after meals and many times we | | | | will present symptoms of GERD and is more |
| are not even aware it is happening. In babies | | | | common in children with neurological |
| it generally occurs from immaturity of the | | | | impairments. |
| LES (Lower Esophageal Sphincter) which is the | | | | |