Acid Reflux Babies

Q: I was on bedrest for 5 months of my pregnancy. Well now my baby is luckily here and she is 4 weeks old. I adore her. Anyway, I was wondering how often does a newborn at this age usually cry? I know every baby is different, but my little girl cries pretty much whenever she is awake. We have tried everything to calm her. I have a call in to her pediatrician but does this crying so much mean something is hurting her? Or do alot of newborns cry for several hours at a time? I think she may have the symptoms of acid reflux

A:She mentioned that her baby would throw her head back and scream even when breastfeeding, so maybe it's a reflux thing? How do they diagnose reflux, anyway -- and what's the difference between a "reflux baby" and a baby who spits up a lot? I mean, I know that you have to see a GI specialist for a reflux baby, but is it a continuum or are reflux babies really obviously more spitty (or losing weight, or more miserable) than babies who just spit up a lot? None of my kids has/had reflux, but the way I understand it, reflux means that the baby has a lot of stomach acid coming up his/her esophagus after meals. Most babies spit up some when this happens, but others don't spit up at all. Adults get acid reflux disease, too, but I don't think they generally spit up their meals. I think the difference between a spitty baby who has reflux and one who doesn't is that the one who doesn't isn't generally unhappy about it. Aurora was a terribly spitty baby (my husband said she was like a very full teacup and you had to be careful or you'd spill her), but she wasn't unhappy and she gained weight normally, so I never had her evaluated for reflux.

Discuss It!

Most Popular Articles

More

Marketplace

Related Articles

More

Related Categories

More

Recently Added

More

You Recently Visited

Other Great Sites