All babies are fussy from time to time, but when they cry inconsolably, refuse to eat, and can't sleep, it may be something more serious.
Doctors used to think these babies had colic, but now they often find that acid reflux is the problem.
2-year-old Ryder Kerr is a perfectly happy little boy now. You'd never guess his first 6-months were miserable.
Ryder's mom, Rebecca says, "Everytime he ate, he would just throw it all up and then cry and he would never sleep."
Ryder kept getting kicked out of daycare because they couldn't handle his constant crying, and some days he would spit up so much, he'd go through nine or ten outfits. On top of that, he was always hungry because he couldn't keep any milk down.
At first, Ryder's pediatrician said it could be colic, and there was nothing Rebecca could do about it.
Then when his symptoms kept getting worse, he was diagnosed with acid reflux.
Dr. Brenda Grabb is a pediatric radiologist for Memorial Hospital. She sees lots of babies with acid reflux every day. "Acid reflux is when what is in the stomach of a baby is able to come up the wrong way because the valve, the lower esophageal sphincter, what keeps what should be in the stomach in the stomach, can open, and allow everything to come up."
Dr. Grabb explains acid reflux can be hard to diagnose, because there's a wide range of symptoms. "They may be uncomfortable, have irritation, be fussy, other babies may have asthma that gets worse, other babies don't gain weight, other babies may stop breathing."
To determine whether a baby has acid reflux, they're given a bottle of barium.
Dr. Grabb watches the barium go through their system, and can actually see it on X-ray come up the wrong way.
Once it's determined that a baby has reflux, there are several treatment possibilities, but it's often a matter of trial and error to figure out what combination of treatments will work best for each baby.
For breast-fed babies, moms can go on a restricted diet. Rebecca's doctor had her start by cutting out chocolate and caffeine, then dairy, grains, and several fruits and vegetables.
If that doesn't help, there are several medications, like Zantac and Prevacid, that may.
There are also ways to use gravity to help keep the contents of the stomach from coming back up, like keeping baby upright after eating, and elevating one side of baby's crib.
If there's a good thing about acid reflux in babies, it's something they'll usually grow out of as they get older and their digestive system matures.
Often parents start seeing an improvement when their babies begin sitting up and eating solid food.
Now Ryder still can't have milk, but he can eat just about anything else without a problem, and those miserable days and sleepless nights are long gone.
Dr. Grabb says reflux is very common in babies, and not every baby who has it needs to be treated. She says if you're concerned about your baby, talk to your doctor.
