Reflux is a symptom, not a diagnosis
It is so much more than ‘just reflux’
Is your baby struggling with reflux or seemingly more unsettled than you expected?
As with most things in life, each baby will have their own specific symptoms & baby reflux is no different. It is so much more than ‘just reflux’!
Reflux is a symptom, not a diagnosis. Similarly, baby colic is a collection of symptoms that are seen in an otherwise healthy baby.
They are usually part of a bigger, more complex collection of symptoms that have an underlying cause. If we treat them as just a symptom, it is common to miss the bigger picture. When we look at the body as a whole, we can begin to identify patterns of discomfort & dysfunction that need more support, because nothing in the body truly works alone. Without the whole picture, it’s just trying to piece things together at random & the root cause can get missed altogether.
There are, however, some simple things that can help in the day-to-day of the chaos. Small, consistent changes can start to support them back to healthy, happy little ones while we address the root cause.
“What the consult ended up being for me was a huge learning experience & it was like getting amazing advice from someone who actually cares“
“We saw improvements in my son almost immediately - imagine that! What a relief we felt as parents”
Do any of these sound familiar?
🌻 Frequent reflux, vomiting or spit up
🌻 Difficulty latching or feeding
🌻 Not gaining weight since birth
🌻 Eczema, skin rashes or hives
🌻 Disrupted sleep or short naps
🌻 Only wants to be held upright or contact nap
🌻 Suspected food allergy or intolerance, like CMPA
🌻 Frequent hiccups, coughing or choking
🌻 Chronic congestion or runny nose
🌻 Diarrhoea or constipation
🌻 Dislikes the car seat
There are many things that could be considered ‘typical baby behaviour’ in this list, & some of them are! But if your baby is showing signs of discomfort & pain with these symptoms, surely we shouldn’t be waiting for them to ‘grow out of it’?
My reflux story
I am grateful to be mama to my baby girl, but our early months weren't easy.
Breastfeeding took time, patience & perseverance. She had signs of a tongue tie, we had difficulties with latching, a lot of tension in her little body from being all squashed up in my tummy then pushed out to this bright & strange world. The silent reflux, fussiness, screaming in her sleep, arching her back, refusing the bottle all soon followed & it was A LOT. Parenting is not for the faint hearted!
We've been fortunate to have support from some of the many wonderful professionals in the mother & baby world, helping us get our little girl back to a happy, healthy, reflux free baby.
It didn't happen overnight, of course. It took multiple appointments with different providers & a lot of hard work at home for me & my husband, but we saw the results when we started to address the root cause. That is why now, more than ever, I want to help parents like you be free from the struggles of reflux & colic for good.
Please know that this too can be you! I know right now it may not feel possible, that the whole-body exhaustion & rollercoaster of emotions feel never-ending, but your baby really can thrive again when we listen to their body. If we nurture them at the stage they are at, learn to regulate their nervous system, encourage better digestion, nourish & heal their gut, calm their immune system, support better airway health & more, we can watch them thrive during infancy rather than wait for them to "grow out of it" in discomfort.
Did you know...
🌻35 million babies a year are reported to have 1 or more food sensitivities (allergy/intolerance)
🌻Roughly 1 in 4 babies in the USA have a reported food sensitivity
🌻The top 4 food allergies for babies are cow's milk (CMPA or CMPI), soy, wheat & eggs
🌻Babies typically develop a food sensitivity around 3 months old
🌻The most common is cow's milk protein (CMP), affecting 90% of children with food reactivity
There are up to 80 common signs & symptoms of baby reflux that together paint a picture. My job is to determine which of these are relevant & what symptoms may be linked - a bit like solving a jigsaw puzzle!
Thankfully, there are strategies & treatments available to help manage these conditions.
