COLIC & REFLUX
Questions to ask yourself when it comes to figuring out if your baby suffers with colic or reflux and whether these challenges could be due to oral function issues;
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Does your baby hate tummy time?
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Has your baby been medicated for colic and/or reflux and this is not helping symptoms improve?
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Has your baby been diagnosed with cow’s milk protein allergy without having any allergy testing?
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Does your baby hate to be put down?
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As an experienced Midwife, Health Visitor and Oral Function Specialist, I can support you and your baby with colic and/or reflux symptoms and help determine whether they are a result of oral function issues.
What is reflux?
In medical terms Gastroesophageal reflux known as GER, happens when your stomach contents come back up into your oesophagus. Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a more severe and long-lasting condition in which GERD causes repeated symptoms or leads to complications over time.
Reflux in the medical world is poorly misunderstood in babies and the medical community do not often have the answer to why a baby is suffering with reflux. The medical community will treat the complaint but often not have an explanation as to the root cause. I have seen a lot of babies being treated with reflux medication and will still continue to have the majority of the symptoms that they are initially presented with. Why medicate a baby when the treatment is making no difference? Parents are often at their wits end and when I tell them it could be tongue tie related, they often look surprised.
The list for causes of reflux is endless:
Dysphagia, oral dysfunction, tongue tie, facial tension, body tension, plagiocephaly, cleft lip and palate, excessive crying, bottle teat choice, latch to breast or bottle, formula ingredients, natural digestive maturity, underdeveloped oesophagus, cow’s milk protein allergy.
Some of the symptoms of reflux in babies is when they bring up milk either during or shortly after feeding, coughing or spluttering when feeding, struggling to connect sleep cycles, coming on and off the breast, finding feeding stressful, clenched fists and tension. Reflux may improve with maturity but up to 54% of babies will continue to suffer with reflux on solids if the underlying cause is not identified.
As an experienced health visitor and now oral dysfunction therapist I can support you with advice for your baby to ease the symptoms of reflux and potentially reduce the medication or milk thickeners that may have been used to previously treat the symptoms but not the cause.
What is colic?
So what is colic? It is a name for what is essentially excessive and difficult crying which is also a symptom of reflux! If your baby is a well baby with no underlying medical conditions but has been labelled with colic it can be confusing and worrying.
It's not exactly clear what causes colic but it may be because some babies find it harder to digest food, or they may have a food allergy or suffer with gas/wind which can be extremely painful for them which explains the crying, and this is also why it is difficult to understand the difference between colic and reflux or is there even a difference?
Often you can google supporting a baby with colic and come up with tips that can usually help to relieve colic symptoms such as gently rocking your baby on your shoulder, winding them after feeds, rubbing their tummy and giving them warm baths. I can help you to find the root cause to the excessive crying through a detailed discussion and oral function assessment. If your baby is feeding incorrectly this can cause excessive air intake and make your baby feel uncomfortable and unsettled.
Appointments
Clinic Appointments: £145 for 120 minutes
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If a tongue tie is the underlying cause of the reflux or colic issues then a second appointment will be needed after oral exercises have been offered and shown to get the tongue ready for a division. The cost for the division will be at the additional price of £150
Virtual Appointments: £85 for 60 minutes