Understanding Infant Reflux
It’s not too long ago when it felt like every second baby coming to see us at our clinic was diagnosed with reflux and was already on reflux medications. We were seeing so many distressed babies (and parents!) and it really felt like there was no great solution for these families.
I guess we have always looked at reflux differently. We have considered it to be a set of symptoms caused by something else for many years. We were seeing too many distressed babies, and we didn’t have a solution, so we started looking for one. When you see babies all day every day, patterns begin to emerge, and we began to see a link between some other conditions and baby reflux.
It heartening to now see more medical practitioners looking for the cause of baby reflux symptoms. And yes, some babies may still require medication but not every baby does. We believe that the best way to treat infant reflux is to:
Find the cause or causes – This is such an important step. Without it you are just treating symptoms without knowing why they are there.
Treat the cause/s – Once the cause of your baby’s symptoms is identified it should be treated.
Re-evaluate the baby – While many babies will improve once the cause or causes of their reflux symptoms are treated, for others it is not a quick fix. These babies continue to experience reflux symptoms while treatment is on-going.
Treat the reflux symptoms if they persist – Some babies may require a short term course of reflux medications to ease their discomfort if they continue to experience reflux symptoms. And of course you may also be treating the cause of the symptoms at the same time.
If your baby has reflux, or you have a very distressed baby who you suspect has reflux, taking the power into your own hands and finding the cause is a great first step. If your doctor can help, great. But if they cannot, we can. Book an appointment to see Frank Kelleher Paediatric Osteopath.
If you cannot attend the clinic, we have created a series of downloads to help parents diagnose, manage and treat infant reflux. All our years’ experience packed into an easy-to-read download. We also have a series of useful FREE downloads for parents about commonly asked questions here at our clinic.