Is it Colic or Reflux?: How to Tell the Difference

All babies cry. It's their primary means of communicating to us as newborns. But what is behind the crying? Sometimes, it's hunger. Other times, maybe some comfort is needed. And then there are the times when the crying goes on and on, and you don't know why.

Colic

Colic is not a disease, but rather a pattern of excessive crying with no apparent cause. It typically starts a few weeks after birth, with a peak at about 6 weeks of age. Babies with colic typically cry about the same time each day, and nothing you do will comfort them. In addition to the crying episodes, symptoms of colic include drawing their legs up, clenching their fists and thrashing while crying, as if in pain.

A truly colicky baby is one who is growing well, other than the crying episodes. Most babies with colic will outgrow it by about four months of age.

Reflux

Many babies spit up, and are simply called "happy spitters," but for other babies, excessive spitting up is a sign of Gastro Esophageal Reflux. These babies may exhibit some of the same characteristics of a colicky baby. Like a colicky baby, babies with reflux will also draw their legs up, but this is often from gas pain. Reflux babies will also clench their fists and thrash about, only this time they are in pain due to reflux.

To put it simply, reflux happens when the contents of the stomach rise back up the esophagus. This happens to all of us in our lifetime, but in some babies, it is a significant problem It generally occurs in babies due to an immaturity of the Lower Esophageal Sphincter, the muscle between the stomach and esophagus.

Symptoms of reflux can include irritability and pain, poor sleep habits typically with frequent waking, arching their necks and back during or after eating spitting- up or vomiting, wet burps or frequent hiccups, and frequent ear infections or sinus congestion.

Not all reflux babies spit up, many have what is known as silent reflux, meaning that they will swallow the material back down instead. This type of reflux can be more difficult to diagnose, and can be more damaging to the esophagus since the acid travels both up and down.

Imagine when you have had heartburn as an adult and all of the burning that went along with it. Now, imagine how a baby feels with these same symptoms. Reflux babies learn to associate food with pain and many develop feeding aversions. Many doctors will say that babies outgrow reflux by about one year of age, and for many this is the case, but for others reflux follows them all of their life.

If your child is exhibiting signs of reflux, talk with your Pediatrician. Changes in formula can help, along with medication and lifestyle changes.