Signs Of Silent Reflux In Babies

As a father of two wonderful little girls both with Baby Reflux, I know what its like to not know what is wrong with your child. My oldest suffered from the normal acid reflux with projectile vomiting which was easy to diagnose and treat. My youngest is currently suffering from Silent Reflux. She had frequent bouts of crying and creaming sometimes for hours on end but I couldn't figure out what was wrong. After paying closer attention I noticed that she made gulping sounds about an hour after a feeding and that's when the crying usually started. The sign that she may have silent reflux that slipped pass me at first was the hiccups. She gets hiccups after every single feeding and sometime had coughing episodes. She was also one to fidget in her sleep and then wake her self up and wouldn't sleep well.

Symptoms of silent reflux include excessive irritability and crying without a reason, frequent hiccups and coughing, gulping sounds, and most importantly if your baby looks like they are in pain. As a mother it is important to trust your instincts and if you feel something is wrong with your child, take the steps to have it checked out by making an appointment with a doctor as soon as possible. As silent reflux in babies is considerably more difficult to diagnose than regular acid reflux it can often be easier to obtain a diagnosis and advice from a paediatrician who will have more experience of the condition.

Nonetheless, some pediatricians can misdiagnosis silent reflux in babies as colic. What should you do if your paediatrician diagnoses your baby with colic but you are sure something else is going on? To make it easier to obtain a diagnosis from your doctor you should keep a record of the symptoms visible in your child (including when they happen in relation to feeds). Then take this journal with you to your pediatrician's office and ask if your child can have a upper GI test done to test for reflux.

There is no single cause of acid reflux and thus regardless of the type of treatment you choose, not every medication will work for every child. In the event that your baby's medication is not having the desired effect you should return to your doctor or paediatrician and discuss further treatments as soon as possible. Keep in mind that silent reflux in babies is almost always outgrown before the baby's first birthday and that it is not linked to any other conditions.