How We Quickly & Holistically Cured Our Baby’s Reflux and Colic Symptoms!
When we got home from the hospital after having Annabelle, we started supplementing with formula to ensure she was having enough to eat.
We felt better knowing she was well fed, but unfortunately more food at a faster pace than breast feeding for our tiny newborn’s tummy brought on reflux, trapped gas and colic almost immediately.
We wasted no time solving the problem on our own- staying up overnight reading everything we could find about holistically curing reflux and trapped gas.
Thankfully, fixing the reflux and gas issues took care of the colic symptoms as well, and none of them ever came back!
I’m by no means a doctor or a certified expert on reflux or colic, but we were able to quickly solve the problem and get our baby back to feeling comfortable and happy with the steps I’ll list below.
We learned that our baby’s newborn stomach was much too small for the recommended two ounces every two hours which caused some pretty severe reflux; and also that the bubbles sitting at the top of her bottle after we shook it to mix the formula was causing gas to get trapped- and that all of this was pretty simple to fix!
Reflux Symptoms in Babies:
Frequent vomiting, fussiness and crying are some of the most common symptoms of reflux
Digestive discomfort including trapped gas, bloating and passing gas
Babies with reflux disease may also experience feeding difficulties
Colic Symptoms:
Fussiness and crying for prolonged periods of time
Digestive discomfort including painful, trapped gas, abdominal pain, bloating, constipation
Babies with colic may also experience feeding difficulties
(Sources listed at the end of this article).
The Five Steps We Implemented to Get Rid of Reflux and Colic for our Newborn:
1. One ounce every hour during the day instead of two ounces every two hours.
Our newborn’s tiny tummy couldn’t handle two ounces of food at once; which she only experienced when we got home from the hospital and could supplement with the high quality formula that I was okay with her having.
As soon as she would finish a two once bottle, she would start vomiting violently until her stomach was empty.
Giving her one ounce every hour during the day allowed her tummy to properly ingest the daily recommended amount of food.
We were able to maintain her weight with her day feeds; so at night we allowed her to sleep until she woke up hungry. When she did wake up to eat, we still only gave her one ounce.
PSA: The fewer than every two hour night feeds did get a side-eye reaction from our pediatrician for our first week and a half at home; however, Annabelle was happy, healthy and gaining weight from all of her day feeds plus all of her peaceful sleep. We knew it was working, so she allowed us to continue.
2. Let every shaken bottle settle for at least ten minutes before feeding baby.
This step might seem obvious for reducing trapped gas, but we didn’t think we needed to wait that long until we read about it while we were researching.
There are tons of bottle types out there claiming to be the best for reducing air bubbles and gas, but none of them are perfect, especially for a tummy that’s being exposed to food outside of the womb for the first few days.
We knew we were using top of the line bottles, but there were still bubbles on the surface after shaking the mix of formula and breast milk.
The solution is to make the bottle at least ten minutes before it’s time to feed baby, and then let it sit until the bubbles are completely gone. It makes a world of difference!
3. Keep baby cradled with their body upright while you’re feeding.
Cradling baby in an upright position while they eat helps the fluid get to the stomach and settle faster.
If they’re laying down horizontally, the fluids travel slower and their under developed esophageal sphincter has a much harder time holding the food down. This causes nausea, vomiting and heartburn.
4. Burp immediately after feeding; every time- for as long as you need to.
Again, this might seem obvious, but for Annabelle, burping sometimes took a long time; especially when she was experiencing reflux and colic symptoms.
We read that it was important to keep baby upright while burping for at least ten minutes after feeding, or as long as you want to beyond ten minutes.
Annabelle didn’t mind this at all, she definitely looked happier and more at ease being held and cuddled upright for feeding and for longer burping times after.
5. Wear your baby!
Wearing your baby as much as you can throughout the day helps to keep them upright longer and therefore gravity can do it’s work and help them digest more efficiently.
So, the overall trend here is that an upright and cuddled baby is a happier baby, at least that was the case for Annabelle!
She was born two weeks late and was fully developed, but her digestive tract thrived when she was upright.
I purchased more baby carriers than I could even count when I was trying to find the one that was perfect for a newborn.
The one that worked the best for us was this one by Boppy because it’s a hybrid of a carrier and a wrap and I could easily put her in it without the help of another adult.
As Annabelle grew and no longer needed to be upright for digestion, but still loved to be held, I switched over to this hip holder in black and gold and sometimes used both the Boppy carrier, (front facing), and the hip holder at the same time if we were going for a walk or going shopping. They were such an amazing pair!
We learned that our experience with reflux, gas and colic is so common with newborns because of their brand new digestive systems. It’s normal that they’re not always able to process the recommended amount of food without a little bit of help. In fact, most parents I had heard talk about their first few weeks at home led us to expect it; but seeing Annabelle struggle made us feel like there had to be a practical solution.
We ordered the gripe waters and the probiotics typically recommended to help with reflux, gas and colic; but they arrived after we had solved the issue holistically and we never had to use them.
If your baby is experiencing the symptoms that Annabelle did, I hope these steps help!
Disclaimer:
Please consult your physician for personalized medical and health advice. Always seek the advice of a physician or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions regarding a medical condition, your pregnancy, birth plan and post-partum treatments.
Never disregard or delay seeking professional medical advice or treatment because of something you have heard on the Geriatric Mamas podcast or website.
