The infant reflux is unrelenting, no matter what you do. It is 1:40 am and you fed her forty minutes ago. You laid her down in bed, and for a moment, you were hopeful. Then your precious baby was crying again, back arched, knees pulled in, letting out the cry that goes straight through you. You picked her up and patted her back, and she immediately spit up down the back of your pajamas. Your phone is at 7%, and you are typing “why does my baby cry after every feeding” with one thumb.
We’re so glad you found this article. Let’s explore what reflux is, how to tell it apart from the other things that make a baby cry at night, and what helps.
One thing first. If your baby is vomiting forcefully, if the spit-up is green or has blood in it, if she has a fever, if she is losing weight or not gaining, or if she is having any trouble breathing, stop reading and call your pediatrician. Those signs need a doctor now. Everything below is written for the tired, fussy, otherwise healthy baby.
Is Infant Reflux Different From Frequent Spit-Up?
Milk travels down a baby’s throat (the esophagus) down into the stomach. In a new baby, the ring of muscle at the top of the stomach is soft and still learning when to close. Doctors call this gastroesophageal reflux, or GER.
Digestive issues in babies are common, but shouldn’t be regarded as normal. About half of healthy three- and four-month-old babies spit up at least once a day. It tends to start around two or three weeks of age, peak around four or five months, and fade for most babies by twelve to fourteen months.
Doctors have a nickname for the baby who spits up a lot and could not care less: a happy spitter.
She soaks three shirts a day, feeds well, sleeps in normal baby stretches, and grows right along her curve. That baby is “fine” but should be evaluated for nervous system interference, which we’ll explain further down.
How your baby acts gives you more clues. It may be reflux if you notice:
- Arching her back or stiffening during a feeding or right after one
- Crying that starts during the feeding rather than before it
- Pulling off the breast or bottle, then rooting to come right back on
- Turning away from a feeding she should be hungry for
- Wet burps, frequent hiccups, or a gurgle you can hear from across the room
- Waking within ten or fifteen minutes of being laid down flat, over and over
- A hoarse or raspy cry, or a stuffy sound without a runny nose or congestion
- Settling only when she is upright on your chest
These are your baby’s way of telling you something feels uncomfortable.
Possible Causes of Infant Reflux, Spitting Up and Fussiness
A fast letdown: If milk comes in quicker than she can swallow, she gulps, takes in air, pulls off, and cries. This can cause gassiness as your baby is taking in air. A lactation consultant can offer helpful ideas for reducing this.
A dairy sensitivity: Some babies react to the cow’s milk protein that passes through breast milk or sits in formula. Mucus in her stool, a rash, or a lot of gas alongside the fussing points this direction. Ask your pediatrician and consider some dietary changes for Mom or a change in formula.
A tongue or lip tie: When a baby cannot get a deep latch, she swallows air with every feeding. That air has to come back up, and it brings milk with it. A lactation consultant or a pediatric dentist who specializes in revisions can evaluate this.
Colic: The generalized label for long stretches of hard crying, usually late in the day, in a baby who is growing well otherwise.
Subluxations: During pregnancy, a baby spends months growing in a tight space. Their position and even stressors during pregnancy affect their spine and nervous system before they are born.
The labor and birth process is intense for a baby, whether it’s fast or slow, natural or with interventions. All of this can cause tiny shifts in a baby’s spine, irritate the nerves, and cause dysfunction. The gut relies on a clear connection to the brain via the spinal cord.
A pediatric chiropractic evaluation helps to identify and gently correct subluxations, so the digestive system can function well.
How to Help Infant Reflux Naturally: What Hudson County Parents Can Try Tonight
Small changes can make a big difference.
- Feed less at a time, more often.
- Hold her upright for twenty to thirty minutes after every feeding.
- Burp her in the middle of a feed, as well as at the end.
- During a feed, keep her head higher than her tummy.
- Skip the car seat right after a feeding. A slumped position folds the stomach and pushes milk up.
- Bicycle legs: Gently bend your baby’s knees and push them slowly toward their tummy to help release gas.
- Gently massage your baby’s tummy in a clockwise direction after a feeding.
Pediatric Chiropractic Care for Colic and Infant Reflux
Chiropractic care does not treat or cure reflux. It looks closely at the root cause.
Dr. Roses watches how your baby moves: how she turns her head, whether she favors one side, how she holds her body when she is calm and when she is not.
He asks about the birth, the feeding, and the crying.
Dr. Roses gently identifies where your baby’s spine is not moving the way it should, causing pressure or irritation to the nerves that exit the spinal cord.
The nerves that serve the stomach and throat exit the spinal cord in the neck and upper back. When the nervous system cannot send clearer signals to the gut, you’ll start to see signs of dysfunction, like GER, reflux, or constipation.
Often all it takes is fingertip pressure or a sustained hold in the right places to release the tension and restore nerve flow. Parents are often surprised that their newborn sleeps through an adjustment.
Many parents tell Dr. Roses their baby is happier, has less reflux, gas, and constipation after a few visits. Learn more here:
Pediatric Chiropractic Studies for Colic and Infant Reflux
There are some fascinating case studies, including one from a 2004 issue of Clinical Chiropractic. It followed a 7-week old baby with medically diagnosed colic, with associated reflux and disturbed sleep, all of which were persistent since birth, as well as a 10-week old baby whose mother reported colic symptoms at one month.
Both babies had experienced birth trauma. The chiropractor recorded upper cervical, mid-thoracic, sacroiliac, and cranial dysfunction in both cases.
Both babies received diversified pediatric chiropractic care for three weeks and their symptoms completely resolved.
In another case study published in 2008, the mother of a 3-month-old girl brought her daughter to a chiropractor after getting a medical diagnosis of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Their medical doctor had previously prescribed Prilosec.
The baby wasn’t sleeping well, had gas, frequent vomiting, excessive crying, difficulty breastfeeding, as well as a flattened head (plagiocephaly) and trouble turning her head to one side (torticollis).
The baby improved significantly after four chiropractic adjustments. The symptoms disappeared within three months of care.
Why Bayonne Families Bring Their Babies Here
Dr. Paul Roses has cared for Hudson County families from his Bayonne office since 1982. He grew up here, went to St. Peter’s, and came back to practice chiropractic in his hometown. As a father himself, caring for children and families is foundational to Roses Chiropractic.
He is Webster Technique certified with pediatric training through the ICPA. He will also refer you to other professionals as needed to help you and your baby thrive.
The office takes most insurance plans, including Medicare and Medicaid. Same-day appointments are often open; Dr. Roses calls personally after a first visit, and families are seen in English and Italian.
When you want an evaluation of your child to see how chiropractic could help, give us a call 201-339-2225 or text 973-313-7577 whenever you are ready.
If you know another parent staring at a ceiling tonight, send this to her.
Roses Chiropractic, 901-899 Avenue C (corner of 41st Street, side entrance), Bayonne, NJ 07002
References:
La Leche League: https://llli.org/breastfeeding-info/reflux/
Cleveland Clinic: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/reflux-in-babies
Medline Plus: https://medlineplus.gov/refluxininfants.html
Clinical Chiropractic, Volume 7, Issue 4, December 2004, Pages 180-186, Chiropractic management of infantile colic, Andrea J. Hipperson: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1479235404000148
Alcantara J, Anderson R. Chiropractic care of a pediatric patient with symptoms associated with gastroesophageal reflux disease, fuss-cry-irritability with sleep disorder syndrome and irritable infant syndrome of musculoskeletal origin. J Can Chiropr Assoc. 2008 Dec;52(4):248-55. PMID: 19066699; PMCID: PMC2597889. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2597889/
