>> is it colic or reflux disease?

“It’s definitely colic,” claimed family and friends as they watched the baby cry incessantly over a period of several weeks. She was obviously in pain, sometimes wincing in a jerking movement. The pediatrician had recommended changing formulas, but to no avail. The parents — my nephew and his wife — were at their wits’ end. The doctor’s second strategy was a medication for reflux, otherwise known as gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD. Bingo! The baby was happy again — and so were the parents. Their best friends had a similar experience with their baby after six months of colic symptoms; the reflux medication did the trick.

Babies and young children who have GERD often have an excess of gastric acid that churns with the stomach contents causing it to reflux into the esophagus and triggering tissue damage or more minor symptoms such as heartburn, irritability with food, difficulty swallowing, abdominal pain, regurgitation, vomiting and even wet burps. Holding a baby in a vertical position while feeding her can minimize the symptoms of GERD. Burping her during and after mealtime can also be helpful. A medical practitioner can make the diagnosis and suggest the treatment.

THE COLIC DETECTIVE If you think that your child has colic, I recommend doing some detective work to determine the cause. Begin by tracking the food you eat if you are breastfeeding. Also, keep a diary of the exact feeding and prolonged crying times for your baby. You may discover a correlation that leads to a solution. -- T.L.M., San Diego, Calif.