When a Disease Causes Baby’s Colic
Jan. 14, 2002 — Christie Manners of Duvall, Wash., was worn
out by her colicky baby boy, Gabriel. He would cry inconsolably for hour after
hour, and no amount of rocking, singing, or walking would calm him. No one was
able to sleep — not the baby; and certainly not mom and dad.
For many parents like the Manners and their afflicted newborn,
colic remains a bothersome, mysterious condition that only time and a lot of
patience can cure. But sometimes colic isn’t a mystery. For some inconsolable
infants, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)may be to blame for the
screaming, the sleeplessness, and the pain.
What finally did the trick for Gabriel, now 12 weeks old, was
Zantac (ranitidine), the same medicine doctors give to grown-ups with acid
reflux or ulcers. “Once it kicked in, he was like a different baby,”
says Manners. “It didn’t take away all the colic symptoms — he was still
fussy from 6:15 to 9:15 in the evening — but he obviously wasn’t as
uncomfortable and he wasn’t screaming in pain anymore.”
Little Tummies, Big Discomfort
How do you know if GERD is the source of your baby’s woes? When
a newborn has GERD, the contents of his stomach backs up into the esophagus,
and he may vomit, have breathing problems, and fail to gain weight. An immature
digestive system is usually the culprit, so infants tend to grow out of GERDby
the time they’re 6 months to 1 year old.
Your doctor diagnose GERD with a test that involves placing a
string-like tube into the baby’s esophagus for 12 to 24 hours to measure the
amount of regurgitated stomach acid, says William Sears, MD, co-author of
“The Baby Book: Everything You Need to Know About Your Baby — From Birth
to Age Two.” But since one-third of infants normally have some degree of
reflux, this test doesn’t necessarily prove that reflux is the cause of your
baby’s pain.
So pediatricians may forego the test and suggest treatment for
GERD if the timing of colicky episodes coincides with the time when a baby
typically refluxes, says Sears. Here are some other symptoms that may indicate
GERD:
Frequent episodes of spitting up after feeding, which may include forceful
regurgitation through the nose
Frequent inconsolable bouts of abdominal pain, day and night
Painful episodes of night waking
Fussiness after eating, drawing legs and knees up to chest
Arching or writhing as if in pain
Diminished fussiness when carried upright, prone (on stomach), or propped
up at a 30-degree angle
Frequent unexplained colds, wheezing, and chest infections
Episodes of stopping breathing
Treatment, and Time
If a baby’s colic symptoms appear to be caused by GERD, your
pediatrician may prescribe Zantac or similar medications, such as Tagamet
(cimetidine). These drugs, available by prescription in an infant-strength
liquid, block the production of the irritating stomach acids that may be
regurgitated into the esophagus, thus relieving baby’s heartburn-like
symptoms.
