Digestive and Reflux Problems in Babies

Digestive and reflux problems in babies

The perfect baby is often seen as a baby that does not cry. What we often forget is that babies are meant to cry. However, some babies cry excessively and do not seem to stop. This in turn will affect sleep for both you and your baby. This is something that should be further investigated. If this occurs along side digestive problems, it is most commonly linked.

What is it?

In the human body there is a nerve called the vagus nerve. This nerve comes from your brain and travels through the bottom of your skull, down your neck to your digestive tract. This nerve is responsible for the movements your digestive tract makes in order to digest food. It also controls the production of stomach acid and a valve at the bottom of the stomach that empties it after the food is ready to move on to the intestines. This nerve is therefore very important in the functioning of your baby’s digestive system.

The vagus nerve is easily irritated during birth as your baby goes through many forces to exit the birth canal. This irritation most likely occurs in the upper neck where it meets the skull as the nerve runs just along the first vertebra in your neck. It is more common to occur with traumatic births, very quick or very long births where the baby is placed in an uncomfortable position for a longer period of time.

How do I recognize it?

The symptoms are variable between babies, but your baby will most likely have trouble filling its nappy. This is often paired with straining and grunting, a reddening of the face and clenching of the fists. Your baby might also be difficult to wind. It is normal for a newborn up to 3 weeks old to fill their nappy several times a day. Afterwards it should slow to once or twice a day.

Another possibility is a very gassy baby that is difficult to burp. Your baby might also bring up milk or vomit and will most likely prefer being upright rather than lying on their back. They may arch their back in discomfort while lying down or try to turn themselves over on their side.

What can osteopathy do?

The osteopathic manual practitioner will often start by assessing your baby’s abdomen. They will then go on to assess your baby’s chest and neck and lastly they will look at the bottom of your baby’s skull. The osteopathic manual practitioner is looking for any unusual tension or asymmetry in movement. This will often lead them to the main area of tension causing the discomfort in your baby.

With your permission, the osteopathic manual practitioner will gently treat the areas found during the assessment. Osteopathy treats babies in the gentlest way possible and the treatment will not hurt them. They might be in some discomfort after the treatment and it is possible for them to start filling nappies more often than you were used to in the first day or so after treatment. This should normalize again afterwards.

Once this tension is released, you should start seeing a difference in your baby’s behavior. This change will not happen over night but within 3-4 sessions you should start noticing a difference.

Osteopathy does not treat any condition in itself, however it improves the function of the body as a whole. This way your baby will be more comfortable and the digestive processes can become easier and more regular for your baby.