The Happiest Baby on the Block and The Happiest Toddler on the Block 2-Book Bundle pdfdrive com

Stimulant Food: Is Your Baby on a Caffeine Jag?
Some babies are supersensitive. They jump when the phone rings and
cry when they smell strong perfume. It should come as no surprise that
some babies also get hyper from caffeine (coffee, tea, cola, or chocolate)
or from stimulant medicines (diet pills, decongestants, and certain
Chinese herbs) in their mom’s milk.
While many babies are unfazed when their mothers drink one or two
cups of coffee, even that small amount of caffeine can rev a sensitive
baby up into the “red zone.” The caffeine collects in a woman’s breast
milk over four to six hours and can make a baby irritable within an hour
of being eaten.
Stomach Acid Reflux:
Do Colicky Babies Cry from “Heartburn”?
Pediatricians have also examined stomach acid reflux (also known as
Gastro-Esophageal Reflux, or GER) as a possible colic cause. This
condition—where acidic stomach juice squirts up toward the mouth,
irritating everything it touches—is a proven cause of heartburn in adults.
Now, for most babies, a little reflux is nothing new. We just call it by a
different name: “spit-up.” Since the muscle that keeps the stomach
contents from moving “upstream” is weak in most babies, a bit of your
baby’s last meal can easily sneak back out when she burps or grunts,
especially if she was overfed or swallowed air.
Most newborns don’t spit up much, but some babies “urp” up
prodigious amounts of their milk. Fortunately, most of these babies don’t
suffer any ill effects from all this regurgitation. The greatest problem
caused by their vomiting is often milk stains on your sofa and clothes.

---

On the other hand, infants with severe GER are plagued with copious
amounts of vomiting, poor weight gain, and occasional burning pain. (In
some babies, stomach acid travels just partially up the esophagus,
causing heartburn without vomiting.)
When should you suspect reflux as the cause of your baby’s
unhappiness? Look for these telltale signs:
She vomits more than five times a day and more than an
ounce each time.
Her crying occurs with most meals, during the day and night.
She often wails right after a burp or a spit-up.
The bouts of crying are no better by the time she’s three
months old.
She may have episodes of back arching, hoarseness,
wheezing, choking, and/or excessive and even painful
hiccuping.