Common digestive problems

Reflux

Most babies bring up a little milk during and after feeding – it’s commonly known as ‘posseting’. Remember, in the early days your baby’s tummy is tiny, growing steadily in size as they develop. So it’s no surprise that sometimes, your baby’s eyes are bigger than their belly.

Some babies, however, are repeatedly sick after feeding. This can be a sign of reflux, which happens when milk or food comes back up from their stomach into their oesophagus, causing them to bring up whole feeds or small amounts on a regular basis.

Whether you’re a first-time mum or a seasoned pro, reflux can be worrying, so it’s worth mentioning to your Health Visitor during your next appointment. In the meantime, why not read more about baby reflux and what you can do to help.

If your baby cries or is irritable for prolonged periods for no obvious reason, they could be suffering with colic. It’s very common and occurs in up to one in five babies¹. Find out more about colic and what you can do to relieve it.

Once your baby’s born you’ll no doubt find yourself thinking, and talking, about their pooing habits quite a lot! It’s a standard feature of parenthood. If your little one is pooing less than three times a week, and has poos that are either large, hard and difficult to push out, or small, hard and pellet-like, they could be constipated. Learn about baby constipation and things you can do to relieve it.

Despite their similarities, allergies and intolerances are different. A milk allergy occurs when your little one’s immune system reacts to the proteins in milk, whereas an intolerance is when your baby can’t break down certain substances, such as lactose in milk. Learn more about identifying milk allergies and intolerances and what to do if you think your baby might have one.