• Knowledgebase: Infant Feeding Problems

    Questions about nursing, formulas, spitting up, and colic.

    8. 4 Month old Cries when feeding - Top

    Question: My 4 month old is breast- and bottle-fed. On both, he will swallow a few times and then scream and cry in pain. He will settle and then the cycle will start over. It can take up to an hour to finish a bottle and it is torture to both of us. Pediatrician suspected reflux--upper GI showed none. No other answers have been found. We need help.

    Answer: What you are describing are symptoms of esophagitis. It sounds like your baby does have GE Reflux. An Upper GI can show reflux, but even if it does not show it, reflux can still occur. A pH probe test is a much more sensitive test for reflux, and most Pediatrics Gastroenterologists can arrange it.

    Babies that have reflux can have severe esophagitis which causes pain, typically shortly after they start drinking. A trial of an acid blocking medicine such as Zantac or Prilosec helps many of these babies. - Updated: July 2, 2001

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    • James L Horwitz, MD

    David C. Thomas, MD

    Barbara Lindberg, PNP