Why Infant Reflux Matters: 21 (Pinter & Martin Why it Matters)

This book should be in the must-read library of all new parents and parents-to-be.It is easy to follow, deeply interesting and informative.It helps to make sense of behaviours and 'issues' that, as a baffled and bleary-eyed new parent, can seem confusing at best and, when swamped by feelings of 'I don't have a clue what I'm doing', insurmountable.Even if you have little or no interest in the science or evidence presented (though it is fascinating!), the information serves to reassure the reader of what is normal, what may be helped by making adjustments, and what may need further attention, medical or otherwise.The reader is pointed to sources of further help.Carol is deeply knowledgeable through personal and professional experience and clinical observations, and thorough in her research and presentation of evidence.Carol writes in a very straightforward intelligible way, but her passion very much permeates the pages of her book. Carol clearly feels strongly about this topic and is driven by a desire to help families.If nothing else, the book should help parents to relax in the knowledge that they can help their babies, even if the only 'solution' required is to continue to hold them in arms, and help to empower parents with that bit of knowledge that could make a real-life discernible difference to the wellbeing of their young babies.

This book is small but mighty! Health Care Professionals, Parents and everyone who cares for parents and babies need to read this book!Laid out in logical, clear steps to make it easy for those who are caring for babies who are spitting up or unsettled.. it is a fantastic tool to help health visitors, GP’s and Parents work through it step by step.All based on neuroscience of infants and how we as a species are designed to thrive. Perfectly wrapped up with those important messages to nurture ourselves as parents and to rest easy in the knowledge that we, know our babies best 💖

All parents and health professionals should read this book. Carol covers so much and does it with clarity and thoughtfulness

Every new parent should read this book!

This is a great little book to give parents more information about reflux, to understand what it is and what isn’t. There are methods to try at home and information about medication. This book can empower parents to understand what may be causing their baby to be sick/distressed.Smyth breaks down precisely what reflux is and what the more serious GORD is. Reflux is as simple as babies being sick, which is completely normal for many babies, reflux generally decreases after about 6 months which is also when babies can usually sit up on their own.GORD is when babies are more distressed when they’re being sick and this can be for a variety of reasons, although it is not clearly understood. Symptoms of GORD are wide ranging and can often also be attributed to other causes. Smyth points out that many of the explanations for GORD, such as the acid hypothesis, have not been convincingly backed up by science. However many babies do cry a lot and do seem to be in pain and this can be linked to them being bringing up milk. There are many variables with each baby though, so each case should be taken individually.GORD is over diagnosed, this means that babies are being given medication for a condition that they often don’t have. It is important to understand that GORD is over-diagnosed and that there may be other things parents can do to help relieve the symptoms in their baby, it is particularly important because the medications that are often prescribed for GORD have side effects of their own, and most parents would like to know for sure that the risks of those side effects are necessary risks to take. Smyth explains the side effects of the medications, which parents may not be made aware of when they get a prescription, she also gives other options that can be worked through to relieve the symptoms.Some of the things Smyth discusses to help with a baby who is being sick and/or is distressed are; looking at the frequency and volume of feeds, positioning, keeping baby upright, as well as how and where baby sleeps. Smyth covered all areas in an easy to understand way with recognition that people do these things in different ways. Smyth also goes through some of the other symptoms attributed to GORD and discusses what else could be causing them and what could be done to ease the symptoms. All the information is laid out in an easy to navigate way. This book was easy to read and it can help parents manage their expectations and help them to understand their baby’s behaviour.This was not the most exciting book I’ve ever read but there was a lot of good information in it, although there were some things I didn’t agree with and at times Smyth could come across as lecturing. Overall, this was a useful book for parents or healthcare workers that was well laid out to allow relevant information to be easily accessed.

This is a fantastic book full of practical information. It is written logically and has a strong evidence base. Most parents of a newborn will at some point question whether they have reflux and this book is a great way to understand what reflux is, get an insight in to normal newborn behaviour and how to troubleshoot feeding or crying issues. As a professional who works with new families, I see an increasing number of babies being prescribed medication for reflux and parents are rarely told of the benefits / risks / side effects of these drugs. I'd love to see every health care professional digest this information and for us to be talking more widely about "normal" baby behaviours.Brilliant book and a very wise new parent gift or preparation for welcoming a baby in to the world.