For generations, doctors have been diagnosing babies with colic, offering little comfort and few solutions to worried, weary parents. But recent medical advances made through cutting-edge technology now reveal that many if not most cases of colic are actually caused by acid reflux. In this revolutionary book, Bryan Vartabedian, a noted pediatric gastroenterologist and the father of two babies with acid reflux, provides hands-on, practical advice about this hidden epidemic–and how to make your own baby happy again. • Recognize the seven signs of reflux in infancy. • Discover the role of milk protein allergy–the other colic. • Learn what, when, and how to feed an irritable baby and the best positions for sleep. • Recognize the role of formula, breast milk, bottle systems, burping, and pacificers in your baby’s fussiness, and irritability. • Understand when and why your baby may need testing for reflux. Weigh the pros and cons of available treatment options. Identify when a specialist is needed and where to find one. Complete with inspiring real-life cases of colic solved, plus tips, sidebars, and illustrations, this essential guide provides real answers to a problem that has been upsetting babies–and parents–for years. Help and hope are at hand! “This is the book for every parent whose young baby is a ‘bundle of misery,’ in pain, and hard to feed, and for that baby’s pediatrician, too.” –Laura Nathanson, M.D., F.A.A.P., author of The Portable Pediatrician “Great news for exhausted parents and for suffering babies! Colic Solved gets to the root of what is making many babies cry, and offers powerful, real-world solutions. This is a must-have book for desperate parents everywhere.” –Alan Greene, MD, FAAP, author of From First Kicks to First Steps and founder of DrGreene.com As one of the few pediatric gastroenterologists serving Houston’s referral area of nearly eight million, Dr. Bryan Vartabedian  has diagnosed and treated more than 5,000 children with acid reflux disease. He is an assistant professor of pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston and serves as an attending physician at Texas Children’s Hospital, America’s largest children’s hospital. The issue of reflux disease is of personal interest to Dr. Vartabedian because his daughter suffered during her early months with severe reflux esophagitis. He lives with his family in The Woodlands, Texas. 1 THE TRUTH ABOUT crying BABIES If your baby screams, she’s not alone. It’s estimated that about 1 of 5 babies have unexplained irritability. It’s been 50 years since the initial pigeonholing of irritable babies with a condition that we’ve affectionately come to call colic. At the time that colic was first described, doctors had few means of knowing what was going on inside a baby. And in the absence of any better explanation, the idea of a five-letter word to sum it all up was warmly received. And despite what we have come to know, colic as a wastebasket diagnosis remains alive and well, a vestige of history and a comfortable place to put the babies we have such a hard time with. But your baby is screaming for a reason. It’s a cry for help. THE CASE OF BABY HANNAH Hannah was 2 months old when she first visited me in my Houston office. Her pediatrician had referred her because he had exhausted all of his resources as a busy primary care pediatrician. Hannah wouldn’t stop crying, and he didn’t know why. The best explanation this seasoned and reputable pediatrician had was that Hannah had colic. Her problems began at around 2 weeks of age when she began crying after her feeding. Her crying progressed to throughout the day and started to affect her feeding. The pediatrician advised that her mother discontinue breastfeeding her because he feared that breast milk was the problem. Formula feeds began strong, but after a half ounce became difficult, with Hannah arching, pulling from the nipple, and in apparent pain, all while still being hungry and wanting more. The frustration of Hannah’s hour-long feeding episodes were matched only by her sleep, which was regularly interrupted with piercing screams and painful gas. Her waking hours were marked by nearly constant hiccups and the need to be held and moved. Hannah’s parents were told that she had colic, yet colic medication never seemed to make much of a difference. Formula changes became nearly as frequent as diaper changes, but nothing seemed to make a difference. The baby’s incessant irritability, impossible feeding, and unpredictable sleeping patterns soon began to take its toll on her parents. When her mother returned to work when Hannah was 3 months old, understanding day care was hard to come by. At the end of their rope with a marriage at its limits, Hannah’s parents came to see me. WELCOME TO MY WORLD Whether it’s a pleasure or not, I have the opportunity to work with babies like Hannah every day. Thousands of screaming, miserable, sleepless, and impossible-to-feed babies have