Is Your Baby’s Reflux More Than Just Spit-Up?
Does your baby struggle with constant reflux, vomiting, feeding difficulties, or slow weight gain? Many parents are told their baby will “grow out of it,” but when reflux is severe, persistent, and accompanied by other symptoms like food sensitivities, eczema, or digestive discomfort, there is usually an underlying root cause.
This case study highlights how one baby, who was vomiting up to 16 times per day, transformed in just 12 weeks by focusing on gut health instead of just managing symptoms.
Reflux, Slow Growth & Food Sensitivities – Are they related to gut health?
At 9 months old, this little one’s mom reached out after months of frustration. Despite trying different feeding positions and eliminating foods, reflux episodes continued, vomiting was severe (up to 16 times a day!), and weight gain became a major concern.
🔹 Severe reflux – Up to 16 reflux episode per day
🔹 Weight gain concerns – Slow growth despite frequent breastfeeding
🔹 Multiple food sensitivities – Diagnosed FPIES to oats, rice, and dairy
🔹 C-section birth – History of gut microbiome imbalance
🔹 Exclusively breastfed – But still struggling with digestion and reactions
Despite eliminating foods and trying different feeding positions, nothing was improving. This mom knew there had to be a better solution than just waiting it out.
How Gut Health Impacts Reflux & Growth?
Poor Gut Diversity & C-Section Birth
- Babies born via C-section often have lower gut diversity, meaning they lack key beneficial bacteria that help with digestion and inflammation.
- This can lead to increased gut permeability (“leaky gut”), making reflux symptoms worse.
- Without a strong gut microbiome, babies may also be more prone to food sensitivities and slow weight gain.
Food Sensitivities & Inflammation Can Make Reflux Worse
- This baby had FPIES to multiple foods, which is a severe immune response linked to gut imbalance.
- The gut lining plays a crucial role in processing food proteins, and when it’s weakened, the body overreacts to certain foods, triggering vomiting and discomfort.
- Many babies with FPIES, reflux, and eczema have underlying gut dysbiosis that needs to be addressed.
Poor Nutrient Absorption Affects Weight Gain
- When the gut is inflamed, it struggles to absorb nutrients properly, leading to slow growth and feeding difficulties.
- Constant vomiting and discomfort reduce overall intake, making weight gain even harder.
- Addressing gut health can help the body process and absorb nutrients more efficiently, leading to better growth and weight stabilization.
Finding the Root Cause – What We Discovered in Gut Testing
Instead of guessing or continuing food eliminations, we ran an infant gut microbiome test to look deeper into what was really happening inside the digestive system. The results were eye-opening.
🚨 High Gut Inflammation – Increased Hexa-LPS and mucus degradation markers, showing a weakened gut lining and poor digestion.
🚨 Overgrowth of Reflux-Related Bacteria – Elevated Escherichia coli, Streptococcus, and Enterobacteriaceae, which are linked to gas, bloating, and acid reflux.
🚨 Low Anti-Inflammatory Microbes – Faecalibacterium (0.00%) and Akkermansia (0.00%) were missing, which are crucial for gut healing.
🚨 C-Section Signature – This baby’s gut showed a lack of beneficial bacteria often associated with C-section births.
What This Told Us About Reflux & Sensitivities
Gut Inflammation = Weak Digestive Barrier
- The gut lining was compromised, allowing undigested proteins to pass through, triggering vomiting, food reactions, and poor digestion.
- This explained why certain foods were causing severe FPIES reactions.
Overgrowth of “Bad” Bacteria Contributes to Reflux
- The test showed high levels of reflux-aggravating bacteria like E. coli and Streptococcus, both of which produce gas and acid that can worsen reflux symptoms.
- These bacteria can cause poor digestion, bloating, and stomach discomfort, leading to more spit-up and vomiting.
Missing Good Bacteria Affects Digestion & Nutrient Absorption
- Beneficial bacteria like Faecalibacterium and Akkermansia were completely absent, meaning there was very little gut protection against inflammation.
- Without these key microbes, the gut struggled to digest and absorb nutrients properly, affecting growth and food tolerance.
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➡️ Get it Here
The Plan – How We Improved Reflux With Diet And Gut Health
Using targeted gut health strategies, we focused on:✔️ Expanding food diversity – Introducing gut-supportive foods to encourage microbial balance and reduce sensitivity.
✔️ Strengthening digestion – Adding easier-to-digest foods and gut-healing nutrients to support proper absorption.
✔️ Supporting gut balance – Using short-term microbiome support to help reset the gut.
✔️ Carefully reintroducing allergens – Starting with baked egg, then slowly expanding exposure.
What we did to make the difference!
Introducing More Safe Foods Helped Build Gut Tolerance
- Instead of restricting more foods, we gradually expanded the baby’s diet to introduce a wider range of gut-friendly nutrients.
- This helped the microbiome diversify and reduce overactive immune responses.
Strengthening Digestion Helped Reflux Improve
- By adding foods that support gut lining repair, we were able to reduce inflammation and strengthen digestion.
- Over time, this helped reflux episodes decrease significantly.
Carefully Reintroducing Allergens Helped Prevent Future Sensitivities
- We started with baked egg in small amounts and later introduced other allergens like peanuts and tree nuts.
- This helped the baby build tolerance safely, reducing the risk of future severe reactions.
Within 12 weeks, the transformation was incredible.
✅ Reflux episodes dropped from 16 per day to just 1-2.
✅ Weight gain was no longer a concern.
✅ She was eating full meals plus snacks and even enjoyed cake on her 1st birthday! 🎂
The Takeaway: Addressing Gut Health Can Help Reflux
Reflux isn’t just about spit-up—it’s often a sign of underlying gut imbalances, food sensitivities, or digestive struggles. If your baby is dealing with constant reflux, eczema, constipation, or food sensitivities, there are solutions beyond just waiting for them to “grow out of it.”
📩 Get my free step-by-step guide to managing reflux naturally!
➡️ Download the Reflux Rescue Handbook Now