Molly-Mae is right — reflux may be common, but it’s still totally ‘savage’

Around four in 10 babies will have reflux in their first year (Picture: Getty Images) ‘I won’t lie, it’s been absolutely savage,’ Molly-Mae Hague says of son Midas’s recent reflux issues in her latest vlog. ‘A lot of babies can still have some reflux and crack on and just be okay… But with this it’s so incredibly noticeable, and it really has taken over to the point where over the weekend I was mentally really struggling with it. ‘One of the worst things, is seeing your child in discomfort or pain and not having the answer.’ While the Love Island alum and Maebe founder isn’t always the most relatable (who could forget ‘we all have the same 24 hours’-gate?) this frank admission is one many parents will connect with. Lucy Mapstone, Metro‘s very own assistant editor, is a ‘former reflex mum’ herself, saying the condition is ‘one of those quietly awful things many have to deal with.’ ‘My daughter Ruby was born with such severe reflux, she ended up being hospitalised for a week at just three weeks old,’ she recalls. ‘Pretty much everything she drank, both breastmilk and formula, came back up in varying degrees. At the worst, she’d go through five outfit changes a day. ‘I remember mopping up baby milk sick from café floors, mirrors in my house, my entire body, my sofa — everywhere. At one point, it was like a waterfall was spilling out of her. It was horrendous to witness and try to manage.’ What is reflux? The NHS explains: ‘Reflux is when a baby brings up milk, or is sick, during or shortly after feeding. It’s very common and usually gets better on its own.’ It typically happens because the ring of muscle inside your baby’s food pipe (oesophagus) can be weak, which allows milk to come back up easily. As your baby gets older, the muscle normally gets stronger, meaning the reflux should stop. Symptoms — which usually start before a baby is eight weeks and improve by the time they’re a year old — include: Bringing up milk or being sick during or shortly after feeding Coughing or hiccupping when feeding Being unsettled during feeding Swallowing or gulping after burping or feeding Crying and not settling Not gaining weight as they’re not keeping enough food down Sometimes babies may have signs of reflux but will not bring up milk or be sick. This is known as silent reflux. Despite the fact four in 10 babies experience reflux in their first year, doctors had Ruby undergo numerous X-rays to work out the cause of her symptoms. Ask Metro Use AI to go deeper into the stories you care about – powered by Metro and trusted publications. After a stint on a feeding tube, and once a cow’s milk allergy was ruled out, the newborn was prescribed a high calorie formula and Omeprazole (which caused constipation, leading her to be put on even more medication), with a ‘strict feeding schedule to help her to regain the weight she had lost. Although Ruby eventually recovered, and didn’t seem to suffer too much pain, Lucy remembers finding their six-month reflux battle massively difficult to deal with. ‘It’s a truly awful ordeal and, while the help is there, it seems a lot of medical professionals are left scratching their heads over what to do,’ she adds. This was a near-constant occurrence for mum Lucy (Picture: Lucy Mapstone) Online parenting forums are full of similar sentiments. ‘My wife and I are reaching breaking point,’ wrote one recent poster on r/BeyondTheBumpUK. ‘We’ve tried everything… I don’t know what to do. My mental heath is down the drain.’ ‘It’s heartbreaking’, commented another, while a third added: ‘Reflux is so horrible. The crying during and after eating has been one of the hardest things to cope with.’ Heidi Skudder, sleep coach and parenting consultant — who will be appearing as an expert speaker at the 25th annual Baby Show, the UK’s leading pregnancy and parenting event, returning to Olympia London from October 23-25, 2026 — sees this on a regular basis. What is your experience or opinion on baby reflux? It's a serious issue that needs more attention.Check I've had personal experience and can relate.Check It seems like a common parenting challenge.Check I don't know much about it.Check ‘Reflux that goes undiagnosed for a long time can be a real mental strugglefor parents,’ she tells Metro. ‘Broken sleep, excessive crying and not being able to put baby down or have the same baby experience as other friends and family can be incredibly challenging.’ Part of the issue is that many baby reflux symptoms are put down to ‘normal baby behaviour’, so even if parents have a gut feeling something is wrong, it’s often ‘passed around and dismissed by several practitioners’ for some time before finally being taken seriously. Easing reflux in babies Like Molly-Mae, many parents will be advised by their GP or health visitor to try Gaviscon or other medication to help lessen reflux symptoms. However, Heidi says ‘more holistic’ options can be worth exploring, ‘assuming baby has been checked over by a doctor first’. It’s vital not to suffer in silence (Picture: Getty Images) These include: ‘Latch assessment to check for tongue tie (a big cause of air intake and therefore reflux), cranial osteopathy and also working on gut health too, to improve baby’s overall tolerance to foods and therefore their reflux.’ The NHS also recommends holding your baby upright during feeding and for as long as possible afterwards, burping your baby regularly during feeds, and making sure your baby sleeps flat on their back. ‘Very rarely, surgery might be needed to strengthen the muscle that stops food or milk travelling back up,’ it continues. ‘This is usually only after trying other things or if the reflux is severe.’ How parents can cope with the mental toll it takes ‘Parents of reflux babies need support; someone to hold the baby, someone to talk to and also most importantly, the right person to help theirbaby,’ says Heidi. She highlights that it ‘shouldn’t be something that parents need to survive,’ and advises seeking both medical and holistic support to find the right solution. ‘Most importantly trust your gut instinct,’ Heidi adds. ‘If baby still seemsuncomfortable and things feel harder than they should, the likelihood is that things can be better.’ Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@metro.co.uk Arrow MORE: Martin Lewis reveals ‘shock’ amount parents need to save for each child’s uni costs Arrow MORE: What different changes to your fingernails can reveal about your health Arrow MORE: The two-minute task to ‘September reset’ without doing much at all