Le nourrisson en pleurs : reflux, coliques ou colère ?

Infants'sleep disorders are often associated with, or related to digestive symptoms. The digestive symptoms are functional, mainly Gastro-œsophageal reflux and colics, wherein digestive immaturity and psychological tension are often both involved and intricated. Sleeping disorders result of a delay in acquiring the sleep-wakefulness rhythm. Several sequences may occur. The digestive trouble and pain could provoke crying and sleeping disturbances, or digestive troubles and insomnia could result from a common pathological cause, i.e., a delay in acquiring the biological rhythms, and a somatic expression of interactive difficulties. We propose a psychodynamic understanding of the situation, in a psychosomatic paediatric consultation with the physical symptoms as the first concern, followed by the search for links between the somatic expression and the parents/baby perinatal interactive difficulties. Complementary investigation are of very poor help, and potentially intrusive. Empiric medical treatment for digestive symptoms and pain can help differenciating psychological and somatic components of the situation.