A new Code of Conduct is needed to reduce the avoidable suffering of babies in the UK.

This petition is calling for a new code of conduct and working practice to be put in place for all health professionals to follow, who are involved in the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of babies presenting with excessive crying. 

The proposed code of conduct would seek to ensure that health professionals:

• Undertake proper assessments of these babies, to lower the high number of undiagnosed and misdiagnosed cases of gastro-intestinal issues and acid reflux along with many other feeding-related and sleeping problems in babies; and
• Subsequently, make appropriate and fast-track referrals to specialists with the requisite expertise and understanding to resolve or significantly ease the baby’s suffering.

Thousands of infants in the UK spend their early life dealing with significant pain and suffering caused by medical conditions such as acid reflux, a tongue or lip-tie, eczema, oral thrush, constipation, lactose/cow’s milk protein intolerance or food allergies. Under the current system, it can often take weeks, months or even years for these conditions to be properly diagnosed and the baby’s pain properly managed. This is as a result of:

• Insufficient assessment by medical professionals of the child and/or the situation at the first and then subsequent presentations; and/or
• Poor recognition of issues by medical professionals, leading to a lack of understanding of the potential underlying causes for the symptoms presenting and a clear lack of empathy for the child and parents;
• Misdiagnosis (in particular, the incorrect recommendation of colic remedies and anti-colic formulas, which can delay correct diagnosis); and/or
• The stereotyping of parents (often mothers) who raise concerns about their crying and non-sleeping babies, as overly anxious, neurotic or having mental health issues and so belittling [and ignoring] the actual health issues that are present in the baby.

Where medical professionals fail to identify and adequately manage the issues, infants and their families have to cope with the impact of this, including:

• The baby suffering huge amounts of unnecessary pain, discomfort, excessive weight gain, weight loss and hunger along with serious sleep deprivation with the resulting effect of the baby not being able to interact and bond with its family or to develop as he/she should and the wider family, including other children, living under unacceptable levels of stress and pressure; and/or
• The baby’s parents often feeling isolated, desperate, hugely frustrated, not listened to and feel that there is no help available to them.

Too many parents, especially mothers, are being pigeonholed and judged as 'neurotic' or 'naive' when they bring their crying/screaming baby to see health professionals. Fully aware that there is something wrong or ‘not quite right' with their baby, parents too often experience a complete lack of empathy, with health professionals dismissing any crying by a baby as 'normal', without undertaking sufficient assessment of the baby or its situation to establish if there is an underlying medical issue causing the baby’s distress. To be sent away by a health professional with comments such as ‘all babies cry’, ‘babies aren’t designed to sleep’, ‘it’s just what babies do’, or ‘what did you expect?’ (see the quotes below) simply results in even more distress and anxiety for the already worried parents, as they feel deep down that something is wrong (which all too often is the case), but that no-one is listening.

Another common occurrence is that, when attending appointments with a GP or any other health professional, the mothers are often only taken more seriously when a male partner also attends the appointment. Since Covid-19 restrictions this has been hugely highlighted as only one person – usually the mother – was able to attend any face-to-face appointments. This has resulted in even more cases being undiagnosed, while some mothers were later taken more seriously by GPs and health professionals during video consultations when their male partner was present.

The following are extracts from statements that have been made by health professionals to parents who sought have help with their babies. These are taken from a poll of 260 parents, created  by @magic_sleep_fairy:

“I think you're just being a neurotic, first-time mum” - A mum who was concerned about her baby’s excessive crying.
“Well, it’s not like she’s disabled, is it?” - A mother who visited the GP every week as she felt something was wrong with her baby.
“Did you think it would be easy?” being said through a laugh! - A mum who asked about her baby not being able to sleep.
“Your anxiety will normalise” - When a mum asked, "When will my baby’s stools normalize?"
“You have a spoilt baby, you’re too attentive” - A mother who couldn’t put her baby down without him screaming.
“It’s probably a laundry issue, buy another washing machine or get some extra help” - A mother seeking help with her baby who was losing weight and vomiting.

A mum with a baby who was later diagnosed with reflux and cow’s milk protein allergy was told “Lockdown must be hard" and offered anti-depressants.
In another case, where a baby was later diagnosed with tongue-tie, the mother was told "There's nothing wrong", and the health professional implied it was depression.
In a similar survey, we also asked a large group of mothers how many different health professionals they had seen and unsuccessfully sought help from, before getting a diagnosis. In most cases, it was typically over three - and sometimes more than five.

Things need to change and if any of the above resonates with you please sign and share so we can make a difference.

Thanks to: Alison Scott-Wright, David and Victoria Miles, Becky Rees, Holly Silvester, Eirene Light and all the parents who shared their stories for this petition.

All statements made are based on surveys, questionnaires and consultations conducted by Alison Scott-Wright.