Infant Acid Reflux
Infant Acid reflux can be very distressing for both the infant and their parents. Infants are often seen being sick after having their meals. It often happens because your baby is suffering from acid reflux. Because of their feeding habits, infants are more prone to being sick whenever they consume food. They feel hungry, they rush their feed. They haven't learnt to control their urge to eat when they feel hungry. As the baby gets older, they naturally start to eat more slowly and the frequency of being sick after their feed due to acid reflux decreases. Infant Acid Reflux , leading to the infant being sick, can also be caused during sneezing, coughing or even when the infant cries, soon after feeding. It is caused due to a build up of pressure in the infant's stomach due to overloading of the digestive system. As a caring parent, you can introduce certain changes in some of the feding habits of your baby. The position that you hold your baby during feeding is important. As far as possible, the infant should be kept in an upright position during and immediately after feeds. This will help the infant to release the build up of gas in its stomach due to digestion problems during and after feeds. In order to prevent digestion problems in your infant's stomach, you should try to give your infant smaller but regular meals . Observing these methods will decrease the symptoms and the intensity of the acid reflux. However if the symptoms still continue, a doctor should be consulted.
How do I know if my infant is suffering from Acid Reflux? If your infant sicks up some of what they have eaten then it's time to consult a doctor. This throwing or vomiting of food is sometime called called 'spiting up' and is the main symptom of acid reflux in infants.
What are the causes of an infant spiting up? The tube through which the food passes from the mouth into the stomach (vcalled the esophagus) is still not fully developed in young infants. If the baby takes in excess feed because it is feeling hungry, this can cause digestive problems in the stomach which may cause a build up of gas pressure in the stomach. In babies and young infants, the valve or flap between the stomach and the esophagus tube is weaker than in older children and adults. The build up of gas pressure in the baby's stomach may cause this valve or flap to open, allowing the contents of the stomach to come back up to the throat of the infant. This causes a burning sensation which makes the baby spit up the stomach contents.
Care to be taken to prevent infant acid reflux: In order to minimise spiting up and keep your baby clean, certain tips can be followed.
- Arrange that the feeding of the baby is done in a peaceful and stress free place to avoid any pressure on the infant.
- During and after feeding try to keep the baby in an upright position. Feed regular small meals and make sure the infant burps during and after meals to release the gas pressure in the baby's stomach.
- Keep the consistency of the food thick, but do so after taking your doctors advice.
- The amount of liquid going in your infant's stomach should be checked if feeding by bottle. The size of the nipple on the baby's bottle should be small to avoid liquid oozing out from it faster than the baby can swallow it.
Observing your baby's health: Keeping a watch on your baby's health can help prevent health problems. Maintain a weight chart, see the color of the spit, note if your baby is rejecting the food, notice if the infant has repeated fever and check if the breathing is normal. These observations should be done under the guidance of a doctor specialising in child care.
Difficulties the infants can face: Infants suffering from acid reflux can face health problems such as weight loss, slow growth, respiratory problems, blood complications etc. If you notice any of these symptoms in your baby, immediate consultations with your doctor are required to deal with infant acid reflux.
Treatments may vary depending on the severity of the reflux. In some cases, infant acid reflux should reduce with age and your infant may not require any medicines. Some infants may require medicines or, in extreme cases, some may even need surgery. Consulting with your doctor is the vital role of the parents in such matters.
Infant Acid reflux is very common. It can cause great discomfort for your baby and be very inconvenient to you as a parent. In all but the mildest cases, it is important you seek a doctor's advice if you have any worries about the effect of acid reflux on your baby's health.
I hope this article provided you with the information and understanding you were looking for.
Brian Waybridge, the author of this article, suffered for many years with the pain of acid reflux before he found welcome relief.