Medicines And Other Treatments
Your childs healthcare provider may also recommend other options.
Medicines. Your child’s provider may prescribe medicines to help with reflux. There are medicines that help reduce the amount of acid the stomach makes. This reduces the heartburn linked to reflux. These medicines may include:
- H2-blockers. These reduce the amount of acid your stomach makes by blocking the hormone histamine. Histamine helps to make acid.
- Proton pump inhibitors. These help keep your stomach from making acid. They do this by stopping the stomach’s acid pump from working.
The provider may prescribe another type of medicine that helps the stomach empty faster. If food doesnt stay in the stomach as long as normal, reflex may be less likely to occur.
Calorie supplements. Some babies with reflux cant gain weight because they vomit often. If this is the case, your child’s healthcare provider may suggest:
- Adding rice cereal to baby formula
- Giving your baby more calories by adding a prescribed supplement
- Changing formula to milk- or soy-free formula if your baby may have an allergy
How To Prevent Mild Reflux
Here are five tips to reduce mild reflux:
Sleep Training A Baby With Reflux Or Gerd
Its one thing to manage your babys reflux, but what about when youre sleep training? Well, for starters, we strongly recommend that you see a healthcare provider and get your babys reflux under control before attempting to sleep train. Again, minor reflux usually resolves itself as your baby grows, but more serious GERD often requires medication.
Once your babys reflux is being treated, you can sleep train with confidence. We usually recommend that when you are working on sleep training, youll want to move the last feeding of the night to an early point in the bedtime routine, since youll need to hold your baby semi-upright for 20 or 30 minutes before laying him down for bed. Youll also need to do the same for middle-of-the-night feedings, too just be careful that as you hold and rock your baby, you dont rock him to sleep!
Youll also want to be realistic in your feeding expectations if your baby has reflux. Remember, babies with reflux need to eat smaller, more frequent meals. So it may not be realistic for you to expect a 5 month old baby with reflux to sleep 10 straight hours through the night! Instead, plan for more frequent feedings and plan to night wean a bit later than average, as well. We often find that babies with reflux continue needing night feedings longer.
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What Is Silent Reflux
Reflux occurs when the contents of the stomach come back into the esophagus. Babies with normal reflux will spit up milk or formula, whereas it stays in the esophagus for infants with silent reflux.
Reflux in babies is common and generally resolves on its own by the end of the first year.
However, medical intervention may be required in some cases. Reflux that causes symptoms severe enough to impact a baby’s quality of life is referred to as GERD.
Spitting up is one symptom of GERD, but infants with silent reflux will exhibit other telltale signs.
When To Refer A Child To A Pediatrician For Ger
A key issue is distinguishing between clinical manifestations of GER and GERD in term infants, children, and adolescents to identify patients who can be managed with conservative treatment by the pediatrician and to refer patients who require consultation with the gastroenterologist.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GX4bCipGgTc
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The Truth About Acid Reflux In Babies
For many years, pediatricians have wondered if colic might actually be a burning pain caused by acid reflux in babies . One book even trumpeted it as the cause of all colic. But hundreds of millions of dollars spent on baby antacid medicine have been wasted. Its now proven that GERD rarely causes colic.
How Is Gastroesophageal Reflux Treated
Treatment for GER depends on the symptoms and how severe they are. In babies, doctors sometimes suggest thickening formula or breast milk with a little bit of oat or mixed grain infant cereal to reduce reflux. Making sure the baby is seated or held upright during and after feedings can also help.
Older kids often get relief by avoiding foods and drinks that trigger GER symptoms. Often, these include:
- citrus fruits
- food and drinks with caffeine
- fatty and fried foods
- tomato-based foods and sauces
- peppermint
Doctors may recommend raising the head of a childs bed 6 to 8 inches to help with reflux that happens at night. They also may look at other conditions that can contribute to GER symptoms, including obesity and some medicines. In teens, smoking or alcohol use can play a role in GER.
If symptoms continue, doctors might prescribe medicine, such as:
- H2 blockers, which can help block the production of stomach acid
- proton pump inhibitors, which reduce the amount of acid the stomach makes
- prokinetics, which help the esophageal sphincter work better and the stomach empty faster. This can prevent reflux episodes.
Rarely, medical treatment alone doesnt help and a child fails to grow well or has other problems. Then, a surgical procedure might be an option. In this surgery, called fundoplication , the doctor creates a valve at the top of the stomach by wrapping part of the stomach around the esophagus to strengthen the sphincter and prevent reflux.
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How Long Does Infant Gerd Last
From the What to Expect editorial team and Heidi Murkoff, author of What to Expect When You’re Expecting. What to Expect follows strict reporting guidelines and uses only credible sources, such as peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions and highly respected health organizations. Learn how we keep our content accurate and up-to-date by reading our medical review and editorial policy.
What Is Gastroesophageal Reflux
Gastroesophageal reflux , also called reflux, is when food and acid from the stomach go back up into the esophagus. This causes an uncomfortable feeling in the chest, often called heartburn.
GER can happen in adults and kids, even babies. Its normal and most kids who have gastroesophageal reflux outgrow it over time. Changes in diet can help, but some kids might need medical treatment.
Reflux that happens a lot and causes problems like poor growth, vomiting, or damage to the esophagus is called GERD . GERD is more serious than GER and is usually treated with medicine.
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What Causes Gastroesophageal Reflux
A ring of muscle, called the lower esophageal sphincter, separates the esophagus from the stomach. GER symptoms happen if this ring relaxes at the wrong time or doesn’t close as it should. This lets acidic fluid from the stomach flow backward into the esophagus, into the back of the throat, and sometimes out the mouth or nose.
Often, reflux is minor and no cause for concern. But in people who have GERD, reflux happens more often and causes noticeable discomfort. After many meals, they have heartburn .
In babies with GERD, breast milk or formula regularly refluxes into the esophagus, and sometimes out of the mouth. Sometimes babies regurgitate forcefully or have “wet burps.”
Aversion To Spicy Foods
If your child still has infant acid reflux, he probably wont like the feeling of spicy food sliding down his raw and irritated throat. He also wont like the feeling of having it come back up slathered in stomach acid.
Im not sure if her reflux is the only thing holding back my daughters spicy taste buds. But there have been a couple of times when she has actually screamed while trying something spicy, so I know it is part of the culprit inhibiting my daughters exotic taste.
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What Are Reflux And Gerd
The esophagus is the tube that carries food from your mouth to your stomach. If your baby has reflux, his or her stomach contents come back up into the esophagus. Another name for reflux is gastroesophageal reflux .
GERD stands for gastroesophageal reflux disease. It is a more serious and long-lasting type of reflux. Babies may have GERD if their symptoms prevent them from feeding or if the reflux lasts more than 12 to 14 months.
What Are The Signs Of Pyloric Stenosis
The first symptom of pyloric stenosis is usually projectile vomiting shortly after your baby eats. Unlike other reasons for vomiting, you may notice your baby is usually hungry again soon after throwing up and will want to eat. Because pyloric stenosis prevents fluids and nutrients from reaching the intestines, other symptoms may include dehydration, constipation and weight loss.
No matter the cause, when babies are vomiting more than they are keeping down, when they arent voiding much urine or when they are failing to gain weight from excessive vomiting, a parent should have their baby observed by their treating physician, Dr. Lacey said.
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Baby Reflux Signs And Symptoms
Many of the common signs of baby reflux can also be signs that a baby is distressed for any number of reasons for example, theyre hungry, need a cuddle or theyre cold. So its good to remember that while there are some recognisable signs of baby reflux, this isnt necessarily a disease that needs medicated. Nonetheless, signs can include:
- A baby arching their back and turning their head.
- Crying for long periods and becoming irritable during and after feeds.
- Choking or coughing during a feed or seeming to have a sore throat.
- Spitting up milk during or after feeds several times a day, which upsets them.
- Persistent hiccups.
- Fighting feeding or refusing to feed.
- Poor weight gain.
- Waking very frequently at night.
- Signs of pain or discomfort when feeding.
How Is Pyloric Stenosis Treated
The most effective treatment is a minimally invasive surgical procedure called a pyloromyotomy, where a pediatric surgeon cuts the pyloric muscle to allow the pylorus to reopen.
It is a relatively small operation and recovery is very rapid, Dr. Lacey said. Most babies go home the next day. And once the operation is done, the baby is cured for life.
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Ways To Determine If Acid Reflux Is What Your Child Has:
- Spitting up frequently or vomiting
- Your child may cry a lot and seem to be in pain
- Your child may hiccup more often
- Your child pay be refusing to eat / loss of appetite
- Your child may seem irritable while eating and arch his/her back
- Wet burps
- Difficult sleeping
- Hoarse voice
However, some children show more frightening signs such as spells of not breathing, may seem to be having a hard time swallowing and respiratory problems such as pneumonia, wheezing, asthma and bronchitis. If you are experiencing problems such as these I would contact your pediatrician just to be positive that this is what is wrong with your child.
There are plenty of things to try and do to treat Acid Reflux rather than going right for the medicine as most doctor perscribe Zantac.
Acid Refluxs Effect On Infants
Infants are more prone to acid reflux because their LES may be weak or underdeveloped. In fact, its estimated that more than half of all infants experience acid reflux to some degree.
The condition usually peaks at age 4 months and goes away on its own between 12 and 18 months of age.
Its rare for an infants symptoms to continue past 24 months. If they persist, it may be a sign of gastroesophageal reflux disease , which is a more severe condition. While they may vary, the 10 most common signs of acid reflux or GERD in infants include:
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Signs Of Acid Reflux In Infants:
Symptoms of acid reflux in infants may be a visible problem but in some of the cases there can be a condition known as silent reflux. No need to worry, you can have certain baby acid reflux symptoms which can help you determine the cause.
Some of the baby acid reflux symptoms are-
- Your baby might bring back small amounts of milk.
- You may observe your baby to occasionally vomit after you feed him/her.
- He/she may have hiccups and cough after being fed and sometimes may splutter a bit too.
- Some of the things we can encounter during a silent reflux are as follows-
- In some of the babies who face this acid reflux problem, the babies swallow the milk that comes up instead of spitting it out.
- In other cases the milk might come up but not to the level of reaching into the mouth.
- Baby can make plenty of noise or start crying after being fed.
- If you notice your baby swallowing just after you have fed him/her even if there is no milk inside the mouth, then this could a good symptom of acid reflux.
- This reflux may cause sore throat of the baby so that he may have cough and feel extremely uncomfortable.
- The baby will refuse to eat anything and cry continuously due to the discomfort.
The acid reflux might a severe problem for the babies as they will refuse to eat anything and thus hunger can trigger more stimulation in the digestive tract which can cause more of discomfort.
What Are The Symptoms Of Reflux And Gerd In Infants
In babies, the main symptom of reflux and GERD is spitting up. GERD may also cause symptoms such as:
- Arching of the back, often during or right after eating
- Colic – crying that lasts for more than 3 hours a day with no medical cause
- Poor eating or refusing to eat
- Poor weight gain, or weight loss
NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
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Symptoms Of Baby Colic
Baby colic is a condition in which an otherwise healthy baby cries or appears stressed for long periods without any obvious cause. Typically, it manifests during the first month of life and continues until the baby is 3-4 months old, though rare cases have persisted up to a year. The medical criteria specify that babies with colic cry or fuss for at least three hours, at least three times a week, for the first three weeks of life. That being said, many doctors believe that a baby can have colic without quite meeting these symptoms, especially the 3-hour rule. A more general set of symptoms of baby colic include:
- Sudden onset of crying or fussiness without any discernible reason
- Intense crying that lasts for hours
- Hunching and other signs of intestinal/GI discomfort
- The frequency and intensity increases over a course of weeks
- Symptoms happen more often or more acutely in the late afternoon or early evening.
The late afternoon / early evening fussiness is common among babies, even those without colic. We asked our pediatrician about it, and even he was uncertain as to the reason. He did point out that the early evening is when babies tend to get more tired, as they dont sleep as well during the day, and usually have gone a longer time without substantial feeding, which usually happens in the morning and at night. The confluence of these factors may explain why many babies are colicky at around 4 or 5 p.m.