How To Deal With Reflux In Newborn

Ways To Minimise Or Help Reflux

1. Make Sure That Its Really Reflux Not Just Spitting Up. Its completely normal for young infants to spit up at least once a day. Changes in life and environment, such as teething, distraction, starting to crawl, starting solids and other things can cause more spitting up. Fussiness can cause baby to swallow more air and spit up, too. A fast let down or overfull breasts can also cause spitup. Remember that the amount baby spits up usually looks like a lot more than it is!.

2. Decide if it Really Needs In Depth Treatment. Happy Spitters who throw up but have no issues with pain or weight loss pose more of a mess problem than an actual medical problem..

3. Breastfeed. This study shows that reflux is less common in breastfed babies and symptoms are less severe. This link gives extremely good information on breastfeeding a reflux breastfed baby, written by an IBCLC..

4. Check For Tongue Tie. Tongue tie is a very common reason for reflux in infants. Especially in formula fed infants, theyre not noticed as often, so make sure you see an IBCLC or someone who has experience in diagnosing tongue ties. Theyre easy to fix, with a simple snip and results are usually almost immediate ..

5. Mothers Diet. If baby is breastfed, certain things such as caffeine can increase reflux symptoms..

6. Elevation While Eating. When breastfeeding, sit baby on your leg, or when bottle feeding, place baby at a raised angle. Holding baby upright for 20-30 minutes after a feed can also help..

Help Baby Sleep Well In Spite Of Infant Reflux

Medical fact-check: Dr Leah Alexander, M.D., F.A.A.P.

Infant reflux is annoying and painful – it isbound to keep baby and you from sleeping well. Luckily there are simple acid reflux techniques to keep nights at best.

Not sure if it really is infant reflux or which type your child has? The BabyReflux Symptoms Guide helps you decide.GERD refers to having pain with the reflux which may require treatment. All infants have some form of non-painful reflux due to the under developed lower esophageal sphincter muscle allowing gastric contents to easily pass back into the esophagus. The LES tightens between 6 to 12 months of age, thus preventing reflux from then on.

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.”

Read Also: How Much Formula To Give To Newborn

Do Not Elevate The Head While Sleeping

Do not elevate your baby’s head when asleep to treat reflux. This is sometimes called positional management.

Positional management is elevating the head of their cot or using pillows under the baby’s mattress, sleep positioners and baby pillows.

Place your baby on their back to sleep. Follow advice on safe sleep to reduce the risk of cot death.

What Causes Heartburn In Infants And Children

Heartburn in infants and young children is usually a sign of gastroesophageal reflux . That’s a condition that occurs when stomach acid backs up into the esophagus — the tube that connects the mouth to the stomach. There is a muscle at the bottom of the esophagus called the lower esophageal sphincter that normally keeps acids in the stomach. But if the LES relaxes too much, the harsh stomach acids can rise up and irritate the delicate lining of the esophagus. That leads to heartburn and other symptoms.

GERD, a more serious form of GER, affects just over 1% of infants. The baby’s spit-up is stronger, often repetitive, and babies may also experience the discomfort of heartburn. This can be seen with fussiness during feeding.

In very young children, the cause of heartburn is usually an immature digestive tract. In older children, risks include being overweight, exposure to secondhand smoke, and eating certain types of foods . Children with neurological conditions, such as cerebral palsy, are also at greater risk.

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The Pros And Cons Of Acid Reflux Drugs

If vomiting or spitting up is a concern, bring it up with your paediatrician or family doctor, but dont be surprised if they tell you to wait it out.

This is the advice Michael Dickinson, a paediatrician in Miramichi, NB, and past-president of the Canadian Paediatric Society, gives frequently, especially if a baby is peeing, pooping, gaining weight and not overly irritable. If this was a baby that was doing a lot of spitting up but was otherwise healthy, what we would call a happy spitter, typically we would do nothing, he says. We would just provide reassurance and ongoing monitoring that the baby was still feeding well and gaining weight. This treatment planone that avoids drugsis backed by the organization Choosing Wisely Canada, which uses medical research to reduce unnecessary tests and treatments.

However, its not always possible to follow best practices in real life. When the milk is flying everywhere in the house and youre having to do laundry 10 times a day, I think it can be a very frustrating symptom, Dickinson says. Its very common for parents to be quite concerned. Some parents push for a drug solution to fix the vomiting, and some doctors may give in, he explains.

What Not To Do

Raising your babys mattress or cot slightly when theyre asleep to keep bubs head above the level of his or her feet does not reduce reflux nor is it considered safe. In such an environment, there is a greater risk that your little one will slip down the cot and become covered by bedding.

Similarly, it is not considered safe to prop your baby up on a pillow in an effort to reduce reflux.

We aim for a future where no child dies suddenly and unexpectedly during pregnancy, infancy or in childhood. The risk of sudden death when a baby is in the tummy or side sleeping positions outweighs any benefits of tummy or left side positioning of babies with reflux – Red Nose

Adding cereal to a babys milk or formula to thicken it in an attempt to stop bub from regurgitating it is also not advised and you should always consult a medical professional before doing this.

Recommended Reading: Why Is Newborn So Fussy

Dealing With Colic And Reflux In Babies

ColicRefluxNB: I am not a medical professional, and any information or advice given in this post should not be deemed to be of a professional standard, or used as a substitute for seeking medical advise from your GP or HV. The information given is simply our own personal experience of different solutions.

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.

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Palomas Days Of Baby Reflux Are Long Gone

We stopped all the natural remedies for baby reflux when Paloma was about 4 months old and never looked back. She now has the digestion of an ox and can drink pasteurized milk, and any other food with no discomfort. YAY! Im so grateful we didnt use any of the harsher medications and instead found natural remedies for baby reflux. If going through it can help just one other mama not resort to harsh pharmaceuticals, then it was worth it!

Diagnosis And Treatment Of Gastroesophageal Reflux In Infants And Children

DREW C. BAIRD, MD DAUSEN J. HARKER, MD and AARON S. KARMES, DO, Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center, Fort Hood, Texas

Am Fam Physician. 2015 Oct 15 92:705-717.

Patient information: See related handout on gastroesophageal reflux in infants and children, written by the authors of this article.

• References

Gastroesophageal reflux in children is the passage of stomach contents into the esophagus. It is a normal physiologic process, occurring throughout the day in infants and less often in children and adolescents, typically after meals. It may be asymptomatic or cause mild, nontroubling symptoms such as regurgitation or occasional vomiting. Regurgitation is the passive movement of stomach contents into the pharynx or mouth. Vomiting is the forceful movement of stomach contents through the mouth by autonomic and voluntary muscle contractions, sometimes triggered by reflux.13

SORT: KEY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PRACTICE

The diagnosis of gastroesophageal reflux and GERD should be based primarily on history and physical examination findings because other diagnostic tests have not shown superior accuracy.

GERD = gastroesophageal reflux disease.

A = consistent, good-quality patient-oriented evidence B = inconsistent or limited-quality patient-oriented evidence C = consensus, disease-oriented evidence, usual practice, expert opinion, or case series. For information about the SORT evidence rating system, go to .

SORT: KEY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PRACTICE

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Are There Treatments For Baby Reflux

Babies with simple or silent reflux dont usually require any intervention, and by simply switching to a Minbie bottle and teat you may see a considerable difference. However, babies with more severe problems will most likely need some treatment alongside a bottle change. Treatment for reflux will focus on the underlying cause and in some instances, a doctor may recommend treatment with an antacid and possibly an alginate . You should never give these medicines to your baby except on the advice of your doctor.

Whether or not your baby requires prescribed treatment for reflux, he or she may benefit from a teat that truly replicates the breast. Minbies revolutionary anti-reflux and anti-colic teats offer superior support of the mother-baby breastfeeding bond and allows bub to practice a proper, comfortable breastfeeding latch for direct-latch breastfeeding, therefore helping protecting them from the discomfort of reflux.

What Feeding Changes Can Help Treat My Infant’s Reflux Or Gerd

Feeding changes may help your baby’s reflux and GERD:

• Add rice cereal to your baby’s bottle of formula or breastmilk. Check with the doctor about how much to add. If the mixture is too thick, you can change the nipple size or cut a little “x” in the nipple to make the opening larger.
• Burp your baby after every 1 to 2 ounces of formula. If you breastfeed, burp your baby after nursing from each breast.
• Avoid overfeeding give your baby the amount of formula or breast milk recommended.
• Hold your baby upright for 30 minutes after feedings.
• If you use formula and your doctor thinks that your baby may be sensitive to milk protein, your doctor may suggest switching to a different type of formula. Do not change formulas without talking to the doctor.

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Smaller More Frequent Feedings

Feeding a baby with reflux can be challenging. Breastfed babies who have reflux may try to soothe the pain by nursing, which can exacerbate the issue.

Formula-fed infants can go longer stretches between feedings, however, this is also not ideal for babies with reflux.

Aim to feed your baby every two to three hours while awake. This may mean reducing the number of ounces your baby gets at each feeding. Overfeeding can increase abdominal pressure, which worsens reflux symptoms.

You may also find nipples with smaller holes to be helpful for your baby. Look for bottles that are designed to reduce the amount of air your baby takes in during feedings.

How To Ease Your Babys Reflux

You can help ease your babys reflux by making small changes to the way you feed them. Talk to your midwife or health visitor who might suggest:

• Gently burping your baby regularly throughout feeding.
• Ensuring they take breaks during a feed.
• Giving your baby shorter but more frequent feeds.
• Keeping your babys head higher than their bottom during feeds.
• Keeping your baby upright for a bit after feeding.
• Changing baby on their side to avoid any discomfort caused by lifting their legs up towards their stomach.
• Using thickened anti-reflux formula milk. You can buy these without a prescription but its important to talk to a healthcare professional before you do. There is some caution about their use, such as the fact that they are made at a lower temperature than is currently recommended to get rid of harmful bacteria.
• If your baby has a cows milk allergy, your doctor might suggest using special formula milk that doesnt contain cows milk.

Some parents might be advised to raise the head end of their babys cot slightly or place a rolled up towel under the mattress. Its important to say that there is no scientific evidence that this works and it might increase the risk of sudden infant death syndrome .

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Infant Gerd And Nasal Congestion

Nasal congestion can also be a symptom of infant GERD. Though experts arent sure exactly why the two are linked, stomach acids could reach the back of the nasal cavity in babies with GERD, causing inflammation of the nasal passages.

If your baby has nasal congestion along with other symptoms of GERD, try home remedies for GERD and talk to your doctor about medications. In the meantime, if congestion is severe, try these tactics for stuffy nose relief.

Symptoms Of A Reflux Baby

• Fusses and seems uncomfortable during feeding, going on and off the boob or bottle.
• Cries hysterically after feeding.
• Cries often, gagging, gasping and panting.
• Cries so much he eventually passes out from sheer exhaustion.
• Arches body and writhes in pain.
• Burps and hiccups often.
• Has trouble sleeping and staying asleep.
• Baby cant sleep lying flat and can only sleep in an upright position.
• Baby has a throaty wet cough and seems congested.
• Throws up and vomits.
• Does not gain weight or gains weight slowly.
• Often sucks on his hands and places his hands in mouth.
• May want to feed all the time to ease discomfort or may refuse feeds totally.

Here are the 21 tips for dealing with a reflux baby. These reflux baby remedies were a lifesaver in helping me cope with my reflux baby and I wish Id known of them sooner. This list of remedies provided relief to my reflux baby and helped us through a dreary time.

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