Preventing Infant Acid Reflux Or Gerd
Many babies have problems with spitting up that don’t require treatment. In these babies, referred to as “happy spitters,” symptoms usually disappear after six to eight months. For some infants, however, symptoms are a sign of something more serious, such as gastroesophageal reflux disease , and they need medical attention.
This article explores what you can do to ease your baby’s symptoms, whether your infant has harmless spitting or needs medical treatment for reflux.
How Can The Babocush Cushion Help With Gerd
The Babocush cushion is especially designed with babies who suffer from acid reflux in mind. Giving your baby the tummy time needed to encourage neck control and muscle development, the babocush cushion can assist your baby in working their muscles and strengthening their digestive system. Whats more, the gentle heartbeat sounds and vibrations will soothe your baby when they are suffering from GERD symptoms. The adjustable straps mean that tiny newborns can be secured safely to the cushion, as well as bigger babies, so your baby can continue use throughout their first year.
Dont Blame Breastfeeding For Acid Reflux In Infants
Just as importantly as being ready, dont let others tell you that it is your milk. You have decided that you want to give your baby the very best of milk, but others may tell you that you should stop breastfeeding and give your baby special baby formula instead. If your doctor or nurse suggests this, seek out a more breastfeeding-friendly health professional to help.
Warning: Formula will just make matters worse. Breast is really the besteven more so if your breastfeeding baby has acid reflux. Dont let anyone tell you different. The formula companies have spent years trying to lie to you about this!
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What Treatments Might The Doctor Give For My Infants Gerd
If feeding changes do not help enough, the doctor may recommend medicines to treat GERD. The medicines work by lowering the amount of acid in your babyâs stomach. The doctor will only suggest medicine if your baby still has regular GERD symptoms and:
- You already tried some feeding changes
- Your baby has problems sleeping or feeding
- Your baby does not grow properly
The doctor will often prescribe a medicine on a trial basis and will explain any possible complications. You shouldnât give your baby any medicines unless the doctor tells you to.
Medicines for GERD in babies include:
- H2 blockers, which decrease acid production
- Proton pump inhibitors , which lower the amount of acid the stomach makes
If these donât help and your baby still has severe symptoms, then surgery might be an option. Pediatric gastroenterologists only use surgery to treat GERD in babies in rare cases. They may suggest surgery when babies have severe breathing problems or have a physical problem that causes GERD symptoms.
Pyloric Stenosis Versus Gerd
If your newborn projectile vomits in the first few months of life, keep an eye out for symptoms of pyloric stenosis, since it can sometimes be confused with GERD in infants.
In addition to forceful vomiting at feedings, symptoms of pyloric stenosis include constant hunger, dehydration, constipation and, rarely, blood in the vomit. While uncommon, the condition characterized by a narrowing of the opening at the bottom of the stomach does require diagnosis by a doctor and surgery to treat it.
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Hold Baby Upright For At Least 30 Minutes After Feeding
I always held Paloma upright for at least 30 minutes after I fed her. To make this easy, you can babywear them in an infant carrier or simply snuggle them as you walk around the house or sit in a comfy chair. If baby needs to go to sleep after feeding, be sure they sleep elevated to reduce acid reflux symptoms.
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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Why Acid Reflux In Babies Occurs
In infants with reflux, the lower esophageal sphincter hasnât fully developed. Normally, this valve only opens when you swallow, allowing food to pass through the esophagus to the stomach, and it stays closed at other times. In babies with reflux, the valve isnât mature, and it allows stomach contents to come back up the esophagus, causing your baby to spit up. Lying flat most of the time, having a liquid diet, and being born early may also contribute to reflux in babies. Once the valve is fully formed, your baby should stop spitting up.
Acid reflux often starts when a baby is between two to three weeks old, and it tends to peak around four to five months. Once a baby starts sitting up and eating solid foods, reflux may improve.
Natural Remedies For Acid Reflux In Babies
If your baby is showing signs of reflux, consider these natural remedies for the digestive problem.
Breastfeed, if possible.Breastfeeding is best for babies with reflux since they digest milk twice as fast as the formula. If breastfeeding isn’t possible, talk to your doctor about which formula is best for your baby. Sometimes switching to a hypoallergenic or lactose-free option can help relieve symptoms.
Keep your baby upright after feeding. Keeping your baby in a sitting position during feedingsand for at least 20 minutes afterwardcan prevent food from traveling upward into the esophagus.
Give frequent but small feedings. This will be easier on the baby’s stomach and also decrease reflux because there’s less to regurgitate. Some babies with reflux naturally prefer to eat this way others get cranky if they don’t get their full feeding right away. After a few days, though, your baby should adjust to this new schedule, so try to stick with it.
Burp often. You might want to stop feeding every two to three ounces to burp your bby. Burping will release gas and relieve the symptoms of reflux.
Delay playtime after meals. Avoid jostling or bouncing baby right after a feeding all that movement increases the likelihood of spitting up or vomiting.
Avoid tight diapers and clothing. Tight items can put added pressure on a baby’s tummy and make them especially irritable.
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Your Digestive System & How It Works
This content is provided as a service of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health. The NIDDK translates and disseminates research findings to increase knowledge and understanding about health and disease among patients, health professionals, and the public. Content produced by the NIDDK is carefully reviewed by NIDDK scientists and other experts.
The NIDDK would like to thank:Carlo Di Lorenzo, M.D., Nationwide Childrenâs Hospital
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How Do You Stop Acid Reflux In Breastfed Babies
In addition to the management of general reflux there are additional measures you can take:
Why is my breast milk causing reflux?
Babies who are not latching effectively for breastfeeds may have reflux. This can be because they are taking in air when feeding or when crying. Sometimes, babies just need to be in a slightly different position to latch more deeply. Sometimes it can be a result of physiological issues such as a tongue tie.
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Formula Feeding And Reflux
If your baby is on infant formula, speak to your public health nurse to make sure that they are taking the correct amount of formula for their age.
To help their symptoms, try:
- offering smaller but more frequent feeds instead of a large volume in one go
- feeding in a more upright position
- winding regularly during a feed
- holding your baby upright for a while after feeding.
Avoid chopping and changing your baby’s infant formula. If you are considering changing your baby’s infant formula milk, discuss it with your public health nurse first.
Introducing Solids To A Baby With Silent Reflux
It would be fabulous to be able to give you a definitive list of foods that are well tolerated by reflux babies, but of course, when it comes to reflux, every baby is just too different.
Some health professionals recommend using baby rice cereal to thicken formula or expressed breastmilk of a baby with reflux before six months, to help keep the milk down. We would recommend only doing this under the advice of your doctor.
Although fruits are part of a normal starting-solids regime, you may like to tread lightly and only attempt very small amounts of new foods.
Acidic fruit like green apples or tomato and bananas may cause a flare up as well.
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How To Prevent Acid Reflux In Babies
Here are a few things you can do to prevent an acid reflux in your baby:
- After feeding, do not lay your baby immediately down. Hold your baby upright for at least 30 minutes after feeding and burp your baby. Burp your baby after each feed/meal. In fact, you can interrupt and stop the feed and burp the baby between the feeding session.
- Give your baby small frequent feeds. You can increase the number of feedings and decrease the quantity of each feed. Small quantities are easier to digest for babies. And, do not overfeed your baby.
- For bottle-fed babies, the size of the nipple hole needs to be checked. Large holes make your baby gulp in air and this leads to acid reflux. Try different nipples till you find one that does not allow air to pass.
- Change the formula you are using. Some formulas might contain certain ingredients that are causing acid reflux in your baby. Check with your pediatrician and try a different formula if the need be.
- The diet of the breastfeeding mother has a direct influence on the babys health. She should avoid consuming spicy and fried foods. She should include probiotic curd in her diet to improve her and her babys digestion. Common allergens such as eggs, soy, gluten, wheat and citrus fruits should be avoided.
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It is however best to consult a doctor if the symptoms become severe leading to discomfort and if the home remedies do not show any significant improvements,
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Key Points About Gerd In Children
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GERD is a long-term digestive disorder.
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It happens when stomach contents come back up into the food pipe .
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Heartburn or acid indigestion is the most common symptom of GERD.
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Vomiting can cause problems with weight gain and poor nutrition.
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In many cases, GERD can be eased by diet and lifestyle changes.
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Sometimes medicines, tube feedings, or surgery may be needed.
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Baby Talk: 7 Tips For Helping Babies With Acid Reflux
Having a baby with acid reflux can feel like the most exhausting uphill battle when youre a new parent. Having had two babies who both suffered from acid reflux, and after talking to countless doctors and fellow reflux families, we came up with a list of 7 tips and tricks for helping babies with acid reflux , plus a few hallmark signs that your baby does in fact have reflux.
When our first baby girl was born, we struggled for months to get a clear diagnosis as to why she was seemingly so uncomfortable. She cried for the better part of her first eight months, threw up everything we fed her, and seemed generally uncomfortable and miserable. As a new mom, it was heartbreaking. For many months, the best answer we could come up with thanks to a team of doctors who tried seemingly everything, including an endoscopy, which was easily one of the hardest days as a momwas that Scarlett was suffering from pretty severe reflux.
A few months after that, it was our trusted allergist who stepped in, tested her, and determined that she was also severely allergic to milk protein. In addition to all of the reflux precautions, we eliminated all dairy from her diet. Just like that, things got better.* To this day, at six years old, Scarlett still has her bad reflux days and cant have any milk protein at all, but to see our happy little girl thriving is everything.
What Are The Treatments For Acid Reflux In Infants And Children
There are a variety of lifestyle measures you can try for acid reflux in babies and older children:
For babies:
- Elevate the head of the babyâs crib or bassinet.
- Hold the baby upright for 30 minutes after a feeding.
- Thicken bottle feedings with cereal .
- Feed your baby smaller amounts of food more often.
- Try solid food .
- Elevate the head of the childâs bed.
- Keep the child upright for at least two hours after eating.
- Serve several small meals throughout the day, rather than three large meals.
- Make sure your child is not overeating.
- Limit foods and beverages that seem to worsen your childâs reflux such as high fat, fried or spicy foods, carbonation, and caffeine.
- Encourage your child to get regular exercise.
If the reflux is severe or doesnât get better, your doctor may recommend medication.
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Acid Reflux Medication Is Rarely Needed
Acid Reflux Medication Is Rarely Needed
Its important to understand that most reflux is buffered by frequent feeds in infants and seldom is of acid pH a fact that seems to be largely ignored by doctors. In fact, studies show that a PPI is no better than a placebo for symptoms purported to be those of GERD in infants namely irritability and spitting up.
Over-prescription of acid-suppressing medications in infants is a serious matter, as discussed by Dr. Eric Hassall in The Journal of Pediatrics, who is currently Staff Gastroenterologist at Sutter Pacific Medical Foundation in San Francisco, California, and is an advisor to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration . According to him, We are medicalizing normality. In most infants, these symptoms are life, not a disease, and do not warrant treatment with drugs, which can have significant adverse effects. Dr. Eric Hassall further stresses that gastric acid is an early line of defense against infection and is important for nutrition. By prescribing acid-suppressing medications to infants who dont actually have serious, long-lasting reflux disease, pediatricians are not only putting their patients at a higher risk for infections like pneumonia and gastroenteritis, they are also risking further long-term diseases because PPI use in infants can also lead to deficiency of essential minerals and vitamins, such as magnesium, calcium, and vitamin B12.
Medical Treatment For Baby Reflux
In most cases, acid reflux in babies will go away with natural remedies. However, if your baby’s reflux isn’t improvingor is actually getting worsetalk to your pediatrician about a prescription medication to relieve the symptoms. According to Dr. Greene, “Usually we only use the medication if the child is not growing well, has a chronic cough or trouble breathing, or seems to be in painnot for just spitting up.”
While no drug is totally free from side effects, rest assured that many of the most common drugs given for acid reflux are very safe and effective. And since most babies outgrow acid reflux before their first birthday, they usually don’t need to take the meds for very long.
Acid reducers are usually the first choice, and proton pump inhibitors are reserved for more aggressive cases. According to Dr. Greene, “Zantac is a medicine that decreases the acidity of what sloshes up. Whether the benefits outweigh the possible side effects depends on how severe the symptoms are.”
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How We Wrote This Article
The information in this article is based on the expert advice found in trusted medical and government sources, such as the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. You can find a full list of sources used for this article below. The content on this page should not replace professional medical advice. Always consult medical professionals for full diagnosis and treatment.
How Is Gerd / Acid Reflux Treated In Infants
GERD and acid reflux in infants can be treated in the following ways:
- Elevating the head of the babys bassinet
- Holding your baby upright for 30 minutes after feedings
- Change your babys feeding schedule for smaller amounts at more frequent periods
Note: So, even if your baby has improved on acid reflux medicineask your doctor about trying her off it for a few days, to see if the medicine is really necessary.
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Quiet Time And Feedings
Just as adults can develop heartburn and reflux if they are feeling anxious, babies who are anxious or overstimulated may also spit up more. Make feeding time more enjoyable by eliminating loud noises and distractions and dimming the lights. Likewise, avoid vigorous activity and active play for up to 30 minutes after a feeding.