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Is There Such a Thing as Infant Acid Reflux?
Filed under Infant Acid RefluxJun 30
Anyone experienced in child care knows that children spit up, and a lot. As a matter of fact, some parents wonder how their children will ever get any bigger, considering how much of their food comes back up as opposed to how much actually stays down! But is all this spitting up natural, and when can you assume that it’s a case of infant acid reflux? Most doctors will tell you that infant acid reflux is actually quite common especially in the first few months of their life as their digestive system is very delicate and still developing. When babies spit up they rarely have long-term problems because of it and of course they’re usually able to keep enough food in their system to grow up healthy and happy. Typically infant acid reflux goes away when the child is a few months old as they are better able to keep food in their stomachs because of having a stronger digestive system.
Parents who are concerned about their own child’s infant acid reflux would do well to make some adjustments to their child’s eating patterns. Very often parents feed their children too much and too fast, not realizing how delicate their systems are. And of course it doesn’t help when a child is crying for his or her bottle! But rather than simply letting the baby gulp down an entire bottle’s worth of food without a break you might consider letting them have a few sips and then taking the bottle of out the baby’s mouth for just a moment or two, and then letting the child have a few more sips, and so on. This cuts down on incidents of infant acid reflux as the child is not eating too fast and is not pulling a lot of air into his or her system when eating either.
The amount of food that a baby eats can also do a lot to cause or remedy infant acid reflux. When a stomach is overwhelmed with food, it can’t help but to regurgitate not only the food but the stomach acid with it as well. Putting a limit on your child’s portion sizes and having him or her eat many times throughout the day rather than just a few times is going to be easier on the stomach. The position in which you hold your baby when feeding can also cause infant acid reflux; try holding him or her a bit more upright even when breastfeeding. When the body is flat on its back the stomach acids are more likely to flow back into the esophagus. However, you may not want the youngest of babies to be too upright as you might be putting pressure on the stomach. The digestive system needs some room to function properly. And of course if you are concerned about your child’s case of infant acid reflux, you should speak to your doctor. He or she can address your concerns properly.
Article Written By J. Foley
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