Infant Reflux Causes And What To Look For
Most people consider acid reflux as an adults only disease but its also a problem for babies and is known as infant reflux. Below is some info about infant reflux as well as a few things you can do to ease or help the problem.
Just the same as adults, infant reflux is the result of food not being digested properly and the stomach acid rising up into the esophagus. If you suspect your baby has a case of infant reflux you will want to monitor him/her carefully. There are several causes of the problem and you will want to mention it to your babies doctor or health visitor who will suggest certain medications that are available. You might also want to try some of these tips as well to help ease your babies condition.
Be sure to position your baby in a way that will allow him to breast feed or eat from a bottle without having to lie down. This can alter the digestion process, and cause your baby to choke or spit up. You should also make sure that you are not feeding your baby too much at one time, since this could cause infant reflux to flare up as well. This makes it harder for your little one to digest the formula or breast milk, and could cause him to have trouble sleeping.
After you have fed your baby, don’t put her to bed right away. Also, don’t rock baby right after feeding; this makes it easier for the stomach acid to end up in the esophagus. If you put your infant to sleep right away, there is not time for the nutrients in the breast milk or formula to turn into energy into the baby’s system, and this could make for a very irritable little one, especially during the wee hours of the morning. Babies tend to fall asleep while they are feeding, so if you notice that your little one is dozing off, gently wake him so that you can finish feeding. Be sure to burp your infant after feeding as well, in order to get rid of any air pockets in the stomach that could cause discomfort later.
Babies usually grow out of infant reflux at around 12 months old but its great idea to still pay attention to what they are eating. As they grow, making sure they enjoy fruit and vegetables will give them a good start in life as will trying to limit the amount of fried foods they eat. If they are eating healthy as youngsters they will be much less likely to avoid problems later in life such as child obesity and acid reflux.
Although cases of acid reflux in children isn’t as big a problem as infant reflux, as diets are changing cases are rising so keeping them on a healthy diet is more important than ever.
