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Acid reflux is when food is regurgitated through the esophagus after indigestion. In babies, the symptoms are spitting up. Although, for the first three months acid reflux is normal in babies. It is after a baby is three months old that you should be concerned if the acid reflux is continuing.
Some baby reflux symptoms are refusing to eat, crying constantly, frequent coughing or hiccups, becoming irritable during feedings, regurgitating milk, arching of back during feeding, losing weight or insufficient weight gaining, drooling around corners of mouth and stomach tender to the touch.
Baby reflux symptoms need to be diagnosed by a doctor. The doctor can test the baby's urine and blood to rule out any infections. Also they can test the baby's pH level of the esophagus. If the baby's reflux is severe, then an endoscopy can be performed, but this is usually done as a last resort.
If a diagnosis is made that the baby reflux symptoms is indeed reflux, then treatments can begin. There are medications that can be prescribed. Acid suppressors suppress the production of acid in the stomach and acid blockers block the production of acid in the stomach. Antacids can also be used which neutralize any acid in the stomach. Some popular medications to treat acid reflux are Prilosec and Tagamet.
If you do not want to use medication to treat your baby's reflux then there are some other things that you can try that can assist in keeping your baby comfortable and reducing the symptoms. First of all you need to keep the baby upright during feeding and 30 minutes afterward. You should make sure that you lie the baby on its back and elevate the head of the bed at least 30 degrees when putting baby down for bed. Make sure that you are not overfeeding your baby.
Feeding is only needed every 2 to 3 hours to keep the baby satisfied. You can also add rice cereal to your baby's diet to help reduce regurgitation. Breastfeeding mothers should watch their diet, cutting out foods like caffeine and chocolate that can increase reflux. When feeding, also make sure that you are winding your baby regularly. Keeping the baby comfortable with loose-fitting diapers is another good idea. Do not feed your baby any juices that are citrus, caffeinated or orange.
It is important to recognize baby reflux symptoms and get your baby seen by a doctor for diagnosis if symptoms worsen.
About this Author
Having a young infant who suffers from baby reflux is hard work, even once the condition is diagnosed. Sometimes even explaining the problem to others can be exhausting as it is different to baby colic and normal digestive issues in babies. Emilie Warren has a child who suffered from infant baby reflux, also known as gerd, and shares her experiences with other mothers on her own website. You can learn more about baby reflux symptons there.
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