subject: Acid Reflux in Baby: Keeping Your Baby Protected [print this page] Acid reflux disease, which is also termed as gastroesophageal reflux, is one of the most frequent problems among infants. Babies with acid reflux disease often suffer from a range of conditions, from a mild degree to a severe one, like recurrent spitting up, abdominal pain, and night waking.
This discussion could be more comprehensive with the understanding of the physiological or the mechanical aspect of the condition. The body has a band of muscle inside a circular structure that is called the lower esophageal sphincter. This muscle detaches the esophagus from the stomach. When food comes into the stomach, it closes so as to prevent the stomach acids and contents from backing up into the esophagus or regurgitating. But in the case of some babies, the lower esophageal sphincter has grown immature. As such, the partially digested food and digestive acids are allowed to be refluxed. This condition causes irritation inside the esophagus lining which ends up to inflammation which is also commonly called as heartburn.Acid reflux disease among babies usually develops once they are between two to four weeks old. Doctors usually prescribe medicines that minimize the production of digestive acids. Within six to nine months, the acid reflux starts to naturally subside. At this time period, the babies spend most of their time in an upright position. This can be to apply the law of gravity on the food taken in; which is, the meals stays down more naturally and reduces possible regurgitation.
The next are helpful pointers on feeding and positioning of babies to lessen acid reflux disease:Prepare smaller feedings recurrently.
It is smart to feed your baby more than usual but less than the accustomed. If lesser volume of milk goes into the stomach, the digestion will probably be faster and there will probably be fewer amounts of contents available for regurgitation.Maintain the baby in an upright position after feeding. As discussed earlier, gravity helps to hold the digestive contents down. Position your baby seated in your lap while his head rests on your chest. Keep this position for at least half an hour after feeding.Breastfeeding helps a lot. Breast milk is well-known to have many advantages over other commercial formula, mainly for babies with acid reflux disease. Breast milk could be digested faster, which obviously lessens spitting up, and it has special enzymes that assists digestion. Along with that, breast milk does not trigger allergy to babies in comparison with other milks accessible in the market. But for those who are formula-feeding, its advisable to make use of milk using a hypoallergenic formula as advised by a doctor. Aside from having higher tolerance with sensitive intestines, hypoallergenic milk can be digested faster by the stomach so as to minimize refluxes.Set your baby in a comfortable position when asleep. Since every time a baby lies flat when sleeping, gravity cannot help to keep the meals down in this set-up. Because of this, a baby with acid reflux disease often has to endure a sore night waking. If a baby can sleep soundly, then there is going to be no need to call for a change in his habit. But some babies become restless, that may be noted by abdominal pain, acid breath, and wet burps. In this case, it's recommended to elevate the baby's crib to about 30 degrees. This will be enough to reduce the regurgitation. You might also try to train him to sleep on his left side. it's in this position where the inlet of the stomach is higher than the exit. This will help to maintain the food down.
Acid Reflux in Baby: Keeping Your Baby ProtectedBy: Alice Carter
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