Acid reflux in babies: keeping your baby protected

Acid reflux, also known as gastroesophageal reflux, is one of the most frequent problems among infants. Babies with acid reflux often suffer from a number of conditions, from mild to severe, such as newspapers spitting up, abdominal pain, and night waking.

This discussion would be more comprehensive understanding of the physiological or mechanical aspect of the condition. The body has a band of muscle in a circular structure is called the lower esophageal sphincter. This muscle separating the esophagus from the stomach. When food enters the stomach, closes to prevent stomach acids and contents back 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 acid reflux is permitted. This condition causes irritation in the lining of the esophagus that results in inflammation, which is also commonly called as acidity.

Acid reflux among babies usually develops when they are between two to four weeks of age. Doctors often prescribe medications to minimize the production of digestive acids. Within six to nine months, acid reflux, naturally, begins to decline. In this period of time, babies spend most of their time in an upright position. This is to apply the law of gravity on the food taken, that is, the food stays below, of course, and reduces the possible regurgitation.

The following links are useful on food and positioning of babies to reduce acid reflux:

Preparing food smaller recurring. It makes sense to feed your baby more than usual but lower than usual. If smaller volume of milk goes into the stomach, digestion is faster and there will be fewer amounts of content available for regurgitation.

Keep the baby in an upright position after eating. As noted previously, gravity helps keep the digestive contents down. Position your baby sitting on his lap while his head resting on his chest. Hold this position for at least half an hour after eating.

Breastfeeding helps a lot. Breast milk is well known to have many advantages over other commercial formulas, mainly for babies with acid reflux. Breast milk can be digested faster, which of course reduces spitting, and has enzymes that aid digestion. In addition, breast milk does not trigger allergic to babies compared to other milks available in the market. However, for those who are formula feeding, it is advisable to use milk with a hypoallergenic formula as advised by a doctor. Apart from having greater tolerance for sensitive intestines, hypoallergenic milk can also be quickly digested by the stomach in order to minimize reflux.

Set your baby in a comfortable position when asleep. Since when a baby lies flat when sleeping, gravity can not assist in keeping the food in this assembly. As a result, a baby with acid reflux often has to endure a pain in the night vigil. If a baby can sleep well, then there will be no need to request a change in their habit. However, some babies are restless, which can be observed by abdominal pain, acid breath, and wet burps. In this case, it is recommended to raise the baby's crib about 30 degrees. This will be sufficient to reduce regurgitation. You can also try to train to sleep on your left side. It is in this position where the entrance to the stomach is higher than the output. This will also help keep food down.