Infant Reflux Weight Loss Diet Nutrition Tips Guide

Infant Reflux Symptoms Affecting Your Baby

By Tracy Kerr-Walshe

As a parent, there’s nothing more heart-wrenching than the sound of your baby crying. Trying to pinpoint the cause can be extremely frustrating and many parents long for the days when their children can just say, "I’m hungry" or "I’m uncomfortably wet."

The fear is always that there may be something wrong with the baby that’s difficult for parents to diagnose. Frequently spitting up milk, shying away from the breast and crying can be signs that something isn’t quite right.

More than half of all babies experience infant reflux during their first few months, but how do you know when it’s a problem?

Lower Oesophageal Sphincter Is Not Fully Developed To Keep Food Down

Babies spit up… a lot. This happens because the lower esophageal sphincter (the valve that closes the throat) isn’t fully developed yet and the soft tissue allows for liquid to come back up just as easy as it went down. Generally, as the child ages this will be less of a problem, although it’s possible that he or she may have infant reflux.

Aside from being kind of gross, infant reflux can be a sign of GERD (a severe version of reflux resulting in awful pain, vomiting and poor weight gain) or Pyloric Stenosis (a rare condition where a narrowed valve prevents stomach contents from emptying properly into the intestines).

Take Your Baby To A Medical Doctor

You should seek medical advice if your baby resists feeding but seems hungry, isn’t gaining weight, has fewer wet diapers than normal and seems lethargic, spits up forcefully, spits up green or brown fluid, or spits up more than a few tablespoons at a time.

If your baby sounds hoarse all the time, has diarrhea or difficulty breathing, then review your options and definitely ask your doctor about infant reflux.

Keeping Your Baby Upright

While breastfeeding, try to keep your baby in a slightly upright position by holding, using pillows or a feeding product, such as the Pollywog Nursing Positioner. It’s also possible you’re simply feeding your baby too much at once. Try smaller feedings, which could reduce the incidence of regurgitation.

If you’re bottle feeding, you may want to try a different bottle, such as Dr. Brown’s Natural Flow Bottles, which are specially designed to reduce air bubbles that trigger burping, ear fluid and infant reflux.

Other Milk Formulas

There are also other formulas that your baby might digest better. For babies with merely infant reflux and no milk allergies, Enfamil AR is designed for them. However, if the milk-based formula seems to upset your baby, soy-based, lactose-free or hypoallergenic formulas are available.

In fact, approximately 25% of babies in the US are on soy-based formulas. Isomil and Prosobee are two popular soy-based formulas on the market. Hypoallergenic formulas include: Alimentum, Nutramigen, Pregestimil, Neocate and Elecare.

Acid Burns And Causes Discomfort

Don’t lay your baby down on his or her back after feeding. Often, babies cry when they’re laid on their back after spitting up because the acid burns and causes added discomfort.

Some products are available, such as "the tucker sling/wedge," which is a soft pillow combined with a Velcro strap that allows babies to rest on their stomachs at a slight incline.

Sleeping Suggestions

Similarly, the "Amby Baby Hammock" will encourage babies to sleep in a slightly upright position, instead of laying down in a crib. Another helpful product is a "swaddling blanket," which eases fussiness in babies and can assist babies who develop infant reflux from stress-related agitation.

When all traditional methods fail, medication can treat severe GERD symptoms. Decreased dosages of Zantac, Nexium, Prilosec and Tagamet have been prescribed for infant reflux. In some cases, surgery can tighten the improperly functioning esophageal muscle associated with the reflux.

Please Note: All information given on this site is for general information purposes and is not to replace any medical opinion or medical diagnosis given by a qualified medical doctor, a dietitian/nutritional expert or any other medical expert, as individual circumstances may vary. Please see a medical doctor, before any action is taken to alleviate symptoms.

This Article was about Infant Reflux.

About the Author:
Tracy Kerr-Walshe is an author of articles on health, diet, weight loss and nutrition including Whole Foods, Organic Foods, Healthy Snacks, Effective Weight Loss, Full Body Detox, Juice Fasting.
Keep a lookout for more of her articles coming soon.

More About Acid Reflux

How is it treated in adults?

The first step in treatment is sleeping position. Gravity can be your friend or your foe. By sleeping at an incline, the acid can flow back down the esophageal tube. The next step is to change the size of your meal.

The larger your stomach distends to make room for food, the less room there is for the digestive fluids. Eat smaller portions and this will help alleviate the symptoms. Also look at your diet. Some foods are known to promote reflux. You should avoid ingesting peppermint, chocolate, alcohol and caffeine.

If you have followed these recommendations and are still having acid reflux then the doctor may have you take medicine specifically designed for treating acid reflux.

One thing you should remember is this: there is no cure for acid reflux and you will always have to battle flare-ups. In the case of reflux in which nothing seems to be working, the doctor may have to operate.