Baby Acid Reflux
Most of babies' suffers from acid reflux in first three months because of weak or an immature digestive system. The symptoms find in babies' or infants are very mild to extreme. GERD is common in babies' and sometimes don't needs any treatment. The symptoms in the infants disappear within 12 and 18 months of age.
The treatment of acid reflux for the infants depends on its age and symptoms. The factors like cough, strain and cry are also responsible for creating acid reflux. In case of some babies GERD resolves by itself and don't need any treatment. The symptoms found in infants are very severe and needs medical treatment. Below are some common symptoms that are found in infants.
Some infants founds GERD symptoms such as,
- Bad breath
- Constant crying
- Vomiting and spitting
- Eating a very small amount of food or refusing it.
- Arching the back while feeding
- Wet burps
- Frequent coughing
- Constant crying
- Poor sleep
There are some less common symptoms also in infants including,
- Not breathing
- Frequent sore throat
- Swelling
- Weight loss
- Excessive drooling
- Respiratory problems such as pneumonia, bronchitis, asthma and wheezing
- Ear or sinus infections
How will you analyze acid reflux in infants?
Acid reflux may be analyzed using various ways and on the basis of symptoms. If the baby is well growing and healthy then the acid reflux may be detected or analyzed with the help of symptoms and feeding history told by parents. In serious conditions doctors suggests tests of GERD. The tests may includes,
- Lab tests: Lab tests consist of many blood and urine tests used to identify acid reflux or even to detect reason behind vomiting and poor weight gain.
- Upper endoscopy: In this test a tube with camera is used to insert through the mouth of baby into stomach or esophagus. It helps to find out if there is any narrowing or esophagatis in the esophagus.
- Checking of pH in esophagus: This test helps to measure the acidity in the esophagus of baby.
Treatment in infants:
Treatment for infants depends on the severity of the problem. Sometimes the problem doesn't needs any treatment and the problem disappears by itself after some time. Mostly it resolves in one year in some infants. However, some infants with proper growth and happiness also need some changes in their lifestyle to prevent acid reflux problem.
Doctors prescribe medicines for the infants diagnosed with GERD. These medicines or remedies includes,
- Acid Blockers: This helps to block acid production in the stomach. The doses like Prevacid and Priloses have been approved for infants with certain ages.
- Antacids: This remedy helps to neutralize stomach acid. The remedies in this include Mylanta, Maalox and Tums.
- Acid Suppressers: This is helpful to suppress acid production in stomach. The remedies include Pepcid, Zantac, Axid and Taqamet.
However, go through the suggestion of your doctor before beginning treatment.
Below are some instructions for infants with acid reflux:
- While feeding, make sure that the baby is positioned in an upright manor. Baby's head should be kept above its waist.
- Feeding should be slow and last for at least ten minutes. Nipples come in many sizes, so the nipple you are using for feeding should be correct. For new born you have to start with 0-1 size of nipple.
- Add rice in baby's diet to thicken it that will help to encourage staying down. You can start with adding 2 to 3 tablespoons for every 3 ounces.
- You have to burp your baby during feeding.
- Hold baby in upright position for at least fifteen minutes.
