What Causes Reflux in Babies?
Every baby vomits or spits up its feed sometimes and some babies do it after every feeding. This can either be a very normal phenomenon or a case of concern if the spitting is caused by a condition called reflux. Vomiting has become a huge concern area for many parents across the world. There is a good and negative part to this concern. The good part of the concern is that parents have become better informed about conditions and diseases in their babies and the negative part is that many parents are turning to medication for their babies even under natural circumstances that do not require medication. This may lead to the babies suffering from side effects, some of which have not been identified so far.
What Causes Reflux in Babies?
When your baby swallows milk, the milk goes into a muscular tube called the esophagus and then into its stomach. In the passage between the esophagus and the stomach there is a ring of muscles that opens to allow the milk go into the stomach. After the milk moves into the stomach this ring of muscles known as the lower esophageal sphincter closes to prevent milk from flowing back into the esophagus. If the contents in the stomach move back up the esophagus, the condition is called reflux.
Babies are more prone to reflux because:
- The size of a baby's stomach is very small, not more than the size of their fist, so they get distended, during feeding, by the milk. Their stomachs are quite small (about the size of their fists or a golf ball), so the milk easily distends them.
- The lower esophagus valve may be immature that does not tighten up to prevent the stomach contents from flowing back in time.
The natural way
It is very common for babies to spit up occasionally. Some babies spit occasionally while some spit frequently while some may even spit up with every feeding. It could only be a natural phenomenon with nothing to worry about. It is natural if your baby is showing the following traits despite vomiting up:
- The baby is content
- The baby is not facing any discomfort
- The baby is growing up by natural standards
- The baby is not experiencing breathing trouble because of the vomiting.
In such cases no treatment is required and your baby will grow out of it naturally. Usually, the lower esophagus valve tightens up in the first year after which the spitting ceases.
Is it Gastro Esophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)?
In some cases the problem can be more than just a normal phenomenon. It could be GERD if the vomiting is causing problems like:
- The baby is facing pain and discomfort
- The vomiting is causing breathing problems like wheezing, coughing, choking or gagging.
- If the vomiting is causing loss of nutrition and your baby is not growing according to proper standards.
If you see any of the above symptoms in your baby, then consult your pediatrician immediately who can identify and treat the condition correctly. Most parents think vomiting is caused by the baby's intolerance towards milk and try changing the milk formula.
Some tips for happy feeding
If your baby is spitting up, the following tips may be of good help:
- After every feeding, keep your baby in upright position for 30 minutes so that the milk can go down into the stomach easily aided by gravity.
- Ensure that there is no pressure at all on the stomach till at least 20 minutes after feeding.
- Make the feeding slightly thicker by adding rice cereal so that it does not come back out easily.
You may realize to your delight that these simple tips can keep your baby in the realm of happy spitting. However, consult your pediatrician for the right advice on your baby's spitting condition. This article is just for the general information of the readers
Best Regards
Prakash Nair
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