Treating Infant Reflux
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?
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, it 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). 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 definitely ask your doctor about this infection.
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