Understanding Acid Reflux in Infants
Michalis 'BIG Mike' Kotzakolios

Introduction

Acid reflux in infants occurs quite often. Over half of babies experience acid reflux within the first three months of their life. The symptoms of acid reflux in infants are: vomiting, spitting, irritability, coughing, blood in stools, and poor feeding. Yet, only a minimal number of infants experience severe symptoms. Most infants stop having these symptoms between 12 and 18 months.

There are a small number of infants who may experience even more severe symptoms such as: breathing problems, irritability or refusal to feed, poor growth due to not holding down enough food, or blood loss from burning of the esophagus. These problems may be a result of another condition. Acid reflux in infants can be a result of other disorders, which a doctor needs to evaluate.

Treatment

Treatment for acid reflux in infants depends entirely on the infant’s symptoms or age. Acid reflux in infants often goes away by itself, but there are those instances in which treatment is needed. Sometimes, it may just be a result of how the child is fed. A doctor may suggest that the infant’s food be thickened with cereal and to be kept upright after being fed. Overfeeding can make reflux worse. Another way to reduce vomiting is smaller quantities with more frequent feeding.

If there is any projectile vomiting, a green or yellow substance, anything that looks like coffee grounds, blood in the child’s vomit, difficulty breathing, pain when swallowing, or food refusal, please contact a doctor immediately. These can be classic signs of acid reflux in infants.

Medication may be prescribed if any of the symptoms in the previous paragraph present themselves. The child may also have difficulty sleeping or the growth is stunted, which is very rare. Decreasing the acid in the stomach is the goal with medications to treat acid reflux in children. H2 blockers or proton pump inhibitors may be prescribed. A doctor or nurse will discuss with you the potential side effects of these medications.

Here are a few tips regarding acid reflux in infants: Add one tablespoon of rice cereal to 2 ounces of an infant’s milk if the baby is bottle fed, burp the infant after 1 or 2 ounces of formula is ingested, hold the infant upright in your arms up to 30 minutes after feeding and do not overfeed. These infants should also sleep on their backs.

The great news is that acid reflux in infants may exactly be that…acid reflux in infants. Most children do eventually grow out of it. Very few continue to have the symptoms into their later childhood and teenage years. Treatments do vary with age and symptoms, and if your child is not growing out of it, then their treatments may vary with age. Chances are, the symptoms will not persist.

BIG Mike is a well known author, developer and Adsense expert as well as the owner of Niche Maniacs - a unique Adsense Marketing System designed to build long-term passive income streams from Adsense, YPN, Chitika and other PPC services.