Infant reflux is one of the most prevalent reasons families reach out to our pediatric providers. It’s very common, but finding the right treatment for how to help infant reflux can be challenging.
What is infant reflux?
Infant reflux, or gastroesophageal reflux (GER), occurs when breastmilk or formula comes back up into the esophagus from the stomach. When this happens, babies can spit up or vomit their milk from their nose or mouth. Infant reflux is common because babies have immature stomach muscles that aren’t strong enough yet to keep their food down, and they spend a lot of time lying down.
“Infant reflux affects almost all families at one point in their parenting journey,” Morgan S. Allen, APRN-CNP, at Bon Secours Pediatric Gastroenterology Associates, shares. “As a provider who focuses on infant reflux, I hear the difficulties parents have with managing their baby’s reflux. In our pediatric GI office, we can sit together and review what exactly infant reflux is and different ways we can cope so you can enjoy your sweet baby!”
How to help infant reflux
While common, infant reflux is a condition that can sometimes be very challenging for families to manage. In most cases, reflux resolves by their first birthday. However, recognizing the symptoms and understanding the causes can help determine the best course of treatment for your baby.
Symptoms of infant reflux
Infants are particularly prone to reflux because they spit up a lot. In addition to traditional spit-up reflux of breastmilk or formula, infant reflux symptoms can also include:
- Irritability
- Feeding difficulties
- Excessive crying
- Back arching
- Poor weight gain
- Poor sleeping
- Coughing
Morgan says that if you feel your baby is struggling with additional symptoms, consider making an appointment with your pediatrician’s office.
What causes infant reflux?
While symptoms of reflux can vary from baby to baby, so can what causes it. Other potential causes of infant reflux include:
- An infant’s diet, which is solely formula- and breastmilk-based
- Certain feeding positions
- Feeding techniques
How do you treat infant reflux?
Infant reflux can be very stressful for new parents, especially during an already challenging time. However, most acid reflux in babies improves over time, and they usually outgrow it by the time they are 1 year old.
Possible ways to treat infant reflux include:
- Feeding: Giving your baby smaller but more frequent amounts of breastmilk or formula
- Burping: Burping your baby more often can help release trapped air in their stomach, allowing milk to occupy that space.
- Holding your baby upright: During and for 30 minutes after feeding, keep your baby upright. This can help keep milk in their stomach until it settles down, preventing much of it from coming back up.
- Potentially thickened feedings: With your pediatrician’s guidance, you may consider thickening your baby’s formula with rice cereal. However, this is only an option for babies who are 4 months or older.
- Possible formula changes: Depending on the cause of their reflux, changing the formula your baby drinks may alleviate some symptoms.
- Medication: Babies who show more significant symptoms – refusing to eat, poor weight gain, excessive vomiting and even trouble breathing – may be prescribed medicine to lessen the amount of acid the stomach produces.
If you are a breastfeeding mother, treatment options are available that support the continuation of your breastfeeding journey.
How we can help
Our hope is to help people recognize when infants, children and adults are experiencing gastroesophageal reflux disease-related symptoms and to encourage them to consult with a health care provider. Understanding how to help infant reflux can allow parents whose babies are suffering from it to find relief until they outgrow the condition.
Learn more about the pediatric services we provide at Bon Secours.
