Controlling Heartburn

Acid reflux is usually thought of as an adults only disease but youngsters are also prone to it. Its not as uncommon as you may think and its known as infant reflux. I’ve listed a few symptoms to look out for as well as other information about the condition below.

As with adults, infant reflux occurs when your baby is not able to digest food properly, and the hydrochloric acid in the stomach flows into the esophagus. This can happen for a number of reasons, so you’ll want to monitor your infant closely if you suspect acid reflux. If you take your child to the doctor and your physician notices that stomach acid frequently finds its way to the baby’s throat area, this is definitely a sign of reflux, and should be treated right away. There are certain medications you can get from your pediatrician, but you may want to try these tips first.

Be sure to position your baby in a way that will allow him to breast feed or eat from a bottle without having to lie down. This can alter the digestion process, and cause your baby to choke or spit up. You should also make sure that you are not feeding your baby too much at one time, since this could cause infant reflux to flare up as well. This makes it harder for your little one to digest the formula or breast milk, and could cause him to have trouble sleeping.

After you have fed your baby, don’t put her to bed right away. Also, don’t rock baby right after feeding; this makes it easier for the stomach acid to end up in the esophagus. If you put your infant to sleep right away, there is not time for the nutrients in the breast milk or formula to turn into energy into the baby’s system, and this could make for a very irritable little one, especially during the wee hours of the morning. Babies tend to fall asleep while they are feeding, so if you notice that your little one is dozing off, gently wake him so that you can finish feeding. Be sure to burp your infant after feeding as well, in order to get rid of any air pockets in the stomach that could cause discomfort later.

Infant reflux tends to subside as baby gets older but you should still pay attention to their diet. As they become young children try to steer them away from fried foods and make sure they eat plenty of whole fruit and vegetables. Educating them in good dieting will give them the platform for a healthy future and hopefully one that is acid reflux free.

Although cases of acid reflux in children is not as common as infant reflux, it pays to plan ahead!