Acid reflux or spitting up milk, is extremely common in babies. Did you know that almost 70 to 85 percent babies go through acid reflux for the first 2 months after they are born?
In acid reflux, the contents from your baby’s stomach come upwards towards the esophagus, instead of staying settled in the stomach itself. In some cases, it also comes towards the food pipe. The food that comes up like this from the stomach comes out of your baby’s mouth as spit.
What Causes Acid Reflux
Babies often witness the most amount of acid reflux because their digestive system is still not fully developed. Especially the muscle that is present between the stomach and esophagus takes time to develop properly. In addition, babies spend most part of the first 4 to 6 months of their life lying down on their back. As a result, it makes them more prone to acid reflux.
Here are a few more reasons that could cause acid reflux in your baby.
- If you have started giving top feed or cow’s milk to your baby, it could cause an allergy to protein. This condition is known as allergic gastroenteritis.
- Sometimes, white blood cells can build up in your baby’s body and damage the esophageal lining. It could also cause acid reflux.
- Your baby could also spit up if the esophagus becomes too narrow in the area between the small intestine and the stomach.
Symptoms
While spitting is the most common symptom of acid reflux, here are a few more signs you can watch out for:
- Vomiting or coughing regularly, especially after a feed.
- Difficulty in feeding or choking while feeding.
- Crying while feeding or after feeding.
- Pain in the abdomen or gas build up.
Tips To Prevent Acid Reflux In Your Baby
Here are a few ways you can reduce the amount of spit up and acid reflux in your little one:
- Keep your baby’s head in an elevated position to reduce chances of choking.
- After the feed, hold up your baby and massage the back to help your baby burp. Don’t put your baby down immediately, but wait for at least 15 to 20 minutes before letting baby lie down.
- Reduce the time of feed so that your baby takes lesser feed at one go. Give it a break and then feed again.
- If you have started your baby on bottle feed, it is possible for air to build up inside your baby’s system. To prevent that, stop after every 2 to 3 minutes and help your baby burp.
Visit The Doctor Immediately If:
- Your baby vomits or spits after every feed.
- Is losing weight or not gaining weight.
- Always cries while feeding.
- Stays hungry but is still unable to feed.
