Reflux In Babies

Though it use to be called colic, most moms that have fussy infants know understand that acid reflux in babies is often to blame. For some reason, reflux, just like teething pain, is worse in the evening than it is in the morning. Some babies struggle with reflux all day and have to take a medication for relief. It can be hard when a baby is cranky and you can find no reason for it and no way to help them. If your baby spits up a lot, is fussy and cranky late in the day for no reason, reflux could be to blame.

Reflux in babies happens because the esophagus is rather short, and stomach acid does not stay down in the stomach where it belongs. As it moves up near the throat, it starts to burn the tissues in the esophagus. The stomach lining is made to handle the acid so there is never any damage (unless an ulcer grows), but the tissues further up are a different story. These are not made to handle acid, thus the pain can be quite intense. A baby can not tell you that they have reflux, so it is up to parents and doctors to figure it out. Don't dismiss colic as just colic. It could be more.

In some babies, reflux is just a slight irritation that leaves them a little grumpy, but overall, requires no special medications. For others though, reflux in babies can be severe. The muscle between the stomach and the esophagus does not close properly, allowing a lot of acid to move up, causing more damage and more pain the occasional reflux. These babies sometimes need to have medications for a few months until they grow longer and the acid can stay down where it belongs. Most babies outgrow reflux by one year, most sooner.

A baby that needs medication may take it with a bottle, or it may have to be mixed at a pharmacy and given through a dropper a few times a day. It depends on how much they need and the severity of the reflux. Babies with reflux often respond to the medication very well, and it is rather inexpensive for parents without insurance. For some babies, the medication is actually an adult acid reflux medication that is ground and put in a suspension so that baby gets only the tiny amount they need to correct their reflux problems.

Babies with reflux also need a few special considerations throughout the day. They should be more upright when fed and for a period after they eat, when reflux is most likely to be a problem. These babies may also need to be fed less each feeding, but have more feedings per day to make up the difference in caloric intake. If they are spitters, they may need to wear a bib a lot, as the acidic spit up can really cause problems with baby's sensitive skin. There are ways to raise the baby up when sleeping to help with reflux in babies, but not all products for this are safe, so talk to your doctor about these before you try to use them.