Is Acid Reflux In Babies A Real Cause For Worry?
Many new parents are concerned whether there is acid reflux in babies or not, especially if they are sufferers themselves. And they are right to be worried since adults can say if something is wrong but babies can only cry. So, how would you know if there is such condition in babies? Would they even know what does heartburn feel like?
In general, acid reflux happens when the band of muscle called the esophageal sphincter is unable to keep down the food in the gullet. This can happen in times of stress, or because of an unhealthy diet, or pressure put on the abdomen like an extremely tight belt or waistband. What happens then is the food and digestive acids escape from the stomach and makes its way up the digestive tract.
Is acid reflux in babies the same? They have none of the unhealthy habits that cause heartburn like excessive coffee drinking or smoking. Would this condition still be the same for babies? Or is it that painful, even for them?
One skill a new parent has to learn is how to burp a child after drinking. The burping will help the child rest easier since there is no excess gas in the tummy. However, the stomach sphincter may let go of some milk besides as the gas. Spit-ups, however are normal. A baby sometimes lets some milk loose, particularly when there is an abnormally large amount of air taken in during feeding. These can even happen whenever the child coughs, strains, or cries and is only a worry when it’s not controlled when the child is older.
So, what we know as “spitting up” or “posseting” is actually acid reflux in babies. This reaction happens naturally in the 1st 90 days of the baby’s life and it’s just outgrown. However, a medical evaluation is definitely needed if the child is not gaining weight, the stool smells sour, or if they continue spitting up when they are over a year old.
If the doctor is familiar with the family’smedical history and says that acid reflux in babies is something that requires to be watched, no treatments will actually be given until after a full year has passed. It’s possible that the baby has milk allergies, is milk sugar intolerant, or that the formula is just too acidic for him. Sometimes, something as simple as changing the milk formula would suffice to control acid reflux in babies since the formula composition varies from manufacturer to manufacturer.
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