Infant reflux is not an uncommon condition, and is one that parents should be aware of and not confused for something else.  Quite clearly, babies are born immature. This much is obvious, but what isn’t always as obvious is that the immature development of the child is internal as much as external, and systems such as the digestive tract, although present and developed, is still immature, and therefore particularly prone to upset and complications in the early stages. In fact, it takes at least three months after birth before a baby’s digestive system has properly developed and settled down into a normal and successful system.

Until that point, at least half of all babies will suffer from infant acid reflux, which is the release of stomach acids up into the esophagus, primarily due to a weak and under developed valve, known as the lower esophageal sphincter, whose function it is to separate the stomach from the esophagus. In adults, the exact same condition of acid reflux, or heartburn as it is often referred to, is caused by the lower esophageal sphincter being either weakened or damaged through poor diet, ill health or other issues.

The problem that parents have is that whilst they know that their baby has a fifty percent chance of suffering from infant reflux, or colic as it is usually referred to, identifying this as being the cause of the incessant crying, waking up, refusing to go to sleep, whinging, crying and so on, is not easy. There is a general suggestion known as the rule of three that states that if, over a period of three weeks, your baby spends at least three hours a day, three days a week, crying, then the chance e is that they are suffering from colic. It’s also usually easier to tell, because rather than a pathetic little cry, the baby suffering from acid reflux will usually scream, rather than cry, with a contorted face, and often with a very sudden beginning and end.

It’s not always the case that this can be associated with feeding, as it is quite possible that the symptoms of colic only emerge hours after a feed. This increases the difficulty of identification. A common reaction to the first suspicion of acid reflux is to pour an antacid, such as Gaviscon, down your child’s throat. Whilst this will help to relieve the discomfort, and aids sleep, this is not a good idea on a regular basis. The antacids actually inhibit the effective breakdown and digestion of important enzymes in the milk, and so actually reduce the overall effectiveness of digestion and feeding.

A more gentle and natural remedy is gripe water. There are many common misconceptions about this, including the suggestion that it contains alcohol, and therefore drugs the child to sleep. It is certainly true that gripe water used to contain alcohol, and there are cases of mothers becoming slightly addicted to the stuff themselves, but today it is entirely alcohol free and contains nothing but natural ingredients. The two main ingredients of gripe water are fennel and ginger, known to be extremely good at neutralising the stomach acids naturally, and so relieving the discomfort experienced in any reflux.

It is also perfectly possible that your child has an intolerance to milk, or some kinds of milk at least. Cow’s milk does contain some complex proteins, and some babies find these difficult to digest. Breast milk is, as they say, best, although specially formulated milks for babies, including milks suitable for lactose intolerant children, do offer a safer and more comfortable alternative. Goats’ milk, and even soya are also popular alternatives which can provide some relief. A popular baby class advertised in most towns today is baby massage that can also help.

This delightful sounding activity provides numerous benefits for both parent and child, and helps to not only increase the bond between parent and child, but helps to relax the baby, and can be applied to their tummy or back to help digestion. This can relieve or prevent the problem of infant reflux, rather than the popular method of slinging the child over your shoulder and whacking it on the back until it burps. Flinging the child over your shoulder and squashing its tummy is only likely to increase the pressure on the lower esophageal sphincter, and so result in acid reflux, the burp being evidence of this, and vigorous patting or rubbing will likewise encourage any tendency to reflux or posit.

Other techniques that have proven successful in helping to prevent or relieve the problem of acid reflux in young infants include keeping the child warm and cuddled up (but not restricted) after a meal, a warm bath can prove very relaxing, and making sure that the child sits up for a while after feeding, rather than immediately lying them, down. Because of a baby’s underdeveloped internal organs and structures, lying down puts considerable strain on the lower esophageal sphincter, increasing any likelihood of reflux. A good solution is to raise the head end of the mattress slightly, to allow gravity to assist in keeping things where they belong.

If your baby seems to suffer more than usual with acid reflux, then it is, naturally, highly recommended that you take them to see a doctor or other specialist, as similar symptoms can be identified in conditions such as gastroesophageal reflux disease, which may require surgery. However, do not be alarmed because the vast majority of infant reflux cases are transitory and come and go without you knowing why.

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Infant reflux can be very distressing to not only the infant, but also the mother.  Hearing or seeing a young baby crying, or even screaming, is always a distressing moment for any parent or carer, and in the early days and weeks it can almost seem as though the culprit could be one of an endless list of possible causes.

One of the most common issues experienced in the first two or three months is colic, one significant cause of which is infant acid reflux. Effectively this is the same issue that adults can suffer from – with the lower esophageal sphincter failing to keep the stomach’s acids where they should, and the rising up of acids into the esophagus or even up into the throat or mouth can be not just unpleasant but painful enough at any time.

A baby’s digestive system is very immature and underdeveloped to begin with, and it usually remains in this condition for the first hundred days, meaning that by the time the child is about three months old, most of the problems associated with reflux are settling down.

However, telling the parent of a one week old baby that it’ll all be all right in three or four months is of no help whatever, and the usual response of doctors or pharmacists is to prescribe an antacid such as Gaviscon. Primarily this seems to be more for the sake and comfort of the parents, who achieve a bit of peace and quiet, than the baby. The antacids in such medicines inhibit the baby’s natural digestion, and can actually cause problems with the breaking down of enzymes found in the milk.

There are a number of tips on treating infant reflux which have been proven to work over the years, and rather than thrusting medication down a baby’s throat at the first sign of trouble, these are well worth pursuing as ultimately, they are more effective in the long term, and have no other risks or side effects attached to them.

If unsure if it is infant reflux which is the cause of the crying, there are a few signs to indicate this as a possible cause. Of course, positing, or the bringing up of milk, is a sure sign of reflux, but this is not always clear. Often the ‘rule of three’ is mentioned. This means that if your baby is crying for three hours, three times a week for three weeks or more, then the most likely cause is reflux. Contrary to popular belief, it is not always the case that this occurs immediately after or during feeding, and there can be a delay of some time between feeding and suffering from the pain associated with infant acid reflux.

Another common misconception is that after a feed it helps to fairly vigorously pat or rub the baby’s back or tummy to aid indigestion. Due to the undeveloped digestive system, this vigorous or regular movement can actually cause the acid reflux itself! Instead, a very gentle clockwise massage on the baby’s tummy can help, although the best advice is simply to sit the baby up for between half an hour and forty-five minutes after feeding, to allow gravity to help with the digestion and reduce the chance of reflux.

Along with the idea of sitting a child up after a feed, propping the head end of their cot up a little can also help with reducing the chance of reflux. Because it is very unwise to use a pillow or any other item which could cause the baby to cover their face whilst sleeping, the best advice is to use a couple of rolled up towels and place them under the mattress itself in the cot, raising the head end by just a couple of inches or so. This will have a good deal of benefit.

Not to be underestimated either is the benefit of being kept warm, and in particular, a warm bath can help soothe and relax your baby and reduce the chance of infant acid reflux. If possible, sitting your child up in a bath after a feed not only helps to reduce the chance of infant reflux, but also helps soothe and comfort them before going to sleep. At any age, it is unwise to lie down to sleep or rest after a meal, and of course, a baby’s tummy is so very small that it is easily filled. Lying down to sleep can therefore cause reflux, pain and so prevent the child from sleeping, helping to get him or her even rattier and more upset!

Often overlooked is another factor which can contribute greatly towards the likelihood or severity of infant reflux, and that is the mother’s diet. Obviously this assumes that the baby is breast fed, but if this is the case, then if the mother eats an unhealthy diet, or even has a strong, rich diet including spices or citric acids, then this is likely to be passed on to the baby through the milk. It might well be very diluted, but remember that a child’s digestive system is very much more sensitive to such imbalances than ours is. Drinking plenty of water to ensure that the milk is well balanced is also of great importance.

Of course, if these holistic methods don’t work, or don’t work quickly enough, then medicines either over the counter or prescribed by your doctor will certainly help to contribute towards the whole range of methods which can help to ease the suffering of infant reflux.

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Acid reflux treatment can be very complex should traditional over-the counter remedies fail to work and that in any case tend to treat the symptom and not the cause.

Heartburn is a very uncomfortable condition, and if you suffer from this, whether often or just occasionally, the chances are that the first thing you’ve done is to reach for some form of medication. All too easily we can pop a tablet, and the symptoms will begin to ease. There are two problems associated with doing this however. The first is that if this occurs regularly, then eventually the strength and effectiveness of the tablets becomes insufficient to cope with the level of discomfort, and as these situations tend to worsen over time, the strength of tablets becomes an issue.

To combat this, sufferers tend to upgrade after a while to the next strongest medicine, and then the next, until eventually they have run out of tablets, and other than ramming a whole packet down their throats and accepting the side effects, the only option left is to see a doctor for further acid reflux treatment not available over the counter.

The second problem is that fundamentally the issue is not being addressed. All that is being addressed is the symptoms, which are a side effect themselves of the illness, weakness or problem that is causing the acid reflux in the first place. By targeting the causes, rather than the symptoms, then a good deal of discomfort can be avoided and potential damage too. Of course, if the problem is only very occasional, then this is nothing to worry about, and in fact is perfectly normal.

If the issue becomes very regular, almost predictable, and you start forgetting a time when you didn’t suffer from heartburn problems, that the real concerns should be addressed. There are plenty of heartburn treatments, some over the counter, others by prescription only. There are even medical surgical procedures to deal with the more severe cases, and there are also many alternative therapies which can aid a holistic approach.

Acid Reflux Treatment – Many Options

There are also the many overlooked treatments, the preventative ones, and being aware of habits, lifestyle changes or physical changes that can be made, often the problems will dissipate considerably. The first stage in most people’s treatment of the symptoms of acid reflux, or heartburn, is to reach for the freely available counter medications known as antacids. These tablets literally neutralize the acids in the stomach, so that any acid still in the esophagus are lowered in pH value, causing less or no irritation or burning. They also, at least temporarily, cool down the levels in the stomach, so further reflux of stomach liquids result in less discomfort as the levels of pH are lower. Much of the acid is turned into gas form, hence the associated wind which results from taking these tablets.

Acid reflux treatment in the form of antacids, which tend to lose their power after prolonged use, can actually make the problem worse, since your stomach will simply produce more acid to combat your overall higher levels of pH than expected. Additionally, it is often antacids which are given to infants with the same condition, often referred to as colic, but the antacids actually prevent the effective digestion of enzymes found in many foods, including milk, and so deprive full nourishment and proper digestion.

An alternative to these acid reflux treatments are to use H2 receptor antagonists, which actually reduce the amount of acid produced by the stomach, thereby lowering the chance of acid reflux in the first place, or at least the effects that any reflux might have. Some medications actually combine these two methods, by including antacids to provide instant relief and comfort, and H2 receptor antagonists to lower the chance of a repeated reflux, or effect of any further leakage of acids into the esophagus. A similar but more absolute version of this treatment is available by doctor’s prescription only, and is referred to as a proton-pump inhibitor, and this does not simply reduce the amount of acid produced by the stomach, but prevents its production entirely. This is for those with very sever heartburn or gastroesophageal reflux disease, or suffering from stomach ulcers.

Beyond these medication treatments, there are surgical procedures, including electrical stimulation of the lower esophageal sphincter, the valve which connects the stomach and the esophagus, and which is responsible for allowing acids to reflux, physical sewing together of the walls of the esophagus near the lower esophageal sphincter to reduce the width of the valve and so increase its effectiveness, and in very severe cases, actually entwining the top of the stomach around the lower part of the esophagus to prevent any reflux of liquid.

Alternative therapies include eating or drinking natural remedies, such as ginger or fennel. Often infants are given gripe water, a British development which originally included alcohol, but today is simply two main ingredients, besides water – ginger and fennel. These have been shown to have a significant effect on the reduction of the pH of the acids escaping, being effectively natural antacids themselves.

Preventative medicines are of course the best of all, and these include a greater understanding of the causes of acid reflux, including diet. If you are overweight, eat hot spicy food or fried, fatty food, drink alcohol and smoke, then you are just about doing all the right things to ensure you suffer from chronic heartburn.  Steering clear of such habits and foods, sitting up during and after a meal, not over indulging, and avoiding stress as far as possible are all good ways to help alleviate the potential suffering.  Prevention is certainly the best form of acid reflux treatment, and by having to forgo a form of payback for our nights of eating and drinking sin.

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