Reflux in babies

Reflux in babies it is a distressing symptom for all parents who care about the well-being and health of the child. This, in turn, can present irritation and pain, with difficulties to calm down, sleep or feed.

Despite being a stressful time, the condition is considered normal by most doctors. The pediatrician warns that it is a habitual situation and that, with the infantile development, tends to diminish.

However, even if it is a natural characteristic, and cedes over the course of months in most cases, in others the luck is not so great, which can affect the health of the baby. However, the percentage of babies that are affected by an abnormal reflux is about 0.5% per 100 newborns. Find out more about premature births.

About 67% of babies between 2 and 5 months have reflux. In 21% the situation persists between 6 and 7 months. And only in 5% of the cases the picture continues after the first year.

Although the numbers in the first months of life are high, many parents may have doubts about what to do and what is expected in each case. Therefore, we will answer the following main questions.

Why is reflux in babies?

Se occurs due to an adaptation in the digestion process. when we feed them, the food passes through the mouth, down the pharynx, then through the esophagus and into the stomach. Between the esophagus and the stomach we have a muscle that always opens for food to pass.

In this muscle, called sphincter, opens frequently and involuntarily through the body when they are newborns, this causes part of the content present in the stomach to return and cause reflux. It is necessary for parents to feed their children only with the appropriate and necessary amount.

The increase of food, according to the required diet, causes constant reflux, but, in addition, can compromise the life of the child due to a jamming of waste in the pharynx.

When the baby is in the development stage, he does not have a well developed digestive system yet. Read about 10 funny things about babies.

The contractions that occur during the digestion process remain uncoordinated, the sphincter remains a fragile muscle in that period and the child feeds only on fluids.

For these reasons, reflux usually occurs and the child is more likely to feel uncomfortable. In some situations it can happen that the baby is allergic or lactose intolerant, a substance also present in breast milk and, in this case, hinders digestion.

Lactose intolerant babies are not common, however, symptoms are quickly evident and treated by the pediatric specialist.

In addition, there are nutritional products to solve the situation and that your baby is not hungry in case of having problems with lactose or that the mother does not produce enough milk. That's what we talk about in Baby-led Weaning: complementary feeding.

What are the symptoms of reflux in babies?

The baby, in general, presents an intense irritability after the blows, it can suffer pain in the region of the abdomen, like cramps, as well as difficulty to sleep or to feed itself. When vomiting occurs, you may have throat irritation, chronic cough and even respiratory pauses.

Quiet, the above only happens in extreme cases. Usually in babies whose gestation was not attended by a pediatrician or the mother did not take enough precautions to keep an adequate control for her baby.

It is usually a stressful situation for the babies and for the person who is with him. The baby expresses his discomfort through crying; and the parents end up desperate, since they do not know what is happening with the child.

In cases where reflux becomes constant, one of the first signs that the pediatrician will evaluate is whether the baby is gaining weight properly.

Then he will evaluate if the baby has reflux frequently, in what amount and if he presents irritability after the blowjobs or not. Once this is done, the pediatrician can request exams according to the symptoms notified by their parents or initiate the treatment with antireflux medication.

However, this situation is constantly explained by the pediatrician who also guides with recommendations and examples of primary care in cases where it is required.

What is the difference between reflux and regurgitation?

Regurgitation is a consequence of reflux, which is presented as the return of food to the mouth, usually in small quantity.

Reflux is not always visible and may represent the return of food only to the esophagus. So, to regurgitate, the baby needs to have had the reflux before.

It occurs after nursing normally, due to the immaturity of your digestive system. Have a cloth diaper always close and burp it after breastfeeding.

What problems can cause reflux in babies?

By having the food going in the opposite direction on a constant basis, this condition can cause irritation and injury to the esophagus, causing pain, discomfort, burning and burning in the chest.

In more critical situations there may be infection in the carcass passing the food and problems in the lung, such as asthma and bronchitis. Aphthae can also appear on the mouth and bad breath, in addition to the teeth losing calcification.

Inflammations in the ear and difficulty in sucking correctly are other related problems.

Is there a treatment for reflux in babies?

Lighter cases can only be prevented with measures of posture and behavior such as: reduce the time you breastfeed, avoid balancing or change the baby's diaper after meals, find a suitable position for the time of breastfeeding, avoid clothing that Tighten the child's belly, place it to burp for longer after the blowjob and use a special pillow.

The treatment for the most serious cases is based on medications and usually directed by a medical specialist. From your symptoms and its intensity, the treatment will be administered by this professional.

If the baby is shown to be lactose intolerant, for example, removing it from the diet may relieve the symptoms. At other times, it may be necessary to modify the baby's diet, the infant's diet and also to have help with a specific medication.