Get Relief From Infant Acid Reflux

INFANT RES-Q WEDGE REFLUX www.resqwedge.com RELIEF Does your baby have these symptoms? Requires frequent, small feedings Spitting and vomiting Constant hiccups, wet burp or wet hiccup sounds Discomfort when lying on the back Excessive drooling, drooling without teething Sleep disturbance, having difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep Feeding disturbances, preferring to feed often and/or in small amounts; refusing to eat Chronic cough and/or chest congestion during feeds and up to 30 min. after feeds Appears colicky, irritable and/or cries Feeding aversion more than most babies Chronic irritability, arching, fussiness before and after feedings Sour smelling breath Frequent upper respiratory infections If yes, then you may be experiencing the troublesome effects of baby reflux. What is baby/infant reflux? Many healthy babies spit-up or have Gastro esophageal reflux (GER). When reflux leads to respiratory or feeding problems, this is called Gastro esophageal Reflux Disease (GERD). Babies with true GERD are categorized as “Scrawny Screamers". GERD may cause your baby to under eat, because eating is painful causing your baby to become underweight (thus, the term Scrawny Screamer). GERD may also cause your baby to overeat, because sucking and swallowing may help keep the milk they drink down and the acid at bay. Many pediatric specialists recommend treating GERD. This would include non-medical as well as medical treatments. These tips may help to minimize infant reflux: Keep baby upright. Feed your baby in an upright position, and i keep your baby upright with hips extended ! for better gastric emptying for up to 30 min after a feeding. Gravity can help stomach contents stay where they belong. Be careful not to jostle or jiggle your baby i while the food is settling. Try smaller, more frequent feedings. Feed your baby slightly less than I Usual if you are bottle-feeding or cut i i back a little on the amount of nursing I time if you are breast feeding. Take time to burp your baby. Frequent burps during and after feedings can keep air from building up in your baby's stomach. Work out a reflux-friendly sleeping position. While it is always safest to put infants under six months of age to sleep on their backs to reduce the risk of reflux often sleep more comfortably and safely on their tummies. Discuss with your doctor whether the reflux is severe enough to warrant tummy sleeping. Otherwise, your baby should be following "Back to Sleep" guidelines. Other reflux-lowering helpers are: babies with severe evation to 30 degrees Gravity helps keep the contents of the stomach from reverting back into the esophagus (food pipe) when your baby's upper body is elevated. Consider using a uedge with a sling on top of your baby's crib mattres to keep your baby at an elevated position. When the top of a mattress i is elevated by itself to 30 degrees, it is possible for your baby to slide I down the mattress. Place your baby in the crib, on a firm mattress, with their head turned to the side so that their mouth and nose are not obstructed. Comfort your baby often, but try to begin weaning away from sleep associations as your baby grows. It is natural to want to comfort a baby who exhibits signs of pain - and that is what you should be doing! In the first few months of life, it is important to do whatever you need to in order to help your baby feel calm and cared for. Do not worry that you may be spoiling your baby as comfort always comes first. Yes, things like rocking your baby to sleep, or holding your baby while the baby sleeps may become sleep associations you have to undo later, but not in the newborn stage. We recommend that you do whatever you have to do in i order to get sleep - and that goes for caring for your baby with reflux, too! Check Bottle and Nipple Size. Your infant may gulp air while eating if the nipple on the bottle flow is too fast. Using the proper sized bottle and nipple allows the right amount of milk to flow without allowing your baby to swallow air at the same time. Feed tummy-friendly milk. If you are breast feeding, continue exclusive breast feeding for as long as possible. Breast milk has many advantages over formula, especially for a baby with GERD. MILK Breast milk is digested faster than formula, which minimizes reflux, and it contains enzymes that aid digestion. Babies can have an allergy to mother's milk, but this is rare, and consulting with your pediatrician is very important. Signs of a milk-protein allergy can include stools with mucous and irritability after feeds. Sometimes a mother can modify her diet, I but there are also special formulas for babies with milk-protein or food allergies your pediatrician may consider. If formula-feeding, use a hypoallergenic formula as recommended by your baby's doctor. MILK Besides being tolerated better by sensitive intestines, some of these formulas are digested more quickly so they remain in the i stomach for a shorter time. Feed Baby from only one breast per feeding. Sometimes moms produce an overabundance of milk. If you are one of those moms, nurse baby on one breast only per feeding. This allows baby to get both the foremilk (the more watery thirst quenching milk) and the hind milk (the more rich, fatty, nourishing milk). Nursing mom elimination diet. If you are a nursing mom, give up all dairy products immediately. This is tough, but can really help your baby. By doing this, some baby's acid reflux symptoms disappear altogether! Dairy can cause problems because the proteins found in this food can irritate baby's immature digestive tract. Be sure you give up the offending food/drink for a good month before you determine if it is the culprit. Other common allergens include wheat, gluten, citrus, coffee, nuts, eggs, and soy. By eliminating these foods, ou can help your baby's reflux Medication Options & Surgery. Your pediatrician may want to treat your infant's acid reflux with medication if lifestyle changes do not help. These can include infant doses of proton pump inhibitors (PPIS), such as Prilosec or Prevacid, or H2 ! blockers such as Pepcid, Axid or Zantac. These drugs reduce the amount of acid that is present in the stomach. Surgery may be an option if medications and lifestyle adjustments do not help ease your baby's symptoms and they are not gaining weight. The procedure, called a fundoplication, is Usually reserved for babies whose reflux causes severe breathing problems or prevents growth. Tightening the Louwer Esophageal Sphincter (LES), a band of muscles at the top of the esophaguS, makes it more stable so that less acid is allowed to flow back into the esophagus. The need for this type of surgery, especially in infants, is rare. The Bottom Line. The last thing a new parent wants is to see their baby in discomfort. owever acid reflux in an infant is a treatable condition. Finding the lifestyle changes or medications that work for your child will help get their acid reflux under control. f www.facebook.com/ResQWedge E twitter.com/ResQWedge www.pinterest.com/ResQWedge Sources : http://www.webmd.com/heartburn-gerd/reflux-infants-children http://www.healthline.com/health/gerd/infants-treatment#Overview I http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/infant-acid-reflux/basics/lifestyle-home-remedies/con-20026253 http://www.mamanatural.com/natural-remedies-for-baby-reflux/ http://www.parenting.com/article/ask-dr-sears-coping-with-babys-acid-reflux http://theholisticmama.com/how-to-treat-infant-reflux-naturally/