subject: Baby Reflux - Symptoms and Treatment [print this page] Baby Reflux - Symptoms and Treatment Baby Reflux - Symptoms and Treatment
Around 20% of babies will experience some degree of acid reflux during the first nine months of their lives. While this is distressing for both you and your baby child you should try to take comfort in the knowledge that this problem will almost always resolve itself by the age of one. It is important to be aware of the baby reflux symptoms to look out for.Another variation of baby acid reflux which you should be aware of is silent acid reflux. This is the same as baby acid reflux but without the spitting up commonly associated; meaning that the baby's throat is burnt both by the spit up both on the way up and on the way down.Some general baby reflux and silent baby reflux symptoms are:. Spitting up or vomiting. Sleepless nights - often accompanied by screaming/crying. Trying to avoid feeding - including arching back and neck, crying and screaming. Poor weight gain (although with silent baby reflux in particular this is not always present). Wanting to feed constantly - the feeding itself can soothe their throat. Excessive and sudden bursts of crying. Frequently coughing or hiccupping. Sour smelling breathIf you believe your baby is suffering from baby acid reflux take them to your doctor. Generally GERD is relatively easy to gain a medical diagnosis for; however if there is some uncertainty further tests are available. An example of these tests is a pH probe which is placed through the nose and in to the lower esophagus to measure the levels of stomach acids.If you struggle to get a diagnosis for your baby's acid reflux - it is difficult to diagnose in the short period of time your doctor sees the baby! - keep a note of the symptoms present in your child. Make it as detailed as possible and take it with you to the doctor the next time you go. Don't be aggressive but please be persistent, it seems terribly unfair that a child should suffer when help and medication is available. It can also be helpful to keep a diary of when and what your baby eats and when they spit up. If you are breastfeeding also keep a track of what you are eating around these times as baby acid reflux can be related to a food allergy such as dairy intolerance.
