Any adult who has adult reflux will be able to tell you how unpleasant and painful a condition it can be. It follows then that acid reflux in infants can also be a serious problem. If you have any young infants you may be interested in finding out more about the problem.

Acid reflux can occur due to the muscle at the base of the esophagus being weaker than normal. This muscle is designed to only allow food to flow in one direction - to the stomach. However, if the muscle is a little weak it can allow acidic gastric juices to flow back from the stomach through to the stomach. The main symptom of this is heartburn, the painful burning sensation that rises up through the stomach through the chest and to the tender tissues of the esophagus. There are some other symptoms such as regurgitation, belching and feeling bloated and nauseous after eating.

When it comes to infants, acid reflux is typically quite a common problem usually affecting children in their first three months of their life. If your baby has acid reflux then you should be able to quickly notice the signs. You may seem them often spitting up their food or vomiting. Also, you may detect reluctance from them to eat food and find them hiccupping often. Other signs include sleeping problems, sudden or persistent crying, irritability when feeding, bad breath and coughing.

So, with acid reflux in infants, how can you make a correct diagnosis of the issue? The signs and symptoms just described could also be caused by other conditions such as gastroenteritis. Therefore, you should consider seeking a consultation with the family doctor so he can fully diagnose what your baby is suffering from. This may require blood and urine tests in order for him to identify the problem and consider the appropriate treatment.

So, if the doctor does indeed discover that it is acid reflux that your child is suffering from, treatment is the next step. In adults the first thing that will be advised is for them to consider dietary and lifestyle amendments. Obviously, with an infant this is not possible and so instead you will be recommended to give them a course of antacids, acid suppressors or acid blockers. Only in severe cases will the doctor take the step of advising your baby to be given prescription medicines.

As well as this treatment, there may be steps that you as a parent can take to ease your infant’s acid reflux. If your baby is being breast fed, then you should be watchful of your own diet and not eat foods that would tend to trigger acid reflux in yourself. These include fatty and greasy foods, especially those containing animal products. Also not recommended are citric foods, spicy foods, chocolate, mint and high-fat dairy products such as full-fat milk and cream. Although, I am sure it is difficult to see your baby suffer, you should be aware that acid reflux in infants is something that is usually resolved fairly quickly and is rarely a serious problem.

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