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Reflux Treatments for a Newborn Baby

Reflux is a fairly common problem among newborns, affecting approximately 50 percent of all babies. Though it is a condition many tend to outgrow without medical intervention, it is still necessary to make them comfortable and relieve symptoms. In more serious cases, treatment will depend on the age of your infant and the severity of the symptoms he or she is displaying.

  1. Understanding the Stomach

    • A tube connects the mouth to the stomach, called the esophagus. Food is allowed to enter the stomach by the muscle at the end of the esophagus, which opens and closes; this is called the sphincter. Reflux occurs in infants when the sphincter opens to allows food in, but does not close to prevent it from flowing back up into the esophagus.

    Recognizing Signs of Reflux

    • Before you can seek treatment for your infant, you must first know what the signs of reflux are. The more common symptoms include coughing, vomiting and spitting up. In some cases, reflux in infants may be more severe. You may find your infant has no interest in eating because of the pain associated with reflux, he or she may not be growing at the proper rate due to inability to keep food down and may experience breathing problems. If your child is experiencing symptoms of more serious reflux, he or she could be suffering from gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), rather than simple reflux.

    Treatment Options

    • If your newborn is suffering from simple reflux, chances are she will outgrow he condition, usually by the time she is one or two years of age. In the interim, there are measures you can take which will help relieve the symptoms she is suffering from, many of which are simple changes in how you feed her and how she sleeps.

      Make sure you burp her frequently during her feeding; this will help release any excess gas in her belly before her sphincter has the opportunity to allow it to pass back into her esophagus. You can also keep her in an upright position for at least 30 minutes after you have fed her, giving her food time to digest. Finally, when you lay her down, place her on her back. This prevents any unnecessary pressure being placed on her belly, pushing her food upward.

    Something to Consider

    • If you find these treatments are not working for your newborn, his symptoms are getting progressively worse or he has displayed the symptoms of the more serious condition GERD, speak to his pediatrician right away. He may require medication or surgery to correct his reflux problem.

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