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Reflux in infants – or a drowning of food in an infant – is a very common condition among young children. It is based on the slow pouring of milk during or after breastfeeding. But should you worry about spilling food? When to seek help from a doctor? How can I prevent food leakage?
As already mentioned, spilling food in infants is a relatively common ailment and, most importantly – completely harmless, as long as downpour works properly as will be described below.
Sometimes when babies are fed it’s raining down a little food (about 1-2 teaspoons in volume). Cause reflux in infants is the immaturity of the esophageal sphincter. A baby’s young body, including its digestive system, is not yet fully developed, so the food sphincter does not close properly yet. What is very important for the child reflux caused by the immaturity of the esophageal sphincter is painless. The retraction of partially digested food from the baby’s stomach is therefore a completely natural process, harmless to the baby and not causing him pain. Sometimes it is a liquid food, sometimes its consistency is similar to yogurt or cottage cheese – depending on the individual characteristics of the child and the time after which the child is fed. reflux. However, it is worth remembering that the phenomenon reflux it disappears as the child grows up, and thus – as his digestive system matures. Usually reflux in an infant it ceases to occur at 3 or 4 months of age, however, depending on the rate of development of the baby, it may last up to the first year of life.
Are you worried about your baby’s milk spilling? Consult your pediatrician if you have any doubts without leaving your home and waiting in lines. Use the e-visit form at any time of the day or night.
In addition to the immaturity of the esophageal sphincter, other possible causes of reflux in an infant have:
- Our little one may just eat too fast and greedily, which also causes a trickle of food that just does not fit in a tiny baby’s stomach. The same happens when the baby is overeated – the excess food pours out of the stomach and causes reflux. It is therefore important not to overfeed the baby, to – among other things – not to cause reflux in our baby.
- Sometimes infant reflux occurs due to poor posture when breastfed or bottle-fed. The baby then swallows too much air and runs out of food.
However, is it possible to remedy reflux in an infant?
First, if our baby is gaining weight normally and growing at the right pace, then there’s nothing to worry about.
If, however reflux it lasts much too long and more than one or two teaspoons of food is poured down, and our baby is losing weight or is not gaining weight at an appropriate rate, then you should see a doctor. You should also see your pediatrician if the discharge from the baby’s mouth is greenish or brownish. The same should be done when our baby is choking or coughing while eating. Of course, you should not panic in such cases, but it is advisable to consult a pediatrician to check your child and his digestive system.
When our baby is whining, crying or disliking being lying down, vomiting severely or fidgeting and refusing to breastfeed, consult your pediatrician. We can then deal with gastric refluxwhich requires consultation with a specialist. If our child has gastric refluxduring its duration, he experiences severe pain, and with it, he has severe and violent vomiting. Worse, they can also happen at night. It is also important that it does not deviate from the norm downpour food does not appear after each feeding; otherwise it is with gastric refluxwhich is the result of gastric irritation or food allergy. Gastric reflux it can also be the result of acidity or a poor diet.
But what to do when we are sure that our child simply it’s raining down food and there is no fear to worry? There are several methods; one is feeding your baby more often but less. Then we will avoid gastric overflow, which will prevent it downpouring food. Another method is to gently massage the baby’s belly – this way we stimulate the baby’s intestines (peristalsis). It is also worth asking your pediatrician how to properly feed your baby – if he does not swallow too much air while feeding, it is very possible that he will stop. rain down he is eating. It is also worth putting the baby on its side after feeding so that it does not choke after feeding.
If you want your baby to develop properly, you can also try prenatal vitamins for pregnant and lactating women that support the immune system of both the woman and the baby.
The most important thing, however, is to distinguish downpour food – which is harmless and occurs in about 50% of babies – and dangerous gastric refluxthat requires medical consultation and treatment. Therefore, even on suspicion that downpour could be the result gastric reflux in an infant, please see your pediatrician.
When expanding your child’s diet, remember to keep your meals healthy and wholesome. It is worth trying out the Neno Cibo Steaming Blender, thanks to which you can quickly and easily prepare tasty dishes for your baby.