What is reflux?
Gastrooesophageal reflux, or reflux as it's more commonly called, is what happens when your baby's stomach contents flow back up into his food pipe (called the oesophagus).
At the bottom of the oesophagus is a muscular valve that lets food into his tummy, but stops food or acid coming back up. Sometimes the valve hasn’t developed properly, so food and acid can come back up and cause him to bring up milk or even vomit.
Around half of babies will get some reflux during their first three months and it's only a serious problem for a small number of these. As the valve gradually gets stronger, the chance of having reflux decreases and the good news is that most babies grow out of it by the time they're 10 months old.
Does your baby have reflux?
Your baby could have reflux if he shows one or more of these signs:
- Excessive or projectile vomiting
- Persistent coughing or gagging
- Arching back or being agitated during feeds
- Screaming or crying in pain between feeds
- Losing or not gaining weight
- Refusing feeds, or only managing small amounts at a time
What can you do?
Try the following to help ease your baby's reflux:
- Keep your baby upright for at least 20 minutes after a feed
- Give your baby smaller, more frequent feeds to allow him more time to digest his food
- Invest in cot and changing wedges to raise his head and ease the pain during the night
- Use our forum for advice from other mums
- Reflux and food intolerances go hand in hand, so your baby may have a problem with lactose or wheat causing the reflux
- Seek advice from a doctor if your baby is in distress; there are medicines to treat reflux
Mum's tip
"If you think your baby has reflux, don’t let doctors tell you that ‘you have a sicky baby’. You know when something isn’t right with your baby."
Liz Quick, 25, mum to Lexie
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