The gastro esophageal reflux or commonly known as acid reflux is a condition that affects anyone. It is however more prevalent among infants especially within their first 9 to 12 months of infancy. It happens when the acids from the stomach find their way past the lower esophageal sphincter muscles that are supposed to prevent any movement of food or acids from the stomach to the esophagus up. This condition often occurs after feeding or breastfeeding and is accompanied by coughing, strain and crying.
Most people assume that the acid reflux and infants is not a serious problem that should be a concern but it actually should. Persistent cases of this condition leads to more severe problems including the cancer of the esophagus, fear of eating, poor weight gain and weight loss. However, this problem should diminish after the first year as the baby grows stronger and adopts a more upright posture especially during and after feeding.
Feeding the infant with smaller portions of food will help manage this problem. Although there is over the counter, natural and prescription medication for acid reflux, it is advisable to prevent it than to wait to cure.
Among other measures you should take to protect your baby from this condition is to feed the baby with food that has low acidic content and avoid fruits, food and drinks that are too acidic or pile up pressure in the stomach. If you are breastfeeding, it is important to eat food that would not cause acidity in your own stomach because this is what the baby will feed on as well. If for some reason the symptoms are prevalent after the first year or the baby seems to spit up more than two spoons of food and acid, you should seek medical attention because severe cases of acid influx often lead to cancer of the esophagus or could be caused by weak LES muscles.