Heartburn in Infants and Children

"Lucy thought that it was normal for infants to spit up once in a while. But Brandon, her one-year old, had begun spitting up or sometimes even vomiting since he was a newborn and the situation had not improved. The regurgitations happened day and night and there was no sign of improvement.

Brandon also had trouble sleeping. He did have periods of fussiness during the day, but it was nighttime that was the major problem. He never slept through the night like other babies, crying miserably. Lucy and her husband were exhausted.

Lucy and her husband (and Brandon) got less sleep than before. At least when she picked Brandon up when he cried, he calmed down and fell back to sleep.

Lucy discussed her worries with her pediatrician. She talked about spitting up, fussiness, poor sleeping habits, and the arching posture that Brandon frequently exhibited as he contorted his neck and upper torso backwards.

Brandon was diagnosed as reflux disease. The doctor prescribed medication and also offered Lucy advice on positioning and feeding.

The positive change in Brandon began immediately. Soon he was a happy and content one-year old.

Yet before, some people had told Lucy she was being overprotective mother. She was probably spoiling the child or feeding him things that were not advisable. But the reality was that Lucy was a normal caring mother whose child had a serious problem".

	Many babies have spitting up problems that don't require treatment; however some infants really need medical attention. Your doctor is the best judge.
	Most (not all) kids outgrow this problem by the age of 18 months.
	Acid reflux or heartburn in infants causes chronic spitting up of food, poor sleeping, frequent stretching and arching of back/neck, too much fussiness, crying over an hour each and every time and frequent respiratory problems like colds and ear infections or asthma.
	All the symptoms of acid reflux may be caused by other disorders besides acid reflux disease or GERD, so only your doctor can make accurate determination.
	Aversion to food and failure to thrive may occur.
	Only your pediatrician pediatrician can assess the situation.

Changes That May Help Baby With Acid Reflux

	Small frequent feeds
	Holding baby upright for half an hour after each feed
	Thicken formula with rice cereal
	Consult a lactation specialist at your hospital
	Do not give the baby caffeinated beverages, orange juice etc.
	Discussion with your doctor

Acid reflux is not generally caused by formula, so a change of formula does not help acid reflux in most babies.

Common Parental Mistakes

	Assuming that treatment will eliminate spitting. Spitting continues after acid blocking treatment, but the baby is now a "happy spitter ".
	Assume that it is a life long disease for the baby. Most kids outgrow it by the age of 18 months.
	Ignore the symptoms, which can be very bad for the child (and parent).
	Assume that they cannot do anything about it. They can do a lot, and your doctor has effective treatment plans for acid reflux.
	Think that it is their fault. It is NOT! The lower esophageal sphincter, the one way valve protecting the esophagus against reflux is not fully developed in many babies. This allows for reflux or regurgiation. However, the valve becomes well-functioning by the age of 12-18 months in most kids, and the problem does not continue beyond that into their childhood.

 Kids With Developmental Disabilities

Acid reflux can continue to be a major problem. It may lead to frequent regurgitations, food avoidance, weight loss, frequent pneumonia, anemia etc.

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