Every act of an infant excites parents. As much as there is joy there is also the fear of out-of-the-normal acts. Parents want kids to feed well and gain weight regularly. However when there is the slightest spitting or vomiting from the infant, anxiety overtakes. Spitting is a common symptom of infant acid reflux. This common complaint medically known as the Gastro esophageal Reflux, describes the condition where in an infant, the food and stomach content are allowed to get back to the esophagus and then the mouth. This results in spitting or vomiting.

It has been found that more than half the babies born suffer from this infant acid reflux during the first three months of age. Usually the reflux occurs during or just after feeding, there are also other times when it occurs such as while coughing, crying or even straining a little.

The fact is that most of the times there is no need to panic or get anxious about spitting. In fact, parents seem to be more worried about it than the baby as even while spitting the child seems to be happy. The symptoms of infant acid reflux automatically disappear in a child between 12 to 18 months of age. Only very rarely, when the symptoms still persist, is medical attention required to avoid complications.

Parents can adopt simple techniques when a reflux occurs in the child. Shifting to frequent small feeds, giving a break while feeding for a burp or even changing positions while feeding, have in many cases helped the infants to solve the reflux problem on their own.

To diagnose the ailment, doctors usually go by the parents’ version of feeding habits when the kids are growing well and gaining weight appropriately. However, when serious conditions are suspected, the doctor may go in for tests such as lab tests of urine and blood, esophageal pH monitoring to measure the baby’s acidity levels or Upper endoscope that involves inserting a pipe through the baby’s mouth to check for any inflammation in the esophagus.

In case of serious conditions, the doctor may recommend the following over-the-counter remedies for the infants:

• Antacids to neutralize stomach acids
• Acid suppressers to suppress production of acids in the stomach
• Acid blockers that completely stop acid production in the baby’s stomach

However, complete discussion is to be held with the doctor before actually starting these over-the-counter remedies as the health of the child is at stake.

Certain important points are to be remembered about infant acid reflux by every parent. These are as follows:

Ø      The reflux occurs when the muscles in the stomach accidentally release the stomach content and food into the esophagus and the mouth

Ø      The ailment is common during the first three months of an infant’s life but in most of the cases the symptoms disappear during the first year of age

Ø      Treatment given by the doctor can include feeding pattern changes and/or over-the-counter remedies

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