Gastroesophageal reflux or GER occurs when a muscle at the end of the esophagus does not close properly and allows stomach contents to reflux back up into the esophagus and irritate it. In infants, it results in regurgitation, or spitting up and vomiting.

GER is quite common in healthy infants and usually gets resolved by 6 to twelve months of age. It can also occur when babies cough, cry, or strain.

Symptoms:

In most of the cases, GER is caused by an infant’s immature intestinal tract that is not functioning properly. But few babies with GER may experience severe symptoms such as chronic coughing or wheezing, loss in weight, poor growth, breast refusal, forceful vomiting, breath-holding spells, excessive crying or refusing to feed due to pain and blood in the stools.

If the baby has reflux which causes loss of weight or breath holding spells than it’s worrisome. You must get your baby to the health care provider as these problems can be signs of other disorders other than reflux.

Occasionally the cause of GER in babies is an under developed muscle, that requires time to become fully operational and once this happens infants are free from any symptoms.

Diagnosis:

If your baby is consistently vomiting/ spitting up, then he/she may have GER. The health care provider will ask you questions about your baby’s symptoms and examine him/her.

Tests:

The health care provider may advice:

• X-ray (esophagus)

• Esophageal pH – To measure the acidity in your baby's esophagus.

• Blood and urine tests

• Recently, multilumen intraluminal impedance, a new technique was developed to check if your baby has non-acid reflux or not.

Treatment:

The treatment depends on the infant’s age and symptoms. Many times doctors advice parents to make some simple changes in the lifestyle of the baby, such as giving thickened feedings to baby instead of thin foods and while bottle feeding, make sure you use the right nipple which allows your baby's mouth to make a good seal during feeding and keep the nipple filled with milk so your infant doesn't swallow too much air.

You must never let your baby sleep on his/her stomach as it can raise the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Also, making your baby sit in upright position in an infant seat may actually put pressure on his/her stomach and make reflux worse.

Holding the baby in upright position for around 30 minutes after the baby has been fed can also help prevent a build up of gas in the stomach. Sometimes, health care providers may recommend a prescription medication or over-the-counter drug, to help treat the reflux.

Remember nearly all babies outgrow this condition. So cheer up and give it time.