What Is Infant GERD?

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In the case of infant GERD, the sphincter opens up and allows the contents of the stomach to get into the esophagus and then into the infant’s mouth which results in spitting and even vomiting. GERD or gastroesophageal reflux disorder occurs when the contents of a person’s stomach get into their esophagus – either while eating a meal, or after it. There is in fact a muscle ring (called lower esophageal sphincter or LES) that lies at the lower end of the esophagus that opens as well as shuts to allow or prevent food from entering into the stomach. When the LES opens it allows gas to escape from the stomach and this is seen in the form of burping that generally occurs after consumption of a meal.

GERD symptoms in infants include spitting and vomiting as well as coughing and being irritable. In addition, it is seen as poor feeding and in some cases it may show up in the form of a bloody stool. In a few rare cases these symptoms can become severe though in a majority of cases the infants will have stopped spitting by the time they have reached the age of between twelve and eighteen months.

If you notice your baby spitting or vomiting you should suspect infant GERD and take your infant to a doctor who will diagnose the condition. In some cases when the infant seems unhappy and unhealthy certain tests may be performed in order to establish clearly and unambiguously that it is indeed a case of infant GERD. In other instances, treatment can even begin without needing to conduct tests.

Treatment of infant GERD generally varies according to the symptoms and so sometimes no treatment is required, especially when the symptoms are very mild while in other cases the treatment takes the form of thickening the feeding through addition of cereals and in addition you will also need to ensure that the baby remains upright as much as is possible. Overfeeding the infant is not recommended as this will aggravate the infant GERD symptoms and so you will do well to feed your child small quantities of food accompanied with greater frequency of feeding.

In some cases, infants may feel uncomfortable and will not be able to eat or sleep normally and in such cases the treatment of infant GERD requires giving them certain medications including H2-blockers such as Tagamet and Zantac. It is indeed very rare to see infant GERD causing a slowdown in the normal growth of the baby. Any questions you have regarding your baby’s symptoms will easily be diagnosed by your doctor, so a visit will clear any problems or concerns you may have regarding your infant’s GERD.