All babies spit up to some degree but a newborn with acid reflux will spit up more frequently and suffer from several other symptoms. Most babies outgrown acid reflux sometime after the first birthday and may actually experience an improvement in symptoms once they master sitting up. Acid reflux is not typically serious in newborns but parents should make the baby's doctor aware of all symptoms resembling the condition.
Causes
When an infant eats, the food travels down a tube called the esophagus, through a flap called the lower esophageal sphincter and then into the stomach for digestion, says the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse. The lower esophageal sphincter is a muscle and acts as a flap that prevents stomach contents from flowing back up the esophagus and causing the symptoms of acid reflux. This muscle is not very strong in a newborn, making it easy for the flap to open when it shouldn't. Other reasons this flap opens spontaneously include overeating, eating too fast, food intolerance or sensitivity and lying down after eating.
Symptoms
An infant with acid reflux will spit up, as does any other newborn, but the amount and frequency will likely prove greater. The baby may spit up right after a feeding or several hours later. Projectile vomiting can indicate reflux. This type of vomiting is characterized by the stomach contents shooting a good distance away from the baby instead of down her shirt. This can easily be recognized when the infant is lying flat on her back and the vomit flies into the air. Projectile vomiting can prove alarming to a caregiver, but the baby often looks perfectly content. Other symptoms of acid reflux according to the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse include coughing, irritability and poor feeding. An infant may have some stomach discomfort with acid reflux and refuse to eat as a result. A caregiver may observe the baby clenching her fists, drawing her knees to her chest or crying inconsolably.
Treatment
Medication often proves effective in treating infant reflux but it may not be the first recommendation given by the baby's doctor until other preventative measures are attempted or the baby exhibits more serious complications of acid reflux. MayoClinic.com points out that a prescription medication for infant reflux is typically given using a baby-sized dose of an adult medication. Some commonly used drugs include cimetidine, ranitidine, omeprazole or lansoprazole. These medications do more than neutralize acid, they reduce the production so the baby doesn't have as much to regurgitate.
Prevention
There are several things a caregiver can do to help minimize acid reflux in a newborn. The baby can stay upright for at least 30 minutes following a meal to allow the food to pass through the stomach. The KidsHealth website recommends elevating the baby's bed to utilize gravity in keeping the stomach contents where they belong. Frequent burping during and after a feeding, avoiding overfeeding and making sure the baby does not eat too fast provide other ways of reducing acid reflux. Breastfeeding mothers may need to keep a food log and note what foods are consumed that seem to increase acid reflux in the baby. Common triggers include dairy products, caffeine and spicy foods.
Complications
Very few babies develop acid reflux complications according to the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse. A baby with severe or persistent reflux may fail to grow at a healthy rate due to his inability to keep food down. The discomfort a baby experiences with reflux may lead to him refusing food too frequently. More serious complications include blood loss from esophageal damage and breathing problems caused by aspiration, or the inhalation of food particles into the lungs.
