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Are you debating
about pulling your hair out because your healthy and thriving baby is crying
and vomiting yet again?
Don’t worry; you’ll be relieved to know that this may actually be perfectly
normal.
Did
you know that almost half of babies vomit at least once a day? One in every five babies may vomit up to 4
times a day. You may describe these
vomits as effortless regurgitation, with earfuls of crying, back arching and ‘spills’
immediately or hours after a feed.
The
good news is that almost all babies grow out of these symptoms of reflux completely
by 18 months of age.
Remember, gastro-oesophageal reflux (GOR) is a symptom, not a disease.
So
don’t panic if your baby decides to ‘spill’ yet again today. If you are feeling frustrated after having
only just changed your baby into clean clothes, relax, grab a cuppa and read my
tips below.
Conservative
therapy
Try
to remember, that this period of ‘possits’, ‘spills’ and 'vomits' are only
temporary and the situation will improve and resolve spontaneously.
Have
you tried to modify feeding positions to find out your baby’s preferred feeding
posture?
Do
keep your baby’s head elevated by approximately 30 degrees during and after
feeds for around 20 to 30 minutes.
Babies
have stiff stomachs and the distance between their stomach and mouth is so short
that if you bounce them on your lap immediately after a feed, you may find that
you’ll be changing both your own and your baby’s clothes yet again!
Supine positioning during sleeping is also
recommended and may be helpful.
You
can also trial smaller, but more frequent feeds. For example, if your baby is feeding every
3 to 4 hourly, consider changing the feeding schedule to every 2 to 3 hourly.
Breast
milk is the best form of nutrition for your baby. If you have chosen to breast feed, it is recommended
to continue to do so whilst you overcome this period of reflux.
For
formula fed babies, a pre-thickened formula may be beneficial in reducing the
frequency of visible regurgitation. This
does not however, treat the underlying cause of the reflux.
A
study showed that when parents adopted the above conservative therapy approaches,
symptoms of reflux improved in more than half the babies without the use of any
medications.
In
severe cases of reflux with multiple symptoms, cow’s milk protein sensitivity
or allergy may be the cause of unexplained crying and vomiting. It has been suggested that up to 40% of
infants with severe reflux or gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) may suffer from cow’s milk protein allergy. In this scenario, a 2 to 4 week trial on a cow’s
milk protein free formula (for formula fed babies) may be beneficial.
If your baby is over six months of age, you could
also trial a soy based infant formula. In
some occasions where cow’s milk protein allergy is evident this may also be
linked with soy allergy/sensitivity. If
the symptoms of reflux and history of vomiting persist even after a change in
infant formula, speak to your GP or dietitian for further advice.
Seek
medical advice if your baby is experiencing..
Repeated vomiting after every feed
Faltering growth (your baby’s growth is crossing lines on the growth chart)
Feed refusal
And your baby has also been diagnosed with other medical condition(s).
