How to Hold the Baby After Feeding to Avoid Reflux

We know spit up downwardly the forepart of your shirt isn't your best look, but for many new moms, it's a rite of passage. Y'all finally just go with it because changing would mean even more laundry added to the ever-growing pile of burp cloths. Simply the truth is that changing the way yous feed your baby can actually reduce or eliminate their uncomfortable reflux that's causing all that spit-upward.

Even though immature babies' immature digestive systems make them prime candidates for reflux, there are several feeding strategies we suggest to amend it. Not but does reflux cause spit-upwards, but it can as well cause your baby a lot of discomfort, and nosotros know more than anything you desire your baby to feel good.

You'll first want to identify if your baby is experiencing reflux and what might be causing it. So nosotros'll give y'all our superlative tips to get your babe's tum dorsum on track (and your shirts back to pristine condition.)

What is acrid reflux in babies?

When a infant drinks chest milk or formula, information technology has a trend to back up from her stomach. This is referred to as reflux, or gastroesophageal reflux (GER). Reflux is most common during the newborn phase (0-4 months) and improves as time goes on.

According to the Mayo Clinic , this is because an infant'south ring of musculus betwixt the esophagus and the stomach is not fully mature, allowing the contents of the tummy to flow backward.

So how practice you know if your infant has reflux?

How to Place Acid Reflux or GER in Your Baby

Mild reflux in young babies is common. Co-ordinate to Medline Plus, "Nearly half of all babies spit up many times a day in the first 3 months of their lives."

And even more than will spit up about once or twice per mean solar day. In other words, it's generally not a condition to be concerned nigh (and it's temporary.)

Usually almost parents just take the spitting up in stride if their baby seems comfortable and happy. In these cases, it's generally a nuisance to you while they could care less!

Only in that location are also babies who may feel gas along with their reflux making them pretty uncomfortable or they might take what is called "silent reflux."

Whereas a baby who spits up will ordinarily feel instantly better, a infant experiencing silent reflux will likely be in pain. This is because the acrid volition come up up the throat, but so they swallow it back downwardly.

If y'all have a babe showing the post-obit symptoms, they're likely suffering from one of the types of reflux:

• Frequent spit-ups
• Arching body during or after feeding
• Crying when laid on their back
• Comfortless crying after feeding (but could besides be hours afterwards)
• Pulling legs up
• Trouble sleeping

If your baby is under iv months and growing well, you don't demand to exist concerned nearly your baby's reflux. Just even though y'all don't need to be "concerned," it'south nevertheless stressful when you experience like your infant isn't feeling their best but yous can't assistance them.

Identifying your baby's symptoms as reflux is the kickoff step to fixing it. Knowing what causes information technology helps, too. That's when you'll exist able to utilize our tips to help your infant feel their best (while keeping the spit up to a minimum.)

Cause of Reflux in Babies

The crusade of reflux in a young baby is pretty straightforward. Information technology'due south actually not about annihilation you're doing wrong, instead, you simply have a tiny little human on your hands whose digestive arrangement is even so maturing.

Other than that, the fact that babies lie on their backs so oftentimes and are on a completely liquid diet make them susceptible to reflux symptoms. Premature babies, especially, have a hard time.

This all sounds pretty standard, correct? And the fact that your babe is on a 100% liquid diet is out of your control. Luckily, there are some like shooting fish in a barrel strategies that you tin start implementing today that will improve your baby's reflux or even eliminate it altogether.

Feeding a Babe with Reflux: Top Tips

Nosotros at bökee are all parents. Though we can't say necessarily that we've experienced it all, we've certainly experienced a lot raising babies. What we do know is that no ii are alike and what works perfectly for your first baby will surely be the i thing that doesn't work with the next. With that said, we propose giving these unlike strategies a shot in order to help your baby through their reflux.

1.) Attempt Paced Bottle Feeding

If you canteen feed, implementing paced canteen feeding is a practiced place to start.

In a nutshell, paced bottle feeding utilizes the post-obit:

• A wearisome-menses nipple
• An upright feeding position
• Only 20-30 seconds of continuous feeding and then pull the bottle back to give your baby a break

With paced bottle feeding, you tedious down a bottle-feed in order to improve mimic typical breastfeeding patterns. "Paced feeding reduces the adventure of overfeeding that may issue in discomfort to the baby," writes the Minnesota Department of Health .

In our article, "How Paced Bottle Feeding Volition Benefit Your Babe," we discuss this feeding strategy further and give you the steps on how to put it into practise.

ii.) Feed in Smaller Quantities, only More Frequently

Simply as paced bottle feeding reduces the likelihood that your baby volition overeat and go reflux, feeding your baby in smaller quantities but more often can accept the same effect.

When babies take in a large repast at i fourth dimension, it can be difficult to digest all at once. It as well makes it more than likely that some will come right dorsum up through your baby'south young ring muscle between the esophagus and tummy.

With this strategy, your baby will still drink the same corporeality of breast milk or formula in a 24-hour period, but could exist given in x feeds instead of seven (as an example.)

3.) Go along Babe in an Upright Position During Feeding and Subsequently

Babies sleep a lot and that means a lot of laying down. But reducing this amount of time is 1 of the easiest ways to prevent reflux symptoms.

We recommend the following:

• Continue infant upright during feeds
• Hold your baby upright for the twenty - 30 minutes following a feed
• Wearable your baby in a infant carrier so you tin get a pause while being able to keep your babe upright more than oft

With this said, we want to caution you lot against usually sleep positioners. Y'all may be tempted to try these due to their promises of reducing a baby'south reflux, but the AAP advises against their use due to SIDS concerns. Fifty-fifty babies with reflux should be placed on their back on a flat mattress to sleep.

4.) Burp Frequently

This works great with a paced bottle feeding approach. Every 20-30 seconds try burping your baby. At a minimum, you should burp your baby after every 1-2 ounces of milk ingested.

The best way to burp a infant experiencing reflux is by holding them with their stomach side against your breast and burping them over your shoulder.

This will allow for removal of trapped gas and acid from your babe'southward system before giving them further milk to beverage. They may still have "wet burps" merely that's a whole lot improve than a full-blown spit-up at the terminate of a feed!

The tips we simply covered are the easiest to implement right away. And for many babies, it volition be all you demand to practice! If your baby is all the same spitting upward or is experiencing irritability related to gas or silent reflux, we recommend trying these final ii suggestions:

5.) Consider "Drops" Prior to or Afterwards Feeding

Gripe Water is a natural remedy that helps to relieve reflux and other baby stomach aches. The herbs can help ease digestion. Utilizing these drops in combination with the above recommendations will likely work for many babies.

If you think your babe'southward discomfort is related to gas, Mylicon is an over-the-counter remedy that many parents swear by. Information technology'southward common for babies to have both reflux and gas, so it's worth a shot if what you've done hasn't shown a lot of improvement.

We love using these ii options with the bökee . Considering a baby experiencing silent reflux or gas is ofttimes crying and inconsolable, this leaves y'all having to open these bottles one-handed while yous comport your baby in the other. The last matter you lot want to do is put your baby down in these moments. The bökee may have originally been designed for easier bottle prep, but information technology works great to stabilize medicine bottles to become the tops off and so you lot can get the medicine to your babe more quickly.

6.) Utilize a Canteen That Reduces Reflux

Though it can exist annoying to have to get out and buy a make new set up of bottles, getting the right bottle can often be the solution y'all're looking for to eliminate your baby'southward reflux. You'll want to look for bottles with a type of vent system that eliminates air bubbling in your baby's chest milk or formula.

You tin can observe some great anti-reflux canteen options here.

You may also see recommendations to use a special formula designed for reflux relief or to put rice cereal in your baby's canteen to thicken your baby'due south milk (making it more difficult for them to bring information technology back up). But these two options should be done at the direction of your physician. And then, how practise you know when it's fourth dimension to contact your pediatrician?

When to Consult a Md for Your Infant's Reflux

Though mild cases of reflux tin can commonly exist improved by using the higher up strategies, some babies may need further intervention if those don't help.

Babies who feel further distress may be experiencing a more astringent form of reflux called GERD. C onsulting a doc at this time is necessary.

This may be noted past the post-obit symptoms:

• Large volumes of spit-up
• Vomiting
• Difficulty eating
• low/no weight proceeds

If you notice any of these in your babe, getting direction from your doctor is imperative.

Final Give-and-take on Feeding a Baby With Reflux

Luckily for nearly families, dealing with reflux and spit-upwards is a challenge that'due south easy plenty to work through. Taking the time to implement a few of the simple strategies above will help you avoid the milk stain while keeping a smile on your sweet baby's face.

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Source: https://www.thebokee.com/blogs/bokee-blog/how-to-feed-a-baby-with-reflux

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