Treatment For Acid Reflux In Infant
Acid reflux is one of the most common ailments among newborn babies and small children. Both of my children were diagnosed with the condition and I found it difficult to hear - especially the first time around. Your heart immediately reacts from parent mode because none of us want our child to suffer pain or discomfort. You most certainly would rather not hear that your infant or children are diagnosed with a condition. However, our pediatrician reassured us that the treatment for acid reflux in infants is quite simple and as a result of it the condition would improve and eventually subside.
Acid reflux is a condition where the contents of the stomach, including both acid and food, work back up into the esophagus which causes pain and discomfort. It is a medical fact that acid reflux in infants is common, mainly because the muscle closing off the stomach from the esophagus is often not completely formed yet and allows for acid and food to back up quite often, especially after feeding. In infants it is more difficult to tell they have acid reflux as it is quite common for babies to spit up. If a child spits up or vomits often and it is accompanied by crying, arching of the back or poor sleeping habits it is easier to diagnose the child with acid reflux.
Treatment for acid reflux in infants is usually by medication. Pediatricians often prescribe acid reducers such as Prevacid or Zantac to reduce the production of acid in the stomach. As acid reflux in infants is so common these now come in water soluble forms which can either be mixed with their formula or breast milk. It also dissolves almost instantly after hitting the mouth of an infant. This makes giving this medication easy and allows it to take effect almost immediately.
Our children were treated with Prevacid as well as taking over the counter Mylanta which is another common treatment for acid reflux in infants because it immediately soothes the esophagus and stomach lining. This,in turn, reduces the burning sensation and discomfort. By the time our children reached their first birthday neither of them was taking medication for their acid reflux and they are now normal healthy toddlers. There were absolutely no ill side effects from taking the medication prescribed and our lives were almost immediately improved during treatment. The medication helped them to sleep better, spit up less and be more comfortable, leading to a much happier babyhood.
