Newborn acid reflux is when food backs up ( refluxes ) from the baby’s stomach and causes the baby to spit up. This condition is rarely serious and becomes less common as the baby grows older. It is unusual for a newborn  with  infant reflux to continue refluxing after 18 months.

It is normal for a healthy baby to have reflux multiple times  a day. As long as the baby is growing well and happy , it is not much of a concern.

Rarely newborn reflux could be a sign of a serious medical condition such as :

• allergy
• digestive system blockage
• gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)

What causes newborn acid reflux ?

The ring of muscles between the esophagus and the stomach (the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) is not yet fully mature. This allows the stomach content to flow backwards. As time goes on the LES will open only when the baby swallows and remain tightly closed at other times, keeping stomach contents where they  belong.

Factors that may also cause babies to reflux include the following :

• babies born prematurely
• babies lying flat most of the time
• an almost completely liquid diet

Occasionally newborn acid reflux may be caused by a more serious condition such as

• GERD
• food intolerance
• pyloric stenosis
• eosinophilic esophagitis

When should i be concerned about newborn acid reflux ?

Newborn acid reflux usually isn’t a cause for concern. Its very unusual for stomach contents to have enough acid to irritate the throat or esophagus to cause any signs.

However you should see your baby’s doctor if your baby :

• isn’t gaining weight
• spits up green or yellow fluid
• have projectile vomiting which is spitting  forcefully, causing stomach contents to shoot out of his or her mouth
• has blood in his/her stool
• is usually irritable after eating
• has breathing difficulty or a chronic cough
• begins spitting up at age 6 months or older
• spits up blood or material that looks like coffee

How is newborn acid reflux treated ?

This condition usually clears up on its own. In the meantime , your pediatrician may recommend that  you do the following  :

• give your baby smaller , more frequent feedings
• interrupt your baby’s feeding to burp him/her
• hold your baby upright  for about  20 to 30 minutes after feeding
• try switching your baby’s formula
• eliminate  dairy products, beef or eggs from your diet if you’re breast-feeding, to test if your baby has an allergy.
• use a different size of baby bottle nipple. When the nipple is too large or too small, it can cause the baby to swallow air
• you can thicken the formula or expressed milk slightly and in gradual increments with rice cereal. Even though this is a reasonable strategy,  you have to know that it  adds potentially unnecessary calories to your baby’s diet.

Medication isn’t usually recommended for this condition. However in some conditions where it is affecting the baby’s  eating and weight gain or causing other complications , the doctor may consider certain acid-blocking medication.

Surgery to tighten the lower esophageal sphincter is rarely an option.
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