Identifying Heartburn In Babies

Although aptly called ‘heartburn’, this ailment really is not really a heart problem. It is often called such because individuals who suffer from heartburn often complain of a burning sensation in their breast area. Heartburn is also referred to esophageal disorder. Seeing an adult suffering from heartburn is bad enough but more so if it were your little tykes who suffer from such ailment.

In infants, heartburn is often associated with gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD. This is a common ailment in babies below two years old. In babies, symptoms of heartburn include cough, restlessness during sleep and irritability. The cause of heartburn at this early age may be attributed to stomach discomfort. An infant’s stomach may have acidic contents that may move towards to the esophagus. A weak esophageal sphincter, which is the muscle that connects the stomach, may be weak and cause such reflux.

A reflux simply means that intestinal fluids flow the wrong way. In infants, acid from their stomach is reverted back to his food pipe. When this happens, the symptoms of heartburn would soon follow.

You would often notice that your child would often spit out food or even vomit. They often cry out after a meal and produce a burping sound. If this happens, hold your baby upright when feeding him, this will keep the milk down his digestive system. Using a baby sling can also be of help.

Since heartburn is a disease related to food intake, it is important to keep watch of you’re the food your child takes. Babies mostly rely on milk as food; you can give them milk in smaller amounts but on a regular basis. If you already started feeding your babies rice cereal, make it less diluted and thicken the formula.

Heartburn is more evident in premature babies. As in most cases, mothers play a vital role in the health of their babies. When either of the parents smoke, then your child will suffer the results of passive smoking. As always, breastfeeding is a great advantage for your baby’ health and can prevent heartburn. Immediately head to your pediatrician at the first symptom of heartburn. Treatment can be administered, though in time, children would eventually outgrow heartburn.

Jason Rickard is the owner of Your Favourite Shop - Offering White Noise CDs - Visit Health Information for more articles.

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