Reflux occurs when stomach contents run back up, causing spitting up (regurgitation).
The reflux usually occurs immediately after a meal when undigested milk is spit up. If the regurgitating doesn’t occur until several hours after breastfeeding, the spit-up will often smell sour, and it may contain lumps. Just about all infants and babies spit up.
Here's why babies spit up
Reflux and regurgitation are caused by the lower esophageal sphincter. When the sphincter between the stomach and the esophagus relaxes, reflux occurs. Babies eat a relatively large amount of food in relation to their weight, leading to distention of the stomach. This causes several uncontrolled relaxations of the sphincter and consequently leads to leakage of stomach contents into the esophagus.
Several studies show that among babies, food leaks into the esophagus about 30 times a day, but regurgitation does not always occur. Fortunately, young babies are rarely bothered by the frequent refluxes. That is because they do not yet have very much gastric acid in the stomach (as compared with adults), and they may not notice the reflux. However, if the child is troubled by reflux and regurgitation, reflux disease may be present.
Reflux disease
Where there is reflux disease, the child may experience pain from the leak into the esophagus. Reflux disease often arises in babies when the lower part of the esophageal sphincter has not developed fully. More rarely, the disease may arise if the child is allergic to cow’s milk. The child experiences pain because the acid from the stomach irritates the esophagus. In addition, the reflux disease may affect the airways, and there may be an infection of the esophagus. Children with reflux disease often exhibit difficulties with breastfeeding and eating.
Should you be concerned that your child has reflux disease, you should of course make an appointment with the doctor. Reflux disease is treated with proton-pump inhibitors. As the name suggests, this medication inhibits the production of gastric acid in the stomach. As an alternative, you may want to adjust the child’s feeding.
Prospects for children with reflux disease
The future prospects for children with reflux disease are excellent. As early as by age 2, most children have no more reflux disease – typically as a result of the fact that they are on foot more than they are lying down. By far the most babies experience complications from reflux when they are under 6 months old, and by the time they are 12 months old, only a few still have complications from reflux.
Baby hammocks are specifically recommended for children with reflux
Health professionals specifically recommend that babies with reflux be put in baby hammocks. The baby hammock wraps the baby, and the gentle rocking motion helps baby relax. Babies relax easily in a baby hammock, and as the head is slightly elevated, the risk of leaks of gastric acid into the esophagus is minimized.
In our Moonboon baby hammock, your child has a much better chance of getting over the reflux. You may add a motor to the baby hammock to automatically rock the baby hammock up and down. The timer in the motor lets you set the automatic rocking to a maximum of 3 hours.
100% organic material
The Moonboon baby hammock is GOTS certified and made of 100% organic materials of the highest quality. For example, the mattress is made of hypoallergenic kapok, a natural and organic material. When you purchase a baby hammock from Moonboon, you not only get the best baby hammock on the market. You get to help protect the tropical rain forests where the kapok fruit is harvested.
