Baby Regurgitation

Regurgitation is a common condition in babies, especially in premature babies or babies within the first 4 months of life. However, fret not as babies usually outgrow it by one year o of age.
understanding the cause
As we eat, the food travels from mouth to the esophagus, into the stomach and emptying into the small intestine.

There's a valve between the lower part of the esophagus and the opening of the stomach, called lower esophageal sphincter (LES), which helps prevent food from flowing back into the esophagus.

Hence, if the LES is still weak or does not close properly, or large feedings that increase the gastric pressure or food that cause LES to relax, a reflux may be triggered.

Tips to reduce the condition:

• burp the baby after feed
• provide small and frequent feedings to avoid overfeeding. Large feeding increase gastric pressure and trigger reflux.
• place the baby in a prone position after feeding, as it improves gastric emptying (carry out under doctor’s advise)
• avoid food right before naps or bedtime
• provide thickening formula feedings
  
• avoid any known irritants in the diet. Possible irritants include citrus, tomato, chocolate, peppermint, fatty food (these food may cause a decrease in LES pressure). However, food irritants are individualized and do not eliminate food unnecessarily
• recall and record the diet intake/feeding pattern to help determine whether the baby is regurgitating due to over feeding
• do not play with or jiggle your baby right after feeding as too vigorous movements may trigger a reflux