A bottle-fed baby with a leaky milk can cause many mothers to panic and worry, especially those who have had a baby for the first time. What is this phenomenon and how should I handle it?
What is the state of a bottle-feeding baby with reflux?
Flushed babies, also known as vomiting, are a fairly common phenomenon in infants. According to Assoc. TS. Dr. Nguyen Anh Tuan, Deputy Head of Pediatrics Department - HCM City University of Medicine and Pharmacy, vomiting and inertia are actually two separate concepts.
Vomiting is the act of pushing out the contents of the stomach, with the participation of many muscles in the abdomen, chest and oropharynx. Usually vomiting is predicted by nausea.
The reflux of milk is a similar phenomenon, but lighter, the baby does not exert effort and does not need the participation of many muscles such as vomiting, and the reflux occurs suddenly and without warning.
Although different, these two concepts often combine to describe the phenomenon that food from the stomach is carried back through the esophagus and out of the mouth.
Cause of this phenomenon
In babies, the digestive system is still developing and incomplete. Therefore, the case of a bottle-feeding baby with milk reflux or vomiting will happen quite often.
When the baby sucks, the milk goes down the throat to the esophagus and then to the stomach. The esophagus is connected to the stomach by a muscle ring called the lower esophageal sphincter. This sphincter opens to let the milk enter the stomach and then it immediately closes. But this "door" is not completely accurate and reliable until the baby is about 6 months old . This leads to a reverse flow of milk leading to a spitting up of the baby's milk.
Besides, there are three other reasons that also cause a bottle-feeding baby to have reflux:
Swallowing air during a feed: Babies tend to suck very quickly and then swallow air with the milk.
Sucking too much can be the culprit causing the baby to vomit. Because a baby's stomach is small and overfeeding with each meal can fill the baby and excess milk. And this excess milk can not be in the baby's womb but will find a way to "go out", at this time the baby will vomit milk.
Sensitivity or allergy to certain foods or drinks in the mother's diet. Food allergens / ingredients can be passed into breast milk and cause a baby to breastfeed through a reflux bottle.
How to distinguish whether a bottle-fed baby with reflux is physiological or pathological?
A bottle-fed baby with reflux is a normal physiological phenomenon in almost 60-80% of healthy babies. It is not really a problem when your baby is breastfed frequently after each meal. After that, your baby will still laugh and continue to be happy and active. Your baby will automatically stop vomiting reflux when it is 6-12 months old.
On the contrary, if the baby is vomiting but not inert, this can be a sign of the disease. Then, this situation will take place increasingly worse. And after each, the baby will get tired and stop feeding. This prolonged condition will affect your baby's physical development. Sometimes, the liquid your baby vomits can be accompanied by blood or green bile. At this point, the mother needs to send the baby to the doctor for treatment.
What should mom do to limit this situation?
Try to keep the bottle tilted 45 degrees and use a special nipple to help your baby avoid swallowing too much air while feeding. Choose a pacifier with a moderate hole, if the hole is too small, the baby will have difficulty sucking milk and swallowing a lot of air. On the other hand, if the hole is too big, the baby will easily choke due to the flow of milk flowing into the mouth too quickly.
The posture of the mother feeding the baby should be in a straight-back position, avoiding letting the baby lie down because it will be difficult for the milk to go down the stomach.
When the baby is finished feeding, the mother drills the baby to lie right away, allowing the baby to relax and help the baby burp out excess air. This also helps your baby avoid gas, indigestion and bloating.
Split up the feedings during the day to avoid the baby too hungry and will feed quickly and continuously.
Loosen baby clothes, especially around the abdomen, when feeding.
Feed your baby in a quiet environment with little or no noise to keep your baby from being distracted.
A reflux of milk in a bottle is a common and common phenomenon for most babies. But not because of that that Mom and Dad depend on and not notice. Please apply the above tips to overcome this phenomenon.
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