Overview
Infant reflux is when a baby spits up liquid or food. It happens when stomach contents move back up from a baby’s stomach into the esophagus. The esophagus is the muscular tube that connects the mouth to the stomach.
Reflux happens in healthy infants many times a day. As long as your baby is healthy, content and growing well, reflux is not a cause for concern. Sometimes called gastroesophageal reflux (GER), the condition becomes less common as a baby gets older. It’s unusual for infant reflux to continue after age 18 months.
In rare cases, infant reflux leads to weight loss or growth that lags behind other children of the same age and sex. These symptoms may indicate a medical problem. These medical problems may include an allergy, a blockage in the digestive system or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). GERD is a more serious form of GER that causes serious health issues.
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Symptoms
In most cases, infant reflux isn’t a cause for concern. It’s unusual for stomach contents to have enough acid to irritate the throat or esophagus and cause symptoms.
When to see a doctor
See your baby’s health care provider if your baby:
- Isn’t gaining weight.
- Consistently spits up forcefully, causing stomach contents to shoot out of the mouth. This is called projectile vomiting.
- Spits up green or yellow fluid.
- Spits up blood or stomach contents that look like coffee grounds.
- Refuses to feed or eat.
- Has blood in the stool.
- Has difficulty breathing or a cough that won’t go away.
- Begins spitting up at age 6 months or older.
- Is unusually irritable after eating.
- Doesn’t have much energy.
Some of these symptoms may indicate serious but treatable conditions. These include GERD or a blockage in the digestive tract.
