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 Self Help CDs [http://www.yourfavouriteshop.com] - Visit Health Resources for more articles.
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