Calprotectin
Breastfeeding and Reflux
Links to help with Mother’s Diet, Too!
An article written by Rebecca D. Williams in an FDA Consumer Magazine simply states, “When it comes to nutrition, the best first food for babies is breast milk.” The benefits of breastfeeding are numerous and include :
- Promotes digestion
- Fights infection
- Cost-free
- Perfect temperature.
Additional studies show that another benefit of breastfeeding is that it helps infants with reflux. An article written by Laura Barmby in New Beginnings magazine states, “Breastfed babies seem to cope better with GER than artificially fed babies. During breastfeeding the motion of the baby’s tongue triggers peristaltic waves along the gastrointestinal tract (Lawrence 1994). These muscular contractions help to move the food down into the stomach and on to the small intestine. Human milk digests more completely and almost twice as fast as formula. The less time the milk spends in the stomach, the less opportunity there is for it to back up into the esophagus. In addition, breastfed babies are generally fed in a more upright position than artificially fed babies, and gravity may help to keep the milk and gastric acid in the stomach where they belong.” If your infant has reflux, then you might want to try breastfeeding to see if it helps. However, if you are unable to breastfeed or simply choose not to, then there are several formulas on the market that work great for infants with reflux. What’s Next? Formula Solid Foods NOTE: The information on this page is not exhaustive and complete accuracy is not guaranteed. Please consult your doctor with any questions you may have regarding the treatment of your child.
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Breastfeeding the Baby with Gastroesophageal Reflux
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