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Home › Articles › Overcoming Difficulties › Breastfeeding a Baby with Gastroesophageal Reflux

Breastfeeding a Baby with Gastroesophageal Reflux

Breastfeeding Is Nature's Antacid

Advice for New Moms

By Gwen Morrison

Pages:  1  2  3  4  

"I breastfed my daughter for the first four months of her life," says Erin Flanner of Montgomery Village, Md. "With the reflux, we seemed to do nothing but breastfeed. My daughter never slept, and she would want to nurse for comfort but it would then cause her pain."

Answers for Moms and Babies
"Just as adults who have heartburn want something – crackers or milk – to ease the pain, so do babies," says Mickey Forte, a certified lactation consultant at Baptist Memorial Hospital for Women in Memphis, Tenn. "As a result, these babies usually want to nurse frequently. In these cases, it's a good idea for moms to let the babies nurse on one breast for at least two hours before switching to the other side. This way the baby gets an adequate amount of hindmilk (more substantial milk, which is higher in protein and fat) as opposed to foremilk, which is higher in lactose." Too much lactose can produce a fussy and a gassy baby.

Nature's Antacid-Breastfeeding a Baby with Gastroesophageal Reflux The symptoms of reflux are minimized by the position in which the baby is held while feeding, says Forte. "Having the baby more upright at the breast, such as a 'football hold,' is beneficial. With an older infant, mom can try letting the baby straddle her leg and face the breast in an upright position."

Forte suggests that babies be put in an upright position, such as in a car seat or a baby swing, an hour after feeding. This may help alleviate some of the reflux problems. "Usually reflux issues are resolved within approximately three months," she says.


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