If you are a parent with a baby who suffers from acid reflux disease, then you know the emotional drain it can take. You always have a crying baby on your hands and no matter what you do, your baby is not content. Often in the past, babies with acid reflux disease were labeled as "colicky" and the parents were told to wait until they outgrew the problem. Now, doctors are beginning to accept the fact that babies who are crying generally have a reason for crying. Reflux babies cry because they are in pain. There are prescription medications that can help the problem.
Some parents feel extremely guilty when their baby is suffering from acid reflux disease. They feel that it is somehow their fault that their child is in pain. They may be told by well meaning friends and family that the formula is doing it, if the baby is formula fed. The breastfeeding mother might be told it is because of something she is eating. Both of these wrong pieces of advice can cause guilt and discouragement in the parents. While it may be that a change in the mother's diet or in formula might help the problem, these things are not the cause of the problem.
One of the biggest difficulties of raising a baby with acid reflux is getting the baby to sleep. This is because the moment you lay your baby down to sleep, the effect of gravity on the stomach acid is lost. Acid is sent into the esophagus, which is acid reflux. This painful problem causes the baby to fuss and wake up.
One way to combat the problem is to keep gravity in the equation. You can do this by elevating the baby's mattress to a slight incline. To do this properly, aim to have the baby's head about thirty degrees higher than her feet.
One way to do this is to tilt the mattress. You can tilt the mattress using the built in lowering mechanisms, if the crib is equipped with these. Simply raise one end up to a higher level, or lower one end down a level. This is the best way to elevate the mattress if you have it.
Another way to elevate the mattress is to add a pillow or two underneath the mattress. Even when working with an acid reflux baby, you never want to put the pillow directly under the baby's head, as this can cause suffocation. Instead, life up the mattress and place the pillow beneath it.
If the crib is on wheels, you can tilt the entire crib by removing the wheels on one end. This can make the crib unstable, so use caution. Another way to increase the incline of the crib is to place two of the legs on bricks. Using bricks with holes in the middle helps keep the entire crib stable, as the legs are put inside these holes.
Elevating your baby's crib mattress is one of the most effective ways to help her with acid reflux problems. You will find a wide range of expensive products on the market aimed to help reflux babies sleep better by elevating the sleeping position. These are often a waste of money, because with a little ingenuity and some elbow grease, you can elevate the mattress yourself!
