Anti-reflux position for newborns: make them sleep better and safer
In the first few months, many newborns suffer from gastrointestinal problems such as reflux and colic .
In fact, neonatal gastroesophageal reflux is an extremely common problem in infants (both breastfed and formula-fed).
Unfortunately, even though the child has difficulty digesting , regurgitates and cries , most of the time parents are told that the reflux is physiological and will pass with time .
The anti-reflux position is also recommended to help the newborn sleep better, but this is NOT the solution to the problem!
In fact, it is NOT normal for your baby to cry and feel sick because he has a stomach ache, digestive problems or gastrointestinal problems.
Gastroesophageal reflux in newborns, like gas colic , is caused by an irritant and inflammatory condition of the stomach (and the gastrointestinal system) which can be PREVENTED (from pregnancy or the first days of life) and/or CURED .
Infant reflux: introduction
The term gastroesophageal reflux refers to the reflux of food from the stomach into the esophagus. Obviously in the case of newborns, we mean the reflux of milk .
The reflux may or may not lead to regurgitation (silent reflux).
Reflux affects many children in the first months of life, but since the symptoms are varied, it is often difficult for parents to understand that this is precisely the problem.
Unfortunately, even incorrect information leads parents to not know how to intervene to make their child feel better. In fact, they are often told that it is a temporary problem or immaturity of the cardia . I can tell you right away that these statements are false !
Read on to discover the real causes and remedies to help your little one feel better.
What is the anti-reflux position for making the newborn sleep?
If my baby suffers from reflux, what is the best position to sleep in?
This question is often asked by parents who come to my office because of their child's reflux problems.
According to some false myths, it was said that the best anti-reflux position for the newborn was on the side or on the stomach.
Nothing could be more false and more dangerous!
Other times, parents are advised to use a reclined anti-reflux position: in other words, they are advised to slightly tilt the cot or crib by 30° or to place the baby in a bouncer or infant carrier during the day to keep him or her inclined.
Be careful because prolonged use of these devices and a flexed position of the head can lead the child to develop a flat head .
These positions tend to limit the movements of the newborn's neck, leading him to always keep his head facing forward (and never completely rotated).
The same goes for the inclination of strollers and cribs.
The anti-reflux inclined position can slightly improve the situation because it facilitates digestion, but it never solves it.
To treat reflux in newborns, you need to address the real causes of the baby's stomach becoming inflamed and irritated.
In fact, the prone position is very risky for SIDS .
Why the supine position is the best
The back position is the best for 2 main reasons:
- It is the one recommended for the prevention of SIDS ;
- In this position, it is more difficult for regurgitation to end up in the airways due to the anatomical shape of the larynx (the tube through which food passes) and the trachea (the tube through which air passes).
In other words, even if the newborn were to regurgitate while lying on his back, there is no risk of suffocation .
Is the anti-reflux position for newborns a solution?
It is important to know, however, that the anti-reflux position does NOT solve the problem , but only allows the newborn to sleep a little better and prevent reflux from going into the airways.
To solve gastroesophageal reflux it is first necessary to understand the real cause of the stomach becoming inflamed.
Real cause of gastroesophageal reflux
Gastroesophageal reflux , regurgitation and vomiting in newborns are some of the most frequent and disabling problems for children in the first months of life.
Unfortunately, in most cases reflux is defined as "physiological" only because the child (fortunately) grows in weight, despite suffering and crying more or less markedly.
Neonatal reflux is considered a normal problem that some newborns are destined for without a specific cause, perhaps caused by a fateful immaturity of the cardia (spoiler: false), or the valve that closes the stomach at the top.
Furthermore, since colic is also caused by inflammation of the gastric and intestinal systems, both problems may be present in the newborn.
After having studied these problems in depth and having successfully resolved thousands of cases of reflux in newborns, I can affirm that reflux is not at all normal or physiological, on the contrary.
Gastroesophageal reflux , vomiting and regurgitation in newborns (as well as colic) are caused by an inflammatory and irritative condition of the stomach (and of the gastrointestinal tract – see subsequent scientific studies).
To demonstrate what I just said, above I report a recent scientific study from 2018 (”Infantile Colic, New Insights into an Old Problem”, published in the journal Gastroenterology Clinics of North America) which demonstrates how gas colic is caused by an inflammatory and irritative condition of the gastrointestinal system.
In short, they took the baby's poop , analyzed it in the lab , and found increased levels of fecal calprotectin (an objective sign of intestinal inflammation).
The same factors that irritate and inflame the intestines, disturb the stomach.
Also because the milk (i.e. what the baby eats) first passes through the stomach and then goes into the intestine .
This is why colic and reflux often coexist in the same child.