Understanding Infant Reflux 

Spit up happens! But, why does it happen and what does it mean? Should you be concerned? Today, we’re taking a deep dive into infant reflux.

Essentially, Infant reflux occurs when a baby spits up liquid or food. This happens when content from your baby’s stomach moves back up into the esophagus. The esophagus is a muscular tube that connects the mouth to the stomach. You can think of it as the highway food travels between your mouth and stomach! 

Reflux happens in healthy infants many times a day. As long as your baby is healthy and growing as normal according to your doctor, infant reflux is not a cause for concern. Sometimes called gastroesophageal reflux (GER), it should happen less and less as your baby grows. It’s unusual for infant reflux to continue after age 18 months.

However it may be a good idea to see your pediatrician if your baby is experiencing infant reflux in combination with any of the following:

• Baby isn’t gaining weight
• Baby consistently projectile vomits 
• Baby spits up green or yellow fluid
• Baby spits up blood or stomach contents that look like coffee grounds
• Baby refuses to feed or eat
• Baby has difficulty breathing
• Baby begins spitting up at age 6 months or older without a prior history of doing so
• Baby is unusually irritable frequently after eating
• Baby seems lethargic or doesn’t have much energy

For questions or any other concerns, Augusta Pediatrics can be reached at (706) 868-0389. The information on this site is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. All content, including text, graphics, images and information, contained on or available through this web site is for general information purposes only.