Reflux Disease
(or GERD)

Reflux Disease (or GERD)

Some babies have a condition called gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

GERD happens when the stomach muscle opens at the wrong times. When this happens, it allows milk and food to come back up into the tube in the throat.

Some symptoms of GERD include:

  • Severe spitting up after every feeding or hours after eating
  • Vomiting (the milk shoots out of the mouth)
  • Fussiness and crying as if in pain
  • Arching of the back as if in severe pain
  • Refusal to eat or pulling away from the breast during feeding
  • Slow weight gain
  • Gagging, choking, or having problems swallowing
  • Breathing problems (like a wheezing cough)

See your baby’s healthcare provider if your baby spits up after every feeding and has any of the other symptoms of GERD. More severe cases of GERD may need to be treated with medicine.

If your baby has GERD, it is important to continue breastfeeding. Human milk is usually easier to digest than formula for babies with GERD.