Monday, March 29, 2010
Some of you may be familiar with my baby boy Varun's acid reflux and sleep feeding problems. His
spitting problem is quite serious and he can spit upto 2 hrs after feeding. Could this is due to
Delayed Gastric Emptying ? I would like to know the opinion of experts on this
web site and other Reflux moms on medicine that increase the rate of emptying and their side effects.
Are there other techniques (massages, alternative medicine etc) that improve gastric motility ?
Delayed gastric emptying is also called gastroparisis or slow motility. The food stays in the stomach too long and causes painful symptoms. Diet, positioning and medications are some of the treatments used. A special formula may ease digestion and help move the food out of the stomach faster. Keeping a baby upright in a sling or carrier may be beneficial. Reflux medication to reduce acid and motility medication to move the food through the digestive tract may be indicated.
Unfortunately, there are not very good options for medication. Reglan and Erythromycin are often used for infants. Propulsid was used in the past but the FDA pulled it due to side effects. Smaller feeds may reduce the pain and discomfort of digestion when the food is moving slowly thru the digestive tract.
I am not familiar with natural solutions for infants but lets hear from others. Certainly for a toddler or child, a low fat, easy to digest diet can increase digestive comfort.
Take care,
Jan