Gastroesophageal reflux occurs when the contents of your baby's stomach flow backwards up into the esophagus, sometimes reaching as high as the mouth or nose. Some babies spit up a lot over the course of a day as a result of gastroesophageal reflux -- and many of these babies aren't particularly bothered by all the spitting up.
As long as your baby is happy, healthy, and growing well, your baby's doctor will likely tell you that there's no need to be concerned. Most babies outgrow garden-variety garden-variety gastroesophageal reflux on their own, as their systems mature -- something that typically happens by 12 to 18 months of age.
Other babies experience a painful burning sensation from the reflux that causes the baby so much discomfort that the condition starts to interfere with feeding and sleeping; and (in some babies) the vomiting is so severe that the baby can develop medical complications (e.g., vomiting blood, developing pneumonia).
Babies who are experiencing this extreme form of gastroesophageal reflux are said to have gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD.
Your baby's doctor may recommend specific lifestyle changes and, in severe cases, medications and other treatments to manage your baby's GERD.
Caring for a baby with GERD can be very stressful for parents. If your baby has GERD -- or if you suspect your baby may have GERD, and you're looking for more information about this condition, you may want to look at the following resources developed by the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition:
It's also important to realize that the off-the-shelf sleep and feeding solutions that work for other parents and other babies may not work for a baby with GERD.
"If I had listened to all the bad advice about sleep (‘You’re just spoiling her’ ‘She’ll cry herself out eventually’), we wouldn’t have discovered Rose’s problem," notes Jennifer, one of the mothers interviewed for Sleep Solutions for Your Baby, Toddler and Preschooler : The Ultimate No-Worry Approach for Each Age and Stage (Mother of All Solutions).
"Not only does she have reflux: she also has a hole between her esophagus and her trachea and may require surgery. Our persistence resulted in correct diagnosis and treatment, but if we had simply listened to the advice we were being given, Rose would still be suffering unnecessarily."