Breastmilk oversupply or forceful let-down (milk ejection reflex) can cause reflux-like symptoms, and usually can be remedied with simple measures.
Breastfed babies are less likely to develop reflux and even if they do the intensity may be less severe. Mothers need to be counselled that breast milk is not causing reflux and breast milk is the best possible food for babies until they are six month old.
While the proportion of infants who suffer from reflux is similar among those who are breastfed and those who are formula fed, breastfed infants often have fewer and shorter episodes of reflux [2].
If breast milk is causing problems for your baby, you'll notice that their fussiness occurs rather predictably after feeding time. This happens because digesting milk after a meal causes your baby's discomfort to worsen, and red-faced, grimacing cries are likely to result.
If your baby shows negative symptoms after drinking breast milk. Consider how your baby responds to breast milk after drinking it. If symptoms occur such as fussiness, irritability, crying, gas, increased spitting up and/or drawing their legs up due to tummy pain, write down everything you ate that day.
Some people describe a “soapy” smell or taste in their milk after storage; others say it is a “metallic” or “fishy” or “rancid” odor. Some detect a “sour” or “spoiled” odor or taste. Accompanying these changes are concerns that the milk is no longer good for the baby.
Baby is not be able to swallow quickly enough when milk ejects forcefully during a feeding, resulting in swallowing excess air. Mother has an oversupply of milk that can result in baby taking too much too fast for the stomach to handle. Either can result in additional air swallowed with the large volumes of milk.
After feeds, ideally keep baby upright against their carer for at least 30 minutes. Patting to wind may make the reflux worse, so simply hold baby with their head on your right shoulder and their stomach in the middle of your chest. It is better to avoid bouncing or jiggling the baby at this stage.
Reflux usually starts before a baby is 8 weeks old and gets better by the time they're 1.
The upright or koala hold is often the most comfortable breastfeeding position for babies who suffer from reflux or ear infections (who often prefer to be upright), and it can also work well with babies who have a tongue-tie or low muscle tone.
Additionally, a medical study found that the 'non-nutritive' sucking (sucking without feeding) with a dummy can improve the rate the stomach empties and also decrease the number of reflux episodes in a group of premature infants.
Over time, babies with reflux may not gain weight as expected (failure to thrive) and may have frequent chest infections due to aspirating (breathing in) stomach contents into the windpipe and lungs.
If blood from inside your breasts leaks into your milk ducts, your breast milk may look brown, dark orange, or rust-colored. When breast milk looks like dirty water from an old rusty pipe, it's called rusty pipe syndrome.
What Color is Bad Breast Milk? While the color of breast milk can vary depending on your diet and other things, spoiled breast milk often has a sour or rancid smell and can look yellowish or bluish in color.
If mom is gassy, can that make baby gassy? No. Gas in mom's body cannot pass into breastmilk.
To prevent adverse reactions in the baby while breastfeeding, it's recommended to avoid consuming citrus fruits, cherries, and prunes. Citrus fruits have been associated with digestive problems, fussy behavior, vomiting, and diaper rash in breastfed babies.
Be Mindful of What You Eat
If you're breastfeeding, sometimes foods you consume can pass through your breastmilk and upset baby's tummy. It's not uncommon for moms to have a gassy baby after eating spicy or garlicky food and then breastfeeding.
With a baby that vomits or spits up a lot, it's relatively easy to understand that the baby may have reflux, where as a baby that might just have excessive bouts of crying but is rarely sick and still gains weight would often be deemed to just have 'colic'.
In the case of silent reflux, babies swallow the milk that comes up their oesophagus (food pipe) instead of spilling or spitting up. Because you don't see your little one actively spewing up, the symptoms aren't always obvious, hence the terminology 'silent'.
The best way to burp a baby experiencing reflux is by holding them with their tummy side against your chest and burping them over your shoulder. This will allow for removal of trapped gas and acid from your baby's system before giving them further milk to drink.