Health
Infant Reflux and Breastfeeding: How to Feed a Baby With Reflux Comfortably
Bringing your new baby home sparks joy, yet it can be tough, too. Lack of sleep and new meal modes make it hard. A big worry for many is when the baby spits up or shows signs of reflux. A little spit-up is normal, but if there’s a lot of pain, moms may wonder how to ease their baby’s feeding. Learning about baby reflux and how it ties to breastfeeding helps parents soothe their baby and ease feed times. Plus, just as helpful tools like a feeding bottle washer make things clean and simple, having good plans can ease feeding with reflux.
What Is Infant Reflux and How Common Is It?
Baby reflux means food from the belly moves back up to the throat, and it might come out as spit-up after eating. This happens because a baby’s inside parts are still growing, such as the muscle that keeps food down. Many babies deal with this, and in fact, studies show that nearly half of all babies under three months spit up at least once daily. The good news is, most babies get better from it by 12 to 18 months as their bodies grow.
Signs Your Breastfed Baby Might Have Reflux
Now and then, babies may spit up, which is normal. But those with reflux might also show signs like:
- Lots of spit-up or throwing up post-meals.
- Being cranky or upset, mostly when eating.
- Bending their back during or after feeding.
- Gagging, coughing, or hiccupping.
- Not putting on weight or growing slowly if it’s bad.
We need to know that light reflux, not messing with a baby’s weight or ease, is often called “happy spitting.” Yet, if your baby looks in pain or isn’t doing well, they might need changes or doctor help.
Why Reflux Happens in Young Babies
The main cause of acid reflux in babies is that their food pipes are not yet fully grown. The muscle that stops food from going back up is not strong enough to hold milk down all the time.
Other things may play a part too:
- Giving too much food or feeding too fast.
- Taking in air while feeding.
- Not taking well to some foods the mom eats (but this is rare).
- How the baby sits or lies during or after feeds.
The big problem is growth, and time can be the best help. But for now, there are some ways to ease the signs and help both the baby and mom feel good.
Breastfeeding Positions That Can Help With Reflux
The way you feed your baby can cut down on reflux. Keeping the baby up a bit when feeding helps since gravity keeps milk down. Here are a few ways you can try:
- Laid-back breastfeeding: Mom reclines slightly with baby lying tummy-down across her chest, which slows milk flow and uses gravity to help digestion.
- Upright cradle hold: Holding the baby more vertically in the cradle position allows milk to go down smoothly.
- Football hold: Tucking the baby under the arm, while keeping them elevated, can also help babies with reflux.
Trying out different ways can show what is best for your baby.
Feeding Tips to Reduce Spit-Up and Discomfort
Making a few tiny shifts in how you feed can also cut down on spit-up:
- Give less food, but more often, instead of long feed times.
- Let the baby stop and gulp down each bit to keep air out.
- Keep the baby cool and still before and during feeds — crying makes them suck in more air.
- Don’t shake, jump, or lay the baby down flat just after feeding.
These little acts can help keep feeding easy for both baby and mom.
How Milk Supply and Letdown Might Affect Reflux
For some moms who feed from the breast, too much milk or a fast milk flow can cause reflux. When milk comes too fast, babies might gulp, take in air, and feel too much, which can make them spit up or get fussy. If you think this is true, try:
- Let out some milk before feeding to make the first flow slower.
- Feed while leaning back so gravity can slow the milk down.
- Give milk from just one side each time to cut down on too much milk.
Handling the amount of milk doesn’t cut back on the nutrition—it just makes feeding better for babies.
Burping and Post-Feeding Routines That Support Digestion
After feeding, it’s key to burp babies who have reflux. Air in the belly adds to the pressure, so letting it out helps ease pain. Good ways to burp are:
- Hold the baby up close to your chest and softly pat the back
- Sit the baby on your lap, keep the head and chest up, and rub the back
- Try to burp when halfway done with the feed, not just after
After feeding, hold the baby up for 20 to 30 minutes to cut down on spit-up. Many parents hold their little ones in carriers to keep them up and use their hands for other things.
When to Talk to a Pediatrician About Persistent Symptoms
Most of the time, acid reflux is not bad and gets better as kids grow. But it can mean a bigger issue called GERD (stomach acid reflux disease) in some cases. You should talk to a child doctor if your little one:
- Does not put on weight or loses weight.
- Cries a lot after or while they feed.
- Does not want to eat or seems hurt when eating.
- Throw up spit that is green, yellow, or has blood.
- Finds it hard to breathe, chokes, or coughs a lot.
Doctors might say to change how you feed them, give medicine, or, not often, do more tests.
Practical Tools That Can Help Parents
Handling reflux is not just about how a baby sits or when they burp. It’s also about keeping the feeding tools clean and safe. Many moms and dads choose to use a bottle washer to clean each day, more so if they use both direct feeding and pumped milk. To make sure bottles, nipples, and pump parts are well washed and free of germs can reduce germs and help a baby’s soft tummy.
Using the right feeding methods with clean tools leads to better health habits overall.
Conclusion
Baby spit-up is a thing many moms who feed with milk know well. It can be tough to deal with the mess or the baby crying often, but understanding what it is and making small tweaks can help a lot. From holding the baby right while feeding and taking it slow, to burping them more and keeping them upright, moms can make their little one feel better while still having good feed times. If the problems stay or get worse, a chat with a baby doctor ensures the baby gets the care they need. Over time, trying new things and using tools like a strong bottle washer, handling baby spit-up gets simpler. As the baby grows, and their belly gets used to food, most spit-up issues end — this leads to happier feed times and peaceful times for both mom and baby.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The Lagos State government has kicked off an initiative to ensure that every newborn is screened for Sickle Cell Disease within 48 to 72 hours after birth using a simple heel-prick test.
It was gathered that babies identified as being at risk will immediately be placed on preventive care while awaiting confirmatory testing.
The Head of the Haematology Department at the Alimosho General Hospital, Dr Olubukola Orolu, revealed that an estimated 150,000 babies are born annually with Sickle Cell Disease in Nigeria, giving the country one of the highest SCD burdens globally.
She, however, applauded the Lagos State Government and the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) for introducing the state-wide newborn screening programme, describing it as a major step towards reducing childhood deaths associated with the disease.
The commencement of this scheme coincides with the 2026 World Sickle Cell Day, themed Young Voices Rising for Sickle Cell Disease – Closing the Survival Gap: Equity in Sickle Cell Disease.
It highlights the importance of listening to the experiences and aspirations of young people living with Sickle Cell Disease.
Mrs Orolu noted that SCD warriors are increasingly breaking barriers as advocates, leaders, students and change-makers, adding that their voices have continued to reshape the narrative through advocacy for equitable, patient-centred healthcare, self-care and experience sharing.
She, therefore, called for equal access to quality healthcare, survival opportunities and dignity for everyone living with Sickle Cell Disease.
Also commenting, the chief executive of Alimosho General Hospital, Dr Akinyele Akinlade, described Sickle Cell Disease as an inherited blood disorder that is not contagious, noting that individuals living with the condition are more susceptible to infections.
He advised SCD warriors to stay well hydrated, avoid stress, and protect themselves from extreme cold or heat, as these are common triggers of sickle cell crises, adding that these preventive measures can significantly reduce the frequency and severity of crises.
One of the participants, Ms Borokini Zainab, an SCD warrior and student nurse, expressed appreciation to the organisers for the enlightenment programme.
Sharing her personal journey, she spoke about the challenges of balancing recurrent pain crises with her academic pursuits and personal life. Despite moments of frustration, she encouraged fellow warriors not to lose hope.
“Don’t let sickle cell put you down. Be encouraged from within. Don’t let your dreams be shattered because of this,” she said, adding that her personal experience with Sickle Cell Disease inspired her to pursue a career in nursing so she could support others living with the condition.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
A 12-week health-tech incubation programme tailored for early-stage founders in Nigeria has been introduced by an innovation and venture-building platform, Evon Labs.
This initiative, known as HealthX Catalyst, will help participants to create scalable, investable solutions for Africa’s urgent healthcare issues.
The programme is underway, with 12 selected founders nearing the final weeks of intensive incubation, ending with a Demo Day on June 24, 2026, at the UNDP innovation centre in Lagos, where the small business owners will present their solutions to an audience of investors, healthcare leaders, development organisations, and technology partners.
The initiative selects early-stage healthcare founders and immerses them in a structured 12-week development process. Throughout this period, participants receive personalised and group mentorship from seasoned professionals across the healthcare, technology, and business sectors.
They also receive structured support for startup development, including refining business models, developing value propositions, and validating markets.
Additionally, participants gain access to a network of healthcare practitioners, sector experts, and industry leaders, along with targeted investment-readiness assistance to prepare them to engage with investors and strategic partners after the programme.
The result is a cohort of founders who move through the programme not simply with a refined pitch, but with a validated business model, a stronger professional network, and a clear pathway to growth.
To accelerate the most promising solutions beyond the programme, monetary grants will be awarded to the top three founders to support product development, pilot implementation, market validation, and early-stage scaling.
It was learned that HealthX Catalyst was developed in response to a structural gap in the African health-tech ecosystem.
Across the continent, a growing number of entrepreneurs are building solutions to healthcare problems from access and diagnostics to service delivery and health data infrastructure. Yet many of these early-stage ideas fail to progress beyond concept, not for lack of vision, but for lack of structured support: mentorship, startup development frameworks, industry access, and early-stage funding pathways. HealthX Catalyst was built to provide exactly that.
“Africa does not have a shortage of healthcare innovators. What it has lacked is the infrastructure to turn its ideas into sustainable businesses. HealthX Catalyst is that infrastructure, a serious, structured programme designed to take founders from early-stage ideas to investable startups.
“What we are seeing from this first cohort is exactly what we set out to create: founders who are not just building products, but building businesses that can scale and create lasting impact,” the founder of Evon Labs, Ms Isioma Udeozo, said of the unveiling of HealthX Catalyst.
The partners of the programme are the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Odua Investment Company Limited (OICL), Washington University of St Louis, Missouri, Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF), and Brooks Insights.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The sum of $250,000 in humanitarian funding is to be provided by Binance to support the frontline response to the ongoing Ebola disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda.
The cryptocurrency exchange said the funds would be used to enable rapid response in high-risk and underserved areas, where access to healthcare infrastructure, protective resources, and timely public health information remains limited.
The money will be shared equally between the Uganda Red Cross Society and Doctors Without Borders / Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), supporting urgent interventions in affected and high-risk communities.
Binance’s contribution will help strengthen emergency medical care and treatment, community awareness and prevention campaigns, contact tracing and containment support, and the provision of sanitation supplies and protective equipment for frontline workers.
By supporting both immediate response activities and preventative education, Binance aims to contribute to reducing transmission and strengthening community resilience.
“Communities across Africa continue to show extraordinary resilience in the face of complex challenges, but frontline responders should not have to face crises like this alone,” the co-chief executive of Binance, Mr Richard Teng, said.
“The teams working to contain the Ebola disease outbreak are delivering vital, life-saving support under incredibly difficult conditions.
“We are proud to support both the Uganda Red Cross Society and Doctors Without Borders as they work to protect vulnerable populations, strengthen local response efforts, and deliver urgent care where it is needed most,” he added.
Also commenting, the Secretary General for the Uganda Red Cross Society, Mr Robert Kwesiga, said, “Strong partnerships are essential during public health emergencies since we are not able to manage the outbreak alone.
“The support from Binance comes in so timely and handy, and will help us respond more rapidly, reach more at-risk communities, and reinforce the frontline services needed to help contain the outbreak and save lives.”
The MSF Emergency Programme Manager, Trish Newport, while speaking on the initiative, said, “The number of cases and deaths we are seeing in such a short timeframe, combined with the spread across several health zones and now across the border, is extremely concerning. In Ituri, many people already struggle to access healthcare and live with ongoing insecurity, making rapid action critical to prevent the outbreak from escalating further.”
Caused by the Bundibugyo virus, for which there is no approved vaccine or treatment, this Ebola disease outbreak has placed acute pressure on already fragile health systems in eastern DRC and the wider region.
Local authorities, international agencies, and humanitarian organisations are racing to contain it and protect affected communities.
Binance’s support is intended to reinforce these efforts at a critical moment. It reflects the company’s broader commitment to supporting communities across Africa through programmes focused on education, financial inclusion, digital skills development, and community empowerment.
In this case, Binance is extending that commitment to urgent humanitarian and public health needs by working alongside trusted organisations with deep frontline expertise.
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