Question

A nurse provides feeding instructions to a mother of an infant diagnosed with gastroesophageal reflux (GER). To assist in reducing the episodes of emesis, the nurse tells the mother to___________

Answer 1

The nurse should advise the mother to avoid certain foods, adjust feeding portions and timings, elevate the infant's bed head, and enforce a non-smoking environment to help reduce emesis due to GER.

Step-by-step explanation:

To assist in reducing the episodes of emesis in an infant diagnosed with gastroesophageal reflux (GER), a nurse should advise the mother to implement several changes. First, avoid triggering foods such as chocolate, fatty foods, peppermint, coffee, and alcoholic beverages; these are known to increase the likelihood of GERD. Second, adjust feeding practices, such as decreasing portion sizes, not feeding the infant immediately before bedtime, and ensuring the last meal of the day is a couple of hours before sleep to lessen reflux chances.

Other lifestyle adjustments can include positioning strategies like elevating the head of the infant's bed to use gravity in preventing backflow. Moreover, encouraging the cessation of smoking in the household might help since it weakens the lower esophageal sphincter. Lastly, for those who are relevant, managing weight can also contribute to improvements in GERD symptoms.