Babies: 0 - 3 Months

reflux questions- lots

DD had an episode this weekend of spitting up old brown blood, so I called the pedi. Long story short, she says she has reflux and this is from irritation of the esophogous. So she has prescribed Zantac to start today. She has been waking up about every 2 hours, or less for the past at least 2 weeks. Also fussing at the breast and recently spitting up a lot.

I feel guilty, like I should have caught it before, and that it has gotten really bad Sad

Questions:

- what time of day do you give the meds?

- did it help your DC to sleep better once the meds kicked in? (if they weren't sleeping well before)

- Anyone ever have the bloody spit up? That worried me, but Dr. wasn't too worried.

-What do you use to elevate the bed?

- How long has DC been on meds? Dr. said should only be a couple weeks.

- Do you give rice cereal? When? We were going to start anyways, and Dr. said it may help, so I am wondering if it will help.

Thank!!

 

 

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Re: reflux questions- lots

  • what time of day do you give the meds?  

    For DD we give them before bedtime -- around "dinnertime" for her, but we'd try to do it on an empty stomach

    - did it help your DC to sleep better once the meds kicked in? (if they weren't sleeping well before)

    Yes and No -- after the meds kicked in, she was better in general, but she still preferred to sleep in her carseat or the swing -- NOT laying flat

    - Anyone ever have the bloody spit up? That worried me, but Dr. wasn't too worried. No -- DD has silent reflux

    -What do you use to elevate the bed? We let her sleep in swing or carseat until 4mos

    - How long has DC been on meds? Dr. said should only be a couple weeks. No way!  She's been on them since 7weeks old and is still on them.  We'll consider weaning once she's sitting up unassisted and eating more solids.

    - Do you give rice cereal? When? We were going to start anyways, and Dr. said it may help, so I am wondering if it will help. 

    We didn't start rice cereal until 4 months, but used ready-to-feed formula since it's thicker than the powder mix

     

    Don't feel bad for not catching this sooner -- you're doing the best you can and you've caught it now and you can go about fixing it now.  

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  • 1. Give meds when he wakes up for the day, around 8 or 9 and again after dinner, around 5-7. Basically when he hasn't eaten in the last hour but probably won't be hungery again for an hour, so that he keeps them down.

    2. DS did start sleeping better, but I'm not sure if it was the meds or if it was just him getting bigger and older and being able to keep food down longer and therefore not as hungery and eating less often, so sleeping longer.

    3. No blood yet.

    4. Do not elevate bed, but we hold him up quite a while after feeds, especially in the beginning.

    5. DS (now 4-1/2 months) has been on meds since about 1 month. I can't see them being discontinued any time soon.

    6. We have not started rice cereal. We'll ask at the next pedi appointment when he should be starting solids.

    GL!

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  • Hi,

    My DS was recently diagnosed with reflux albeit mild reflux.  He started Zantac 1.5 ml taken twice daily.  I normally give him the meds with his first feeding in the morning and last feeding before going to bed.  I don't believe his reflux ever interfered with his sleeping so I can't comment on whether the meds helped him sleep better.  Also, never had the bloody spit up.  To elevate his bed in the bassinet, we flip the plastic mattress under where is head lays.  I've heard that some people put phone books under the crib mattress.  DS has been on Zantac for close to 2 weeks now and his spit up has minimized.  He also doesn't arch his back and stiffen his legs and cry as much during feedings.  I do give my DS rice cereal; about 1 tbsp per 4 oz of milk.  He started this b/f the Zantac.  Dr. wanted to see if his mild reflux would improved with the cereal first before starting him out on meds.  It helps satiate him, but not really with the reflux.  FYI,  baby may get constipated while on Zantac and while taking cereal. 

  • I'm sorry to hear about your DD weekend.  Poor thing...  Please don't feel like a bad mom.  To answer some of your questions.

    what time of day do you give the meds? -- Twice a day (morning and night -- Charlie gets 1.8 ml each time)

    - did it help your DC to sleep better once the meds kicked in? (if they weren't sleeping well before) -- Yes, he dropped one of his night feedings!!!!

    - Anyone ever have the bloody spit up? That worried me, but Dr. wasn't too worried. -- no

    -What do you use to elevate the bed? we don't

    - How long has DC been on meds? Charlie has been on his meds for a week

    - Do you give rice cereal? When? Charlie is not on rice cereal.  I asked the Dr. if we could start giving it to him but he said "No way, No how"

    Good Luck!

     

     

  • Sorry to hear that your DD is going through this!

    Benjamin gets his zantac at 9am and 9pm

    It did help him sleep better after the first week He used to get up every 2 hours but after the first week he started sleeping 4-6 hour stretches

    He has never had bloody spit up

    We never elevated his bed he slept in the carseat or swing untill 3 1/2 months now we co-sleep

    He has been on meds since he was 1 month old.  He has outgrown his dosage and it does not seem to be bothering him so we are weaning him off that way.

    We are not giving him rice untill 6 months per the pedi.

    I hope it gets better for you.

  • what time of day do you give the meds? DD is on both prilosec and zantac, she gets them once in the am and once at night 30 mins before eating.

    - did it help your DC to sleep better once the meds kicked in? (if they weren't sleeping well before) Definitely, if the reflux was acting up she wouldn't lay down.  Keep her upright for 30 mins after she eats before you put her to bed, helps a lot with keeping the acid down.

    - Anyone ever have the bloody spit up? That worried me, but Dr. wasn't too worried. No

    -What do you use to elevate the bed? I do elevate the bed, I take rolled up towels and put them under the mattress to elevate the head.  You can also put something under the legs of the crib.

    - How long has DC been on meds? Dr. said should only be a couple weeks. Since 6 weeks - I don't see us stopping for quite a while, we have added meds not taken them away.

    - Do you give rice cereal? When? We were going to start anyways, and Dr. said it may help, so I am wondering if it will help. She isn't old enough for rice cereal yet but the ped did say it will help.  We tried rice cereal to thicken feeds but it was hard to get it right so she is on Enfamil AR which is thick and helps tremendously.

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  • If I were you I'd get schedule a Pediatric GI consult. Your pedi doesn't sound much like he.she knows much about reflux..

    Blood indicates a pretty severe esophogeal irritation and zantac won't help that AT ALL. Yes, it will combat the acid, but only a PPI like prevacid or prilosec will actually heal the damaged esophagus. Infact, the alcohol and mint in the zantac compound may irritate it even more.

    And what's with the 2 weeks? That's crazy! Some parents report that zantac actually takes at least two weeks to really start noticing a difference.. why would your pedi assume that it would be gone after two weeks?

    see www.infantreflux.org/forum for lots of info about reflux and medications etc.

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