Reflux Check-In (8/26)

giggler25

This is a weekly check-in for May mamas of LOs with reflux. Returning or new to the Check-In, we'd love to hear from you!

1 - How old is your LO and how long has s/he been treated for reflux?

2 - How was your week? How is LO doing? Any new developments, successes or challenges since last Check-In?

3 - Any questions or tips for other reflux mamas?

4 - Did you take any trips or fun getaways with LO this summer?

dogsombrero

Hi!
1. 15 weeks tomorrow eek! Started meds at 1 month, symptoms started at 10 days.

2. I started back at work last Wednesday with a whopping 12 hours notice because DH had to let our employee go due to gross incompetence and progressively more expensive f&*k-ups. All I can say is stress-city around here, but I get to take Jules with me so it's not too bad. We go for our swallow study tomorrow at 9 am so Fx for some answers.

3. Anyone else notice LO coughs a lot?

4. Summer flew by we didn't go anywhere but had company often.

bridetobe9132013

Hello!

1. Kailey is 14 weeks, she was 3 months on the 20th!

2. Our week was rough! We increased her Zantac two times last week. The most recent dose was 1 ml three times a day starting last Friday. She did not get any better with that dose so the doctor prescribed prevacid, which we will start tonight.

3. @ljbreck‌ yes I have noticed lo coughing. Does anyone have issues with lo not sleeping during the day because of the reflux?

4. We went to Mackinac Island at the beginning of August and had so much fun! I loved watching her look around at everything

yvanehtnioj

1 - How old is your LO and how long has s/he been treated for reflux?

Henry is 14 weeks tomorrow and was just diagnosed yesterday. I tried to tell his doctor at his 2 month appointment and she was like "Burp him" like I've never heard of the concept. Yesterday he went to another doc in that office for constipation and she listened to our concerns and prescribed baby Zantac.

2 - How was your week? How is LO doing? Any new developments, successes or challenges since last Check-In?

We'll pick up his script today!

3 - Any questions or tips for other reflux mamas?

how do you know it's reflux and not spitting up? LO rarely VOMITS, he just spits up constantly. Even if it's been an hour since he ate. And laying him down to change his diaper is guaranteed spit up. Just wondering before I start Zantac.

4 - Did you take any trips or fun getaways with LO this summer

We went to Southern California to visit family. Took henry to the beach for the first time!

sarag0116

1 - How old is your LO and how long has s/he been treated for reflux?

Will be 4 months in 5 days. Started treatment at 2 months

2 - How was your week? How is LO doing? Any new developments, successes or challenges since last Check-In?

Bad bad bad weekend. We got little sleep and he seemed to be how he was before we started Zantac. We just switched to Prevacid last night.

3 - Any questions or tips for other reflux mamas?

Hoping Prevacid works.

4 - Did you take any trips or fun getaways with LO this summer?

2 beach trips. Edisto with my family and myrtle beach with some of DHs fam

giggler25

1 - How old is your LO and how long has s/he been treated for reflux?

She is 13.5 weeks; turned 3 months this past Friday.  She's been on meds since July 21, and has recently started seeing a chiropractor too.

2 - How was your week? How is LO doing? Any new developments, successes or challenges since last Check-In?

This week has been difficult.  DD is fighting her naps even moreso than she normally does, to the point where she's so tired she just cries but won't fall asleep.  She also started waking up 1-2 times per night which she wasn't doing for a while.  I have been blaming a 3 month growth spurt, but have to wonder if it's related to reflux/meds...  The only thing new that we've tried to help the reflux is taking her to a chiropractor that specializes in infant adjustments.  She'll have her 4th appt tomorrow (we've been going twice per week).

3 - Any questions or tips for other reflux mamas?

Has anybody else noticed decreased poops on the Prevacid?  I don't think she's constipated exactly, but she used to poop up to 10 times per day and now only poops like 1-2 times per day.  Also, does your LO sound constantly stuffed up in the nose?  Not sure if that's related to her reflux or not...

4 - Did you take any trips or fun getaways with LO this summer?

We have not been able to go anywhere.  DD HATES the car with a passion -- so much so that she'll scream until she stops breathing.  She did that when we went to my 6 week PP check-up and then a month ago when we drove 25 minutes to a baby store.  So..... no travels for us for a while until we can get her more comfortable in the car....

fairytalewed

1-EJ will be 15 weeks on Friday! I can't believe I'm saying that, time flies! He was diagnosed with reflux at about 4 weeks, but showed signs at 10 days.

2-Our week has been miserable , I blame it on teething, but he so has 2 shots at 3 month appt. We just upped Zantac to 1.5mL 2x per day. We are also going to be slowly transitioning to Silimac Total Comfort from Silimac Alimentum starting Thursday. I'm nervous and hope this new formula will agree with him, but also happy it's cheaper than alimentum.

3-Dealing with reflux can be hard and we are all doing amazing jobs! Keep up the great work moms!

4-No trips yet. We are going to Disney in December. My DH friend works there, so I plan on just pushing LO around for fun and I'm sure he will enjoy watching the parade! I'm looking forward to the trip!

bridetobe9132013

@sarag0116 same exact thing with us. DD has been acting like she did before zantac. I'm so frustrated and not understanding why it stopped working. We even increased it from .8 3x a day to 1 ml 3x a day and it did nothing! The dr called in a prescription for prevacid to the pharmacy so I called the pharmacy at 6pm to see if it was ready so I could pick it up. They told me it'll be ready at 12:30-1:00 pm tomorrow. They close at 9:00pm tonight. I don't get it! My baby is miserable

sarag0116

bridetobe9132013 said:

@sarag0116 same exact thing with us. DD has been acting like she did before zantac. I'm so frustrated and not understanding why it stopped working. We even increased it from .8 3x a day to 1 ml 3x a day and it did nothing! The dr called in a prescription for prevacid to the pharmacy so I called the pharmacy at 6pm to see if it was ready so I could pick it up. They told me it'll be ready at 12:30-1:00 pm tomorrow. They close at 9:00pm tonight. I don't get it! My baby is miserable

I'm sorry. It sucks! It took us a week to get the Prevacid bc the dr office was either not doing it or screwing up. After a million phone calls, I got the medicine yesterday, a full week after the dr was supposed to call it in. Needless to say we had a miserable week. I hope you get yours quickly and I hope Prevacid is the answer for both of our babes!

bridetobe9132013

Someone would have gotten screamed at by me and my baby! I hope all of these poor babies dealing with reflux start feeling better soon!

giggler25

@ljbreck:  Yikes, that work situation sounds VERY stressful.  GL with the swallow study tomorrow -- keep us posted!!  My DD coughs, though nothing I'd ever noticed as excessive.  She does seem to cough/choke when she spits up though, which I hate watching....

@bridetobe9132013:  Ouch, that does sound rough.  Sorry the Zantac didn't work out for you.  We just got our 3rd bottle of Prevacid compound filled today.  Hopefully it will work for your LO!  My DD has such trouble sleeping during the day.  It's really frustrating.  I have no idea if it's related to reflux though.... typically I think it's because she's so darn curious that if there is anything around to interest her she just won't close her eyes.  But, sometimes even when I have her in a dark corner of the room rocking and shushing her, she won't go to sleep.  It's possible it's related to the reflux.... it's hard to tell.  Just another reason I hate the darn reflux!!  So glad you guys had a nice trip this summer!

@yvanehtnioj:  Welcome to the check-in!  Sorry to hear that your LO has reflux and that it took so long to get your pedi to diagnose/start treating him!  It took us a while to get DD on meds too -- our pedi kept saying that all babies have reflux to a certain extent, and as long as they're gaining weight and have enough wet diapers there is no need for medicine.  It wasn't until she started projectile vomiting and spitting up what looked like entire feedings, and then choking on it, that we got meds.  I'm not really happy about having her on meds, so not sure if I wish we started them sooner or not.  I just hope she grows out of it quickly!!    Good luck with the Rx!  I hope it makes him better!!!    Regarding reflux and vomit vs. spit-up, my pedi had said that spit-up dribbles out the mouth whereas vomit is projectile.  I honestly don't think "regular" spit-up is a problem since all babies do that UNLESS your LO isn't gaining weight on track, doesn't have enough wet/dirty diapers and/or is uncomfortable from the spitting up.  That was the problem with my DD -- she would gag and choke on her spit-up, as if it was burning her throat.  I don't think the meds are meant to get rid of the spit-up, but rather make the baby more comfortable/less acidic spit-up.  P.S., that photo of Henry is adorable!!!

giggler25

@sarag0116:  Sorry to hear you had such a bad reflux weekend!  I will keep my fingers crossed that the Prevacid works better for your LO than the Zantac...  I have heard from other moms on other sites/boards that the Zantact is "short-lived" in that after a certain amount of time of LO being on it, it just stops working, even if the dosage is increased.  It stinks though that you and @bridetobe9132013 are dealing with that situation.

@fairytalewed:  Good luck with the formula switch!  I have heard that the Alimentum is $$$$$.  My DD is also teething I think, so I can't tell whether she's yelling bc of her reflux, or gums, or both!  It's hard.  You are so right that reflux is hard -- thanks for the encouragement!!!  December will be a GREAT time of year for Disney.... not too hot and hopefully not as crowded as summer season!

giggler25

Q for the babies on Prevacid -- do you have the liquid version (I think they call it the "compound") or something else?  DD is on the liquid version, but just curious what others are taking.

mamagerman

1 - How old is your LO and how long has s/he been treated for reflux? LO is 14 weeks and has been treated for reflux since 2 weeks

2 - How was your week? How is LO doing? Any new developments, successes or challenges since last Check-In? Overall, our week was good. Today has been rough though. She woke up screaming from her nap and has been back arching most of the day. The chiropractor wanted us to slowly wean off of the Zantac. We started at .8 mL and have now gotten to .5 mL today. We have another appointment with the chiropractor tomorrow, so hopefully that will help some. She had been so happy since we started going and even when we started weaning her off of the medicine...hopefully we can get back on track. 

3 - Any questions or tips for other reflux mamas? To the mamas who asked about congestion and coughing, we have it here too. I have read that it comes with the territory, but it still makes me so uncomfortable. I'm not sure how much longer my DH can put up with me asking if the cough worries him. 

4 - Did you take any trips or fun getaways with LO this summer? We visited my parents in Illinois, we live in Minnesota. I will be heading there next week too because my husband is traveling for work. I am so excited to spend some time with my family and I know my parents are looking forward to seeing me and their granddaughter.  

sarag0116

giggler25 said:

Q for the babies on Prevacid -- do you have the liquid version (I think they call it the "compound") or something else?  DD is on the liquid version, but just curious what others are taking.

We have solutabs. I have to cut in half and dissolve in liquid and give by dropper.

bridetobe9132013

@giggler25‌ that is very interesting to hear o
it is common for Zantac to stop working. That actually makes me feel better. Is prevacid working for your lo?

bridetobe9132013

Probably a stupid question... I just gave DD her first dose of prevacid. The pharmacist told me to put it in the syringe then put 3 ml of water in, let it dissolve and give her 1.5 ml of it. This makes no sense to me. I did that and there was still part of the pill in the syringe. I added it to her bottle. What are you prevacid users doing?

sarag0116

Yeah that doesn't make sense. I mix the pill and a little bit of water in a small bowl and then use a dropper. I've read online people putting the pill on the inside of the baby's cheek then squirting water on it. That makes me nervous though.

bridetobe9132013

Thank you @sarag0116 Ill try the bowl or a cup. Putting the pill in the baby's mouth doesnt seem very safe. I know you just started the prevacid but do you notice a difference at all yet?

sarag0116

bridetobe9132013 said:

Thank you @sarag0116 Ill try the bowl or a cup. Putting the pill in the baby's mouth doesnt seem very safe. I know you just started the prevacid but do you notice a difference at all yet?

Ya know I'm not sure yet. Ours is once a day so I've been giving it around 530 pm hoping it would decrease his reflux at night. I can't say if it's helping or not. Once the weekend rolls around, I'll be able to see how he is during the day (he's in daycare during the week) and depending on that I may need to switch to morning time.

bridetobe9132013

Does he get the whole pill at once? She gets half a pill twice a day. I see a little improvement already but it may just be in my head lol

sarag0116

No it's just a half a pill (so 7.5 mg) once a day. I wonder why the dr didn't prescribe it twice a day

fairytalewed

I see a few of you are having LO see a chiro, do you feel this is helping with the reflux? I was talking to my DH about it and BAM forgot to ask for referral! I think I'll call the pedi and try it out. For myself I love the chiro, but haven't been for some time.

mamagerman

fairytalewed said:

I see a few of you are having LO see a chiro, do you feel this is helping with the reflux? I was talking to my DH about it and BAM forgot to ask for referral! I think I'll call the pedi and try it out. For myself I love the chiro, but haven't been for some time.

I definitely feel like it has helped. We have had a much happier baby and have been able to cut back on the Zantac a little bit. However, our last cut back has been awful...we are having a pretty rough day here. On top of the chiropractic treatments, the chiropractor is having me cut out different foods from my diet that may be affecting LO. So, it is helping some but isn't totally doing the trick yet..FWIW I had a rough delivery with use of the forceps and the chiro thinks this may be affecting her as well. 

dogsombrero

Coming back to whine. Our Pedi office effed up our swallow study so I starved my kid for nothing this morning. We go the Children's next Wednesday. I also got the scoop on what they do during the study in case anyone else ends up in the same boat. For the video study they have you do a normal feed with Barium while they do a recording under X-ray to watch how te fluid moves during the feed, they are also doing a clinical observation of how he's eating so they may be able to give us tweaks to help him. Crazy technology.

giggler25

bridetobe9132013 said:

@giggler25‌ that is very interesting to hear o
it is common for Zantac to stop working. That actually makes me feel better. Is prevacid working for your lo?

The Prevacid is definitely working better than the Zantac did, or at least it was. The past few days Emily has been very pukey though -- not sure if meds are working as well or it is BC of her teething or what. So frustrating to not know how to help these little ones!

giggler25

@aliciasoppe: Sorry you were having a rough day! Hope today was better. How long have you been seeing the chiropractor and how often does LO go? When did you notice an improvement? Today was my DD's 4th visit to the Chiro and to be honest I'm not sure if it is working... I thought it was at first but the past few days she's been very fussy so not sure if something else besides reflux is bothering her or the first visits which I thought were helping were just a fluke.

giggler25

@susanoutloud‌: Your Whistler trip sounds amazing!!! So glad you enjoyed it and that the hotel was so accommodating!

fairytalewed

@aliciasoppe Thanks! I hope things go back to being better for you! I think the chiropractor sounds like it may do us some good and I will look into it ! I'd love to cut down on the Zantac and I'm sure LO would love to as well, he hates the taste.

fairytalewed

@ljbrek Sorry LO didn't get to have the swallow study as planned. Good luck for next week!

mamagerman

giggler25 said:

@aliciasoppe: Sorry you were having a rough day! Hope today was better. How long have you been seeing the chiropractor and how often does LO go? When did you notice an improvement? Today was my DD's 4th visit to the Chiro and to be honest I'm not sure if it is working... I thought it was at first but the past few days she's been very fussy so not sure if something else besides reflux is bothering her or the first visits which I thought were helping were just a fluke.

@giggler25 We have been going for about three weeks and have already gone around 8 times. The chiro saw us on a Friday, then three times the first week, then two times, and we have gone twice this week. The first few times we went I thought that Cecilia was actually worse. She would be so whiny and just want to be held all the time. Now, she doesn't even cry when we go in. Probably by the fourth visit or so I was noticing a big improvement. I hope that it starts working at least a little for you. I was already unable to tolerate gluten, but the chiro wants me off of gluten, dairy, and now all grains to see if that will help. Not sure if you are breastfeeding or not for that to be relevant for you. 

mamagerman

fairytalewed said:

@aliciasoppe Thanks! I hope things go back to being better for you! I think the chiropractor sounds like it may do us some good and I will look into it ! I'd love to cut down on the Zantac and I'm sure LO would love to as well, he hates the taste.

@fairytalewed I hope that it works out for you if you decide to try it! It has been nice to at least give Cecilia less of the Zantac. She hates the taste as well, but instead of screaming when I give it to her. She goes on strike and just holds it in her mouth! Or blows bubbles with it... :P

giggler25

@ljbreck -- that sucks that they effed up the study!!!  Ugh, so sorry.  Fingers crossed that it works out next week and you get your answers!!!

@fairytalewed -- we've seen the chiro 4 times now and honestly I can't really tell if it's helping or not.

giggler25

@aliciasoppe -- I've been off all dairy and soy (a.k.a. MSPI diet) for ~2 months now, due to blood found in DD's diaper when she was ~5 weeks old.  Supposedly the dairy and reflux can really play off one another though, so good that you are cutting it out to see if that works.  Thanks for the tip though!

bridetobe9132013

To all the moms that use formula... what kind are you using? We are using the Enfamil AR. We started Prevacid on Wednesday and there is not much change. Her doctor said it could be possible that she may have a slight intolerance to her formula and its working against her medicine. I am just curious what everyone has their lo's on. Also, what medication/dosage are they on?

fairytalewed

@bridetobe9132013‌ We have been on Similac Alimentum since 7/7/14, when we took LO to er for screaming 23 hours straight (we were on soy) they suggest this! Now we are transitioning to Similac Total Comfort since Thursday. He has been very fussy but hard to tell if it's the formula or his teething. He is on Zantac 1.5mL 2x daily.

@giggler25‌ Thanks for you chiropractor input. My mom originally suggested we go because LO got stuck during labor (had to have c section) and she thought it could benefit him. Then I heard about the chiro for reflux and I thought I might see if that would help. But I feel ya, I can never tell what is working and what isn't. Some days are good, some are bad.

giggler25

fairytalewed said:

5‌ My mom originally suggested we go because LO got stuck during labor (had to have c section) and she thought it could benefit him. Then I heard about the chiro for reflux and I thought I might see if that would help.

According to what I've read/heard, the difficult labor and reflux could be related, which is why chiropractic supposedly helps BC it corrects via adjustments any stress to the skeletal system. I too had a difficult delivery, resulting in vaccum assist. That's the reason I decided to give Chiro a shot...

bridetobe9132013

I had kind of a difficult delivery. DD was facing the wrong way and it took 15 hours to get from 2-10 and then pushed for 2 hours and she wasn't coming down so had to get c section. DH said during the csection my dr had to stand on a stool and pull her out of my pelvis by her feet. Her heart rate kept dropping during labor.