Reflux/Colic?

njaroh

My son is a little over two months old. He is breastfed and everytime he eats he spits up a decent amount and cries uncontrollably and kicks his legs up and arches his back. His pedi has him on a reflux medication the second one as the first didn't help any. Does anyone else have this issue or any advice? I was thinking it could be a milk allergy too but his pediatrician didn't think much of that but he isn't even keeping the milk down long the second he detaches it comes out. It's so sad seeing him cry during each feeding and is definatly stressful! He also cries a lot throughout the day and acts in pain. Thanks ladies!!

Merinmac

I can't speak to reflux since I don't really know much about it, but I will say that if you suspect a milk allergy, it would be worth reducing your dairy intake as much as you can for a few days and seeing if that helps. You don't actually need your pediatrician's approval to try it. I have the utmost respect for medical professionals but at least in my experience, it's pretty rare for one to pay real close attention to every single baby. You, on the other hand, pay attention to YOUR baby almost constantly. Your instincts aren't nothing!

My baby has a milk sensitivity that appeared around 6 weeks and caused her screaming pain and near-constant gas. I switched her to soy formula (she's FF) and it made a huge difference. I had a milk sensitivity myself when I was a baby, which I outgrew, so I was pretty confident that was the problem.

When I mentioned it to her pediatrician, I got pooh-poohed. "If she had a milk allergy, she'd be pooping blood" is literally what I was told. She also told me "Oh, they all get fussy around that age." Yeah, ok, but it wasn't just fussiness. It was crazy amounts of farting and screaming from a baby that does not scream, ever. I'm no doctor but I know my baby.

The kicker? I began to second-guess myself a few days ago and tried to reintroduce a little milk formula. Screaming agony again within a day.

Sorry, long story. All I'm saying is, you don't need permission to try a few things yourself. Within reason, of course. Cut down on dairy for a couple days. Keep a food diary and see if his symptoms get worse relative to what you eat. If that doesn't help, ask for another reflux medication or a different treatment plan. (The immediate spitting-up when he eats does sound more like reflux than an allergy, but again, I'm no expert on that.)

Whether your baby's problem is reflux or an allergy or something else, it's making you and him unhappy and you both deserve answers. Switch pediatricians if you have to to find someone who will listen to you. Good luck!

proudparent2b

My Lo has reflux and is bottle fed breast milk. However, he's gaining well and is only unhappy until he burps (which leads to the spit up), so he's not treated for it.

The legs/back arching are related to him trying to pass a number 2 and straining a bit, especially if he's 2-3 days since having his last one. Feeding him during this helps a lot by relaxing him so he doesn't strain as much.

I've also found that changing up his routine when he normally has issues seems to help.

gemini2005

My LO is 10 weeks old and was diagnosed with reflux at today's check-up.   We got a prescription for Zantac to try but the doctor said to call in a week if we need to try Prevacid or Prilosec instead.
She spits up a moderate amount at times and is kind of "high maintenance" (naps are terrible and can't set her down much throughout the day).  Even so, I'm hesitant to start her on the meds.  I just cut dairy out of my diet to see if it helps but so far I haven't seen a difference.  I'm not even sure if she's actually in pain or just a needy (possibly colicky) baby.  She's gaining weight and very happy as long as I'm with her and sleeps great at night although she gets gassy toward morning.  I'm thinking that her symptoms will abate with time but I may try meds if things get worse.  I hope your LO is better soon!

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aecoke

My son is three months tomorrow and has had reflux for many weeks. We've had him on the Sam's Club brand Sensitive formula since he was six weeks old (he's EFF), but every night--and afternoon--he'd be crying in pain. At his two month check-up, his pedi prescribed Zantac and said to keep him elevated throughout the day. That was three weeks ago almost, and we've been giving him Zantac three times a day and being sure to not have him flat on his back as much as possible. It's worked wonders! Now he's calm all day, and goes to bed every night at 8:30 without any issues or fussing. I've even gotten his dosage down to two times a day recently, and he's still doing fine. I'd definitely ask your pedi about getting Zantac or something close. It took about 48 hours for it to really kick in, but once it did it was a lifesaver/sanity saver!

P.S. There's a lot of talk about babies developing an immunity to Zantac over time, but my LO hasn't shown any signs of that yet, just FYI.