Question for Alimentum/Nutramigen REFLUX Babies

DK in NJ

I would like to hear why your reflux baby is on Alimentum or Nutramigen.

LO was on BM until 5 months until I switched over to Enfamil Lipil.  Her reflux/spitting got worse. She stopped eating. We started Prevacid.  She is slowly getting better -- still only takes 2-4oz/feeding five times a day (used to take 5-6oz/feeding). 

Alimentum/Nutramigen isn't typically a "treatment" for Reflux/GER.  But at the same time, reflux symptoms like poor intake/refusal to eat and excessive spit up are signs of a possible milk protein intolerance.  So, it's a guessing game.  Switching formula at her age is kinda hard since she knows what BM and Enfamil Lipil taste like.

  Anyway, I would like to hear your story.

his4evr04

A guessing game for sure. We thought LO had reflux so the pedi put her on Zantac, and it helped a little but she was still spitting up and not eating as well as she should have been. A few months after that we switched her to Alimentum and continued with Zantac. Now, she rarely spits up eats like a champ and has not had any more tummy issues. It was like she was having awful cramps before switching.

jaejaevee

DS was FF from the beginning.  He started showing signs of lactose intolerance right away (blood and mucous in his stool), so we switched him to Similac Sensitive in the hospital.  After we ran out of what they gave us at the hospital we switched him to soy formula because that's what we had at home (bad idea).  The reflux symptoms started right away after that.

We started thickening for the reflux, but it wasn't making much of a difference.  Eventually, we switched to the Alimentum just to get him to a place where we were starting from scratch.  We continued to thicken (still do), but the reflux didn't get better until the pedi put him on Zantac which worked for a while.  When it stopped, we tried Prilosec (PITA). 

After a couple of months, he finally started to even out.  At some point, we switched him from Alimentum back to Similac Sensitive.  A few weeks after that, he started refusing the Prilosec.  He must have known that he didn't need it anymore because we haven't had any reflux issues since.  He seems to do fine now eating regular milk products, but we don't want to take any chances by changing his formula at this point.

Our pedi guesses that his stomach was just generally sensitive in the beginning (he was two weeks early) and we just had to work at getting him stable.  It was definitely a long journey, though.

Sorry that was so wordy.

LuLu38

We use Alimentum/Zantac.  The reflux (diagnosis per hospital) was terrible and scary immediately following birth.  Hospital put him on soy, we decided to switch (per ok of pedi) away from soy.  The spitting up has continued to date (although almost gone now).  What went away immediately with the A and Z was what looked like pain:  arching back, trouble sleeping, writhing and crying after meals.  We do not know if it is an allergy / intolerance.  GL.  It is so hard, and frustrating. 

LuLu38

Oh, and I would ask the pedi about adding rice cereal to your formula - makes a HUGE difference (at least for us).  We do 2 tablespoons per 5oz bottle.  Fast flow nipple.