Reflux Babies

Re: Reflux Babies

• SciChick member

  August 2013

  I hear you on hating the reflux. I too can't stand to watch my baby suffer. Our doctor actually won't put her on the medicine as of yet as he believes this is temporary and not life threatening. However, she has had a couple of choking episodes and so we are going in for a barium swallow next week.

  What has helped is to carefully watch her when she eats and if I notice she's going too fast and not breathing, I'll pull her off my breast or pull out the bottle. I always stop midway and burp her and usually by then she's gained some momentum and needs to take a breather anyway. There might also be a milk protein allergy of some kind so they have me off all dairy, eggs, and soy. In the beginning they had us try rice cereal added to the formula or pumped breast milk but that constipated my baby so much and she would scream and cry when having a bowel movement so I told them we're not doing that anymore. They finally gave a formula that is for babies with milk issues. We just started that this week and it seems to be better. We hardly do formula at all, just if I can't breast feed or we are out in public.

  Congrats on the weight gain though. That is really good! Hang in there. From what I've read, they do grow out of it.

  

  
  

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• mslmk11 member

  August 2013

  measton8809 said:

  Try a pacifier. Sometimes if eating is the only thing that's helping it's really the swallowing/ sucking that's doing the trick

  My MIL told me this the first week she was staying with us and I think it's really helped LO. I've started wondering whether she does have reflux just because she's been spitting up A LOT after most of her feedings, but I'm not entirely sure what other symptoms to look for to see if it is reflux (haven't done my own leg work on that yet). But I also burp her after about an oz, and then when she's finished eating what she normally eats, if she's still cueing, I'll give her the paci for a bit, usually that's sufficient, but she won't take it for more than a few seconds if she does need to keep eating. That's been helpful with staving off any extra/excessive spit up.

  Lisa 

  
  
  

  
  

  

  
  

  

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• carrotcake06 member

  August 2013

  One of mine has reflux. He was absolutely miserable before we put him on Zantac. Would just cry inconsolably, get all tense and lock his legs, arch his back, his face was screwed up in a perma-scream. It was awful. He'd fuss while BFing, pull on and off, claw at me, get all worked up.
  
  Have you looked at www.refluxrebels.com? I just discovered it and it seems to be pretty informative.
  
  Some things we do besides meds that help: he sleeps in a rock n play all the time, use a pacifier, and this hold helps - while standing, face LO out and hold by the crotch with the front of their body resting on your forearm, their head by your elbow. It was crazy how well that worked.
  
  On Zantac, they'll still spit up, but it won't be as acidic so it won't cause so much pain. We've noticed such an improvement - he's not completely symptom free, but to be able to actually enjoy him has been wonderful.

  
  
  
  

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• nekora member

  August 2013

  My LO was just put on Zantac today. I don't to start it thought cause he is so little and I feel like it's getting better. We did the rice in breast milk and we don't let him lay flat after any feedings. We just hold him upright or prop him up on a pillow. I hate to see my LO in pain so I understand what you are going through. Try the burping frequently and no laying flat after a meal...hopw it helps.

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• davis0905 member

  August 2013

  I hear you.  My DD had reflux --she's now 4. She grew out of it at 6 months.  Prevacid was the only thing that worked for her.  We now have DS --9 weeks old--on Prevacid as well.  And it really has helped him too.  I am sorry to hear it is not effective for your LO. 

  Before DS was medicated, we simply could not let him lay on his back. Even for diaper changes, it seemed to be painful for him.  We had to wait a couple hours after a feeding to change him!  So keep your LO upright as much as possible.  We had DS sleeping in his carseat which helped tremendously.  I just put some padding at the bottom to provide comfort and cushion and a soft blanket over the pad so that it feels more like a bed. 

  Also, ditto what carrotccake said about holding baby on your forearm, with his tummy down.  Sometimes when DD was terribly upset, that was the ONLY thing that helped her! 

  Do you have an Ergo carrier?  DS loves that thing and it really helps to calm him and helps him digest his food since he is sitting upright in it. 

  

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• ars1218 member

  August 2013

  She goes for an upper gi tomorrow because her pediatrician said there was nothing else she could do. She hates pacis sometimes she'll take the gumdrop ones we got at the hospital. Ill have to try the rock n play i had never heard of one. but she loves moving and there is only so long we can bounce her until our arms fall off lol. she is on soy formula due to her lactose intolerance and my milk supply was very little and then disappeared at 2 weeks she has a teaspoon of cereal per ounce of formula but that's the highest her pediatrician could recommend and that stops her from spitting up but you can hear the acid and she always chokes on it. she always has to be raised up for naps changes anything so she lives in her boppy and swing. we can't eveb hold her that much because age arches her neck back because it's raw from the acid and the suggestion about the holding on the arm that's how my dh holds her and she likes it so ill have to try that after her next feeding thanks so much for all the advice and if anything knowing that other people have survived this helps alot because it can be so heartbreaking to hear her cry and not know how tp help

  
  

  
  

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• davis0905 member

  August 2013

  My heart breaks for you.  Reflux is so hard on mommies too! I hope you all find some relief soon! 

  

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• arcook0307 member

  August 2013

  My first had reflux.  You really have to stay behind the weight gain and corresponding dosage.  If DD gained any weight at all it seemed to stop working (the Zantac that is).  The Priloec they put her on wasn't quite as sensitive and seemed to work better.

  

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• carrotcake06 member

  August 2013

  arcook0307 said:

  My first had reflux.  You really have to stay behind the weight gain and corresponding dosage.  If DD gained any weight at all it seemed to stop working (the Zantac that is).  The Priloec they put her on wasn't quite as sensitive and seemed to work better.

  I wondered how sensitive the dosing was to weight gain. They grow so quickly when they're this little - he was 5lbs 8oz at birth and was 9lbs 6oz at 8weeks, so about half a pound a week - that it seems the dosage works best for such a short amt of time.
  
  

  
  
  
  

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• XoXBabydollXoX

  August 2013

  my LO was spitting up really bad for a while (turned out to be the formula) but when I was just dealing with the nurses the advised

  -sitting up for at least thirty minutes after LO ate (as up right as possible)

  -not being jostled or moved a lot for about an hour after eating

  -try smaller amounts more often

  -burp a lot

  I would suggest also not feeding LO within an hour of going out or coming in from the heat if you can avoid it...and maybe making LO's bottle just slightly cooler than room temp (cold water/milk helped my reflux pain...and although you can't exactly give a two month old milk maybe just the temp would help...)

  You may also talk to Ped about giving water as an alternative to formula/milk as a last resort...since he's so unhappy with weight although you may ask what percentile she's in...my son is two months and in less than 50th percentile at 9pounds 14oz

   

  my pediatrician suggested (in addition to the suggestions from the nurse) AR formula or a teaspoon of rice cereal (AR is best because it is balanced and made to be broken down by a 2mo old whereas rice cereal isn't)...if yours hasn't yet that is....

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