Colic and Reflux

my son is 2 months and he has reflux but not very bad he only cry's (and it's winey more that painful cry) about 20 mins after he eats and only sometimes. i'm sorry i couldn't help more but i have him on bathamual (i know i'm not spelling that right) and Prilocic and it has help so much!! do the dr. browns bottles work pretty well because i can't find a bottle i like very much. thanks A.!

What medicine is he on because it sounds like the reflux still bothers him?

Both my sons had colic. Nothing really more you can do that you haven't already done. It stopped around 3 months with both of them...which is common. My second son had the reflux issue too. He was on Zantac and that also stopped when he was 4 months old...which is also common. So I guess no real advice. Just that is will stop eventually. Good luck to you.

My daughter had pretty bad reflux from about 5 weeks through 10 months. She came off her meds at 10 months, and I am thinking the bad symptoms like you are describing lasted on and off until around 7 months or so which is when she was sitting up really well and crawling...that made a big difference with her. So, one thing I didn't see you mention is how you have your son sleeping. My daughter slept somewhat upright whenever possible and that seemed to help with the reflux a little overall. We went to an OT who recommended a Tucker Sling and fortunately our insurance paid for the sling for her crib. You can see it at http://www.tuckerdesigns.com/

Anyway, I thought that sling was a life saver and other than that and her reflux meds, it just took time for her to outgrow it. The worst part was definitely when she was a newborn and I want to say all of her symptoms disappeared completely (well, except the occassional spit-up) by 10 months.

I hope that helps some. It definitely wasn't a fun experience but we made it through it and she is 5 years old now with no eating issues to reflux problems at all now!

As you heard from the other responses, time is the only thing that stops it. I'm guessing your are on Nutramigen or Alimentium (spelling??) formula.

My child had colic for a lot longer than the usual few months... which is rare. Keep an eye on things and if they don't get better by 6-9 months then check for food allergies.

Yes! My son also had colic. We were on everything from medicine for reflux to changing formulas for a protein allergy - before I finally came to the conclusion that it was colic. Please try the dvd "Happiest Baby on the Block". It helps. I was so frustrated b/c my son would cry every night from 7 - 11, and there was nothing I could do about it. One Sunday I popped this dvd in - followed this drs. advice..and he was asleep by 8! Good Luck!

Your sons case may be more severe than my daughters colic episodes but here are a few tricks we used at her bewitching hour. I would give her a dose of mylicon in her breast milk and then after she ate wait a little and give her another generous dose. If she started having pains we would move her little legs back and forth (like she were running) to help her pass the gas. And sometimes if all else failed we would put her in her swing that went side to side (instead of front to back) and that somehow soothed her down.

But like everyone else she just seemed to grow out of it when she was about 3 or 4 months. A friend of mine told me that her doctor said that is about the time their digestive tracks mature more and they can digest things better and the gas subsides.

Good luck to you, I know its stressful to go through especially if you are working.

Hi T.!

I have a two year old daughter and when she was born she had reflux. We had the meds,formula, and used all the techniques and nothing worked. For us nothing worked, she kept throwing up everything. We took her about once a month to get an iv because she got so dehydrated. The doctor told me that there is nothing else you can do except let her grow out of it. It lasted with us until she was about 14 months old, it got a little better after 12 but she still threw up quite a bit and she was always a fussy baby. I know that it seems bad but I promise it will get better. If you need any support feel free to email me. I hope it gets better and good luck!

K.

My daughter is 7 weeks old and also has reflux. I don't know what medication you are on, but Isabelle takes Prevacid. She also had what we refer to as "the happy hour", in which she would scream uncontrollably. What I have done is adjusted when I gave her the Prevacid. I split up the pill, half in the morning, and then half at night. That worked a little better. Her hour of terror is around 7pm, so what I have now switched to is giving her the medicine in her 5pm bottle that way the Prevacid is working at it's strongest. You may also look into the amby bed (www.ambybaby.com), we do not use it but I heard it works wonders.

Hi T.,

Im afraid I dont have any real advice outside of what you are already doing, or what the previous posters have already shared. My daughter had colic and reflux, too, and was on Zantac which for us was a life saver. We ended up taking her off when she outgrew it at 3 months.

What I did want to say is how impressed I am with you - a working mom with two very young children and still able to go the extra mile for your children. It takes a lot of strength and patience. Way to go, supermom!!!

Good luck. THis, too, shall pass.
A.

As a newborn specialist (aka: babynurse), I work with newborns with reflux all the time, and I know it can get frustrating. You’re doing a lot of things right, but I did have just a few thoughts. You may already know this, but in case you don’t, it’s worth mentioning: the Gripe Water (or Mylicon) will help alleviate the pain of gas in your baby’s tummy, but it won’t help with reflux. Gas often accompanies reflux, so that is why it will sometimes work, but if your baby isn’t gassy, simethicone or anything like it will not work. Secondly, many believe (as I do) that the word “colic” is just a catch-all term to describe a baby who cries a lot. Officially, colic describes a baby who cries more than 3 hours straight, more than 3 days a week, for more than 3 weeks in a row. Third, it’s worth considering that your baby may not have reflux, but rather a milk protein intolerance. I realize that you have switched formulas, which is good, but I’m wondering what you have switched to. If your doctor determines that your baby likely has a milk protein intolerance (or a sensitivity or an allergy), I would try (in this order) Nestle Good Start (without DHA/ARA, aka: lipil), Similac Alimentum, Nutramigen, and finally (this is the end of the road) Neocate. It may be time for your son’s reflux med dose to be increased or even changed. I have seen a lot of babies start off on Zantac or Prevacid, do fine on it, and then need to be switched to Prilosec later on. Be sure to check with your insurance company as to what meds they cover because they may not cover them all. What have you thickened your baby’s formula with? If you’re thickening with rice cereal, that could be causing a problem; you might want to try oatmeal instead, or even use an “AR” formula (which stands for added rice.) Lastly, you may want to try elevating the crib even more (I really jack them up when I do it!), or even let your baby sleep in his car seat or a swing (no motion) for a few weeks. If you get really desperate and want some help, I can come and help you; it’s what I do. I travel nationwide, but I have lots of excellent references in the Dallas area. One final thought: if you’re not doing this already, I would recommend that you swaddle your baby very tightly about 30 minutes after a feeding, as this is time for him to go to sleep, and it will also help him feel more comfortable. Oh, and one more thing: get “The Happiest Baby on the Block” DVD and watch it until you really ‘get it.’ Good luck!

My daughter was extremely fussy. We ended up using Prevacid. It seemed to help relax her. My husband and I joked that if she was awake then she was crying. Although the reflux medication helped the only thing that truly worked was time. At about 6 months of age she out grew it. Another helpful tip would be to try Nutramigen (a formula by Enfamil). It is pricey, but worth every penny.

T.,
I'm sorry to hear that you guys are going through this. Our daughter didn't have reflux, but she did have colic. She would scream and cry for 1 hour every night. We talked to her doctor, and he said that she was over-tired. She would nap during the day, but he wanted her to have 1 more nap than she usually had. We added a 1pm nap to her day, and she was fine from then on.
It sounds like since your son has reflux, and you have to keep him upright for 30 min, he also might just be over-tired. Will he sleep in a swing?

A.

Hi T. - it's early, so I'm having a hard time thinking of a few things that kinda helped us. One that comes to mind is laying him on his belly, a little elevated, after he eats. My now 8 month old had reflux really bad. I guess you could say he was colic-ey, b/c he did cry much more than my first. I don't want to sound discouraging, but things didn't start getting a lot better until about 6 months old. My first slept thru the night at 11 weeks, and Joshua took forever to start sleeping thru the night. Anyway, I know I haven't helped much w/ advice, but wanted to share that I can feel your pain. You might want to respond to me so that I have your email in case I think of some other things that worked for us. Good luck! N.

WE were going thru something very similar and the most frustrating part is the randomness, I agree. My son was 1 month premature and is now almost 4 months old. He is on 7.5 mg Prevacid morning and night. He would still go thru periods at night (usually sometime btwn 6-8 and cry and claw at my chest and was just in obvious pain. Lately (we've had 2 really good weeks, we have had him take an extra nap at night and that has really helped. I think babies w/ colic and reflux seem to have more symptoms when they are over tired. It seems simple, but I think it really helped. We also have him on AR formula by Enfamil and it made him so constipated we had to put him on juice to unstop it. Try another nap before his bad time and see if that helps. I feel for you!

Hi T.,

My Daughter had acid reflux and we did everything you are doing but we also gave her medicine for gas. I would ask you Dr. and see if he or she suggests that you do the same.

Her acid reflux got better when she turned one.

Good luck!

Y.

Tracey - I have no advice for you but I wanted to encourage you with this situation. I know it can be hard being a mother of 2 and working mom no less. I hope that this situation will resolve itself quickly and that you will find some peace with all the busyness that life is offering you right noe. I wish this "advice" was more helpful.

The best way I treated my colicky baby was babies magic tea, a natural herbal tea. Try it and you'll see the difference.