Could It Be Acid Reflux

It took quite a while for my ped to say it was reflux with my baby. Even the lactation consultant missed it.
My baby didn't spit up a lot, but seemed in pain while eating and never stayed still while sleeping. Others at work said their babies cried, were gassy, and just generally colicky. I was against meds at first, but what a difference it made in my baby's life and mine.
If you really think it's reflux, tell the ped all the symptoms that you think could be related and they'll decide where to go from there.

She is spitting up because of the cereal. Her body is not ready for that...it's too much. I had to supplement with formula, so I get it. And I always added a bottle before bedtime because of it being heavier thus making her fuller longer and sleeping through the night. My daughter is still a good sleeper. So, I get it. But I wouldn't recommend the cereal. I do commend your efforts and the thought process. I am not one to "fuss" at anyone unless they are seriously putting their child in harms way. What I would suggest is making the formula a bit stronger than normal for the night time feeding. It should have the desired result, but be easier on your baby girls tummy! She won't be ready for cereal for several months. Her body is still adapting to the outside world. Good luck!

C., I had a similar situation with my 5 month old. I had to stop breastfeeding at around 5 weeks. It was a very difficult choice for me, but was necessary. I know what you mean about that. I still feel bad, but there was and is nothing I can do. Also, my son spits up often. No projectile vomiting or anything, just spitting up. I can almost never do tummy time because no matter how long it has been since he ate, he will always spit up when he rolls onto his tummy. I have seen three different peds, and they all say reflux. We don't do meds with him because he is gaining weight. I make sure to burp after two ounces and keep him upright after he eats for a while.

BTW, one ped told me to put cereal in his milk, so don't feel bad about that decision. I don't do it for my own reasons, so I don't know if it works, but she said it may help keep the milk down.

I will say that the spitting up has slacked off some as he is getting older, and as long as he keeps gaining weight and isn't fussy I don't plan to do anything different. I was very concerned at first because my older son did not spit up. However, he seems happy and healthy. I would say if your child is healthy and happy, just wait it out and see if the spitting up decreases.

Good luck.

My daughter had acid reflux, and it took awhile to diagnose. Cereal in the formula can make it worse, since they aren't ready to digest it yet. It may help her sleep through the night, but is going to cause further digestive issues for her. You could try a gentler formula to see if that helps, but if she's not spitting up that regularly I woudln't assume it's acid reflux. Or atleast if the symptoms aren't consistent. She's in pain EVERY time she feeds, or spits up EVERY time. Something like that. She may just be a spitter. :)

No matter what one ped says, you need to realize that the AAP, WHO, and UNICEF all recommend that a baby receive NO SOLIDS until six months. The reason babies sleep if you put cereal in their bottles (which is also a choking hazard) is that their digestive systems are having to work overtime doing what they are NOT designed to do. You really, really need to cease solids immediately. That's not just my opinion; that's information you can find with ten seconds of Googling.

Your daughter still has an open gut, which means that anything you feed her that is not breastmilk or formula can lead to allergies and digestive problems. People will pat you on the back to make you feel better about this, but for your daughter's health, please do the research and stop giving her solids.

She is probably spitting up because her body is not ready to process the cereal you are feeding her. I don't know why people insist on putting their sleep before their child's health. Please listen to the doctor and only give your baby the formula she needs. Cereal is not the answer. It only gives your child digestive problems.

Hi C.,

A probiotic/prebiotic will help whether it is "reflux" or not because it will help the digestive system break down the formula in order to digest it. The probiotic will help with the congestion as well. I know one I can recommend if you like :)

Regards,

M.
www.squidoo.com/ifyourbabycouldtalk

C.,

The key to acid reflux is not the spitting up, it's the pain. A happy spitter is nothing to worry about, just clean up after. If you baby screams (not cries) what feels like non-stop, especially with spitting or even just burping that raises the flag for reflux. Is her spitting projectile? What does her breath smell like sweet (fine), or rancid (reflux). Does she scream when lying flat on her back? Does she require you to hold her or position her upright to be comfortable adn scream-free? Does she require samll-frequent feedings? does she avoid the bottle (because a full tummy means she will reflux)? Does she make you cry almost as much as she does? Then ask you doctor about reflux.

Hello C. yea it def.sounds like acid reflux.I breast fed my 2 child till he was 1 1/2 years old and he did fine. Now with my 3rd i had to stop breast feeding because he wouldn't keep it in him, he would throw some or all of it back up. I ended up putting him on formula and mixed it with cereal,Avent bottles with the slit nipple is the best bottle to use.My 3rd one ended up takeing zantac. You should tell this to your peditrican.Goodluck!!

Hey C., first of all...you do what is best for your baby, no matter what others on here have to say about it. The fact that you are on here asking for advice means that you are looking for answers to know what is best and that says that you are a great mom. If the rice is helping, then keep doing it. I have two children, my oldest was on rice in her bottles when she was about 2 months old b/c of reflux. And it did help her to sleep through the night. There is medicine that they can give your little one for the reflux if you wish. However it may not be necessary. But all babies spit up. Only you know if it is too much. Talk to you ped about it if you are unsure what is normal. My youngest also has reflux and his is much more severe. If you are wanting to add rice to help reflux you want to add enough to make it the consistency of tomato sauce (NOT paste). It is about a tablespoon per 2 oz of formula. I just use a scoop that I saved from a powder formula and use one scoop per 2 oz. If you use Avent bottles, they have nipples made for bottles with added rice so you don't have to cut your nipples. Keep your little one elevated after eating. You may find that tummy time will cause more spit up. At least I did. Reflux can cause congestion so you want to help keep it under control as much as possible. One more thing, I found that the rice was constipating, so I had to add pear/apple juice to each bottle. I hope this helps.

I am a mother of 4 children. With my first 3 I used regular bottles and they spit up alot, but with my last baby I used those colapsable drop in liners that keep them from getting alot of air. Maybe it is coincidence but he does not spit up at all. I hope this helps, good luck.

Get your baby to a good Osteopath.

My baby was spitting up sometimes not at all and sometimes a lot it was on and off. One adjustment from the Osteopath and she hasn't spit up since. She just had a kink in her intestine.

Hi, C.!
You might want to make sure that you're feeding her while she's sitting straight up. We had this problem with my son. I had to sit him on my knees, holding his the back of head with one hand, and holding the bottle and his chin with my other hand. While I fed him, I had to bounce my knees. This ensured that any air was coming to the top before we got all that food/formula on top of it, causing him to spit up. It worked very well for us. And I am a firm believer in keeping their little bellies full so they sleep better. It keeps everyone happier!
Good luck to you!

Your child could have a little bit of reflux, but adding cereal to her formula is actually suppose to help. I started giving my child single grain cereal when he was 3 wks old starting with a teaspoon. There is nothing wrong with giving the kid some cereal. As for the reflux, you may want to change the type of formula you are feeding your child and make sure she is burping enough, hope it that helps.

I think it could be. I am glad your daughter is sleeping through the night, but as others may have said, 2 months is very early for cereal. 2 months is also very early for a baby to be expected to sleep through the night but with scheduling (getting a full feed - 20-30 min- every 3 hours) during the day, 10-14 weeks is a reasonable time to expect baby to sleep through the night. If she already had reflux (and I am one of the ones who said it might be that in response to an earlier post) giving here cereal before she is ready for it would definitely make that worse.

It's the cereal, her stomach won't be ready for cereal until she is 6 months old.
P. S

Please call you dr about it. Remember that us mommies aren't dr's. But it has been medically proven that babies stomach's aren't ready to handle solids until 6 months. Their digestive systems aren't ready. 2 months is really much too young to feel cereal in a bottle. (as well as it's an old wives tale) i would check with your dr and do what he/she suggests. good luck!