How Do I Know If My 5 Week Old Daughter Has Acid Reflux and If Needs Treatment

T.,
I really feel for you with the elimination diet, I've been there. Try the brand "Enjoy Life" they have some great cookies and cereal bars. I find it at Valley Natural Foods in Burnsville. Both my sons, 3 1/2 years and 18 months has reflux. I was really reluctant to put them on Zantac. I tried Chiropractic and elimination diets, and although that helped my boys with some of their issues, they still screamed when they spit up. I found that to be the key. Try Zantac. You will know pretty quick if it is helping. You may want to stick with the elimination diet for a while. My youngest would scream for hours if he got wheat in his system. There is nothing worse than holding an inconsolable child and feeling responsible. As far as the Zantac, I could tell within a day if we missed a dose. Each of my kids were different as far as how long they were on it. Neither past 1 year. No current problems with reflux for either of them. They just need to avoid certain foods.

Hi T.! I have been on the elimination diet too:( I feel for you! My daughter was on Zantac but my son we just treated with chiropractics. It made all the difference in the world.
If she is sensitve to dairy then it will take awhile to know as it takes dairy 2 weeks to fully exit the system.

I'm so sorry for your daughter. My oldest daughter had similar problems (projectile vomit, and also lots of spitting up, sometimes like cottage cheese). Is she gaining weight alright? That would be my top concern. Also, does your milk come out too fast for her? Sometimes this can cause more swallowing of air, upset stomach and cause them to spit up or gag and then vomit. Try feeding her smaller amounts more frequently (probably the last thing you want to try). However, my daughter would get too much and then it would all come back out. So, I tried feeding her less (she was getting more than enough and gaining plenty of weight), but more frequently so it was easier for her to digest. If she seems stiff and uncomfortable you might try Mylicon (infant gas drops). This can help with the discomfort. My daughter did not stopp spitting up until she was about 10 mo old. She is not allergic to anything(she's 4 now). I just rode it out and made sure she was always gaining weight. Hope that helps.

Remember that it takes up to two weeks to see a difference with an elimination diet. WHatever you do though, don't stop nursing. Breastmilk is a natural antacid, and her body is made to break it down. IF you switch to formula her body will have to work twice as hard, and the reflux, if she has it, will hurt her more.

Thrush can come and go, and remember you have to treat yourself and not just her.. if she had it you may have passed it back to her if you didn't treat yourself. Gentian Violet is the best method of treating thrush, I've been through it twice with each my boys and that was the only thing to 'cure' it.

The other post reminded me that if you have a fast letdown, this will cause reflux-like symptoms like protectile spitting nad fussy baby. If your letdown sprays out like crazy, let her latch until your milk lets down, then unlatch and catch the major spray in a towel or burp cloth, when it slows, relatch her. This will allow her to eat without having to swallow so fast, and it wll allow your body to naturally adjust and eventually your letdown will slow.

Hi T.. Our second son had his first upper GI at 6 weeks and it also showed no signs of reflux. It turned out that the type of reflux he had affects him later-it does not come up immidiatly after he eats. Some of his reflux signs were severe arching (his head and legs back), disrupted sleep at night and naps, lots of crying and he did not want to be held too close or tight. He was put on Prevacid and it seemed to make things get better. But he still has some issues-so he just had his first adjustment from a pediatric chiropractor and he slept through the night and woke happy for the first time in a long time. There is also a simple allergy test she can have done to test for the six most common allergies, the RASF test. They just draw a little blood and wall-ah. Best of luck!

This does not sound fun!! I just wanted to let you know that a friend of mine had similar problems and she told me she knew what it was because after she would nurse, she herself would feel the "burn" of acid refux. Good luck and hope this helps.

Have you tried going to the chiropractor?

You can also try using a Baby Reflux Pillow. Look for one at ARPillow.com that's where I got mine. Or check ebay because they are pricey new.