My 6 week old has had excessive mucos in his nose and throat which has been causing him to gag for the past 4 weeks. He drinks 4 oz every 2 hours, he does not make it past 2 hours of sleep, I try to distract him when he wakes up but will scream until i give him his bottle and he acts like he is starving. I use a cool mist humidifier, saline drops and the bulb to help with the mucos and it does not make a difference. I took him to the Dr thinking maby he might have a milk allergy to the formula and Dr says he has reflux??? and perscribed zantax but he has no signs of reflux except the gagging but he gags cause of the mucos.
any advice
It sounds more like an allergy than reflux to me. I assume you are using formula so perhaps try a different one and/or get a second opinion. If you have the money, consider seeing a "classical homeopath" (CCH). Good luck.
I have done all sorts of research on reflux because all 4 of my kids had it. 3 of them also have milk allergies so I've done my homework there too. One thing I learned is to go down all avenues at once. I would act as though he has a milk allergy and reflux. Meaning I would put him on a soy formula and give him the zantac.
The excessive mucus could absolutely could be the result of the reflux, but could also be a sign of milk allergy.
The waking every 2 hours and not being soothed unless he eats is a sign of reflux. They feel better when they are eating but then about 1 and 1/2 to 2 hours later they feel worse again. Plus reflux is VERY uncomfortable and wakes them frequently. Meds did not work for my daughter and she never slept more than 1.5 hours at a time til she was 13 months old. My ped says zantac will only ease the discomfort in about 50% of kids. They have other meds they can try as he gets older.
Zantac works by reducing the acid in the stomach so it does not burn when it comes back up the esophagus. So, zantac will reduce his discomfort, but not stop the excessive mucus. Always prop him up and don't lie him flat ever. Even drop one end of the crib so he sleeps on a slant. That may help with the mucus. BEST WISHES!
Hi B.. I'm sorry your little guy is having so much discomfort. Have you tried breastfeeding him instead of formula? If you're able to, it might fix the problem. Most people are allergic to or sensitive to milk and it can certainly cause excess mucous. If breastfeeding isn't an option perhaps you could try a soy based formula and see if he tolerates that better? I hope you find what works for him. Good luck to both of you.
*
B., our son has acid reflux, we found out at about 2 months of age, he is now 10 months He didn't have the mucous in the nose and throat but he did have excessive spit up and was eating every two hours. Like your son he would just eat like he was starving. This is a sign because the eating helps soothe the pain.
Acid reflux is very common. Prevacid is supposed to be the best medicine but our son is allergic (as we found out very quickly) so he is on Tagament.
They out grow it, it usually goes away by one year of age. Our son would also be awake every two hours and wouldn't sleep on his back. We let him sleep on his tummy and that helped tremendously. The first two to three months were very tough because before we found out we just didn't know why he wouldn't sleep. Poor thing, he was in pain.
All is much better now. Hopefully, the medicine will help and your son will start to be in less pain.
D.
Hi B.,
I know this is about a week late and perhaps you have already found the solution to your baby's issue. I just wanted to suggest taking him to a chiropractor for an adjustment...there are tons of great ones out there who work with babies. I can suggest 2 for you if you are interested. Also, research giving your baby goats milk instead of formula. SO MANY babies have reactions to formula which is just processed powder with chemicals in it, compared to very very few babies having reactions to regular ol' goats milk (NOT COW's MILK). Please research this and consider trying it for him. I am not ANTI-drug, sometimes we have to do the next best thing. But, there are other ways to help your little one that are less invasive and healthier for him.
Good luck, I know feeding issues can be stressful, but with perseverence and doing what is right for your baby, this too shall pass.
My daughter did the same thing because she was lactose intolerant so while I nursed I could not have any lactose and when I could no longer nurse we used a lactose free formula. Now, at 17 months she drinks lactose free milk but she no longer has the symptoms your son has. the formula cost $50 a week for 2 cans. expensive but she is doing so much better.
My 13month old son also has excessive mucus due to the nasal gastric tube he has. They have prescribed reflux medication to prevent his gagging too. Although our situations are different, (the tube also keeps his esphogas from closing completely) I just wanted to say that it does help.
Hi B.,
You need a second oppion. Go on line and see if the formula you are using could be casing prombem. Or go to nurses.com, they may be able to help.
Try a different formula yourself, and slightly raise the top of the baby's bed with a rolled towel.
Good luck and Gods blessings,
D.
My son used to do something similar. As an infant one episode where he almost aspirated (I think that's the right term)... as he got a little older he'd just spontaneously throw-up, especially when outside playing. The Dr. thought it was digestion related... but I figured out it was excessive mucous gagging him. We gave him some kind of children's decongestant or antihistamine and that would stop it. (long time agao... don't remember what it was) If I had it to do over I'd probably try an herbal alternative and don't know what to tell you about a 6 week old, other than that my experience was that it was mucous.
Just read other responses and wanted to add, my son did not have the trouble sleeping or needing to nurse all the time, although I would think the sucking action would stimulate the mucous flowing, making it temporarily worse, but then helping for the short term. Also... spoke with a Mom just today whose daughter has a milk allergy which caused congestion symptoms to the point she needed breathing treatments at times.
Extra mucus can be a sign of a protein allergy. Try a hyper allergenic formula like allementum. I am warning you is expensive and stinks but both my girls had acid reflux and a protein allergy and were on this formula. It does not sound like reflux to me, but then I am not a dr. With my girls and their acid reflux they spit up after every meal through their nose and mouth. You could smell the stomach acid and see the pain on their sweet little faces. You could see their eyes tear up and they would arch their back and scream. I couldn't lay them down on their back it would cause acid reflux every time. S I don't think you are dealing with reflux but you may be. My first daughter was prescribed Preficid and my second is on Axid and reglan because she has it so bad. Both had major problems gaining weight too. Like the person stated before me I would also go get another opinion. Feel free to contact me if you have any additional questions. I will answer them as best I can.
My son is almost 3 months old. The first couple weeks I was freaking out because he spit up ALL THE TIME! I swore he had pyloric stenosis (but he didn't). I was worried he wasn't getting any food because of all the spit up. My daughter NEVER spit up like that. I was so nervous that his ped would say he had acid reflux and try to give us some medication, which I didn't feel comfortable with because he is so little. But it turns out my milk flow is really fast, he was a greedy little eater and would just eat and eat and eat...so he'd spit up all the extra that he was getting. The nurse said he was supposed to eat double his weight. I had no idea how much babies were supposed to eat, I just knew to nurse on demand. I am breastfeeding only (occasional breast milk in bottle), so I am not sure if that is different, but maybe he's just eating too much.
How many times a day does he eat? If he eats 8 times a day and you're giving him 4 oz then he's getting 32oz, which would mean your son weights 16lbs at 6 weeks, I doubt that. Plus, his ped said that it's natural for babies to have a little acid reflux when they're little because they're little bodies are just growing. He said he wouldn't do anything about it (like with meds), as long as he is gaining weight, because it should go away at about 4-6 months. If it doesn't then they might look into it more seriously. Even as my son has gotten older the spitting up has become less because he's learning to stop when he's full...or I have to make him stop.
I know our stories aren't exactly the same, but they sound similar. I would be nervous to give my son medicine too. I don't think there is anything wrong with getting a second opinion.
My daughter had reflux and was allergic to milk, soy and everyhting else under the sun. We never put her on the 4 medicine's he prescribed, we tried different formula. When she got older we just watched what we fed her and how much we fed her. She is on a all fresh fruit and organic, whole wheat diet and it's working great. Another thing that got us through it, Wellements Gripe Water. This stuff is amazing!! She is 20 months now and some days are bad with gas but at the most part she is doing fine. Hope this helps! :)
My first son had reflux and its VERY common. It is soooo uncomfortable. Its a burning sensation in your chest and throat, it feels like puking after every time you eat. DEFINITELY do the meds you will notice a HUGE difference you will have a happier baby and he will sleep longer than just 2 hours. Also, if I were you I would switch to Carnation Good Start its the easiest on their bellies and digestive system. If you want it would be wise to use the soy version of the Good Start. Soy is overall MUCH better for the kids with reflux. You child will eventually out grow this, I promise. Good Luck!!!
