Need Help with Reflux

One of my twins had reflux. I used the boppy for a while to get him used to being out of the car seat/bouncy seat/swing. Once he started sleeping pretty good in that, I used a wedge in the baby bed (on top of the mattress), and put the boppy down under his behind (with his butt in the hole and his legs over the round cushion part) so that he wouldn't slide down off the wedge. It didn't take very long before I was able to remove the boppy and wedge and I put a very flat pillow (that was as wide as the bed) under his sheets so that he could be elevated just a little. Once he started rolling over from back to belly, I removed the pillow. Good luck!

I never transitioned my children back. By around 3-4 months they are usually able to sit up and soon after begin crawling. Thus, you may just continue to keep little one in a bouncy chair, jumper that hangs in a doorway, infant seat, or a walker.

Both my sons (now 3-still taking medication & 5-no medicine after 18 months) had reflux from week one. Fortunately, we see a pediatrician that believes that this is possible and not just a colicky baby. Both boys slept in their car seat at the bottom of the pack-n-play in our room for about five months. Once the car seat was too dangerous, we bought a bed wedge and had to prop them up. Their reflux was so severe that we had to feed them sitting straight up (repeatedly reminding everyone not to bounce them as they would be so upset the entire night and next day). Finally my husband had had enough with them in our room every night and forced me to move them into their own room. We set up the crib's mattress frame on the highest level on one side and the lowest possible on the other. We used flannel sheets as the boys seemed to "stick" better at such an incline. I then found the Tucker Sling on line. www.tuckersling.com SO worth the money!!!! It was quite scary to actually "diaper in" my baby for the first time to the bed, but it really worked!!!! No more crying baby mess at the foot of this truly needed, though totally lopsided bed. It took us 3 different kinds of medicine during a 3 month period trying to calm our oldest down. His esophagus was actually raw from the acid. I cannot imagine the lake I could fill with the tears I cried not being able to help my little guys. Good luck to you - I totally feel for you!

Had the same problem w/ my baby girl who had reflu -- only we didn't have to transition her as soon, so I think she slept in the bouncy seat for quite awhile.
You're doing the right thing by trying naps first. Also, have there been any other 'security' factors where she's been sleeping right now? Maybe music? We've played the same music for our babies since they were born, so that we could take it anywhere and they'd know it's "sleepy time." Works like a charm. So when our daughter was being moved from her bouncy seat in our room to her crib in her room, we also moved the music. Maybe you have something similiar?

I had horrible reflux with both kids. I used a 'wedge' that inverted the kids a little bit when they slept. After reading the other responses, I wish I would have know about the sling, because the store wedge didn't invert them enough. We had adjust the height of the mattress as well.
Also, as I am sure you do, after feeding hold them up for about 30-40 minutes before laying them down. Not the cure all, but it helps and invest in alot of bibs. Good luck. Both of mine grew out of it around 9 months (like the pediatricians said many kids would).

You can roll up a towel and put it under the mattress. It elevates the mattress a little and may help with the transition.

Hi N.,
Both of my children have had the acid reflux as infants.
We also did the prevacid (my daughter had an allergic reaction to it) so we then did the Zantac which worked very well. We also had to thicken their bottles.

We would put my daughter in a car seat to sleep or a bouncy seat and she started to get a flat spot on one side of her head. It eventually got so bad She had to wear a helmet for three months to correct the flat spot.
When we ended up putting her back in her crib...the doctor said we can put a telephone book or a towel under two sides to give it just a little wedge to help. It doesn't have to be very big.
We ended up putting a few towels under her crib mattress and it worked great. (you can add more towels or take some out if you think you have too many).
Good luck, I hope you figure something out that will work for you.
T.

My son has had severe reflux since birth. We did the whole bouncy seat thing to. Until our GI gave us this product. It's called reflux wedge. Those crib wedges they sell don't really do much in the elevating dept. But, they do make special wedges that are great you can put them in the bed, take them out for travel or for a nap in the living room, could take to daycare or buy a spare. It's pretty elevated with a sling that attaches to them. Has a wrap kind of like a diaper hooks over them so they don't slide off the wedge. Here are a few different pages you can look at. They worked for my son. Good luck. I know we have medicaid and they will pay for the sling but not the wedge..makes no sense, but maybe could get your doc to write script and try get covered by insurance. If you call Tucker sling they will give you the code for the product to give your insurance to see if they cover it.

http://www.tuckersling.com/default.htm

Here they have couple other products. There are other wedges, but the tucker is the best. You can also get more slings as they grow. It also does list on their site above about insurance covering the product.
http://www.pollywogbaby.com/refluxandcolic/refluxwedgesfo...

http://www.pollywogbaby.com/cat--sleeping-wedges--Sleepin...

Sounds like you know what your doing. Keep following your instincts

Hi N.
Not sure if you can get this in liquid for, but I was recommended a Probiotic (Flora Q) you can get it at the pharmacy. It has been a godsend for me. It will not do any harm for anyone to take as it is just a supplement. Don't just get any kind as some of them only have as much as yhogurt - which is hopeless.
Good luck and if you want anymore info on this, don't hesitate to contact me.

L.

All 3 of my kids had acid reflux, they would sleep in thier car seat after a feeding to keep them up right. What kind of formula do you use ? All 3 of my children were on alimentium and it helps to reduce some of the acid.

To transition my daughter from the car seat in my bed to her crib, I put the car seat in her crib, to let her get used to the new environment. Then I eventually (at the doctors urging) took her out of the car seat and inclined the crib until she was to the point of moving around in the crib. Good luck!

Our youngest had the same problem. Still today (he turned 2 in February), he'll puke if he gets to laughing too hard, and especially if he laughs too hard shortly after eating (within 30-45 minutes).

We transitioned him slowly by keeping him elevated & not feeding him to close to bed time. I know that's difficult with such young babies...just do your best. Do keep her elevated slightly in bed -- it'll help to have those wedges around her so she doesn't roll around. Eventually, decrease the elevation...and pray that she gets better & can handle it! =)

We used alimentum for a while, too. It did help, but it's pretty pricey & smells awful. :) And he still vomited quite a bit. We also tried Dr. Brown's bottles. They didn't help our son, but they did help a friend of mine's son.

Just hang in there & know that this will pass. Congrats on your new girls!!! I pray that God blesses your family!!

My son slept in his car seat for 6 months until he was able to wriggle out! That night we decided we'd just have to deal with crying and go in every 10 minutes (we don't believe in making a baby scream until they wear themselves out). He never even made it 10 minutes! A half hour later he woke up and we thought it would keep happening all night but he just cried out a couple times and then we didn't hear anything else from him ALL night! When I checked on him, he had rolled over and was sleeping on his bely with his knees up underneath him, it was so cute:) Anyhow, the pediatrician said, not only is it fine but his kids did it too! Your daughter will let you know when she's ready to get out of it. Whatever you do, get her out of your bed unless she's sleeping on her back. Putting her in something is really unsafe because it can turn over and she can suffocate (this just happened a few weeks ago to a baby who was left on a bed in his car seat:( ) Bouncers should only be used on the floor. You can get a sleep positioner that puts her at an incline if you want to continue to co-sleep. The nice thing about the car seat is that she can continue to sleep in that at day care and you don't have to worry about keeping a bouncer or sleep positioner there. She won't be the only baby sleeping in a car seat!
Good Luck:) It sounds like she will get over it soon, my son was on Zantac for 9 months before he didn't need it.

Hi N., The only thing I have found to work, and actually fix the problem within a few months, is fresh goat's milk. I have had success with a milk intolerant baby that loves goat's milk and has no reaction to it. Also, my husband has had acid reflux for years and has been on Prilosec (two a day)to control it for years. He started drinking fresh goat's milk and found he could take only one a day, and after three months, takes no prilosec, just drinks fresh goat's milk in the mmorning. Have to check with local farmer's for this.

Our daughter had acid refux and we bought a pad to go under her crib mattress that was wedge shaped foam. It came from Babies R Us. I would definitely try that rather than putting her flat on her back...that will probably be miserable for her. Have you looked into alternative methods of treatment for reflux? It might be worth it to research it and try some natural remedies...homeopathics are wonderful (I get them at my local health food store or online...B&T brand is great) and they've worked wonders for us.

I used our Boppy and put it in the crib. I told my doctor and she didn't have any issues with it. So we continued to use it until he grew out of his reflux.

N.
My daughters 5 day old was also diagnosed with this condition and before they put him on any meds/surgery we put him on some natural supplements and it worked within 2 days. Her Peditrician has her name on file and refers patients with this AR to her. There a couple of products one is called ez-gest - opti flora and soothing stomach complex all without side effects and nothing to hurt you little ones system. For more info please write me back. Good Luck
S.

hello my little girl is 16 months old and has had severe acid reflux. she was diagnosed with it at four weeks old. she was on zantac and reglan till 8 months old than they took her off of the meds which was a mistake gotta watch taking them off the medications her specialist told me her pediatricin should of never taken her off the medications. she is now on zantac and previcid. and my daughter still has to have cereal in her milk it helps her keep the milk down. my daughter never had to be inclined or sleep in a bouncy seat with the meds and she was put on neocate milk which is for infants with reflux. neocate is a amnio acid based milk it really has no milk in it at all she is also on the neocate splash juice. her specialist also recommends not giving infants with acid reflux no store bought juices i guess it can give them pain from the reflux. that is why she is on the neocate splash juice.