Can someone please help??? my niece who is only 27 days old & being breast fed has episodes daily of gurgling & choking due to reflux per doctor. mom is not eating spicy foods, baby is taking gripe water drops. anyone else have or had this issue? any suggestions or remedies?
Thank you everyone for all the advice! We really appreciate it
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Cut out dairy. It's tough, but that is most likely it. My daughter was so sensitive that I could not even lick ranch dressing from my finger!
Luckily, there are lots of dairy-free options on the market, and baby will likely grow out of it.
I had a similar problem and cutting out diary fixed the problem.
I read Baby 411 and it helped me understand my baby's symptoms.
Dr actually had me give SMALL doses of mylanta to my baby to help soothe him (and his esophagus , I think) during the transition.
What my son actually had was casien intolerance, so it was not actually acid reflux, but to the casual observer, it would have seemed to be.
Keep baby upright after eating. Burp frequently during nursing session. Elevate crib so that baby is at an angle and elevated--- if baby is having lots of issues, go to ped and get script for baby zantac or similar. (an acid reducer). Feed baby frequently----- Hope this helps!
Cutting dairy, broccoli and other common foods for reflux could help. She may do well on soy formula. Keeping her upright a lot helps. Burping is good for formula babies, but for breastfed babies letting their stomachs settle is best b/c they don't need to be burped as often. Also, putting an incline under her crib mattress will help. I have a tilted sleeper that does an amazing job with reflux babies b/c they sleep on a natural incline. The back is just hard, so you have to slip a folded towel or something in the back pocket to help with that:
Fisher Price Rock n Play Sleeper
http://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-Newborn-Rock-Sleeper-Y...
You can get them at Target, I got mine on craigslist for $20
Make sure to not feed on a schedule and on demand. Don't make her wait so long that she gets upset and works herself up, filling her tummy with air before eating. Make sure she's finishing one side before switching to the other side. She may not need both sides per feeding. Make sure you allow enough time to burp. Aggressively patting the back trying to force out a burp can also cause reflux-esk issues so go easy.
Keep her upright as much as possible. Get a ring sling so she can be carried tummy to tummy upright. Don't keep her lying down all the time. Don't keep her in swings, car seats etc all the time. Hold her so she can stretch out while still being upright.
Does the mama have a forceful let down? When your niece is nursing does she pull away or cough or choke on the milk after a few moments when the milk comes out? If there is a forceful let down she could be swallowing a lot of air trying to keep up with the milk. There are ways to correct it if it is an issue. You can find them on Kellymom.com
Nurse with her slightly propped up on a pillow etc so that she is semi-upright while nursing.
Cutting out dairy is the 1st thing that should be done for a breastfed baby with reflux. The majority of babies are sensitive to dairy some are just more sensitive than others. Most babies will become less sensitive by 12 months old. It takes up to 11 days for dairy to be completely eliminated from the mother's system but usually will start to notice a difference within a day or two. I cut out dairy for the 1st 10 months with both of my kids and slowly reintroduced it, once I knew that they were not experience any reflux I knew that they were no longer dairy sensitive. It is difficult to cut out all diary from your diet but it's so worth it. There's no need for meds or switching to formula from breast if all it takes is a change in mom's diet and keeping baby up right for 30 minutes after each feeding.
Another possibility is iron overdose ( if there are iron supplements involved.)
I am currently going through a dairy intolerant 21/2 month old. We did not get reflux symptoms but typical gut pain and gas. Acid Reflux is something I regularly help in the office (I am a family chiropractor). The nerves in the mid back may be irritated causing these uncomfortable symptoms. If this is the problem, it's an easy fix. I see you are in Melrose, my office is in Oak Park. Call me and we can check it out ###-###-####.
Dr. J. Aardema DC DICCP
Flow Chiropractic, LLC
