Reflux - Hampton, VA

I'm a little late in my response, but when my daughter was diagnosed with Reflux her pediatrician prescribed Carafate Suspension which was given a little while before her bottles or eating and she was like a totally different child! Good luck this, it is so hard to deal with!

My daughter is 9 mos old and has severe reflux. We finally began seeing a pediatric gastroenterologist. We still struggle with sleep deprivation. I found a few websites with good info - www.marci-kids.com, www.reflux.org, and www.infantrelux.org. I hope you find this helpful. Hang in there.

S.,
You have gotten a variety of different opinions. It must be confusing. I beleive the options are fewer than you think. Both my kids had reflux, my second had a terrible case and lost half the breastmilk she ingested. We started her on Zantac at 6 weeks and weaned her off by 7 months when her abdominal muscles seemed to tighten up the open esophagus. It was miraculous how quickly it disappeared after she was sitting up and crawling. We suffered for months, holding her upright nearly all day. She slept in a Fisher Price swing in my room because she even spit up in her carseat (the swing didn't draw the legs up as much). I bought a Tucker Sling so I could tilt her mattress (let me know if you'd like to try it - I don't need it anymore), and eventually let her sleep on her stomach on a slightly tilted mattress at 4 months when the risk of SIDS had reduced. She was never a great sleeper. You could hear the milk gurgling up her esophagus the moment you laid her down.
Your baby is only 3 weeks old and is probably just dealing with an immature digestive system. It seems too early to intervene in all the ways you have tried. Unfortunately, patience may be the best medicine.

This I know:
1) Never use rice cereal in a baby's bottle before they are old enough for solid foods. They lack the enzyme amylase to break it down and it can cause diabetes. Not worth the risk.
2) Soy formula is not a good option if you suspect a milk allergy. Soy allergy is just as common and the earlier you introduce it, the more likely they are to develop an allergy to it. Soy formula is also not as nutritionally sound as milk formula (can have excess aluminum, manganese, etc). We are the only country that is on a soy formula free-for-all. In some countries you need a prescription to get it. Hypoallergenic formula is your next best bet if you suspect milk allergy. Lactose free formula is almost never required (babies are built to digest tons of lactose in breast milk).
3) Zantac may help with pain but it won't "cure" the reflux, and the results aren't immediate. If your baby is not actually spitting up, I would see a pediatric gastroenterologist for a true diagnosis before allowing pediatricians to prescribe potent acid reducing medications, most of which aren't technically approved for use in infants (they are being used "off-label" for millions of babies). Stomach acid is not simply a nuisance. It is needed for digestion.

I hope you get some sleep. If it really gets that bad, perhaps you can enroll your 4-yr old in summer preschool, daycare or play camp? I sent my son to pre-school/daycare almost every day on my maternity leave because dealing with the reflux was so consuming. Good luck to you.

Hi S.. I can really sympathize with you b/c i have a 3 year old and a set of 9 mos old twins. I experienced the same thing w/ my oldest and one of the twins. I think the most frustrating part was feeling helpless about not being able to relieve my babies discomfort, Asap. It is true that trying too many things at once can make the symptoms worse and/or confuse what may work better than something else.
As difficult as it may be, it really is important to stick with any changes for a couple of weeks to really be able to tell if something is helping or not. keeping a journal during that time may also help pinpoint patterns, identify when/if things got better or worse, etc. Your baby may very well have an allergy or gastrointestinal issues that will need to be further assessed but in my experience (x2 babies) it was a matter of each one growing out of it. One child by 9 mos or so and the other around 6 mos. I ended up switching formulas to Similac Sensitive for all of my kids. One of them was started on zantac which did some to help somewhat, but I had to be consistent and give it to her as prescribed without fail until one day i was able to back off little by little. I also burped them often. Stopping just about every ounce. the squirming is one clue that they could probably use a burp. I also fed in smaller but more frequent intervals. One of the measuring sticks their pediatrician used was 1) are they gaining weight even with the reflux and are they still hitting their developmental milestones. I found it hard to believe and sit back and wait but it was true for my girls. They cont'd to grow and hit their milestones even though it seemed they brought back up just about everything that went down. Cont doing what you are doing but Above all, trust your gut instincts and seek answers until you feel you have exhausted all possibilities....and buy LOTS of bibs & burp cloths.

Have you given him gas drops (Mylecon or generic brands?) If so, I'd ask your pediatrician about Zantac again--it is supposed to help, but be sure to get it flavored. OTherwise, it tastes terrible. Good luck!

3 WEEKS old? Sounds like gas (it often takes more than one burp to get a baby burped) or maybe colic. The gas drops are harmless and can help. I've never heard of any child that age that's ready for cereal. No kidding he wakes up a lot at night - a newborns stomach is the size of a walnut and at first they take about an ounce of breast milk or formula every hour or two. If this is your second child, your should know it takes a good 6 to 8 weeks for them to grow enough to get into a routine where anyone gets some rest. Did the pediatrician tell you to try Prevacid or are you guessing because your first son had it? I'm concerned you've tried him on several formulas in 3 weeks when all I can tell from your note is it sounds like there may be nothing wrong with him at all. Each child is different and there's a broad range of normal and this one may just be different from your first. Work with your pediatrician and get a relative or sitter in to watch the baby a few hours while you take a nap. Don't lay him on his stomach unless he's on you. The whole "Back, to sleep" campaign has done a lot to reduce SIDs. You'll get through this.

Sorry you are going through this. Have you done all these changes on your own? Several formulas? Different meds? Cereal in the bottle? At 3 weeks old I would think his system is in shock. Talk to your pediatrician! Hypoallergenic formula and smaller more frequent feedings might help. Good luck!

If he truly has reflux, it can take up to two weeks for the Zantac to kick in. You just need to give it time to kick in. I'm surprised that your ped did not tell you that when he/she prescribed it. Both of my kids had it and my youngest is just now being able to go without the medicine at 5 1/2 months.

If none of those things work after trying them for a while, then he may not have reflux. I don't know anything about formula, but I would assume what the previous posters said about switching up the formula a lot could also be a likely culprit.

My daughter had terrible reflux and I completely understand where you are coming from on the sleep deprivation thing. There is a reason that sleep deprivation is used as a form of torture! Keep trying things, keep phoning the pediatrician and let her/him know how the baby is doing (and how you are doing!). If you have a good one they are very supportive and will have good ideas. The one thing to remember is that the reflux will not last forever. But if it is something else you will want to get with the pediatrician about it ASAP. Best of luck to you.

Sounds exactly like my daughter (who is now 9 and eats like a horse!). First, have your baby tested to make sure it's reflux and not something else. If it is indeed reflux, the doctors will be able to work with you on medications; there are more available now than 9 years ago!

A few other things you can try right away:

1) Formula. We went through all the different formulas, finally discovered she couldn't tolerate POWDERED formula. It's supposed to be the same as the ready-to-use, but every time we tried she got horrible gas which couldn't be let out with a burp. Ready-to-use is more expensive, but it's worth a shot. The doctors should also be able to test to see if your baby is lactose intolerant, so you'll know whether you need the soy formula or not.

2) Constipation. Our daughter was horribly constipated, but at the time there was very little in the literature about it. If his poops are coming out like little rocks, you'll need to help him along. Glycerin suppositories (any drug store) or even a thermometer inserted into the rectum can help. We also added prune juice into her formula to help soften things up.

Those two things, along with a Zantac prescription, made a world of difference. She outgrew it in 4-5 months, and is now totally normal. Good luck!

Hi S.,

I am SO sorry you are your baby are going through this, its tough!!

Sounds like he's reacting to the formula for sure! And its WAY too soon for cereal too. Have you tried breast feeding? Seems like the natural way might be the way to go for him. It's not too late! You can find lots of info at the following websites. www.llli.org, www.kellymom.com, www.mothering.com.

Good luck to you!
S.

I'd like to just point out that the hypo allergenic formulas are still cow milk based and may not help at all. My daughter reacted even worse to soy than to dairy as soy can mimic many other food sensitivities. My favorite go to people for any food related allergy/intolerance/ sensitivity is the food lab yahoo group http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/foodlab/ good luck I've been there still am really only for us its NO corn soy or dairy!

I would call a pediatric allergist and look into having him tested for food allergies. If he is allergic to soy then no amount of prevacid is going to help him. I thought my daughter had reflux and found out months later that she was allergic to milk and eggs. The allergist can tell you if 3 weeks is too young to test or not, but I got my daughter tested at 10 months without a problem so don't let anyone tell you he has to be a year old. GL!

1. Stop trying so many new things so fast. You have to give a babies body time to adjust. He is not an adult, he's only 3 weeks old. His body has never processed anything before and you are putting all kinds of different stuff in constantly. Pick a formula (probably a soy is good) and stick with it for 2 weeks. Continue the med for the reflux, it can take time to work. Try to burp for at least one full minute after every ounce of a 4oz bottle (he shouldn't be eating more than that at this age). If he doesn't burp after the first ounce try for at least 5 minutes after the second ounce. He should be burping 2X per 4 ounce bottle, minimum! Also, make sure when he is feeding he is sitting up at at least a 45 degree angle, for a baby with reflux it's better to have them almost completely upright - as close to a 'sitting' position as possible (prop your arms so you don't get sore).
Make sure he has burped and is comfortable before you set him down at all after feeding, if he's still squirming or crying, continue burping.
Also, Do NOT put cereal in his bottle - he's only 3 weeks old, his stomach can NOT digest that and it will cause MORE PAIN.
Good luck.

Try giving him Nutramigen. And remember it takes 2 weeks to get the old formula completely out of his system. I am so sorry you are going through this, I feel your pain! I would also get a sleep sling (if you need the web site let me know).... It allows you to tilt the mattress 45 degrees (propped with blankets) while the child is safely strapped into a sling that attaches over the top 3rd of the mattress.

Hang in there!
Rochelle

Hi S.,
My son had reflux for the first year of his life. I used zantac and prevacid too. If he has only been on the prevacid for a few days you might still need to use the Zantac until his esaphagus heels. I used it for about three days together. Next, if it is still not working, you may need to take more. My son took a half a pill twice a day. We used the hypoalergenic formula Neutramigen by Enfamil. This combination worked for him. My son also slept in a Papasan chair for the first four months. Good luck and I hope you get some sleep soon!

My son had very bad reflux as well; he had to be in an upright position for about an hour after each feeding for about the first 8 months (he was 2 mo early), so a supportive swing (Fisher Price side to side type) was a lifesaver for me and he loved it. I would first hold him upright against me, but I had twins and I know you don't have the time to hold a baby for an hour after each feed! And yes, I used the baby Zantac and eventually another med, Reglan I think, and I thickened his bottles (pumped breastmilk) w/ rice cereal as well. He also slept on his back on one of those memory foam wedges (little one for new babies at Buy Buy Baby or similar store) wrapped in a swaddle me blanket, which helped as well. I would definitely ask your Pediatrician about any other strategies. Good luck; it is hard to see your little one suffer! Just know he will grow out of it!

Hi S.,
I'm sorry to hear about your son's discomfort. It is possible that he may have a food allergy/intolerance. For some children, a diet of goat's milk is what works. Some health food stores carry this. Wal-mart also sells ultra-pasteurized goat's milk, but pasteurized or fresh would be preferable.

I hope you both find some relief soon.

M.
www.wellwithmargaret.com

My son had some of the same issues. I was breastfeeding him and around 3 weeks he began to scream after a few minutes of nursing, he would grunt, squirm, and arch as well. It was not until he was around 6 weeks old that I finally went to the pediatrician to to discuss that I found that not only did he have silent reflux but he also had a milk-protein allergy. I weaned him from breastmilk and he started on isomil formula and he was also put on Zantac but his issues continued. After a few weeks of this we returned to the doctor and it was then that they discovered that he had a soy-protein allergy as well. Once he was put on the Nutramigen AA (no cows milk) hypoallergenic formula and the Zantac was continued he was like a different baby within two to three weeks. I believe that it takes a while for the Zantac to take its full effect.

Have you gotten him tested? My doctor tried to convince me my daughter was colicky but my mom has stage 2 Barrets. I know reflux. Sleeping in the car seat helped my daughter, also swinging her in her carseat and later in a swing helped calm her down. Keep him upright as much as you can and be easy on him. Also, like the other posters, give the baby time to get used to something before you switch it. It does take about 2 weeks for something to really kick in. Also check to see if anything you are giving him could have an adverse affect on him. One of the prescriptions my doctor gave for colick could be deadly if mixed with the reflux meds. Mixing all the different stuff could have the tummy even more upset. HTH

I have used babies magic tea after doing lots of remedies and soothed my baby from acid reflux.

I have always heard that babies with reflux should eat smaller amounts more frequently,be fed sitting up and be burped more often. Oh they say patting a baby's back to burp aggravates the reflux and rubbing their back is a better recommendation. My friends baby had reflux and this seemed to help here. Her vibrating chair calmed her too