Reflux Help Needed!

Nicole - posted on 09/30/2009

My daughter had it and we added a little rice cereal to her formula. Best Wishes!!

Niki - posted on 09/30/2009

My daughter had severe GERD and I used Gripe Water by Mother's Bliss. It's all organic and helped... she is 21 months and you would never have known it. It's even great if you have an upset stomach. Please try it before you try any of the medications the doctors may want to prescribe, like I said, it's all natural and you can't od on it. Remember GRIPE WATER, it's a miracle in a bottle. I hope this helps. Good luck

Lynda - posted on 09/30/2009

Our daughter had bad reflux - no fun!! Our son, on the other hand, had vomiting that progressed to projectile vomiting, and of course the screaming, etc. He had Pyloricstenosis (?), the thickening of the Pyloric muscle between the stomach and intestine. Had surgery at 5 wks at AI, a simple 10 minute procedure (from what we were told), spent only a couple of days there, and has been fine ever since (he is almost 20!). Dr. said sometimes it is difficult to detect (they look for what they call "an olive" when feeling for it) and I gathered that (at least back then) some drs. were not as familiar with it. Maybe wouldn't hurt to rule that out. Hope it goes well and he gets over all this soon! Feel free to let me know if you have other questions. Thanks!

Leigh - posted on 09/30/2009

You might want to try a health food store or baby store for "Gripe Water" $15 a bottle might be sooo worth it. I would add it to my daughter bottle. Poor little guy have you tried soy formula?

Heather - posted on 09/30/2009

My son also had reflux issues. Pediatrician advised us to change his formula to one that was lactose-free and suggested putting rice cereal in his bottle before bed time. He also prescribed medication that he had to take twice a day (zantac).

Deirdre - posted on 09/30/2009

Hello, my son was born at 26 weeks and had horrible reflux as well. While still in the hospital, he was put on Prevacid. He takes 2.5 ml of the medicine in liquid form and it has worked wonders for him. I use Playtex Ventaire bottles which are AWESOME. To help prevent reflux, I sit him semi upright during feedings, burp him often (after every ounce) and keep him sitting upright for at least 30 minutes after feedings. All of this has pretty much eliminated his reflux.

Kim - posted on 09/30/2009

both of my kids have had reflux.... one also had a milk allergy, and the other a soy allergy.... i would make sure he has been weighed in recently. a lot of the medications are weight specific... and if he gets to big it won;t work enough anymore.... also i would also recommend trying different formulas... i had my son on lactose free.... and my daughter had to be on neutramigen .... but the biggest suggestion is go directly to a GI doctor... pediatricians just dont have enough specialty for this. my son suffered for 2 years before we finally saw a GI doctor... and they changed his diet (milk free) after our pediatrician told us he was not allergic to milk... and changed his meds.... and he was DELIGHTFUL after!! but his sleep patterns took 2 more years to fix.... so NIP it in the bud!!! the pain and the sleep issues are terrible!! GI is the way to go

Marna - posted on 09/30/2009

When my daughter was one month old she was diagnosed with reflux and prescribed liquid Zantac by her pediatrician. She could finally sleep! Also, we slightly elevated her crib mattress. Before taking the med, she cried a lot, spit up and only slept 1-2 hours at a time. It worked great.

Christine - posted on 09/30/2009

I lived this for years too, so let me try to remember what we did (I had three kids with reflux - one had it for the first 13 months).

Sit him up right after eating. Placing the baby in a car seat may scrunch their tummies too much, so a swing it better or bouncy seat. My second child was the worst of them all and we couldn't put her in an infant car seat at all because she would be in so much pain. We bought a Britax seat that was bigger, but that an infant could fit into (then we would just have her lay at an angle in the stroller when outside the house). We had to use Nutramagen on all three kids. It was VERY expensive, but we did what we had to do. They were all also on prevacid for a long time (it takes a while for the medication to work). Ask your doctor about Mylanta. That REALLY helped my kids. Extra strength Mylanta has the mylicon drops in it (this was safe for our infants - you just need the right dose). The Mylanta helps to soothe the esophagus. When you're changing the baby, make sure the mattress is tilted a bit, if it is flat that will cause them pain. If they are sleeping in a crib, make sure that is at an angle as well. My third child slept in a swing for 9 months and I wish I had done that for my first two! The swing that goes from side to side (not front to back) is the only one that worked. The front to back motion got them all upset and in pain. I did keep the swing going most of the time on low - that way if she woke up the rocking motion helped her get back to sleep. Lastly, we also took them to the chiropractor. My second child started at 6 months and my third child started at 3 weeks. The doctor was VERY gentle (as one would need to be with an infant). In full disclosure it didn't make the reflux go away, but it helped the kids relax a great amount so they could at least sleep. Their little bodies get so tense from the pain that this was an amazing relief for them. I hope this helps in some way!

Suzanne - posted on 09/29/2009

Hi...talking from both experience as a mom AND a nurse....you may have tried all these, but here goes:

1.make sure this baby takes the bottle sitting almost upright...but support his chest/tummy/head position. In other words, don't let him slump. It pust pressure on the belly.

2. most importantly...you HAVE to stop and burp these babies ALL THE TIME. 1/2 an ounce, stop and burp.

3.Mylicon helps!

4.less liquid/more feedings

4.STAY CALM. It's horrible when we get upset about our babies, but it is also the first thing they pick up on. This will make reflux worse.

5.console yourself with the fact that they DO grow out of it!

Of course I am assuming you have already told your pediatrician....I always try to go to prescriptions like prevacid, etc. as a "last ditch", but they are necessary at times.

GOOD LUCK!

TRACIELEA - posted on 09/29/2009

I can relate. My son had reflux since he was born. I was breastfeeding him and he had to go on 2 different meds every 6 hours, around the clock. It really helped. I did find that NOT burping him right away and NOT putting him at a high incline actually helped. When we did put him over our shoulder to burp him that is when it would really hurt him. Although the docs say the upright position is best, we found what worked for us. I am sure you will be able to find what works for you too. Don't be afraid of starting your little one on meds. They eventually grow out of the dose by 1 yr of age. Hang in there!!!

Amanda - posted on 09/29/2009

My son actually needed to get a surgery called Nissen Fundopplication done on his stomach to correct his acid refux. Not all children need it done though if diet and meds will help.

Jessenia - posted on 09/29/2009

My daughter had a similar problem when she was a baby. She would vomit out of her nose and mouth. It was a lot of vomit for a little one. What her pediatrician actually advised me to do was giving her about a teaspoon or two of rice cereal in her bottle and that actually helped her a lot and she gained weight! Beachnut also now makes rice cereal for baby's that are about 4 months but you can still use it just a teaspoon or two though. Also burping after every Ounce helps out, its a lot of work but it does work.

Alisha - posted on 09/29/2009

I have a two month old that has terrible reflux! What I have found that works is we feed her sitting up and leave her sitting up for at least 45 min after she eats. She also does not sleep flat. She is on Zantac and they switched her formula to enfamil ar, it thickens in their tummies and makes it harder to come up. It has really worked for her. I also saw that they put him on medication, have they upped the dosage since he has grown because with my babies Zantac they have to weigh her every so often and up the dosage regularly for it to work. I hope this helps

Lashandra - posted on 09/29/2009

Another solution may be the Nutramigen formula,expensive but it helps

Lashandra - posted on 09/29/2009

Try whats natural first the only thing that help my son was 15mg Prevacid 1/2 pill a day

Kerin - posted on 09/29/2009

Are you using formula? I suggest changing formulas if you are. Caleb had really bad reflux with Similac and Enfamal (the only kind I could get on WIC). I switched him to Goodstart Supreme in the orange can and it went away. No more all nighters, screaming, spit-up etc. I also suggest getting a Crib Wedge. They are available at Babiesrus and greatly help babies who have reflux problems.

Megan - posted on 09/29/2009

Hey! My baby has acid reflux too. She's breastfed, and that didn't seem to matter to her. My doctor recommended putting her on SIMILAC Sensitive RS, it's thicker formula so it coats there tummy's more and they aren't in that much discomfort. We also give Olivia Gripe water, they have it at target, walgreens, anywhere, but it helps relax her along with mylicon all in her bottle, and it seems to be helping a little bit. Oh and the doctor also said that they can prescribe antacids for babies too. So good luck!! I hope this helps a little bit!

Tara - posted on 09/29/2009

My son has the same problem but he refuses food not bottles. The doctor told me he will grow out of it and all it is really is a under developed digestive system. If you fell like his health is suffering please get to a doctor! They can fix it if need be.

Kristen - posted on 09/29/2009

Quoting Brita:

We've talked to our pediatrician a bunch of times....our boys were 12 weeks early also and they both had reflux issues at first. The one grew our of it, but the other seems to just get worse and worse. He has been taking Prevacid for almost 2 months now, but the last 3 weeks or so, he's gotten considerably worse. They are on special formula since they were so premature and it's the same stuff that they've been on since they were in the NICU.

Brita, if it's getting worse, and you've tried everything you could think of to ease his discomfort, I would definitely recommend you take him in to the doctor. Sounds like either the medication needs to be adjusted, or he might have a bowel obstruction. How's your son's voiding going?  Have you noticed any changes in his feces?  My son is twelve now, and it unfortunately took us years before we were able to figure out that he had bowel issues, and he suffered quite a lot from pain, bloating and discomfort.  He's been on permanent Milk of Magnesia therapy for the past six years, and thankfully the bowel issues are no longer a problem.  So I'd definitely suggest you talk to your doctor/specialist about what could be causing such a worsening of his condition.

Christine - posted on 09/29/2009

My Victoria had reflux for her first 8 months. Try putting bed risers under her crib, just the end where her head is. You have to put a towel rolled and folded into a U between their legs though otherwise they will slide to the end. Also, her pediatrician had her on Reglan which did WONDERS for her. Try just a Tablespoon of formula with some rice cereal. Even if you have to feed him every couple of minutes, it makes a big difference. Victoria also looked like she wasn't breathing and would get scared. It was so scary until we figured out what was happening from the doctors. Try to keep him upright after he eats. Most of all, it's not permanent. I know it's tough but it does get better!

Carissa - posted on 09/29/2009

my youngest had reflux. they put him on enfamil gentle ease that really helped. we had him on a sleep wedge bc when he laid flat on his back he would be miserable all night. also those lil baby gas drops really helped!

Chloe - posted on 09/29/2009

oh and try warm water with a little bit of brown sugar in it, it really does help bring up any trapped wind!!!

Mary - posted on 09/29/2009

Have you tried warming bottle. I know alot of moms feed room temperature which is fine. Sometimes a little warmer helps, and feeding them in upright position smaller amounts. Babies r us has a bottle that is meant for feeding sitting up and keeps baby from getting air. It has a straw that brings milk from bottom of bottle to avoid air pocket.

Gorett - posted on 09/29/2009

My daughter also had very bad reflux. It was absolutely horrible! I brought it up to her pediatrician who said that it was normal for infants to have reflux that we should just wait. One day when my daughter was about 2months old, my husband was changing her on the changing table and she became stiff as a board and bright red screaming at the top of her lungs...the pediatrician said that the lining of her esophagus was so irritated from all of the acid. He finally put her on liquid Zantac until she was 9 months old. The bad part for us, was that as a first time mom I wasn't sure if it was something that I was eating and passing it on to her in the breastmilk and so I stopped nursing her before we were both ready to give up. It just broke my heart to see her scream in pain. The Zantac was great for her. Good Luck!

Chloe - posted on 09/29/2009

my boy had horrible reflux, he did grow out of it at 4 months asmost babies do but do try a warm bath during the bad bouts, it help relaxes them so they are able to bring up the wind or im not sure if you have something called 'infants friend' where you are but it was my saviour a few times!!! hope it gets better for you!

Brita - posted on 09/29/2009

We've talked to our pediatrician a bunch of times....our boys were 12 weeks early also and they both had reflux issues at first. The one grew our of it, but the other seems to just get worse and worse. He has been taking Prevacid for almost 2 months now, but the last 3 weeks or so, he's gotten considerably worse. They are on special formula since they were so premature and it's the same stuff that they've been on since they were in the NICU.

Tonya - posted on 09/29/2009

i went through that with my first and third children.... it gets better! has the doctor switched formula.? we changed formula 5 times with my oldest, but after that she was a perfect angel...shes ten now, and has stayed perfect this far.

do u give him his formula warm?... maybe give it to him at barely room temp, sound odd but does work. at this point its all about making him comfortable again, so that the family can get back to normal. good luck mommy!

Hannah - posted on 09/29/2009

my daughter had the same problem. Don't let him get too full. Just get him to almost full. yes of course you will have to feed him more often.I don't know how old he is but do not give him Kool-Aid it is full of acid.

Jessica - posted on 09/29/2009

Have you talked to your pediatrician about it? You could try a different formula (I assume your formula feeding, w/ the bottle statement), he might have an issue with lactose. If you're breastfeeding, there's a diet that you can follow for lactose-intolerant babies. That's my only guess as to what could be causing it. I was lactose-intolerant as a baby and child, and still can't drink too much milk (I'm fine w/ cheese & ice cream) without getting a stomach ache. I quit drinking milk in kindergarten, b/c when I did drink it it gave me terrible stomach aches. Usually when a kiddo is screaming that much it's b/c of pain- It could be gas, you can try laying him on his tummy on an exercise ball and rocking him gently on it. It's a good way to gently work out gas.

I hope this helped! Good Luck!!

Susan - posted on 09/29/2009

my son had reflux really bad when he was little. I had to give him Mylicon drops before eating and burp him more (this was 21 years ago). Also, do not lay him down flat after eating and don't bustle him around a lot after eating. He needs to stay as calm as possible for at least 30 minutes. These helped me with my son. I have to tell you, though, he had a grandma who insisted on shaking him around and putting him up above her head - that caused a lot of tension because I was thinking of my son's comfort and how she seemed not to care. Anyway, he never threw up in her face (and I hate to say it but she deserved it to happen). Hopefully he will outgrow it by the time he's one. Oh, and we had to switch to soy formula which helped a lot. Then he drank soy milk instead of cow milk for a lot of his toddler years. Hope this helps!! :-)

Kristen - posted on 09/29/2009

Have you talked with your pediatrician or specialist about this? If it does go on for too long (as in weeks and weeks), yes, your boy will eventually have weigh issues, but the worst problem would be with all of the acid he's bringing up... it could damage his esophagus, if I'm remembering what our pediatrician told us when our son was an infant. He was born twelve weeks premature, an only child, and had reflux in a horrible way. We did try to lighten up the tension and worry by saying he must've been Linda Blair's child. ;) If your pediatrician's no help, you should ask for a referral to a specialist. There are medicines that could help with the reflux, but it could also be that you need to change his formula if that's what you're feeding him with. We had to try a few different formulas before there was one our son tolerated. Take heart, this WON'T last forever, though it sure as heck feels like it.