Acid Reflux - Cuba,MO

My daughter had the same problem - breast fed and cried and cried after each feeding because she was in pain (didn't realize at the time). Then we got her some medication that we gave her every day (I think Zantac) and her spitting up decreased and her crying and pain stopped. So much better...talk to the doctor about this possibility.

Your breastfeeding class instructor told you wrong! My babies spit up and burped when I breastfed them, and many of my friends' breastfed babies did the same, to varying degrees. Your pedi is absolutely right - if a baby is gaining weight and doesn't seem to be in pain when eating, then spitting up is a laundry problem, not a medical one! In fact, a lot of the time, frequest spitting up in babies as young as your son is due to an oversupply problem - some moms just produce so much milk, or their let-down is so forceful, that it's too much for their baby's tummy and they spit some of it back up. This problem is usually self-correcting by 12 weeks, but if you think you might have over-supply and if it bothers you, you could see a lactation consultant.

Just in case you didn't know, it takes 10-14 days for the dairy protein to clear both your systems so you can't expect much improvement before then if that is contributing to the problem. I did notice an improvement with my daughter's gas when I cut out liquid dairy (milk, I was drinking an insane amount of milk). I still enjoyed moderate amounts of ice cream, cheese, yogurt, etc..."processed" dairy. I started added milk back in around 4 months.

Breastfed babies MAY not burp or spit up as much, but to say absolutely that they don't is a little crazy. My midwife/lactation consultant said that, just like everything else, each and every baby is different. She is a breastfeeding mother to five boys and she said 4 of 5 spit up all the time.

You don't say how old your son is, but I encountered overproduction between 3 and 6 months. It was when she started spitting up a lot more often....like every time. The foremilk is watery, sugary, and gas-producing. I would suggest trying to nurse just one side at a session. Let him nurse until he breaks the latch, burp him, and then put him right back on that side. It will get more hindmilk in him and help settle his tummy. Offer the second breast if he is still hungry. Start with a different breast at each session.

Good luck. This could just be one of many bumps in the road.

My first son (breastfed for 12 months) burped and spit-up a bit, but nothing concerning, so when my second came along, I was worried about the amount he spit-up. It seemed like so much, and so frequent! With my first I laughed at how many bibs and burpcloths we had, thinking it would take triplets to go through them all. With my second, there were days I had to do laundry just to get a fresh one! Like your doctor, mine said as long as he was gaining weight he was fine. Mine was what he called a "happy spitter:" he spit a lot but didn't seem uncomfortable while doing so and slept/ate fine. At almost 10 months old, he's mostly outgrown it, but it was in full force though 6 months or so (lessened shortly after we introduced solids). As my nurse-friend likes to say, "Spit-up is a laundry issue, not a health issue." Good luck with your new little one, and congratulations!

I had the same issue with my son! I still nurse him (he's 20 months - good luck weaning!) and acid reflux was a huge issue. I was on a dairy and gluten free diet as well. Breast fed babies can spit up and need burping just as much as formula fed babies. I had an excellent lactation consultant out of Norwich, CT at a store called Papoose. She's an excellent reference if you have further question about breast feeding and will help you over the phone - www.shoppapoose.com. The second I told my pediatrician to put my son on something to help with acid reflux, he slept on his own and was much happier. Zantac was the name, but there are other causes to acid reflux. I choose not to vaccinate my kids, which is your choice, but the Rota-virus vaccine has been known to cause short-term acid reflux as well. Another good resource on vaccines is Dr. Sherry Tenpenny, lots of info that will blow your mind! Good luck with everything and I hope this helped :)

Are you exclusively breastfeeding? Are you feeding on demand or trying to control a schedule? How are his wets and poops? How many a day? Is he fussy as he eats?
According to Campanozzi, "Spitting up occurs in up to 70% of babies and peaks around 4-5 months of age, occurring less and less often as the digestive system matures." Burping is normal for breastfeed babies too.
If you would like to chat , give me a call. M. Shay, Certified Lactation Specialist. ###-###-####

My preemie was exclusivly breastfed and I swear to you, he spit up MORE than I fed him! At least it looked that way to me, and it was projectile! His neonatologist told me it wasn't as much as it seemed and as long as he was gaining weight to deal with it until he started solids because his esophogeal flap was immature and not closing so no amount of meds would help. I must have went through fifteen soaked bibs a day-no joke. I cried every night because I was sure he was starving. But...the minute he started rice cereal at 4 months old it slowed down, and by the time he was 6 months, it was almost non-existant.

And by the way, all three of my breast fed/feeding babies burp like nobody's buisness!!!

No need to worry...completely normal! My daughter was breastfeed and burped from day one. She spit up with the best of them too.... Good luck and unfortunately you'll be cleaning up spit up for awhile :)

If your son is not screaming when he spits up or acting like he is in pain then it is probably not reflux. Spitting up is normal for a bf baby! My first had terrible reflux. Couldn't sleep laying down, screamed and arched her back after feeding. She spit up a lot, but so did my son. My son never developed reflux. I'd say keep an eye on it. But the amount of spit up is probably normal. It often looks worse than it is!

Yup--this sounds like how my son was exactly. I breast fed him as well. He would spit up like you wouldn't believe. Without fail. It didn't matter what I cut out of my diet or ate. He had acid reflux. He was on a prescription medication and an OTC one to help with it. I had to keep him in bibs. Nothing seemed to ease the reflux. He was gaining weight and was a very happy baby who just happened to spit up...a ton! It got much much better around a year old though. If I fed him right before bed or a nap, I had to keep him on an incline or he'd spit up worse. He still spit up, but not as bad. Also, as much as they say not to, laying him on his tummy helped a ton. Good luck wtih your little guy and congrats on the new baby!!

Breastfed babies DO spit up! Yes, and breastfed babies DO burp! I nursed all four of my boys and we did experience burping and spit up. Most of my friends did too. I am not sure what material you are reading that implies that only bottle fed babies burp and spit up; however, you can relax because it is perfectly normal. If your baby is projectile vomiting, in great pain, cries inconsolably, etc., it may be time to seek a second doctor's opinion---it may be acid reflux or some other malady. It sounds to me like your son is perfectly normal----however, we moms have great instincts and if you really feel that something is wrong with your son seek advice from another doctor. Best wishes and congratulations on your new little guy!

SERIOUSLY?!?!?!!!! I breastfed my son and boy did he burp! He didn't spit up very often, but he burped every time. Keep him on the SAME breast until that breast is completely empty. I kept my son upright or in his seat (I had a little 'chair' for him that was at an angle about like a carseat) for about 20-30 minutes after his feedings.

I have heard if you eat anything that could make you gassy, it may upset baby's tummy. Also anything spicy. My son did fine with anything I ate, but then again every baby is different, so yours might have a more sensitive stomach or tastebuds.

You can get more answers at La Leche League (http://www.llli.org/Web/Missouri.html or 1.877.452.5324) or www.kellymom.com. HTH! Blessings to you!

Wow. Haha, I've never met a baby who didn't burp ( maybe your instructor had them confused with cows?) or spit up! My daughter was a super-spitter-upper for her first six months. She's nine months now, and rarely barfs. I wasn't burping her properly at first- I usually couldn't get her to burp- my husband could....why? I finally read in a book that you have to put gentle pressure on baby's tummy WHILE patting their back. That helped a lot! But she still spit up on a regular basis. I keep a bottle of oxy clean in my bathroom for spots.

I've never heard of a normal amount or normal number of times to spit up. You have not mentioned that the is uncomfortable or that he doesn't sleep well or that he cries.

Every baby is different. Their digestive systems mature at different rates. I caused a baby to vomit by overfeeding her when I was a teen. Perhaps he may not have a strong pyloric? muscle, the muscle that controls the sphincter between the stomach and esophagus. You could try feeding him smaller amounts more often. How often is he eating?

It has been my experience that babies spit up, some more than others, and if they have no other symptoms such as crying, being unable to sleep, not gaining weight or a reddened esophagus which the doctor can see with his instruments they are OK.

Please find a way to stop worrying. It could even be that your tension over him spitting up is causing him to be tense which can cause him to spit up more often. This must be your first baby. smile He is OK. Trust the doctor.

All three of my children were breastfed and suffered from acid reflux. Nothing I tried(which is all the things you tried) really helped stop the spit up. Although I do think keeping upright for at least minutes after nursing helped a little. My Dr. did put them on medicine which stopped the pain associated with the spit up. Unfortunately, all you can do is keep a burp cloth handy. We quickly outgrew the cute little burb rags and always kept a recieving blanket handy. Hang in there!

YES breastfed babies burp & spitup.

The instructor for your class needs to be contacted & straightened out! Or go above the instructor's head. A complete disservice has been done to you.....& please let your voice be heard before any other new moms have to go thru this

That said, my vote is for food intolerances triggering this. It may be time to keep a food diary for yourself. In my daycare, one of the moms could eat only protein (unseasoned), vegies, unsweetened/decaf tea, & a few other things. No dairy, no soy, no gluten, had to avoid most fruits (acidity), no carbonation, ......& I forget the rest! The alternative was to try one of the really expensive formulas....?Nutramagin & ?? Sooo, she kept her diary, suffered greatly with hunger & weightloss for most of the 1st year.....but her child thrived. She also had to use dr-prescribed meds for her child.....& he still had reflux, still spitup, stilll had a rash.......but did gain weight & all of these food intolerances eased off by year one. He's a toddler now & can eat most foods. ..............Good Luck- hope the food diary helps.

Not sure whose breadfed baby doesn't burp, but both of mine burped. My youngest one would throw up every time (not just burp up a little) and she ended up taking medicine for GERD. I had to burp both girls REALLY well.

You might try positioning your son differently and making sure that he's latching on well. The first thing the docs will want to confirm is if he's just sucking in too much air when he's eating.

I would call the lactation consultant at the hospital where you had him. They'll usually allow you to come back to the hospital and work with you to make sure he's eating properly. I've used them as resources and they're always very happy to help.

Others things to cut would be sodas, chocolate, broccoli, onions, and anything that makes you burp.

Did you cut out all dairy (no exceptions) for at least two weeks? That's the only way to know for sure, and sometimes, it can take longer. My son was exactly like you describe. He was allergic to dairy, soy, and peanuts. He's still allergic to peanuts, but had outgrown the others. Does it ever look like he has string in his poop? That's another sign of a dairy allergy. But if you've carefully eliminated that possibility, I don't know much about acid reflux. I do know that breastfed babies can and do spit up and take in air, especially if they get really mad while you're trying to burp them and they are still hungry. The same thing happened to mine.

I had the same problem starting at 4 weeks with my son who is now 8 weeks old. My son however was bottle fed breast milk supplemented with formula. He would spit up large amounts of breast milk but keep the formula down, it's like a reversal from the first 4 weeks of spitting up formula and keeping the breast milk down. My pediatrician's only advice was to burp more often, feed less and hold him up for 30 minutes after he ate - all of which I was already doing. I also changed my diet I excluded dairy, citrus, tomatoes, I ended up having the most bland diet ever and it still didn't work. At 8 weeks I started him on formula exclusively and haven't had any trouble, some spit up but very little and he doesn't wail afterwards. I don't have any specific answers for you, I just know I was a wreck over it because I felt like I was letting him down but I had a very good friend tell me as long as I loved him I would never let him down. Just remember that and I hope you are able to find the best solution for both of you along with some peace of mind.
I also started my son on probiotics by Natren, their customer support is very helpful with lots of information, the probiotics have helped tremendously.

I breastfed my son. He rarely spit up. I want to say under 10 times in the 5.5 months that I breastfed him. And I burped him after each feeding, which was normal too. I am sorry he is having difficulty, and you too! Maybe since he is just 3 weeks old, it won't be like this forever. I hope that is the case for your sanity!

Sounds like you just have a spitter upper and this is more of a laundry problem than anything else. Breastfeed babies certainly DO burp and spit up. It sounds like maybe the teacher had some outdated information. Have you checked into your local La Leche League??? www.llli.org Is he extremely fussy or in pain??? If not, than it sounds like he will grow out of it and it is just a phase that you can hopefully get through. You could try block nursing (nursing on one side for a few hours and then nursing on the other side for the next 'block'). But, it sounds like more of a phase. My daughter went through this and as long as they are gaining well, than it's more of an annoyance than anything else. If you fill a table spoon with water and splatter it across the table it looks like a lot more than a table spoon. Your baby is probably spitting up a tablespoon or less but it sure looks like a lot more!!! Hope this helps put you at ease.

Symptoms of a dairy allergy are:
gas
fussiness (extreme)
snotty or bloody stools
rashes
eczema
check out more a La Leche League......

K.

You may want to have him checked out for pyloric stenosis. MY son was 3 weeks old when he was diagnoed. Didn't projectile vomit and was not losing weight. I would call your ped and have him look into this.

"During my breast feeding class I was told that breast feed babies do not burp or spit up"--- that's incorrect. ALL babies NEED to burp, and anyone can spit up. A little bit is normal, but you're right, 3-4 times at every feeding is not.

Have you considered pediatric chiropractic and/or craniosacral therapy? Both were needed for my little girl when she was first born and spit up a great deal. I am a ped. chiro. and find that adjustments can be very helpful. There are many reasons why misalignments can cause spitting up, so if you have questions about that, just PM me.

You can find a chiro that specializes in newborn care near you at www.icpa4kids.org.

Good luck!

Dr. Alyssa

Burping and spitting is very normal.
In fact, you ALWAYS want to burp the baby after a feeding. Whether breast or bottle fed.
All three of mine were breast fed. The oldest (a girl) could burp like a sailor.
I don't remember much out of the ordinary with the second, but the third had some real tummy issues. Lot's of vomiting. Turned out she was allergic to dairy. (Not lactose intolerant .... allergic)
There are other things you may want to remove from your diet, one at a time, to see if it makes a difference. Things like onions, garlic, heavy spices, caffeine, chocolate, and gas producing veggies like cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower.
Oh, and by-the-way, he may not be spitting up as much as it appears (volume, not frequency) Our pediatrician told us it can look like a LOT when it is all over everything, but if you were able to measure it out, it really is a very insignificant amount. The fact that your little one is gaining weight is a good sign he is probably not losing as much milk as you think he is.
You don't say anything about him crying for seemingly no reason, or showing any other signs of distress, so he is probably just fine, and will outgrow this before you know it. :o)

My kids always had to burp and spit up some every now and then. Sometimes it would look like a lot, maybe 2 teaspoons or so, but the kids
did fine and they are all teenagers now. The longest I nursed was 15 months.

Whoever told you breastfed babies don't spit up it flat out wrong. Some kids are 'spitters' and some kids aren't. My middle son was a spitter. I swear it seemed like he was spitting up almost everything he had eaten, but it obviously wasn't the case, because he was huge! Completely off the growth charts. I did get some improvement with lying flat on my back with him laying on top of me face down to nurse. One of the lactation consultants suggested that the problem might be that I had a forceful letdown that was causing him to gulp his milk so that was what she suggested. As I say, I got 'some' improvement, but he still spat up more than my other 2. Your doctor is right, though. As long as he is growing and gaining weight, he is fine. As I said before, some kids are just spitters. He will likely have a little more sensitive stomach for most of his life. My spitter is now 6 and he still throws up more easily than my other 2. Not that he pukes all the time, but if there's a bug going around that might just make the other 2 sick to their stomachs, he will usually puke even if the other 2 don't.