Any Advice for a Crying Newborn

Zantac didn't work for my daughter. Had to change to Prevacid and it worked wonders! It takes a few days to kick in but is great. I would ask doctor to change. Zantac doesn't work for all.

Hi J.,
I never had any experience with the acid reflux, but my second daughter had really bad problems with spitting up, which I guess is similiar, and I didn't really have the resources then that I did with my 4th child. When my 4th was born, I was determined to get a boppy pillow, (I had always wanted one, and never got one), so I went out and bought one. He was really colicky and would only sleep with me holding him, when he was like that. Well, so I could get some sleep, I put him in the middle of the bed between my husband and I propped him up on the boppy, and that way I could lay my face right next to his and have my arms around him and we could both get some sleep. It worked really well. he's 13 months old now I still do it now when he gets a stuffy nose, and needs to be propped up to breathe.
By the way, all 4 of my children co-slept with my husband and because I was only breastfeeding and it allowed us to sleep at night and we never had any problems.
I hope it gets better for you! Congratulation on your new addition and my God Bless!
Feel free to e-mail me if you need to!
V.

Hey J.,

Don't know if this will help with the acid reflux, but you might want to buy the DVD "The Happiest Baby on the Block." Subtitle: The New Way to Calm Crying and Help Your Baby Sleep Longer. It worked miracles for us. I would try to explain it to you, but its better if you can see the technique in action on DVD. Its only a 30-min. video. It might help calm your baby down, despite the acide reflux. You can get the DVD online.

M.

J.,
I sympothize with you and baby. Are you watching what you eat as far as the gassy foods? If so , it may be that your baby has colic and this does drive a new mom to the end of her rope, ask me, I dealt with it the 1st baby and wasn't sure I wanted more after that experience ! lol
Have you tried rubbing her belly or infant massage ? It could also be she's still hungry if your milk supply has diminished. I'm not sure how you feel about formula supplements, but, it may be something to consider. (Just make sure you try to find one that agrees with her, you may want to consider ,if you turn to this alternative, a bottle or two of premixed formula,although a little more expensive, but, cheaper in the long run than buying a whole can of powder you may not use. and just see how she does). GOOD LUCK with whatever you choose, these are only a couple of suggestions. Keep us posted about what works ! C. S.

Hi J.,

I feel for you. My oldest and youngest daughters had severe reflux. My youngest daughter was tried on every RX available and they all made it worse, not better. We survived on gas drops and sleeping on her tummy. I kept her upright for 45 minutes after each feeding, then I would lay her down and play the wheels on the bus with her to help push out any built up gas.

No one knows what causes SIDS, but I do know this. Twenty five years ago the medical profession stated that 90% of children who died of SIDS were sleeping on their backs, and you must put a child on their tummy. A few years ago they discovered that 80% of children who died of SIDS were on their tummy, and you must place them on their back. Duh, all these babies were in these positions because that is what the doctors told their mommies to do.

I also have two grandchildren with reflux, and they and their mommies are all happier now that they are sleeping on their tummy (it helps push the gas out). Good luck and know that it will pass in a few months (or at least get easier, as they begin to pass gas on their own). My youngest daugter is now four and still has the reflux, but it's not as severe.

Also get a referral for a pediatric GI. My youngest daughter doesn't have "acid" reflux, her reflux is caused by the stomach muscle not closing. When I took her in for tests (because the meds were not helping) I met dozens of other parents who's peditrician diagnosed "acid" reflux and that wasn't the problem with their child.

J.,
I can totally feel your pain! My daughter had acid reflux (she still does at 21 mos) and she had colic for 5 months. Its so tough. One of the best books that helped me deal with how to handle her crying and help soothe her and help her to sleep was "The Happiest Baby on the Block." You can get a soft cover version of it at any bookstore or Babies R Us for about $12. It's a quick easy read and it really helped me. Don't worry. It will get better. Even though my daughter still has reflux, she stopped spitting up after about a year. She is still on medication though, but hopefully will outgrow it in the next couple of months. Most children outgrow it by 6 months of age, so hopefully that will be the case for you. Also, does your baby like the swing or the pacifier? Those things helped us too.
Good luck.
E.

J. - our first son had the same trouble with reflux. His was from staying in the NICU and being intibated and extibated (sp?) so many times. I found that he slept better on his belly as well, they put him on his belly in the NICU for this very reason. I made sure he had his hospital paci because it has been found to help with SIDS to have them sucking. I also think it helped with the reflux because he was sucking and swallowing. I also let him sleep in his car seat or swing on days he was having a hard time. I just moved the car seat into my bedroom with me at night. Sounds unorthodox but it worked. Lastly I found that zantac did nothing for him, his pulmonologist put him on prevacid chewables, which I would crush and dissolve in some juice. That made a huge difference. his reflux was causing him to have asthma attacks at night, with the prevacid it stopped immediately. Oh yeah, I also had my DH prop up one end of his mattress so his head was a bit higher. It was easier to do in his bassinet and they always had his head higher in the NICU. Hope this helps a little.

T.

J.,

You might want to try taking her to a chiropractor. We have seen many babies in our office for a number of reasons and they respond very well. The birthing process is very traumatic for both the mother and the baby so it is important that she get her spine checked. She may actually have a spinal misalignment (subluxation) that may be affecting the nerves that assist in digestion. It is all natural without any negative side effects. All medication has a place, but it also comes with side effects and she is way too young to start that cycle. I highly recommend giving chiropractic a chance. We have a 5 month old son that has been getting adjusted since he was 45 min. old and he has been as healthy as can be. If you would like more information please feel free to email me at ____@____.com luck with your baby girl.

Mine too had reflux (silent reflux, actually), was on Zantac until about 9 mos. Anyway, after much consideration and independent research, we put him to sleep on his stomach because it was the only way he would sleep more than 20 minutes. I bought an Angelcare monitor which detects movement b/c I was terrified of the whole SIDS factor. I'm not a pediatrician, and have never had one yet say it's ok to put them to sleep on their stomach, but just followed what seemed to be the right choice for us given my son's situation. On a side note, my son was also very gassy and often had a big distended belly. The pediatrician said a baby could go four days w/out a BM, but we found giving him a children's suppository so he went each day helped tremendously. Since your baby is breastfed, you may not have any problem here, but just in case. So, if you want/need to try - here goes...get the children's suppositories, open baby's diaper and leave it underneath her, hold baby's legs up like when changing, put about 1/3 of the suppository in (the rest is sticking out) and hold it in there with your thumb. Usually only takes a couple minutes (sometimes sooner) and they start releasing gas (keep suppository in), then they go. This helped us... Good luck! melissa

Hi J.,

My daughter had reflux when she was little and her GI doctor gave her reglan and zantac. I also would give her the gas drops. I nursed and bottle fed. Pediatrician told me I had to give her meds 1/2 hour before feeding and the GI dr told me to give her the meds and feed her right away. When I did that (and burping frequently) things turned around for the good. Once I changed the way her meds were given she did great. She is now 15 years old and never had another problem.
Hope this helps a little.
L.

My second daughter was colic, had acid reflux and thrush. She cried 24.7 even with medicine for the first 10 weeks,. The medicine helped but did not cure her. Just remember this will pass and will only last for a short period of time. I had a 19mth old at the time and she adjusted fine. It was hard on her but now she is the loving sister of her 17mth old sister. Children adjust. I think it is harder on us then them. We feel so guilty. The only thing that helped her was carrying her in a front carrier. It was the only way to calm her down and get her to sleep during the day. She too had to co-sleep with us because she had bad stomack pain and could not sleep on her back. I know it is hard but it will pass in a short period of time compare to how long she will be in your life. Your daughter will be fine too. Good luck

2 of my 3 had reflux. the eldest had it until she was off the bottle then it cleared rigt up. to the point after a feeding i would have to change her clothes at least 2 times. the middle daughter was on meds. she was spitting up stomach acid and whiny. one thing i noticed with my oldest to help her sleep and ease her off was a full body massage whie she layed on her belly on my chest. she would relax right out. then i'd put her in her rocking stroller and use my foot to keep it gentelly swaying and her and i would get a few hours sleep. she was also on donotal for the first few weeks which stops intestinal spasms but also eased off the pain and put her to sleep but i generally tried the message first. the second the meds worked for and she had o more issues

Sometimes a warm hotwater bottle may help ease the baby some. Please make sure it is not too hot. A baby's skin is much thinner than ours. In the old days (he he) wrapping a baby snugly in a receiving blanket can give them a sense of security also.
I know this may sound odd to you but an activity that is very satisfying and such a treat to the elders is to visit a nursing home and read to them even a book your child loves is something they would enjoy. It is a reminder to them of the good old days and how they raised their child or children. Make their day.
I hope this was some help.

J.,

The good news is that this will end soon! My son was never diagnosed but constantly cried, hated to be laid down (like his stomach hurt), and always wanted to be held. The only thing you can do as a mother is do what you can to make them comfortable as there body and the medicine works. Warm baths, warm washcloths, heating pads (I used a heating pad on low with a towel double folded over it to protect my son from getting burned and checked it every 1-2 minutes to make sure it wasn't getting to hot on him), exercise (there are books about baby exercise - they don't have to be specific but the moment/exercise helps break up the gas like the warm compresses). We had this thing we called a 'bug' because it was painted like a lady bug, it's a foot massager that vibrates - I would put my son in his swing with the bug on his tummy. My thought was that just like coughing when your sick breaks up the congestion, the vibration might break up the gas - Maybe it did work and maybe it didn't but my son always seemed to feel a little better afterwards. Burp more often - As much as it made my son cry I would burp him every single ounce - yes, he ate and ounce and we burped, he ate another ounce and we burped again.

This is probably a silly question and I hate to ask but...Have you tried switching formula and bottles? It took me three times to finally find the one that gave my son the least gas. He still had gas but it was manageable in comparison to the all day/all night battles we had been through.

Hi J.,

You have gotten some good advice and some questionable advice on this topic, but I just wanted to suggest a few more things:

1) the swallowing action of breastfeeding helps with reflux pain (at the time). Also, breastfed infants have less severe reflux. Keep it up. You may need to start pumping breastmilk after each feed, too, to keep your supply up. Then, you'll have expressed milk in the freezer for other care givers.

2) I agree that you should keep your baby upright as much as possible, especially 30 minutes after feeds. We, too, slept with our daughter upright in a recliner, swing, etc. for about 6 months (until her esophageal sphincter (I think that is is right) matured and she grew out of the reflux-- between 6-9 months usually).

3) While sleeping on the back does help prevent SIDS, you might want to discuss the option of stomach sleeping with your pediatrician, as some others have done for children with severe reflux. We never felt comfortable with that, so we put an incline wedge under our daughter when she slept. BTW, we co-slept with my daughter for quite a while...

4) If your infant has colic, it may have nothing to do with reflux. There are 2 schools of thought on colic--it is caused by either gas or sensory integration. You may not believe me, but our daughter had colic and would begin crying anywhere from 6:30 pm to 11:30 pm every night for about 5 weeks. We were given the advice to run the vacuum cleaner when this started and from the very first time we did, she calmed down in a nano-second. We would keep it running for about an hour, but after that, she was much more calm and sleepy. The grandparents thought we were crazy when we told them about our new "technique" until they saw the immediate calming effects first hand. So, I believe colic stems from something other than gas pains.

That's about it. I wish you the best of luck and know that you are not alone!! As others have said, this is temporary. I promise one day you'll look back and you won't even remember the details or the sleep deprivation!

Best,

S. C.

I had the exact same problem with my little girl. Unfortunately, I think that nothing works except for time. I have a little boy now, and when he gets reflux, I either prop him on his back on a pillow, or I put him in his swing. He usually sleeps okay that way. It's just a guessing game. I nursed both of mine, so I feel your pain. Have you tried pumping and using a bottle? Well, good luck. Mine hated her car seat too. She screamed every time we went somewhere for almost the first year. I think once your daughter is between 6-9 months, it will ease up. It did for mine.

My son also had acid reflux and it does make you feel so helpless. They are miserable and you just want to help. Here are some things you can try right now.

1. Go back to your doctor and ask for a different medication. Zantac is often the first med prescribed (mild) and helps some children, but it looks like your daughter needs something stronger. Prevacid and Axid are commonly prescribed. My son was on Prevacid and it worked for him (Axid did not). However, it can take up to two weeks to "kick in" so you would want to start on that right away.

2. If you haven't already, have your daughter seen by a specialist, a pediatric gastroinologist. He/she will manage your child's reflux and can prescribe the stronger, more effective meds.

3. Baby must be kept vertical as much as possible, including feedings. Every time you lay her down flat she is potentially getting acid in her throat.Feed her using the football hold. Keep her vertical at least 30 minutes after a feeding.

4. Baby must sleep with her upper body elevated to help prevent the acid from rising. We used a Tucker Sling. It's a wedge that elevates the mattress and a sling you wrap around baby to keep her from sliding to the bottom of the crib. It was the only way our son would sleep until he was 12 months old. Google "Tucker Sling" and you should be able to find the site. Some people have put baby to sleep in a carseat and/or glider but that did not work for us.

5. Eliminate all dairy from your diet. Dairy irritates acid reflux.

Acid reflux peaks at 5-6 months and most babies are no longer refluxing by 12 months. My son is almost 14 months old and he is finally medication free, sleeping flat in his crib (without the Tucker Sling). It was a long, painful road, but we made it. Just keep comforting your daughter while seeking more medical help for her.

Okay, I just read the response from Victoria. No offense, Victoria, but J.'s baby is unhappy because she has burning acid rising from her stomach up to her throat. It is extremely painful and can eventually leak into her lungs causing respiratory problems (which my son also had to be treated for). This is a medical condition that must be treated just so baby (and mom) can sleep and find some comfort. You were fortunate that your babies did not suffer and SCREAM in pain from this condition endlessly. If your babies did, then you would understand that swaddling and patting on the back would do nothing to alleviate their pain.

My babies did not have reflux so this doesn't specifically address that part. But you could try swaddling her. You have to do it pretty snug, but some babies really like it. Also, anything rhythmic might help... music playing softly, a swing, a walk in the stroller. My daughter used to LOVE when my husband would bang her on the back. That sounds rough, but a little pat like I would do when burping her just didn't do it. He would "pat" her with the flat of his hand and it sounded really loud... but she LOVED it...
Just walk around in the yard outside... the breeze on her face can distract her... the new smells might help too.