Help Please!

Hi M.,
She didn't have reflux though, but have you tried switching his bottles? My daughter spit up every single feeding in her first few months. We switched from Dr. Brown bottles to BornFree and she never spit up again. Good luck!

M.,
have you tried reglan? also a gi doc does not have to usea tube they can use xray with barium. also just and fyi gerber rice cereal is gassy beachnut is not.Gerber adds something I forget what that Beachnut does not.My son had sevear reflux we used zantac with reglan added rice cereal to bottles to thicken it up. there isalso something called thickit that can be used thicker food stays down more. best of luck L.

Hi M.,
I have battled digestion/constipation issues for some time with my 2 year old daughter. I would highly, highly, recommend Dr. Anthony Repucci out of Dartmouth CHAD, located in Manchester NH. He is phenomenal, I trust him with my child completely, and trust me it takes a lot to do that!

Good luck!

Hi M.
I can put you in touch with other moms and dads whose children have had awesome (SAFE) results with Reliv Kids Now.
It is a powder that can be mixed with any liquid or other mixable foods-ie applesauce, yogurt etc.
I is safe and effective and been around for almost 10 years.
Doctors do not study nutrition (as told to me by my Primary!) so they don't have this knowledge to offer.
This product is made here in the US so there are no fears of what is in it.
I am sorry for your frustration. We as moms always want to make it all better no matter what.
Happy to connect you with these moms.
J. H

M., you should take your son to a Pediatric GI, we have seen one for my daughter since she was 3 weeks old (shes 10 months old this week), they have never scoped her or done any invasive treatment to her. Through diet and medication we have managed her reflux. We live in NH and see a great Dr. through the Dartmouth Hitchock Clinic in Manchester, we also see Dr. Repucci, he is AMAZING! He has taken a colicy baby with sever gas and reflux and transformed her into a smiley, happy baby!

We also did chiropratic visits for our daughter. There are Chirporactors that specilize in childred and it makes a HUGE difference. They dont adjust them like they do you and me, the more use light touch on pressure points that have amazing results. At first we were hesitent, but when we brought her it helped, it also helped my nephew who also spit up with every feeding, two visits and he stopped spitting up.

I know it sounds hookey, but it worked. Im not a chiropractor and have nothing to gain by telling you this. buy as a mommy that felt helpless watching my baby cry with pain and discomfort I would try anything to make her feel better and the chirpractor really helped, in conjunction with the Pediactric GI. Im in southern NH, if you live close by I can give you the names of the Chiropractor and the GI if your interested.

Good Luck

if he's thriving, happy and gaining weight, then he's fine.. sorry!! reflux does get better whent hey learn to sit up by themselves.. both of my kids had it. It doesn't go away,but it does lessen. Hold off on the GI - feed him slow and burp alot and keep him upright.. it gets better, I promise!

Hi M....boy do I sympathize with you and your little one. I am a mother of three, two girls and now a nine month old boy. All three of my kids had some sort of reflux and were all on similac alimentum. They did not have a problem drinking it and our insurance covered it! Now with my son he would spit up and then it would come flying out of his nose. He would look so scared and would choke! I always had the nose aspirator ready in my pocket. For us zantac was a waste of time...the prilosec helped a bit. I also put cereal in the bottle like every other one, 1/2 tsp per ounce. The Dr. Brown bottles also helped I know you may not want to here this, but it is going to take time. Thank goodness he is gaining weight..and is a happy baby other wise. My pediatrician would say as long as they are a "happy spitter"! So what to do: stay calm, have a nose aspirator with you, hold him upright, maybe try prilosec, or cereal (soy free rice cereal), try having him sleep in his infant carseat, and finally I would recommend a GI specialist. The good thing about the specialist is they will answer all of your questions and watch his weight gain. So I hope this helps and know that I went through it and my son grew out of that at about 5 1/2 months. Take Care J.

GI drs specialize in this area so it would be worth getting an opinion. They can do a swallow study and view his eating to determine if there is a physical problem. However sometimes it is just reflux and takes a few months of adjusting level of Zantac, etc to really help the reflux. I don't know if your little boy is sleeping on a wedge incline. That often helps to assist in keeping the food down. Hope it improves soon.

I would definitely bring him to a GI specialist, you have to rule out everything. But I have to tell you that I babysat for a baby that spit up until she was 1 years old. Her muscles in her esophogus or the top of her stomach just weren't mature yet. I can't hurt to have someone rule everything out and perhaps in a few months things will improve as his digestive system matures. Best wishes.

Hi M.,
We had similiar issues with my son. He was formula fed from the beginning but had severe reflux with arching and vomitting. He gained ok but we were all miserable. After 3 weeks and 4 formula changes, my pedi put us on Enfamil Nutramegin and it was a God send. He was also on Zantac 2x/day. Our insurance covered 100% of the cost for the formula. B/C it's a script, many cover some/all of the cost. His GI greatly improved. We also fed him smaller, more frequent feedings and held/ placed him upright for a bit after feeding- swing, bouncy, car seat. He often slept in one of these instead of the crib at night and for naps. The GI doc might also have good ideas without lots of probing...def. worth a visit but you won't know until you go. Good Luck!

Hi M.,

I'd be concerned too. Even though your son is gaining weight, choking or nearly choking every time he eats and causing panic for both of you is not healthy. You don't want him to develop some kind of aversion to eating.

I would definitely recommend that you take your son to a GI doctor. I don't think that they'd scope him just yet. First they'll probably want to do an Upper GI, which doesn't hurt at all. They'll have your son drink barium and then take a series of X-rays as it moves down his throat and through his digestive system. My son has had at least 3 for various reasons. This way they can find out if perhaps something hasn't fully formed that's causing the throwing up.

I'd also recommend that you take your son to Children's Hospital, if possible. We go to Children's in Boston (they also have a few other locations) and they are extremely thorough, kind and understanding. A good GI doc will rule out things you (or we) may have not even considered.

Good luck - hope you find the answers you need.

M. i feel your pain! i had twins in october and my son was a HUGE spitter-upper!!! we were at the doctors often about it because it was concerning me and hard to live with! (are you CONSTANTLY doing laundry to keep clean bibs and clothes handy!! handing him to a friend/family member warning them to "watch out!" and keeping a spit up cloth ALWAYS in arms reach!) My pediatrician couldn't find anything wrong and since he was gaining weight he wasn't too concerned - and that should be your main concern here. if your son starts to lose weight or stop gaining than you need to be really concerned. I will share with you the things we looked into, tried, and the results we ended up with.... Like you, we also looked in reflux which he didn't end up having. another condition we looked into (which doesn't sound like something your son would have because he is gaining weight, but it couldn't hurt to bring up to your doctor) is Pyloric Stenosis. Look at www.webmd.com for a description of this condition. What our ending result was was that we just needed to find the right amount to feed Luke (my son). My doc said whatever he is spitting up is just extra formula/breastmilk that his belly can't handle and/or doesn't need. so he was getting all he needed and gaining weight but what he was spitting up was just extra. so it was almost like we were over feeding him - which we really weren't according to charts and recommendations of what a baby at his age should be eating at each feeding. but every baby is different! luke's belly only handle small feedings more frequently throughout the day. so were were feeding him 3 oz ever 1 1/2 - 2 hours....which yes was difficult and we felt like we were CONSTANTLY feeding him, but its what he could handle. once we started cereal he was able to hold down the liquids better. has your pedi recommended you started a little cereal to try and help with spitting up? you should ask about it. now my son is 8 months and is eating foods and rarely spits up. we've learned some tricks to prevent spitting up after feedings....like keeping movement to a minimum after a meal. no jumpers or swings right after a feeding. we don't put him on his back or his tummy right after a feeding either. i will usually put him in his excersaucer for a bit after he eats...this keeps him up right while getting to play and properly digest. Also, don't know if you've come across this but putting Luke in a car seat ALWAYS (and sometime still does) causes him to spit up. My pedi said this is common due to the position the seat puts a baby in (kind of crunched at the belly). Oh and lastly, the Bumbo was put on hold for a while too! That seat always made him spit up! (again crunched and the belly caused the spitting up). Now that hes a bit older, eating solids and sitting better in the Bumbo he no longer has this issue. I hope this (LONG!) response helps you a bit. I know its frustrating. I know I actually cried about it a few times out of mere frustration! (oh, and by being tired from getting up at night with twins!). hang in there! I hope it turns out to be nothing serious and try some of the tips we tried. I hope this helps!

Dear M.
My youngest son, now 15 months had a very similar problem. My doctor was very helpful and after we tried just Ranitidine (Prevacid) he added Domperidone. Domperidone essentially helps the babies tummy empty faster. This means that there is much less for them to spit up if they do. The combination is what finally worked for us and we stayed on it until about 10-11 months. I live in the UK presently so I don't know how willing US physicians are to prescribe Domperidone but asking cannot hurt and maybe they would be willing to allow you and your child to try it.
S.

Have yuo tried cutting out milk products for yourself? he maybe allergic? ask the doctor to look into allergies..I hope your doctor is on top of this ,if not SWITCH as this is very hard on your son, he will equate eating with pain..look for a La Leche League meeting maybe someone there can help too..go holistic, look into things, but try going milk/cheese/yogurt free (use soy)

Hi M.,
I know how hard it is to watch your baby when they seem uncomfortable and there doesn't seem to be anything you can do to help. I just wanted to say that all three of my children spit up a ton! I breastfed and they lived in bibs! I would worry with all the spit up if they were actually keeping anything in but all of them gained weight at a healthy rate and met milestones and were generally happy so I just learned to live with the mess. At around 9 months they all started to to spit up less and over a month stopped. There have been no negative lasting effects from spitting up with any of my children, the oldest who is 7 and the youngest 2 1/2. So please get him checked out to ease your mind and rule anything out but this may be something he just has to outgrow.
Best of luck!

Have you tired a Soy based formula? Maybe its he can't handle those formulas. Have you tried the Good Start formula?

My daughter had similar issues and we swiched to Neocate...and later to Neocate Jr (after a yr old). She had "failure to thrive" and wore premie clothes (though she was full term and nearly 7 lbs at birth) until she was 4 months old. First I tried breastfeeding, then we did the Alimentum and then the Neocate which made the difference. We also went to the GI Peds doc and did two meds for reflux the first year (and still use one once a day at nearly 3 yrs old) as well as an alergist for testing. They have yet to put any tubes down her throat. :) (They'd have had a hard time convincing me that it was necessary!) At her 4 month check up, after a month of Neocate, she began the upswing. I'd go to your pediatritian and see about getting a couple of cans to try. It's absurdly expensive but we were able to get our insurance to cover 80% of it so it ended up being cheaper than the alimentum, but I'd have paid for it no matter what it had cost because watching your helpless baby suffer is a terrible thing. Good luck to both of you.

Both my daughters (now 7 and 9) have acid reflux (one's on Prevacid, one is on Zantac). They go to an excellent GI doctor - Dr. Gary Russell, at Mass. General (also can be seen at the North Short Children's Hospital in Salem, MA). You really should go to a pedi GI doctor to rule out any physical deformity that would require surgery to correct. If your baby needs that, you wouldn't want to deny him. It's probably not that - your symptoms sound similar to my oldest daughter (the projectile through the nose is just the worst!)- she had no deformity, just bad reflux - we needed to frequently adjust her medicine to her growing weight. Also, for my oldest, it turned out she was allergic to milk, so my breastfeeding wasn't helping her. Find out through experimentation which formula settled best with her. The pedi GI doctor likely will want to do a barium swallow, as the other moms here have described. However, IF they want to do a scope down the throat (and endoscopy) they will do it under general anesthesia, so your baby won't suffer at all, and it's a quick process. Dr. Russell is very good with kids and will listen to you as a mother. If you don't want to do a procedure, you CAN refuse it - but do your research and make an informed decision before refusing.

Hi
Did you ever think about Chiropractic or CranioSacral Therapy?
C.

I agree, you should go see a GI doc. There may be something else going on or it just may be a severe case of acid reflux. You won't know what they will do until you give them a call. And if they have to put a tube down there to find out - then at least you may find a resolution. And if you don't agree with the doctor, then get a 2nd opinion or a 3rd if needed.
Be sure to post the outcome!

Hi M.,

I am still wondering if you can breastfeed.

When he is older, I would suggest the following though your physicians will advise against this information. I am NOT a physician.

http://www.rawpaleodiet.com/lex-rooker-usa/
http://www.thepaleodiet.com/ - Not for weight loss but for health.
http://www.paleodiet.com/

The gastrointestinal system is flanked by many immune system tissues. They are there to protect the body against antigens that enter the body through the mouth. When the body reacts against what it perceives as antigens, it expels them from the body. Your physician may not agree with what my last statement.

If you want to ignore what I've written, then I'd suggest you see a GI specialist and/or allergist.

Good luck,
Maureen

First and foremost, talk to you pediatrician until you are comfortable with the answers.

Then, try to relax... some spit up is normal. Mind lived with a bib on and I hated it, but she spit up often.

Have you tried feeding smaller and more frequent meals?
Or..
Have you tried putting rice cereal in the formula when you mix it? It could help give it some more consistency.

My dd's formula was infant formula, OTC liquid acid reducer (ask the pharmacist), prune juice, and rice cereal. Eventually we were able to cut out the stuff for GERD, and changed the cereal as she got older (you'll see the different types when you look for the infant rice cereal by Gerber..)
It sounds like a lot and that she had issues, but she was a normal healthy little girl!

BUT, as a final note, I did want to point out the important thing here... you said your baby is gaining weight. That is a good thing! It means they are getting enough food and not spitting it all up!

You may want to see an ENT doctor. GI is good too and between the two you should get some answers. My daughter has seen both and no answer yet but we have had every test under the sun. They have ruled out alot though. The best test was an upper or lower GI. They get a lite setative and then they check out the stomach and biopsy and it was good to rule out alergy and ciliac. Anyway, hope this helps and that you are not alone...other babies and mamas have gone through this too. B.

My son had BAD reflux when he was little and we ended up taking him to a GI for testing. They have babies drink a barium drink (tastes like chalky milk) and then do an x-ray to see what is going on inside as the liquid goes through his system. The barrium shows up on the x-ray - no tubes down the throat. Maybe this is what they would do with your little guy. Not too invasive. good luck. My guy turned out to be fine and he grew out of the reflux.

Sounds like my little one. Tried the Zantac and that seemed to even worsen the vomiting. At 8 mos of age it really seemed like we turned a corner. We stopped wearing bibs 24 hours a day, stopped changing outfits 3 and 4 times a day...changed to Soy at 6 mos after Zantac failed, and things appeared to get a bit better, but more improved now with more solid food, and probably just an older baby. She is 9 mos now, tiny, but still growing. Vomiting is decreasing so I too wanted to avoid GI appt if possible. It may just take time which is so frustrating, but as long as he is happy and growing, I would continue doing what you are doing. Good luck.

I just watched an episode of Mystery Diagnosis about a baby that was spitting up since birth. They ended up finding out that his stomach was in his chest!!!! It took until he was 3 to have someone finally do enough tests and have an x-ray to figure this out. I doubt your son's case is this serious, but you also never know. I would bring him to a GI doctor. Yes, they probably will do SOME uncomfortable things to him, but nothing that isn't worth getting to the bottom of his spitting up. Good luck, and trust your instinct. You have to be persistent with doctors. If you feel something is wrong, chances are there is.

My son was diagnosed with acid reflux. He was exclusively breastfed. Instead of medication, I just did elimination diets until he was all better. Soy made him spit up. That is, soy in my diet. Gluten gave him the runs (watery and frothy). I stopped eating dairy, soy, and gluten for a quite a while, and he stopped spitting up and vomiting after several days. I eventually started back on dairy and he was fine with that. When I added soy back in, it made him spit up and vomit again, so I stopped until he could tolerate it (i think about 9 or 10 months). He still does not tolerate gluten.

Our diets are the number one cause of disease.

Keep in mind, doctors often do not think of this, as they are NOT required to take nutrition classes!!!!! I studied dietetics and nutritional sciences in college.

Good luck. You will figure it out.

Don't be afarid of the GI doc, we've seen so many and they generally don't want to do any disruptive measures, they are, in fact, slow to do it- they have trully helped us- I recommend Mass General- they will try Prevacid or Prilosec and work with you on diet and formula. Sounds like he may be milk and soy intolerant (or allergic) so Alimentum Ready to Feed or Elecare (love that formula) or Neocate may be your answer!

Hi M.,

I am sorry you are having such a hard time with your sweet new baby. I know exactly what you are going through and know how frustrating it can be. I breastfed and my daughter still spit up all the time. It was hard to get out of the house sometimes because right before we would get out the door, she would spit up all over herself or me or both of us. The laundry was incredible! We went through a dozen burp cloths a day. Our pediatrician put her on a few different prescriptions (zantac included), but they didn't seem to help much. When she was nine months, we did find one formula that helped some, but she didn't stop spitting up until she was about eleven months. She has been fine ever since. So, though you may have to deal with this for awhile, it doesn't mean there is something wrong with him. His system may just need time to develope. However, there are a few things you can do to help him a bit.

You can try feeding him smaller amounts more frequently. Also, keeping him upright for about 15-30 min. after feeding him may help too. We had a baby papasan chair that helped a lot with that. You can also try burping him before feeding him. I am sorry I can't offer more help other than these suggestions, which your doctor probably already told you, but I hope it helps to know that someone understands what you are going through. My daughter is five, so maybe they have better treatments now.

Take care,
A. G.

When my daughter was spitting up alot the doctor had me mix rice cereal into her formula and it worked great. She stopped spitting up. You add one teaspoon of cereal per ounce of formula. Good luck!

Poor little guy. It's so hard to watch our children suffer, isn't it? I don't blame you for not wanting to go through tubes and scopes, and you've tried the drug route and that isn't working either. Before you subject him to all the additional tests and xrays and everything else, why not try to restore some balance in his system? Kids Now is a fantastic product made in the US with a government patent - so it's unique AND safe. It's manufactured under pharmaceutical-grade conditions so there are no additives or contaminants or other garbage in it. It's delicious and can be drunk by itself or in another liquid that your baby can tolerate - your choice. I know SO many other moms who have used it for years, and their kids have gotten away from so many digestive issues like your baby seems to have, and have eliminated allergies and even most illnesses, just by supporting the immune system. It's a highly absorbable product so very little digestion actually has to go on before it's actually working at the cellular level and restoring normal balance. If you'd like to talk more, let me know. It's time for this suffering to end! Your doctor may not actually know much about nutrition - many doctors will tell you that they don't even have one class in medical school on nutrition. They know how to prescribe drugs and tests which don't always work, and they often cause side effects. My doctor told me that, and she has me taking the adult version from the same company.

Try Nestle Good Start formula.

Try Enfamil Nutramegin. If that doesn't work you must take him to the GI doc.

You definitely should go to the GI doc and get your child checked out. Sometimes there is a deformity of the esophagus or stomach that is causing the problem. You need to find out if this is the case.

If your child checks out fine structural wise, then taking him to a chiropractor can sometimes do the trick. I have treated a couple children with reflux problems, one with projectile vomiting. After a few gentle adjustments, the problem cleared and they were fine with no spitting up or reflux. I is amazing how responsive a baby's nervous system is to chiropractic care. Adjustments for babies are very gentle and safe. I have been treating babies for 26 years and they normally respond quite well. So, find a good pediatric or family chiropractor near you and give it a try.

Dr. E

maybe he has GERD? When my daughter was diagnosed they told me to add rice to her cereal. the weight of the rice kept it down in her belly rather than coming up all over the place

Maybe a formula with neither dairy nor soy would be in order. It is by prescription - if you live in CT, insurance companies are required to cover it, as long as prescribed by a DR. Keep child upright for at least 30 minutes after feeding.

See a GI doctor - it can really make a huge difference! We love Sandra Escalera in North Haven, CT. She's really helped.

I know how really hard this is!