This is our third child, our first two had terrible reflux and we are in the same position with number three. Our doc has her on meds, once per day and we are controlling mama's diet(breast feeding).
Looking for suggestions that worked with other refluxy babies.
With my son Gripe Water calmed things down. It didn't take it away but it made it manageable without putting him on meds.
Have you given up dairy? My doctor told me I did not need to but I eventually turned to formula and Nutramigen was her cure (in addition to Prevacid and Zantac). This formula is for babies allergic to cow's milk protein. I wish I had tried it before I gave up breastfeeding. Good luck....it's a tough road!
Dear J.,
I applaud you for looking at mama's diet, and it is a great way to start...Avoid ingestion of alcohol, caffeinated beverages, decaf coffee, carbonated beverages, and citrus juices
Eliminate fatty, fried, spicy, and acidic foods from the diet
Avoid acidic medications such as aspirin and vitamin C
Avoid chemically filled environments
Avoid mints, chocolates, or nuts
Take medications as directed per your pediatrician.
Please also consider positioning of your baby (or your other children if this still applies).
Have your baby eat light meals at least three hours prior to a performance, intense vocal activity, reclining or sleeping
Elevate the head of the bed by at least six inches. While breast feeding, take care to make sure that your baby's ears are elevated above the mouth.
Encourage and model eating slowly for your entire family.
Hope that helps a bit.
I encourage you to browse the American Speech and Hearing Association (www.asha.org) for more information and research. -Trini
I am an oral facial myologist. I deal with airway and muscles of the mouth and face. It is usually the tongue position at rest when the baby is swallowing air into the stomach. Good you are breast feeding that will help as the bottles create more problems. Meds are scary with a one month old. There is an S spot in the roof of the mouth where the soft and hard palate meet. Put your finger there and let baby suckle. This will help those muscles and the eustachian tube release enzymes that help in digestion also.
I'm wondering why you're continuing to breast feed when your child is having digestive problems. Obviously, it's ideal to breast feed. However, if your child is having issues, there are various formulas that can help or even loading the milk down with infant cereal (there's a calculation to it)can help a child hold down her food. There was a time when children had to suffer or die due to allergies, reflux, or other issues with processing breat milk. Luckily, we live in a day and time where there is technology to help children with issues like these. I say you should have an honest discussion with your provider about switching to a formula or formula + cereal combination that might help your baby with her reflux problem, and don't let your provider guilt you into sticking with any feeding method that isn't working for your baby.
I would try probiotics. We did that with out daughter and it really really helped. In addition she sleeps in our bed on her tummy which helped a lot as well!
Hi J., we referred to this websits www.marci-kids.com for help with reflux. Babies are all different and you may have different success with other meds or methods. What worked for us was a med called Zegerid mixed with water and mylanta cherry supreme per the instructions on the marci kids site.
Also, consider her med schedule, as baby's metabolism is so much faster than adult metabolism, sometimes spreading the dose out over 2-3x /day is more effective. Read the website for details and citations. It is written and maintained by DR's specializing in GERD.
Once w discovered it was reflux the ped put him on ZANTAC and OH what a difference-he was taken off by one yr old and fine. We first tried different formulas then she rx meds and bam-different baby-u may want to ask your ped. L.:)
My son seemed to have reflux based on the symptoms and how common it is in babies with Down syndrome so I tried Prevacid and it was worked wonderfully. No more spitting up and he is now sleeping through the night! It's very expensive though.
I do have to say I'd be very surprised if it was DUE to the breastmilk. I guess you should look into it but stopping nursing would be one of my last resorts.
Good luck!!
Third time - so sorry to hear that. Our son had terrible reflux and it wasn't diagnosed until he was about 4 months old. He took Zantac twice a day. I held him up 30 minutes after every feeding. WE also got a large slant cushion to lay him on for diaper changes (at the relax the back store). We slanted the little bed thing you put the baby in in our bed between us for sleeping (sorry can't think of what that's called right now). When he moved to a crib we slanted that as well. Keeping them upright on you in a sling or wrap helped. I could hardly set my little guy down sometimes without screaming. It is such a difficult thing to deal with - my heart goes out to you especially since it;s the third time!
