Reflux and Not Sleeping

I have not had this experience, so I am only going by things I thought of when I read your post. First, I would also recommend checking with a holistic doctor. Family Life in Clearwater is highly recommended, plus I took my daughter for a general checkup to Dr. Susan Player in Clearwater. She does a free check on baby's less than a certain age (I think it's 6 months old). My daughter seemed to be fine except a little cranky. Based on her recommendations, I did start giving my daughter probiotics and also a homeopathic for irritability. You can get both of these things at a natural health food store. I highly recommend probiotics for any child because it will help regulate their digestive systems. I have used them off and on since my daughter was young and she's very healthy at 3-1/2 years old.

In addition to this, here are some products that I found that may help: http://www.eves-best.com/infant-reflux-products.htm

Good luck!
V. Cox

Have you tried a holistic approach? I have a pediatrician as well as a chiropractor and take my children to both. I can recommend Family Life Chiropractic in Clearwater. They may be able to get to the root cause and handle the situation. Hope that helps!

D.,

My son was diagnosed at 5 weeks old and is now doing better at 17 weeks (4 months). I remember telling my friends about the agony of hearing him scream, arch his back, etc. We switched from medicine to medicine. Nothing was working and we were all miserable. My husband and I thought..."this isn't the way it's supposed to be". You are not alone. You are not crazy. You have what is called a "high needs" child. Unfortunately, it takes time for her insides to grow up. In the meantime...I have a few suggestions that worked for us. They weren't quick fixes...but they worked.

*Use a bouncy seat for sleeping. This will help her not reflux at night. My son has slept in his since he was 1 month old.
*Realize that any medicine you try takes some time to start working. We tried Zantac and Prilosec. It took Zantac 2 agonizing weeks to start working. After one week of Prilosec, we went back to the Zantac.
*Frequency and dosage is key. My son gets 1mL of Zantac 3 times a day which works out to be every 6 hours while he is awake. This is down from the 4 times a day he was first on. I even gave it to him while he was sleeping in order to make sure it was in his system. I no longer do this.
*Keep your little girl elevated at least 30 minutes after each feeding. This is very straining on the arms, but it will help with digestion. I use a Bjorn to help my aching arms.
*Elevate your baby when you are feeding her. This too helps with digestion.
*Keep watch over your daughter's weight and that she is continuing to "thrive".
*They say that breastfeeding is best for refluxers. Did you recently stop? If so, you may be able to speak with a lactation specialist.
*If you are breastfeeding, they suggest less quantity/more frequent feedings a day.
*Practice "attachment parenting". It has worked wonders for our son.
*Check out Dr. Sears web site for more information on what to do.

I can't imagine how difficult it must be with a toddler too. I recently made a friend who has a 3 year old and a 6 month old refluxer. I could put you in contact with her if you like. Let me know and I'll get you connected via email.

Know that crying is a natural release. I can remember days when I would lie face down on the floor, crying and praying as he screamed--because absolutely nothing I could do was helping him. Be sure to take good care of yourself, your babies need their mommy to be healthy as well.

S. (mommy to 4 month old Robby)

Do you have a bouncy seat? My son had reflux and when he was tiny the bouncy seat is the only place he could sleep. I think when they lay flat it makes the symptoms worse - and the vibrating motion helped "move things along." That's what worked for us.

Also, I ended up with anxiety because the worry go to me. So definitely say something to your doctor if you're feeling poorly.

Hope that helps!

S.

Oh poor D. - I am so sorry. Hang in there sweetie! I was there when my daughter was 1 onth old. She cried and cried and I wondered why I ever wanted to even have a baby. Our Ped. said that she had colic but I continued to press and got an xray to find that she had reflux. We never tried that medication you are using - we used liqiud tagament for the first 4-5 months. We had to give it at first 4 times a day then we moved up to the max of 6. I finally saw a GI Dr who switched her to Prevacid and we have not had a crying episode (related to the reflux) since! It hurts them to continually spit up - and the medication helps it to not hurt. Hang in there D. and be persistant with the Dr. You will find a medication that works and your little baby will be a normal happy baby.

D. I know I wrote you before on your last post, but I still feel its s formula problem. My son had the same thing and I went through a lot of formulas before I found the right one. Your little one has been on this new formula for several days now and things aren’t better. I know things will get better when you get her on the right formula, It just takes time and its very hard so I truly feel your pain.

My daughter was the same way. Although the zantac did help we still had to change her formula from Nutramagen to Pregestimil which is even more broken down for them. Plus she had a food allergy to cow's milk so that was hurting her tummy. You should check with your doctor and see if they have any other suggestions. It took my doctor three month's to figure out the allergy maybe there is something else going on. You should also talk to your doctor postpartum is a very serious thing and shouldn't go untreated. Good luck to you!