| Posted By |
Message |
alex7-2
LIF Adult
Member since 4/06 1418 total posts
Name:
alycia
|
for those whose infants have or had reflux
PLEAAAAAAASE tell me there is a miracle. i have tried everything. propping formula change rice cereal..whatever. my son is so uncomfortable i cant take it..he is almost 7 weeks old and has not ONCE seemed happy since 3 weeks old..if he is awake hes crying or needs to be held..or he is fussing. what can i do? is there a lght at the end of this tunnel? he has become my full time 24 hour a day job..and yet i have 2 other children to care for..im DRAINED! thank you for any help! 
|
Posted 11/5/09 11:21 PM  |
| |
|
Long Island Weddings
Long Island's Largest Bridal Resource |
|
|
Re: for those whose infants have or had reflux
have you talked to your ped. and/or seen a GI doctor? It was a combo of Axid and Mylanta that helped for us. He had a milk protein allergy also and switched to Elecare. He still always spit up a lot.
Message edited 11/6/2009 12:07:43 AM.
|
| Posted 11/6/09 12:07 AM |
| |
|
alex7-2
LIF Adult
Member since 4/06 1418 total posts
Name:
alycia
|
Re: for those whose infants have or had reflux
Posted by Kerie-is-so-very
have you talked to your ped. and/or seen a GI doctor? It was a combo of Axid and Mylanta that helped for us. He had a milk protein allergy also and switched to Elecare. He still always spit up a lot.
yes i have tried everything they told me to do so far. the rice cereal in the bottle is a joke.. it never comes out. so i just gave up on that. ill have to call again. 
|
| Posted 11/6/09 12:21 AM |
| |
|
Meggo613
im a big girl!
Member since 2/07 4536 total posts
Name:
Megan
|
Re: for those whose infants have or had reflux
Posted by alex7-2
Posted by Kerie-is-so-very
have you talked to your ped. and/or seen a GI doctor? It was a combo of Axid and Mylanta that helped for us. He had a milk protein allergy also and switched to Elecare. He still always spit up a lot.
yes i have tried everything they told me to do so far. the rice cereal in the bottle is a joke.. it never comes out. so i just gave up on that. ill have to call again.
try a Y cut nipple! its been a godsend for my dd.
ETA: we didnt know my dd had reflux untill we changed her to the neutramigen. and it would just shoot out. we then werre told to add rice cereal to her bottles.. i also gave up on it fast because i couldnt get it to come out of the nipples and i was afraid to try the Y cut nipple in fear that it would drownd abby. and to be honest it didnt shes taken to it like a champ. our guidlines were 4ozformula 2tsp rice, 6oz formula 4tsp rice... and she told us we could play with the amount of cereal to dd;s liking! i hope this helps! her reflux has been 90% better.. she still spits up but its only a few times a day not every bottle! 
Message edited 11/6/2009 12:26:23 AM.
|
| Posted 11/6/09 12:23 AM |
| |
|
|
|
Re: for those whose infants have or had reflux
Posted by alex7-2
Posted by Kerie-is-so-very
have you talked to your ped. and/or seen a GI doctor? It was a combo of Axid and Mylanta that helped for us. He had a milk protein allergy also and switched to Elecare. He still always spit up a lot.
yes i have tried everything they told me to do so far. the rice cereal in the bottle is a joke.. it never comes out. so i just gave up on that. ill have to call again.
definitely call again.
Message edited 11/6/2009 12:24:03 AM.
|
| Posted 11/6/09 12:23 AM |
| |
|
Blissful
Ultimate Expression of LOVE
Member since 6/08 4985 total posts
Name:
Maria
|
Re: for those whose infants have or had reflux
ALexa has severe reflux... save yourself A LOT of aggrevation an d time, skip the ped and make an appointment with a GI specialist. Get the baby on a different formula. Start with nutramigen or elecare and then go to the amino acid ones if need be. Cereal in the bottle is a myth and crap and if the baby has a dairy sensitivity could make it WORSE if the cereal you are using has dairy.
Baby needs to get on prevacid, NOT Zantac, Zantac is crap....
Sriously It took me months to figure this out... I just saved you moths of leg work
I KNOW how hard it is to have a little one with reflux
FM me if you need anything!
|
| Posted 11/6/09 1:38 AM |
| |
|
pharmcat2000
Mom of 2 + 1
Member since 10/05 7395 total posts
Name:
Catherine
|
Re: for those whose infants have or had reflux
Zantac, Prevacid, Prilosec, Pepcid, etc...do nothing to stop the reflux. What they do is reduce the acid so that the baby is not uncomfortable. So if you're looking for the spitting up to stop, it won't. It will make your baby feel better though.
My DD also has severe reflux. We tried every formula under the sun and the GI doc was about to put a feeding tube into my DD because she was spitting up so much that she was not gaining any weight. She kept being tested for milk protein allergy (by stool sample) which kept coming up negative so they didn't think putting her on an amino acid formula would help. I finally insisted on trying Elecare when my back was to the wall for insertion of the feeding tube and that is what worked.
We were also told to put cereal into the bottle. Intuitively, it should not work b/c it puts more volume into the stomach so it should cause more expansion, and hence more reflux/spitting up. BUT, it does make it thicker so it does stay down a bit better. We were told specifically to get Beech Nut NOT Gerber b/c the Gerber has soy in it and babies who have milk allergies also often have soy allergies. My DD was getting 1 TABLESPOON of cereal to every 2oz of formula -- the Elecare is very thin, almost like water and this is what she needed to help it stay down. I use Dr. Brown's bottles and use a level 4 nipple for her to be able to get the milk out. You might have to play with it a bit. I bought evey size nipple and just tried each one until I got to the size she could use.
My DD was also put on Reglan 4 times a day to get the food moving through her belly so it didn't have time to come back up. I think it helped a bit. The GI doc also said to give her Mylanta (regular strength) 2mL 4 times a day to help her have more regular bowel movements -- if the bowel is full, it creates more pressure in the belly and causes more reflux; but we were told to cut it back to twice a day if she started having diarrhea. And we also had to give her a glycerin suppository every day for the same reason.
The other thing that really helped was to feed her LESS. By distending the belly less, she spit up less.
I know, it is so awful when they are so miserable and there is so little you can do to help them. My DD is now 6 months old. She still spits up ALOT (I change my shirt at least twice a day) but she is alot more comfortable, and has been since we started doing all the things I listed above. We are weaning her off her meds now since reflux usually gets better between 4 and 6 months old. Now I only use the Mylanta and Prilosec as needed, and we're down to once a day on the Reglan (but I think I have to go back to twice a day because I see the difference in how much she is spitting up).
Please feel free to ask me any other questions. I feel like I could do seminars on this now. Good luck and I really hope your DS feels better soon!
|
| Posted 11/6/09 2:00 AM |
| |
|
Michmouse
LIF Adult
Member since 11/07 1260 total posts
Name:
|
Re: for those whose infants have or had reflux
Oh sweetie....I have been there and feel your pain!
I honestly thought I would have a breakdown over worry and lack of sleep.
We finally figured out the magic combination for our little guy. Zantac and the prescription formua Elecare saved our family. We used Dr Gold (ped GI) in Babylon whom I highly recommend.
When DS was 11 months I learned about the the connection between chiropractic care and reflux/ear infections. We began taking him for adjustments and he was weaned from the meds and formula within six weeks. I wish I had known this when he was a newborn as I may have been abe to aviod the meds altogether. My ped. chiropractor is Dr. Statler in Huntington. (Jericho Tpke) and he is absolutely wonderful.
If I can be of any r help please let me know.
Message edited 11/6/2009 7:38:29 AM.
|
| Posted 11/6/09 7:37 AM |
| |
|
pinkandblue
Our family is complete, maybe
Member since 9/05 32436 total posts
Name:
Stephanie
|
Re: for those whose infants have or had reflux
my son was put on Zantac and switched to soy due to a milk protein allergy...he is doing MUCH better
I would ask the doctor about some prescription strength medication
|
| Posted 11/6/09 9:36 AM |
| |
|
DRMom
Two in Blue
Member since 5/05 20223 total posts
Name:
Melissa
|
Re: for those whose infants have or had reflux
Posted by Blissful
ALexa has severe reflux... save yourself A LOT of aggrevation an d time, skip the ped and make an appointment with a GI specialist. Get the baby on a different formula. Start with nutramigen or elecare and then go to the amino acid ones if need be. Cereal in the bottle is a myth and crap and if the baby has a dairy sensitivity could make it WORSE if the cereal you are using has dairy.
Baby needs to get on prevacid, NOT Zantac, Zantac is crap....
Sriously It took me months to figure this out... I just saved you moths of leg work
I KNOW how hard it is to have a little one with reflux
FM me if you need anything!
ITA-probably a dairy allergy. Seems like Dr's try to treat the SYMPTOMS of reflux rather than the cause. I mean-I know the formulas expensive but come on! Have your DC checked for a dairy allergy. As Maria said Zantac is Sh!t...Once I got my DS on Amino Acid formula he has not spit up or had issues since. He was still miserable on regular nutramigen and alimentum as they both have milk protein in them
|
| Posted 11/6/09 10:02 AM |
| |
|
GenLCSW
Baby # 3 is here!!!
Member since 7/05 21138 total posts
Name:
Genna
|
Re: for those whose infants have or had reflux
DS had very bad reflux. Zantac worked wonders for him!
|
| Posted 11/6/09 10:31 AM |
| |
|
MrsDrMatt
Live and RUN like a Ninja!
Member since 5/06 3104 total posts
Name:
MrsDrMatt
|
Re: for those whose infants have or had reflux
My twins are on pepcid (not sure of the spelling). It helped them.
Good luck
|
| Posted 11/6/09 10:48 AM |
| |
|
alex7-2
LIF Adult
Member since 4/06 1418 total posts
Name:
alycia
|
Re: for those whose infants have or had reflux
thank you all so much..i really appreciate your h elp.i thought i was alone..i didnt realize how common this reflux is.. the weird thing is, my son isnt spitting up at all! he is gaining quite quickly and healthy. im torn..i think ill look into a GI.
|
| Posted 11/6/09 1:38 PM |
| |
|
alisonggg
Cutie
Member since 3/06 4749 total posts
Name:
a
|
Re: for those whose infants have or had reflux
Posted by alex7-2
thank you all so much..i really appreciate your h elp.i thought i was alone..i didnt realize how common this reflux is.. the weird thing is, my son isnt spitting up at all! he is gaining quite quickly and healthy. im torn..i think ill look into a GI.
My DD never spit up, ate well and gained lots of weight (shes in the 75th percentile), but still had reflux symptoms. Crying during and arching her back during feedings, and really bad fussiness almost nonstop were the major ones. I THINK most of the reflux symptoms were related to her milk protien allergy as they seem to have mostly disappeared since shes been on Neocate.. good luck
|
| Posted 11/6/09 1:58 PM |
| |
|
DRMom
Two in Blue
Member since 5/05 20223 total posts
Name:
Melissa
|
Re: for those whose infants have or had reflux
Posted by alex7-2
thank you all so much..i really appreciate your h elp.i thought i was alone..i didnt realize how common this reflux is.. the weird thing is, my son isnt spitting up at all! he is gaining quite quickly and healthy. im torn..i think ill look into a GI.
So did mine.They don't have to spit up and many reflux babies eat more because it soothes them while they are eating. First step-I would go to amino acid formula. Try it for a month. I think you will see a difference. You will probably have to wait for a Ped GI appt-I waited for a month and by the time the appt came-I didn't need it anymore
|
| Posted 11/6/09 2:13 PM |
| |
|
Michmouse
LIF Adult
Member since 11/07 1260 total posts
Name:
|
Re: for those whose infants have or had reflux
Posted by DRMom
Posted by Blissful
ALexa has severe reflux... save yourself A LOT of aggrevation an d time, skip the ped and make an appointment with a GI specialist. Get the baby on a different formula. Start with nutramigen or elecare and then go to the amino acid ones if need be. Cereal in the bottle is a myth and crap and if the baby has a dairy sensitivity could make it WORSE if the cereal you are using has dairy.
Baby needs to get on prevacid, NOT Zantac, Zantac is crap....
Sriously It took me months to figure this out... I just saved you moths of leg work
I KNOW how hard it is to have a little one with reflux
FM me if you need anything!
ITA-probably a dairy allergy. Seems like Dr's try to treat the SYMPTOMS of reflux rather than the cause. I mean-I know the formulas expensive but come on! Have your DC checked for a dairy allergy. As Maria said Zantac is Sh!t...Once I got my DS on Amino Acid formula he has not spit up or had issues since. He was still miserable on regular nutramigen and alimentum as they both have milk protein in them
Wondering why you think Zantac is cr**? Is it because it did not help your LO or is there another reason? I remember our GI said the prevacid had many more side effects than the Zantac and to see if we could manage with that. 
|
| Posted 11/6/09 6:46 PM |
| |
|
HomeIsWithU
Baby #2 on the way!
Member since 9/07 7816 total posts
Name:
Jenn
|
Re: for those whose infants have or had reflux
Definately have him tested for a milk allergy. My DS has severe reflux, but he also is allergic to milk and soy. Before we found out though, we had him on Zantac and it did NOTHING. We switched to Prevacid and it was a little better. He really didnt get better until we put him on Elecare and added rice cereal to that. He's a totally different baby now.
The rice cereal really does help the spit up - it thickens the formula enough to help keep it down a bit. He hasnt completely stopped spitting up, he'll always be a bit of a spitter, but it definately has helped. If you cant get it out of the bottle, you're using the wrong nipple. And be careful which brand of rice cereal you're using. Gerber contains soy, so if your baby is allergic to milk, just be advised that 30 - 50% of babies allergic to milk are also allergic to soy. Beech Nut brand is soy free and when we swtiched I noticed immediately that he felt better when eating.
Its really going to be a combo of things. You'll need to find what works best fro your DC, but I agree with other posters...go to a GI Specialist. They'll know what to try first.
Message edited 11/7/2009 1:21:08 AM.
|
| Posted 11/7/09 1:19 AM |
| |
|
nyteacher13
Three Under Four!!! :-)
Member since 8/06 6405 total posts
Name:
~ THERESA ~
|
Re: for those whose infants have or had reflux
Posted by alex7-2
PLEAAAAAAASE tell me there is a miracle. i have tried everything. propping formula change rice cereal..whatever. my son is so uncomfortable i cant take it..he is almost 7 weeks old and has not ONCE seemed happy since 3 weeks old..if he is awake hes crying or needs to be held..or he is fussing. what can i do? is there a lght at the end of this tunnel? he has become my full time 24 hour a day job..and yet i have 2 other children to care for..im DRAINED! thank you for any help!
Hey A!!! Gianna is STILL on meds for acid reflux. She was miserable for a while, too. I didn't do the cereal in the bottle trick because I was told it might confuse her later when it comes time to actually eat solids. I lived on Mylecon, and frequent burping (along with the med from the ped that I forgot the name of). She was propped up sleeping on a wedge from week 2 until about 3 mos.
ETA: Duh, preggo brain. Gianna had a RAGING milk allergy. I brought her diaper into the doctor to be tested at around 2 mos. The poor thing suffered for 8 weeks before we figured it out. She's STILL to this day on Alimentum for a milk allergy. She couldn't do soy because she had an allergy to that, too. See if dh's insurance can cover it if you do go on it. Ours is covered by insurance. 20.00 a month for 22 cases of 6pk, 8oz cans. It's a MIRACLE.
Bring that diaper in ASAP!!!
Call your ped again... Good luck, chica!
Message edited 11/7/2009 6:32:42 AM.
|
| Posted 11/7/09 6:30 AM |
| |
|
Blissful
Ultimate Expression of LOVE
Member since 6/08 4985 total posts
Name:
Maria
|
Re: for those whose infants have or had reflux
Posted by Michmouse
Posted by DRMom
Posted by Blissful
ALexa has severe reflux... save yourself A LOT of aggrevation an d time, skip the ped and make an appointment with a GI specialist. Get the baby on a different formula. Start with nutramigen or elecare and then go to the amino acid ones if need be. Cereal in the bottle is a myth and crap and if the baby has a dairy sensitivity could make it WORSE if the cereal you are using has dairy.
Baby needs to get on prevacid, NOT Zantac, Zantac is crap....
Sriously It took me months to figure this out... I just saved you moths of leg work
I KNOW how hard it is to have a little one with reflux
FM me if you need anything!
ITA-probably a dairy allergy. Seems like Dr's try to treat the SYMPTOMS of reflux rather than the cause. I mean-I know the formulas expensive but come on! Have your DC checked for a dairy allergy. As Maria said Zantac is Sh!t...Once I got my DS on Amino Acid formula he has not spit up or had issues since. He was still miserable on regular nutramigen and alimentum as they both have milk protein in them
Wondering why you think Zantac is cr**? Is it because it did not help your LO or is there another reason? I remember our GI said the prevacid had many more side effects than the Zantac and to see if we could manage with that.
I'm sorry but your pediatrician gave you incorrect information. Prevacid has been used on babies MUCH longer than Zantac and the side effects are the same.
Zantac is garbage because all it is, is an acid neutralizer. It doesn't STOP or prevent your child from refluxing which is what they should be managing. Every time a child refluxes it burns the back of their throat and causes the tissues of the esophagus and stomach to break down leading to an increased risk of illness, ulcers, mouth and esophageal cancer. Zantac does a decent job of neutralizing the acid but it can still be slightly acidic and continue to do damage.
Another interesting side note about ZANTAC is that it is peppermint flavor and they use peppermint oil which is CONTRAINDICATED for those who have reflux because peppermint relaxes the spincter muscle more....
Studies show that children who's symptoms are relieved by Zantac either A) don't really have reflux, it is misdiagnosed or B) the reflux is so mild that it can be relieve with the Zantac but the acid is still doing th damage.
I spoke EXTENSIVELY with our specialists at Yale on the subject. They are just as frustrated that so many pediatricians are prescribing Zantac these days... its ridiculous.
Those pharmaceutical companies and representatives are doign a great job pushign free samples and gifts to those doctors to push that medication.
SO my advice, and the advice I ALWAYS give, is if your child had GI issues you NEED to be seen by a GI specialist. Your primary care physician can't prescribe glasses so why would you let your ped prescribe and diagnose the reflux. Peds are great for generall illness and wellness but they have a VERY MINIMAL backround in diagnosing and managing reflux correctly, hence why so many babies are put on Zantac for reflux.....
You'll see few kids who are followed by GI specialists on Zantac. If Zantac is used its Usually in conjunction with an acid inhibitor medication such as prevacid....
THIS is why I think Zantac is crap!
Message edited 11/7/2009 1:16:48 PM.
|
| Posted 11/7/09 7:50 AM |
| |
|
Michmouse
LIF Adult
Member since 11/07 1260 total posts
Name:
|
Re: for those whose infants have or had reflux
Thank you very much for your thorough explanation. We did see a GI specialist, as I agree that reflux is often not properly managed by a ped. The GI believed that Zantac would be a better choice for our refluxer, and it did work, Thank God! He definitely was not misdiagnosed beause he was scoped by an ENT and she actually saw the damage/inflamation. (Prior to medicating) After a week on the Zantac he was a normal baby. (With no inflamation)
It seems every medical study has another one that contradicts it. You are right, managing the reflux is frustrating!
Thanks again for the information. I wish I knew about this board when I was dealing with this problem! It would have been an excellent resource.
ETA: I have to add that I really think that ped. chiropractic care would be my first line of defense if I had this problem with another DC. There are no side effects with this type of gentle care and the results were incredibe- No meds or prescription formula six weeks after beginning adjustments.
Message edited 11/7/2009 8:34:25 AM.
|
| Posted 11/7/09 8:04 AM |
| |
|
Alli06
Baby #3 coming this June
Member since 8/05 6721 total posts
Name:
A
|
Re: for those whose infants have or had reflux
The only think that worked for me was presciption medication. The spitting up continued but, he no longer was uncomfortable and crying.
I also started putting him to sleep in his bouncer at night. I had a Co-sleeper and I put the bouncer right in the middle. I strapped him in and even swaddled the top half of him. He slept like this for a good 2 months. It worked wonderful.
The doctor checked first for a milk allergey and he also had a abdominal Sono done.
Message edited 11/7/2009 12:11:55 PM.
|
| Posted 11/7/09 12:10 PM |
| |
|
MrsR
My love.
Member since 5/05 6247 total posts
Name:
Jennifer
|
Re: for those whose infants have or had reflux
My son is 7 weeks old and I could have written your post myself. We are going through the SAME thing.
I have also tried it all - and he still struggles. You are not alone.
|
| Posted 11/7/09 12:52 PM |
| |
|
maybesoon
LIF Adult
Member since 9/09 5981 total posts
Name:
|
Re: for those whose infants have or had reflux
DS was on zantac and it did work for him, as soon as it would wear off he would start screaming. rice didn't work for us bc I was too scared. I held him for the first 6 months of his LIFE!!!
|
| Posted 11/7/09 12:55 PM |
| |
|
Blissful
Ultimate Expression of LOVE
Member since 6/08 4985 total posts
Name:
Maria
|
Re: for those whose infants have or had reflux
Posted by Michmouse
ETA: I have to add that I really think that ped. chiropractic care would be my first line of defense if I had this problem with another DC. There are no side effects with this type of gentle care and the results were incredibe- No meds or prescription formula six weeks after beginning adjustments.
We did cranio-sacral therapy with some chiropractic adjustments which also helped immensely.
Glad you resolved your issue!
|
| Posted 11/7/09 1:15 PM |
| |
|
pharmcat2000
Mom of 2 + 1
Member since 10/05 7395 total posts
Name:
Catherine
|
Re: for those whose infants have or had reflux
Posted by Blissful
Zantac is garbage because all it is, is an acid neutralizer. It doesn't STOP or prevent your child from refluxing which is what they should be managing. Every time a child refluxes it burns the back of their throat and causes the tissues of the esophagus and stomach to break down leading to an increased risk of illness, ulcers, mouth and esophageal cancer. Zantac does a decent job of neutralizing the acid but it can still be slightly acidic and continue to do damage.
I spoke EXTENSIVELY with our specialists at Yale on the subject. They are just as frustrated that so many pediatricians are prescribing Zantac these days... its ridiculous.
Those pharmaceutical companies and representatives are doign a great job pushign free samples and gifts to those doctors to push that medication.
SO my advice, and the advice I ALWAYS give, is if your child had GI issues you NEED to be seen by a GI specialist. Your primary care physician can't prescribe glasses so why would you let your ped prescribe and diagnose the reflux. Peds are great for generall illness and wellness but they have a VERY MINIMAL backround in diagnosing and managing reflux correctly, hence why so many babies are put on Zantac for reflux.....
You'll see few kids who are followed by GI specialists on Zantac. If Zantac is used its Usually in conjunction with an acid inhibitor medication such as prevacid....
THIS is why I think Zantac is crap!
You know I love you Maria, and really appreciate all the help you've given me, but as a pharmacist, I just have to correct a few things. Zantac is not an acid neutrazlizer. Maalox, Mylanta and Tums are acid neutralizers (aka antacids). Zantac and Pepcid are in a class of drugs called H-2 blockers. They block the cells that produce gastric acid. Prilosec and Prevacid (and Nexium) are in a class of drugs called Proton Pump Inhibitors. They block the pump that puts the acid into the stomach.
But you are right, the problem with reflux is the problems that it causes in the esophagus.
The other problem is that babies don't reflux because of acid. They reflux because of immature GI systems. So alot of times it is just a matter of waiting until the system matures enough to keep the food in the stomach to stop the refluxing. But in the meantime, you need to reduce the erosion in the esophagus so that the baby isn't uncomfortable all the time. Because Zantac/Pepcid is a "milder" drug, it makes sense to start with that -- it is called a first line drug. If that doesn't help, you would go to the next step up -- Prilosec/Prevacid.
Pharmaceutical companies and their representatives are not "pushing" free samples and giving gifts to doctors to prescribe Zantac. Zantac is generic and is cheap -- pharmaceutical companies make almost nothing from it anymore. In fact, if anything, they make more from Prevacid since it is still a brand-name drug.
Finally, I absolutely agree with you about if your child truly has reflux, you should be followed by a pediatric GI specialist. In fact, with my first DD, I thought she had reflux, so on the advice of my pediatrician, I brought her to Dr Gold (who I LOVE) and he told me that she was fine, didn't need medication or any special formula and that I should leave her alone. What I think is important, especially in a specialist is if they can step back and look at a patient objectively and determine the best way to treat, or not treat if it is not indicated.
|
| Posted 11/7/09 11:52 PM |
| |
|
