HORRIBLE REFLUX...HELP!!!

My twins are 6 wks old today. They were born at 32w6d and left the NICU on zantac and rice in their bottles. the rice was too binding so we switched to oatmeal and the GI changed their meds to Axid and prescribed the correct dosage for their size. They are also on Alimentum formula. It is only getting worse!! They are projectile vomiting and they spit up this thick mucousy like goop that comes out their mouth and nose at the same time causing them to not be able to breathe and they freak out (and honestly so do I) I feel terrible and don't know what else to do for them. they are miserable and uncomfortable. please share your tips and/or success stories. I am going crazy here!!

Re: HORRIBLE REFLUX...HELP!!!

i wish more than anything that I could help and i am so truly sorry that I can't....but i wanted to share some hugs...

Maria - Blissful is a reflux GODSEND... if you are on facebook, she's on there as well (fm me for her info)...

she is nothing short of a goddess when it comes to reflux..

Re: HORRIBLE REFLUX...HELP!!!

First off here are some

DS has had HORRIBLE reflux his whole life and still, at 4 years old, has some issues.

Here are some things that helped DS:
A long time ago we switched from zantac to prevacid.
They changed his formula to Elecare
We had him always sleep on an incline.
Smaller meals, more often- DO NOT OVERFEED
Do not move for a while after eating (depends...at times was anywhere from 30-80 minutes)
Before next meal, we'd try to clean out his nose best we could & do saline drops to help (sometimes leftover at the back of the throat caused more gagging = more reflux)
A little cereal in the bottle. I can't remember the exact amount.

That's what i can remember off the top of my head. If you need anything, I'm here. I understand how hard it is to deal with and for most kids it gets a lot better as they get older. For DS (who is an extreme case) he rarely has issues anymore as long as we take precautions (like small meals, sitting for a bit after eating, etc.).

I hope they get some relief soon

Re: HORRIBLE REFLUX...HELP!!!

Posted by BMonster

First off here are some

DS has had HORRIBLE reflux his whole life and still, at 4 years old, has some issues.

Here are some things that helped DS:
A long time ago we switched from zantac to prevacid.
They changed his formula to Elecare
We had him always sleep on an incline.
Smaller meals, more often- DO NOT OVERFEED
Do not move for a while after eating (depends...at times was anywhere from 30-80 minutes)
Before next meal, we'd try to clean out his nose best we could & do saline drops to help (sometimes leftover at the back of the throat caused more gagging = more reflux)
A little cereal in the bottle. I can't remember the exact amount.

That's what i can remember off the top of my head. If you need anything, I'm here. I understand how hard it is to deal with and for most kids it gets a lot better as they get older. For DS (who is an extreme case) he rarely has issues anymore as long as we take precautions (like small meals, sitting for a bit after eating, etc.).

I hope they get some relief soon

Re: HORRIBLE REFLUX...HELP!!!

Congratulations ! I had no idea you had the babies !!!

Hope they are feeling better soon

Re: HORRIBLE REFLUX...HELP!!!

ugh i've seen her babies do this it breaks my heart and i actually hurt for my little goons

jeez i love those babies

Re: HORRIBLE REFLUX...HELP!!!

Were they tested for a milk protein or soy allergy? That could be causing some of the issues too.. Bring a poopy diaper to the pedi and ask them to be tested...

Re: HORRIBLE REFLUX...HELP!!!

Axid and Zantac did not work for us really at all - Prevacid was a godsend! Axid and Zantac are way too sensitive to weight changes and don't work in the same way as Prevacid. I would think about pushing for a medication switch - nothing else worked for my DD (my DD also had a milk protein allergy and was on Alimentum, but that worked great for her and her allergy was under control when the reflux flared up - she had silent reflux so we did not have any obvious signs).

Re: HORRIBLE REFLUX...HELP!!!

HI! This is the first time i see your lil ones and they are sooooo cute!

I'm so sorry you are going through this. It seems that we will always be in similar situations because my lil guy is having major problems as well. I started noticing reflux symptoms so i told my pedi right away and he put him on zantac. When i noticed it was getting worse he took a stool sample and although you could not see it...it tested positive for blood. So now we know he has a milk allergy that is causing all these problems and he switched him to similac alementum right away and we are continuing the zantac 3 times a day. It's day 3 now and my lil guy is still suffering. I feel ur pain.

Has the doc tested their stool yet?

Re: HORRIBLE REFLUX...HELP!!!

the Dr tried to get a sample when we were there but they had nothing to give lol
I will be bringing poopie diapers with me to their appt on Tuesday of next week. I did call first thing Monday morning and he changed them to prilosec. I just started it this morning due to a pharmacy issue I just got it last night and am afraid of starting new things with them t night so I waited for this morning. He actually said I could give them the axid too for a while until the prilosec really starts working. They are just sooo excessively mucousy and they gag on it and puke all over! I hate it.

Re: HORRIBLE REFLUX...HELP!!!

Going with all my other Prevacid girls here. DS was on both prevacid and pepcid but I feel like prevacid was really the one that made the difference. He was also moved from Alimentum to Elecare when he still continued to have blood in his poop. He wasn't much of a spitter-upper but had horrible reflux. Also, there is a great pillow out there called arpillow. The website is arpillow.com I ended up buying it from someone on Craigslist who had barely used it but it was great. It's a pillow that keeps the baby on a steep incline so they are almost sleeping sitting up, but still in the crib.