Infant Just Diagnosed with reflux......help!

Hi M.,

My son had reflux and was put on Zantac. I TRIED and TRIED to help him through diet to no avail. It just took time for him. The Zantac helped, but he still had issues. He is 2 now and doing great! Hang in there. I know it is so hard! It gets better.

D.

I have twin girls who are now 21 months, but they both had reflux pretty bad for the first year. They were on Zantac first, then Previcid, then a combination of both. I would suggest that you see a pediatric GI doc if at all possible. They are more familiar with doses then pedis and might be able to help you. Do you keep her as upright as possible after feeding? Like in a bouncy seat? It's such a hard time when they have reflux - hang in there! It does get better when they are on the right med at the right dose, and eventually it goes away!

Hi,
my son was diagnosed with severe reflux at about 1 mo. He has been on many drugs, but the one that worked the best is Prevacid. He has been taking an adult dose since he was 6 mos. They said it would clear by 6mos, the latest 1 year. Well, he still has it pertty badly. We tried lots of stuff before medication. Medication is not the preferred method these days, but, green or not, it works. My son is happy when is on the medicine, miserable when he is not.
good luck

My daughter had reflux, although is wasn't diagnosed, and I know I didn't want her on Zantec so I got a homeopathic remedy that seem to have helped, but also watching very carefully what I ate. She was spitting up a ton, and still does a little, and she is over 6 months old. Mostly it was frustrating to me, but not painful at all to her. I would recommend something other that the Zantec. The homeopathic that I got was Nat. Sulph 6X (Natrum Sulphuricum) - Hylands brand #11.

Good luck.

M.-

I'm sure you've gotten a lot of great advice by now, but I just couldn't help respond. While my daughter was much older when she was diagnosed with reflux (she was 4), we struggled for a long time with her as an infant and toddler, not knowing why she did so many of the tings she did. I learned so much from my friends along the way. Primarily what I learned was to learn all I could about it and the website www.infantrefluxdisease.com was a big help with that. Secondly, there are not a lot of doctors with a lot of experience in his matter. So many friends I know with infants, toddlers, etc. went the whole Zantac route for so long with not a lot of success, including my daughter. However, Prevacid (the quick dissolve tablets work the best, although a lot of doctors want to give you the granules-be forewarned, the granules are difficult to get all into the mouth of a squirmy little one and they stick to whatever you use to dispense). We noticed a great difference almost immediately with the Prevacid and I and my friends who've had an infant or child with reflux now swear by it. We ended up seeing a Pediatric Gastrointerologist and I wish I would have done that so much sooner-I'd highly recommend seeing one if at all possible. After thorough evaluation, he upped her Prevacid dosage and put her on Reglan (she vomits when she refluxes, so this helps her stomach empty sooner, so there's not so much to vomit). After an upper GI and an endoscopy to make sure there weren't any other conditions affecting her, we have continued on this pattern for several years with much success. She's now 7 and has weaned off the meds and only on occasion does she need any meds, which a Rolaids soft chew takes care of! Again, she was much older when she was diagnosed and most children grow out of it by the time they are as old as she was when she was first diagnose, so this is a more extreme/rare case, but I HTH!

N.

I have heard that Gripe water works great for reflux as well as for heartburn for pregnant women. you can find it at health food stores. I would suggest trying the natural method rather than giving babies drugs. Plus, I think it works instantly like tums or pepto.

Get your baby a massage with someone who also knows energy therapy such as Polarity. One treatment may resolve the issue and never need the drug, which has side effects. You can find a therapist through SWIHA.net. They have several links.

Hi M.,

I am so sorry to hear about your baby. I'm sure it is very difficult for you to go through this. No mom likes to see her baby in pain.

Reflux is generally VERY easy remedied through diet. Babies are very responsive to diet and environmental changes, as they haven't spent so much of their life doing the wrong things.

There are severe side effects associated with Axid and Zantac. Plus, these drugs NEVER get rid of the real issue -- they will only suppress it until such time that something else crops up because the root cause was never dealt with. Then, the docs will prescribe your child yet another drug to control whatever ails her at that time. I continue to be shocked by doctors putting babies on drugs when there are perfectly natural ways of dealing with the issue. We look to them for help, and they are actually hurting people. Physician and Hospital errors are actually the number THREE cause of death in America. This begs the question, “What the heck are they doing???”

I am a Health & Nutritional Consultant and would be happy to help you if you are interested. Feel free to contact me at ###-###-####.

Best of luck to you.

Warm Regards,
G. Van Luven

Hi M.,

When my son was 3 wks old he would projectile vomit so they thought he had pyloric stenosis and needed surgery. When the tests ruled it out, they said it was severe acid reflux and put him on zantac. After 2 1/2 wks, they changed it to prilosec. He is now 5mths and after several dosage increases, he is about to see a pediatric GI specialist. We have tried everything --- eliminating everything possible from my diet, elevating his crib, sitting upright for 30 minutes, cereal in his bottle, 5 different formulas including Alimentum. I know for many with reflux all of the above has helped them. Hopefully, it will help for your little one. Good luck.

I don't have much great advice, but hang in there! Both my girls had it and it was really hard for a few months but now they're almost 11 months and they're fine. I remember all the screaming and spitting up, I thought it would never end but just hang in there, it will get better!
I found out for me (if you're giving your baby formula) the Similac Sensitive worked the best (it's the orange one) and I also put 1-2 tsps of blended oatmeal in every bottle. it seemed to help to keep the food down. Good luck!

Hi M.-
My name is K. and I'm a pediatric occupational therapist and work with a lot of little ones who experience reflux. My first question would be are you nursing or what formula is she taking? Either way, try to eliminate dairy from your diet if you're nursing and if she's on a formula try a non-dairy based formula. Many times the reflux is a direct result of what they are eating. It's a trial and error process, but many times can bring great results. Hope this is helpful.
K.

M.,
My son was diagnosed with reflux around 2 months as well. He was put on Zantac, and it did take a couple of weeks for it to start controlling the reflux completely, but I did see improvement soon after he started on it.

My doctor said that we could try to take him off the meds when he started solids. When he started eating cereal regularly every day that started to help keep the reflux under control as it weighed down what was in his stomach. He was completely off Zantac at 6 months.

It is no fun to know that your baby is suffering. But, as I was told when we were going through it, most babies do outgrow reflux by a year.

ME too! ACtualy my son was in the ER two weeks ago because of that. WHat type of food do you have your baby? I mean Breast milk or formula? I have some good advice but I want to get the facts first.

J.

this advice is slightly old --- I do not think the meds everyone is talking about were out yet.
my nephew who is now about 11 used to vomit during and after every bottle it got to the point no one in the room was safe. my SIL tried everything all doctor suggested. all types of formulas and absolutely nothing helped especially the non milk formulas (my older nephew was severely allergic to milk.) when he was about 7 months old I yoo was at my wits end -- I suggested we feed him just regular milk and within days he was fine--- totally!!!! it used to be a family joke that he hated the taste of formula. my nephew is a smart kid LOL.
just to be on the safe side knowing that babies shold not drink milk we asked the doctor about it and he said straight milk would not hurt him.

M. -

I know so many people have responded, and that is wonderful! I went through this with support from my parents as they had just gone through it with my sisters twin girls. It is very hard to go through, and I can't imagine doing it without any support! We tried all the medicines, and nothing worked. I was breastfeeding him and changed my diet to a very bland diet and that helped a lot. I also did the myopractor route, and the results were amazing! After just two times he was a new child. I lived in Washington at the time, and there were no myopractors close to me, so then I switched to a chiropractor. He did amazing things also. My son started sleeping through the night and stopped screaming all the time! I since have moved to Arizona and have started seeing an NAET specialist and have found out through muscle testing that my son is allergic to almost everything out there! We are working through the allergies, as this is an allergy ellimination treatment. Feel free to check out their website at naet.com. I hope this helps. Feel free to contact me if you would like further information. Good luck, and remember it does get better! :)

M.
My son had Acid Reflux until he was about 1 years old and was diagnosised when he was 2 weeks. He was on Reglan orally 4 times a day. I had to be sure to give him the medicine 30 minutes before breastfeeding, I would slowly sneek it into his mouth while he slept and then sneek a pacifier in so he would suck and swallow the medicine. I made sure that we waited at the 30 minutes before feeding or the medicine did not have the full effect. The other thing I did was leave him sittin up for 45 minutes after breastfeeding, swing, boppy, carseat... what ever it took. I raised his bed mattress a little with blankets under the mattress where is head would go. These things helped so much, I could also tell when his throat was hurting because he would scrunch up and arch his back, these times I'd let him breastfeed to soothe and coat his throat. He did grow out of it, but one thing I have now learned that Reflux babies are more apt for Asthma, which he was diagnosised with at 2 1/2 yo. Just so you know for future. Hope it helps.

My middle daughter had the same problem. Once she started the medicine she was a new child. It really worked for her. Swinging in her swing also seemed to calm her down as well as being swaddled really tight. Hope that helps. It is aweful to see your child in so much pain. Good luck! -A.

I did go through the same thing with my son, but he was a bit older (9 mos)when they finally diagnosed him. We did put him on the Zantac tablets and they seemed to help. That was 4 yrs ago and that was pretty much the only meds available for it. It was sooooo expensive too. At first the insurance wouldn't cover it, until I called and told them it was the only meds avail. then they made it "medically necessary" and the cost went down considerably!! He only ended up needing them for about 3 months then he seemed to grow out of it. Go figure?? Have they ruled out lactose intollerance?? She may need to go with a soy based formula. My daughter had that when she was a baby, and the soy seemed to work wonders.
Good Luck!!

Hi M.! My son was on pediatric Prevacid until he was about 14 months old and it really helped. I was unable to breast feed, so he was on Infamil AR, as well. BTW: he now is a strapping, healthy 3 year-old. The advice to keep your daughter in an upright position for at least 30 minutes after eating really helped us. Also consider elevating her mattress so she sleeps with her head higher than her tummy. At six to eight weeks of age, my son was especialy cranky but he calmed down after he was on Prevacid for a couple of weeks. It may seem like an eternity, but she will out grow this. Please try to get some M.-time, if you can, because you are doing the work of angels, taking care of these two little-ones. One positive note: it seems that nothing in spit-up stains your/her clothing until she get on solid food! Good luck!

Hi M.,

I am a licensed acupuncturist and a mother of a 2 1/2 year old. My son had issues with reflux and colic. I took him to a myopractor named Ed Sheridan on 54th St & Thunderbird and he helped to disend the stomach muscles and colon. It worked miracles for my son. I also know of pediatric chinese herbal formulas that would be better take than the axid. If you would like more information you are more than welcome to contact me at ###-###-####.

Sincerely,
M. Burton, L.Ac

Hi M.,
My son was diagnosed with reflux when he was about 4 months old. They put him on Prevacid, which is a different class of acid controller than Axid. He did really well but it was really awful in the beginning, before his diagnosis.

I thickened up his formula a little (not much) and continued to BF in addition. I had him sleeping in his swing and kept him upright for about 1/2 hr after eating.

He's 2 now and no longer has it. Hopefully your little one will grow out of it too!
-A.

My son was a screamer when he was a newborn -- at his 3 month checkup I told the dr. about it, he suggested we try Zantac as well -- it worked like a charm!!! It was a life saver for sure. I had wished I had gone to the dr. at 1 month about it. He had to be on it til about 7 or 8 months, then he was better.

Hi M.!
there is another lady here on mamasource going through the same situation, her name is Suzanne M. i have acid reflux and i have been on meds for about 12 to 14 years and if i miss one dose of my meds i pay for it, and i need surgery to repair it but the doc says its to risky, if i do get surgery i will never be able to vomit again because it will go to my lungs... so i hope you two get some answers from doctors, so you can prevent anything like that happening to your sweet babies!!!!!!!! i wish both of you and anyone with the same problem the best of luck through it all....

M.,
Since someone else already mentioned it, I thought I would write in. Ed Sheridan has a ton of experience with babies since his wife is a midwife and he gets excellent results working with colicy babies and other digestive problems. Changing diet or introducing antiacids will not always be effective if the digestive system is not working properly. He is very knowledgable, gets results and doesn't require a series of visits. Usually one or two will get the job done. His # is ###-###-####. good luck. I'm sure your life is a little stressful now. We hate to see our babies hurt!

I also was in your situation about 2 1/2 years ago. We were told my youngest son had reflux and he too was put on Axid. After a couple months of no improvement we went back to the doctor. They didn't know what was wrong. He would cry during his feedings and after for about an hour or two. It sucked!! Finally, someone asked me if we had him checked to see if he was tongue tied. Which means their tongue is too attached and it's very hard for them to suck. I went back to the doctor and he was!! We had his tongue clipped and he was fine. The crying stopped and no more axid. He never had reflux but the signs are the same as reflux. I just tell people this story because you never know. Chances are your baby is not tongue tied, but what if. And it takes two seconds for a doctor to check that. Good Luck.

Hello there. This sounds like my son. He was also diagnosed at a young age...2 weeks they started him on Zantac. That didnt really seem to work so we tried Prevacid. It does take about two weeks but, since being on it the screaming has stopped!!!!!!! Hang in there I am so sorry. I know exactly what you are going through. My son would scream all day unless he was sleeping.

Whatever you do try to avoid Reglan. Our GI spec wanted to put our son on that and I said no and the nurse that is wise and I said why do you say that and she said because it could cause nerological disorders. It is rare but, still a chance. Just a heads up.

M.,
Will you please check with your doctor and have him see if your daughter could have food allergies??!!! What you are describing sounds just like my son when he was little. He would scream and cry, spit up all the time and we were all hurting. My doctor checked his stool, found blood and he was diagnosed with a milk allergy. He was put on Allimentum formula, quite expensive but it contains no milk products and within a few hours I had my little guy back! He was like that for the first 2 months of his life and I feel so bad that I didn't test for that sooner! He is now 5 and still slightly lactose intolerant but not like he was when he was young.
If you want to call me do - ###-###-#### - ~T. N.

Just a few questions first, have you changed what you are feeding the baby, it could be she is allergic to what ever you are feeding her and gas is building up in her system causing her to cry. If you are breast feeding it could be something that you are eating that is causing the problem. I have a problem with gluten, it causes such great pain with almost instant gas. It could be soy that causes the problem, remember when you use an animal product what ever that animal has eaten stays in the meat and milk.

Both my boys had reflux but only one had it bad enough to need medication. I can not remember the name of the meds exactly but it was just the generic for zantac. Like one of the other Mom's said, the meds made him a new baby. Some other things are not to lay her flat for at least 1/2 hour after she eats. It is actually a good idea to keep her at an incline as often as possible. One of the things that we did for our boys was we had a crib that lowered as the child got older...we put one side on the lowest setting and the other on the highest. This made the crib at an incline and they slept much better. This obviously only works until they start moving/rolling since they will end up stuck at the bottom of the crib. My boys also both liked to be swaddled (especially when sleeping). I know it seems like it will be better but the meds will start to help at least a little very soon. Good luck and hope she is a happy little girl soon!

My son had reflux as a baby and was diagnosed at about 6 weeks. We put him on Zantac and had amazing results. We gave him the medicine 3 times a day and gradually reduced it over time as he got older. I don't remember exactly (he is 7 now) but he was medicine free at about a year old. I know how stressful this is and I hope you and your baby can get some relief with the medicine.

I don't know what those drugs are, but I do know that my sister struggled with this with her boy until he was seven years old. He would wake up and vomit and she was up with him every single night for seven years. He would need to eat at night to keep his stomach settled. Finally, someone recommended a 1/4 or 1/2 tsp. baking soda in a little warm water, and it never happened again! Ask your doctor about this and find a way to get it in your daughter. Maybe give it in a bottle.

i had my son on acidflex and it worked great. with in one day i noticed a huge improvement

this sounds so scary - I raised three sons and now would only use safe and natural things - not pharmaceuticals - if I were in your place - look into herbal alternatives for her - Sangre de Drago is used in South America for digestive disorders - it is a sap from a tree in the rainforest - for more information about it you can look at my website: shootingstarherbs.amazonherb.net or call me at ###-###-####

I have 2 boys who were both diagnosed with Reflux. Although this was 7 yrs and 3 1/2 years ago, I remeber it like it was yesterday. My kids were 6 weeks and 8 weeks old when they were diagnosed. Be thankful you have doctor who didn't label it as 'colic' as ours did. It was only after one of them stopped eating at 6 weeks and was hospitalized for 3 days at Phoenix Childrens that they finally diagnosed it and put him on Zantac. Zantac was effective within a couple days for them, but not effective after 2 weeks. We moved them to Prevacid and it worked really well for them both. It broke my heart to see them in so much pain from something they wanted to badly. Put a wedge in their crib that elevates their head slightly (you can buy one at most babies stores) Don't hesitate to exert yourself if you don't feel the meds are effective. Here are some sites I looked to for support and education: http://www.infantreflux.org/ http://www.infantrefluxdisease.com/ http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/infant-acid-reflux/DS00787 http://www.drgreene.com/21_843.html Best of luck to you and your little one. My boys outgrew the condition at about 3-4 months, thankfully. Maybe your little one will too. Take care.

Hey M. - I'm a mom and grandma. My six year old grandson has been diagnosed with reflux since the age of 2. He has had to change meds because he builds up a tolerance to them. It takes awhile for the right med to be found. My grandson has been fine for almost a year and a half and things are kicking up again. He has explosive bowels movements. At six years of age he weighs "just 40" pounds. He doesn't let it keep him down. He's very active. On top of this disease he also suffers from asthma. On a more serious note. Look up "Happiest Baby on the Block." Our organization has a woman who teaches this class. It works wonders with babies 3 months and under. It truly is a miracle how wrapping a baby can calm a baby! Please look it up. I have seen this in action and truly wished that it had been around when I had my children. Good Luck!

i recently had a pain under my sternum, and went to my chiropractor who is also a physician.
he said i had a hernia, where my duodenum was moved into my stomach and can cause acid reflux among other things..
i had a procedure done (it took about 5 minutes) by my chiropractor and about 1 minute later could feel the pain subsiding and by that evening i felt so much better...
have you talked to your doctor to figure out what the cause is? have you looked into alternatives other then medications? have you seen a different doctor to get a different perspective?
sounds like a hard situation, good luck.

My daughter did not have reflux, but she had colic and the doctor gave her a prescription medication that worked for both. The medication was Levsin Drops, it worked very well for her. I hope she gets relief soon.

My daughter was put on these meds around 8 - 14 weeks (we tried several). My doctor couldn't explain her tantrums after several visits so he thought he'd put us on a stronger acide reflux med that my insurance wouldn't pay for, so we used his samples for a few weeks...

Honestly, I can't tell you it worked. I was told out of 10 infants, 5 respond and the other 5 don't. I am thinking that maybe she just grew out of it as she developed. I did keep her at an angle when feeding and for 20 minutes afterwards, I watched my diet eventhough I was barely breatfeeding, and I also rubbed her little tummy and gave her massages as she ate to distract her.

Good Luck...I still have half the samples because eventually she just grew to be more calm and contented after eating. I wonder if it was less her esophogus and more her developing tummy that was the issue but as long as the meds don't hurt, I would keep using them.

I bought a wrap (gypsy mama one.... http://www.gypsymama.com/shop/breeze.htm... and carried him throughout the day in that. I also fed him upright in that and it helped so much! I also took him to a gonstead chiropractor who worked on him and made a huge difference. Additionally, we started co-sleeping. The warmth from my body really helped him to feel better. You can also try an amby bed http://www.ambybaby.com/ which you can find used on craigslist sometimes. Good luck! Things will get better!

My son had reflux, too, and we were given the Axid. He was taking so many other meds for a heart condition that we didn't want to give him anything else. The doctor had also suggested cereal in the bottle. I think it was like 1 tablespoon per ounce! I know it sounds like a lot, and you have to slit the nipples just right, but it worked and we didn't have to give him the meds (be sure to talk with the pediatrician first). I'm all for meds, but it seems like we're giving them too quickly without trying other alternatives. We also propped him up on his boppy to sleep which helps keep the food down instead of creeping back up! Good luck.

Question: Are you nursing? If so, one thing you might try is being very careful with what you eat. Nursing babies already get gas or experience effects of their mother's milk if she eats spicy or gassy foods. If the child is having reflux also, it may help to put yourself on a bland diet for a while.

Also, I know it isn't the "current thinking" to give a child water, but I always gave mine water and it helped them. Just a thought. Good luck!