Very Worried

Hello and welcome,

Like Heather said it can take two weeks to see the full effect of a PPI medication like Prevacid. And unless you’re using the compounded version you need to give it on an empty stomach and then follow it up with a feeding 30 minutes later. Also, many doctors under dose our babies because they are not aware of the current research which shows that due to their high metabolism infants usually need a higher dose than adults and need to take these meds two to three times per day instead of just once. You can read about this research at http://www.marci-kids.com They have a dosing calculator that you can use to see what dose they recommend for your baby.

My son was a huge spitter as well and the PPI meds don’t do much to stop that. The meds are mainly used to stop the acid production and the pain. Once the baby is no longer in pain they will eat better and most babies will eat enough to grow normally despite frequent vomitting. Since she’s already dropped percentiles I’m sure her doctor will monitor her weight gain closely.

There are things that can be done besides surgery to help her gain weight. Getting her on a good enough dose of Prevacid to control her pain so she eats more may be all she needs to gain steadily. If not then they can try motility meds, but our doc uses them only as a last resort if baby is not gaining becasue of the possible side effects.

Well, good luck. I’m glad you found us and I hope your little girl is feeling better and eating better soon.

It would probably be better to give her the meds 30 minutes before feeding her. An hour may be too long for it to work properly.

I used the Dr. Brown’s. I think they’re better than the platex disposables.

My guess is that she needs a higher and more frequent dose of the ppi. I really do recommend checking out the Marci Kids info. and taking it with you to the doctor. Sometimes they aren’t all that interested in what a mom has to say, so you should have something to back you up!