AnonymousInactive
Hi there,
I am from Canada, and our omeprazole is also called Losec over here. I went through a hard time, initially because we were using the compound (suspension). Then I found out that even good pharmacies don’t make this right, and it’s typically ineffective as a result.
As far as your dose, it sounds like you’re giving 20mg a day, which isn’t a bad dose. As far as how you’re giving it, is it the MUPS (the tablet) or the capsule? Either way, you are not administering it correctly. It cannot be put in breast milk, and the basic nature of the milk will cause it to break down and become ineffective before it even reaches the stomach. If you are going to dissolve it in a bit of water, then you need to put it in something acidic, ideally a spoonful of applesauce. It needs to be given on an empty stomach and then followed up with a feeding 30-45 minutes later to activate the med. That being said, if you give the losec a taste, then you’ll see why your son won’t take it alone. It is REALLY bitter! TERRIBLE! One option you have is to try buffer babies. We used caracream, the old version, and it worked well for my daughter. You mix the capsules with the base to make a stable liquid suspension that doesn’t need to be timed around meals. But, the losec still tastes bad. Another option, is to ask for the prevacid solutabs (which may be called zoton or prevacid fastabs) where you live. They taste good and dissolve easily, but still need to be administered on an empty stomach and followed up with the meal. If you want to try buffer babies, prevacid capsules can be used which do not taste as bad. We had good luck with prevacid in caracream. Good luck to you.
AnonymousInactive
hi guys..
so sienna isnt too bad! so far its.. ok. after shane i think anything seems ok.
anyhow. no more breastfeeding.. the “why?” is too long to explain right now.
so dairy was BAD… gassy and throwing up.
she is on soy. gas went away.. but after like day 3.. she is constipated.. as i have heard this happens.
what do i do??
tried prune juice.. karo syrup (which grosses me out..and i dont agree with giving too much of). the juice sometimes give a little of the runs .. i cant seem to find a good amount to give.
do you think i should give alimentum?? i just cant afford it if its not really needed.
the reflux is .. ok. no “pain cries” just yet.. just observing a lot of silent refluxing and hiccuping going on. would ya’ll medicate for this? she does sleep on stomach only.. and does squirm a whole lot.
thanks for the help.
AnonymousInactive
Hi Cara,
my advice to you is ….. do not stop breastfeeding …. if the only reason is to thicken the feeds.
It sounds like both of you really enjoy breastfeeding and throwing another issue (bottle feeding) into the mix might just upset you and your baby. My baby developed a feeding aversion and on advice from Dr’s i put him on the bottle. Its a huge regret for me. He was a great feeder too, and i feel like if i had stuck it out a bit longer till his pain was under control i would still be breastfeeding. Giving up feeding on someone else’s instructions and not because i was ready too was really upsetting to me.
There are other ways to thicken feeds.
I am in australia and here we hav Karicare thickener… i used to feed it to him mixed with formula after his bottle feed, as he wouldnt drink his bottle with thickener in it. You could always try something like this mixed with breastmilk.
I hav noticed that my bub does spit up more and is a little more unsettled with reflux when he is a little ill. At the moment he has a cold and i hav noticed the reflux flaring up.
But hang in there… it will improve with meds and time.
Good luck
AnonymousInactive
When Blake started taking Nexium six weeks ago, the doctor told me to mix it with breastmilk (specifically not water), and she just told me to give it twice a day (nothing about an empty stomach, or feeding 30 minutes later). After joining this message board, and doing some research, I found out that PPIs such as Nexium should NOT be given with breast milk or formula. Also, they do not work well if they are not given on an empty stomach.
Anyway, I decided to ask my doctor about all of this at our appointment on Thursday. I guess she could sense my frustration because she started the appointment by telling me that I was a “model” for other mothers trying the elimination diet. This was a very nice thing for her to say, and it actually made me feel bad about confronting her regarding the proper administration of Nexium.
I told her about what I had learned, however, and all of a sudden she says that I was upset the day of my initial appointment because Blake was having so many problems and that there must have been confusion. She said that she told me to give it with water and she said she explained that I needed to give the meds on an empty stomach and then wait 30 minutes to feed. I was so annoyed because my husband and I know what she said originally. My husband said to cut her some slack, and that she is a nice woman. Well, that doesn’t cut it…Why give us meds if they aren’t going to be given the right way, and then to pretend that she said something that she didn’t say.
Then I asked her about Zegerid and she said that it had to be given on an empty stomach too. I told her to talk to the doctor and call me that evening. She is actually the physician’s assistant. I haven’t heard from her since. I think that she is a very nice woman, but I am frustrated.
The good thing is that even though I was given the meds incorrectly, Blake is doing much better. There is no blood in his stool and he now weighs 16 lbs. 4 oz. We are very happy about that. 🙂
AnonymousInactive
Hello ladies,
I don’t know what I would do without all of you! My little guy is almost 5 months old with quite bad reflux (would not breastfeed, had a feeding aversion, lost weight for the first month, constant screaming etc). He is now on a higher dose of a PPI administered through buffer babies and is doing much better, although he still has some issues. I pump and give him breastmilk so he does not have anything but my milk. I have also gone off milk and soy with a few slip ups over Christmas. Everytime I have dairy it seems to impact my baby so I think he does have a MSPI. If Ronan does have a MSPI why would he continue to reflux when I have taken it out of my diet? Does he still need his meds if he has MSPI? I read the info Hellbent gave me re intolerances (thanks!), but I am still a bit confused. In the books about reflux that I have read there is only discussion about MSPI and not intolerances to other foods when you are breastfeeding, but it seems on this site there are many children with intolerances to other foods that impact their reflux.
Thanks!
Rachel
AnonymousInactive
Hi,
My 7 week-old was jsut diagnosed with silent reflux. I don’t feel like the doctors educated me about exactly what this means and what to do about it. I breastfeed, and they wanted me to stop in order to thicken his feeds, but I do not feel comfortable with that option. After doing reserach and talking to other moms with reflux babies, I know that it’s possible to breastfeed and that thickening is controversial.
He ended up getting diagnosed when we took him to the ER at Children’s Hospital, where he was diagnosed with RSV. He was admitted at that point. While we were in teh hospital, they did an Upper GI, where the reflux was diagnosed. The only symptoms he had prior to the hospitalization were some gagging and choking both during and after feedings. Otherwise, he was a very calm and happy baby and a pretty good sleeper, too.
He was prescribed Zantac, which he hates…he spits most of it out. otherwise, I am back to breastfeeding, which he enjoys so much!
Now that we are back home from the hospital, he has become more fussy and has stopped napping well (he only naps for a short time and wakes up crying). I KNOW that is a sign of reflux, but does it make sense that thses symtpoms came on so suddenly? Can illness increase signs of reflux? Does reflux peak at a certain time?
What help can you give me? I am looking for any advice possible on what to do for my son!
Thanks!
Cara
for breastfeeding issues, can you get help from a lactation consultant? or how about la leche league?
the nursing for 45 minutes seems like maybe there’s a latch problem? or baby is nursing for comfort? that’s why I ask about a lactation consultant to check that baby is nursing efficiently/correctly
here, baby is weighed on scale before feeding then after to see how much baby takes in…also you can measure by wet diapers…a certain amount in 24hrs- I forget how many…
AnonymousInactive
It was unbarebly hard to give up nursing my youngest at just three months because he was unable to tolerate my milk as well. I envisionsed breastfeeding him until at least two as I did his older brother who was allergic to soy, dairy and eggs and then transitioning to rice milk. But with Liam it was different. His reflux was so intense he would even throw up on me when I was nursing him and scream in pain. He didn’t want to eat anymore. I had so much milk I went through to bouts of mastitis. I really wish I could have because I was so devoted and given up just about everything food wise. But I had to do what was best for him. It wasn’t about me. That’s what we mothers do isn’t it? We do whatever we can for our little ones.
My nephew is currently in Cincinnati going through a weeks worth of doctors visits and testing to hopefully get some definative answers. They believe he has EE or MFPI. He can only tolerate Neocate and will be 2 in March. So I too would love to know who the 3 doctors are. It is so hard to find people in the medical field that truly understand these diseases and disorders and what you loved ones are going through.
AnonymousInactive
At this age I would put her to the breast as often as she seems to want/need it. It’s very important @ this stage to feed ‘on demand’ for a couple of reasons: 1) to make sure your milk supply remains where it should be & gets established well & 2) to ensure proper weight gain – they gain SO much the 1st months.
If your baby is gaining well (on average 1/2 lb/wk until 3 months old) then mother’s milk is doing its job :).
Hope that helps some.
Edited to add: if she’s still crying after 45min @ the breast it could most certainly due to reflux or intestinal pain (from MSPI). Do you have any concerns about either of those?erinntx2009-01-07 20:13:58
AnonymousInactive
Only have a few minutes but wanted to address a couple of things…
-Nighttime congestion & wheezing: this is a red flag for intolerance (MSPI or MFPI) to me. Is she breastfeeding or on formula? If bf’ing I would consider some diet restrictions (I will elaborate more if this is the case). If formula – what kind is she on?
-Liquid Prevacid: if you’re on a liquid of Prevacid it’s probably compounded. In that case you don’t have to give on an empty stomach so don’t stress about that. You can give compounded @ any time.
-Prevacid dosage & form: to piggyback of that… check out marci-kids.com for info on dosage info & also about the problem w/ compounded prescriptions. Most likely your dose is too low & your rx was made inproperly. I don’t mean to discourage you… but I started exactly where you are: w/ a fussy, unhappy baby w/ a low dose of compounded Prevacid.
-Probiotics: we started Probiotics around 4-5 wks old. We use the Klaire Labs Ther-biotic Infant Formula. I have a link around here somewhere but don’t have it right now. We buy from theapexstore.com. They’ve helped us a lot.
Gotta run – HTH some & sorry I couldn’t answer all your questions & concerns.
my thoughts on testing:
once baby is on PROPER:
meds, dosing of meds, form of meds, combination of meds,
formula (alimentum/nutrimigen/neocate/elecare if necessary)/breastfeeding (diet if necessary)
and baby is still:
crying/fussy/unhappy most of the time, having terrible times w/ passing stools, forming stools, having foul smelling gas & stools
starting to have a feeding aversion
then I’d look into testing…but I would tackle meds & diet first…
AnonymousInactive
I couldn’t convince my ped to do any allergy testing until my oldest was 16 months old. I really wish that I’d done it earlier. I had cut milk and soy out of my doctor, but her other allergies never occurred to me. I ended up giving up on breastfeeding, but I probably could have kept going if I’d realized that wheat and apples were such a big deal.
So, I would try to get them to do testing. With my younger dd they did RAST blood testing when she was 9 months old and we discovered a milk allergy. She’s outgrown it now, and I think that the early discovery is a major reason.
AnonymousInactive
Colleen,
You are lucky that you are only returning to work part time. It is easier to keep your supply up that way because you can still breastfeed more often. When I returned to work, I was away from my son for nine hours at a time. It was very difficult. I would just suggest that you pump as often as you can. Do you have a good pump? I bought the Medela pump-in-style and the Avent Isis Duo. I got the Medela first, and when my supply started to dwindle, I went out and got the Avent. I was determined to keep breastfeeding and I thought that it might have been the pump. I thought that the Medela was awesome, although I read that many people also like the Avent. The Medela is more of a forceful sucking action, and the Avent is supposed to match your natural nursing rhythm. It also helps if you look at a picture of your son while you pump, or try to think about him. If you have any questions, or you need support when it comes to pumping, let me know. I pumped for almost seven months at work. Good luck on your first day back at work. Enjoy your weekend!
AnonymousInactive
Hey Colleen,
I’m sorry to hear that you are having such a tough time. You definitely shouldn’t give up on breast feeding, and I think you need to find a new doctor. You shouldn’t have to convince your doctor that you are doing what is best for your baby. My GI is the complete opposite. She actually brought the nutritionist in and they both told me that I needed to keep breast feeding and NOT use formula. There are SO many benefits to breast feeding (as I’m sure you know). Stick to your gut!
My first son didn’t have any reflux issues, but when my supply started to dwindle when I returned to work, my pediatrician in NY (living in CA now) told me that I needed to supplement with formula. I remember that I was so depressed, and I still get upset when I think about it. My new baby, Blake, has reflux and I am breast feeding exclusively on a TED.jenkizi2009-01-03 00:06:30
welcome!
so sorry to read about your baby’s troubles
!
1) first of all it can take up to 14 days for you to see the full effects of the prevacid
2) second of all it might not be a high enough dose-
3) 3rd of all, depending on the ‘kind’ or ‘form’ of prevacid, you may not have been instructed on how to give it properly…
PLEASE read this, as
this should clear this subject up a bit
:
next: how are baby’s stools? ‘normal’ or mucousy (stringy or curdled)? horrible gas? grunting? I ask this bcse many times babies w/ reflux also have problems digesting proteins (most often it’s milk proteins and soy proteins) in breastmilk & formula.
are you breastfeeding or what formula does she take?
in the meantime, do you have any zantac (or pepcid or tagament or axid)? you can give this, too, just make sure to space the dose 4hrs seperate from the prevacid. if you have zantac, axid or pepcid and you tell me baby’s weight, I can help you calculate a proper, high, dose for her
