AnonymousInactive
Ugh… your description of your son brings me back to the nightmare I lived with my son. My little guy was similar in that he would only drink an ounce or two at at time, couldn’t handle even an newborn nipple, screamed during feedings, etc. It took me too long to figure out he had reflux (I had a previous refluxer so I should have known) and then another month or two to get him on a good dose of Prevacid. By then he’d developed a feeding aversion and I ended up having to spoon feed him expressed breast milk. It was that or a feeding tube. He simply would not take a bottle anymore.
I’m telling you this so you know how serious reflux and feeding aversions can be. I think you’re on the right track by getting him on Prevacid, but the dose may not be high enough. Most docs underdose. Also there are often problems with the compounded version of Prevacid. It’s often not made right and loses it’s effectiveness right in the bottle. Visit
http://www.marci-kids.com to learn more about this. Also this link should help.
The right dose of Prevacid did stop my son’s pain and I’m sure it will help your little guy too. Good luck and hang in there. I know how hard it is…
AnonymousInactive
The Elecare we get from Optioncare is $180 a case (case of 6). Makes it $30 a can. Thank goodness insurance pays most of it. My ped told me once that the reason formula is so expensive is because
a. It’s like gas. The companies can make it whatever price they want, b/c if you aren’t breastfeeding, this is your only other option. You kind of HAVE to feed your infant
.
b. WIC. The companies give so much (which I’m sure they get a HUGE tax break or something for) formula that they recoop some of the cost by passing it along to us.
the axid & the prilosec should be given 4hrs seperate (or at the very least 2hrs seperate)
From all I’ve read, using suppositories every day isn’t the best option…
what formula/breastfeeding is he on? perhaps that is the cause of the gas- built up proteins (milk & soy) in the system can cause gas
AnonymousInactive
Hi,
Just wanted to say that both my boys couldn’t/can’t handle dairy in my diet, so I sympathize with you — and good for you for sticking with the breastfeeding anyway!
It is very likely that your son is bothered by the milk protein, not lactose, so I highly doubt Lactaid would help. And I think about half or so of the babies with milk protein intolerance also have soy protein intolerance. My older son was definitely milk protein intolerant but had no problems whatsoever with soy. My second son could not tolerate either early on, but we recently introduced soy and it seems to be going well.
Anyway, just wondering if soy is a problem with your guy? If not, you may already know — but there are some pretty good soy and rice products out there to replace the usual dairy products (milk, cheese, ice cream). You are probably aware, but just wanted to mention that with my first son, I drank a ton of the “Very Vanilla” flavor of Silk soy milk — it’s great, and you can add fruit and make smoothies that are pretty similar to milkshakes, really.
Oh, and keep trying! Maybe once a month or so to see what happens when you add dairy to your diet. One day he might surprise you!
AnonymousInactive
I am thoroughly frustrated! I can’t seem to figure out exactly what Amelia can’t tolerate. She spits up mainly after I breastfeed her in the a.m (which may be ending soon…) or after breakfast. Yesterday, however, she spit up about 2 hours after lunch! I did give her black beans for the first time. Maybe that was it??? We are back on milk and cheese for now, and I am still eating milk products (I don’t drink milk). She seems to do fine most of the time. If she is spitting up after I breastfeed in the a.m., that would suggest it’s something I’m eating for dinner since we eat after she goes to bed. I have yet to see that she spits up after her bedtime breastfeeding. I really just don’t know. I would love to wean her off of reflux meds, but I don’t have this under control yet, so I am hesitant. I am just not sure if it’s still reflux or a food intolerance??! She does have poop the consistancy of mashed potatoes quite often. Anyone have a similar situation? What did you do? Amelia is 15 months old. Also, do I still have to try a new food for 3-4 days? I have yet to try any of the highly allergenic foods (fish, citrus, strawberries, nuts, honey directly — I have given her honey in breads etc.) since she has an intolerance of some sort. Any feedback would be great!
from groupie intro I would look at the link(s) for Sandifer Symptoms- see if baby shows any of these- these are ‘proof’ of reflux
your dr may say everything is a-ok bcse of great weight gain or dr may listen to you as the parents/advocates
you may want to say something a little different than ‘I read on the internet’ about the mylanta- dr shouldn’t freak, but I don’t know your dr- we all learned of this from our drs- well I did from my ped GI- many tell parents maalox so mylanta is pretty much the same…
oh & pumping before a feeding isn’t too helpful- makes body think that baby needs more (supply & demand) so it becomes a cycle of having too much, needing to pump, body thinking baby needs this much & then produces too much once again…but again, congrats on the breastfeeding! It’s HARD! and its not like it’s intuitive and easy like we’d think! (using a dishcloth/washcloth to absorb the extra is helpful
& I tend to like the washable flannel nursing pads- I feel they’re more absorbant & well, washable, LOL!)
gotta gooooooooooo
AnonymousInactive
Hey there! Sorry that your lo is having such a rough time. From the symptoms you list, it certainly sounds like reflux, and having had both a refluxer who didn’t gain weight and one who was a porker (he too overate in order to “kill the burn”), the doc was much more concerned about my non-gainer. I had a hard time getting anyone to take me seriously about my son. However, after hours of screaming and endless vomiting, I stopped allowing them to brush me off.
I think you are right in taking her elsewhere should the doc not seem helpful. If you get the help you need, the doctor should prescribe a PPI. Most docs start with H2 blockers, like Pepcid or Zantac. Some babies do great on these, but they are very weight sensitive (doses have to be constantly adjusted) and often they stop working after awhile. PPI’s are really your best bet (Prevacid, Zegerid, Prilosec). There are all different forms, but check out
http://www.marci-kids.com They have the most up to date research and information on infant reflux and medications, dosing, etc.
Also, I just wondered why your wife used a shield when breastfeeding. Does she have OAL? If so, it can really irritate reflux, but there are ways to combat this.
The Mylanta should help with the gas and hopefully help make her more comfortable until you can get some real help from the doc.
Hope this helps!
AnonymousInactive
I agree with Laura. We went from breastfeeding to soy and then 4 wks later had to go to Nutramigen until 10.5 months old. We never had diarrhea but he was as miserable as he had been when he was nursing. I would give it a good 2-3 weeks on Nutramigen/aliementum and see what happens.
hi there,
I have a lot to say. a LOT. it’s here:
Groupie Intro: my intro: https://www.infantreflux.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=853&PN=1&TPN=1
so PLEASE READ/SKIM/SRCOLL through.
Please avoid karo syrup w/ a breastfed baby (if you’re doing it for constipation, my guess is baby isn’t constipated…what are stools like? ‘normal mustardy/seedy breastfed stools? or watery & green? green & foamy? mucousy/stringy?)
Congratulations on the breastfeeding!!!
so glad you found us!
~laura
and pps: mylanta cherry supreme (this particular kind of mylanta only) doesn’t have aluminum) is safe for babies, even newborns & can provide temporary relief- can give 1ml at a time, up to 5x a day- it may affect stools- if stools get watery/too much, then you’ve given too much & just back off. it’s safe!
AnonymousInactive
We’re going to the dr. next week but we want to know now if there is anything we can try, antacids,herbals, etc. Our baby is almost 6 weeks and has been showing signs of reflux (we think) for about 3-4 weeks. She is breastfed although w/ a shield, she burps good usually and my wife feeds her on a pillow at a 20-30 degree angle.
I’ve read a lot and know there are a lot of techniques to try, elevated feeding/sleeping, different sleeping positions, elimination diet, etc, etc. We’ve tried everything. My wife doesn’t eat anything anymore, she’s eliminated dairy, eggs, nuts, spicy foods, raw vegetables and most fruits, etc, etc. but hasn’t helped much that we can tell.
She is showing all the common symptons of reflux and was a month early too. She is spitting up at all times up to two hours after feeding, straining painfully all the time, never sleeps direclty on her back, vomits through her nose at times, grunts all the time, she is comfort feeding and throwing it all up. I would say about half the time she exibits signs of pain and discomfort, even during sleep.
But we’ve called the nurses and dr.s and since she is gaining ok they say not to worry. But if the dr. doesn’t do something this time we are getting a new dr.
THanks for any input, I’ve been reading so many stories similar to ours. I would appreciate any ideas for home remedies or techniques that may help. We give her warm water w/ a little Karo & some of her gripe water mixed in and it seems to help comfort her but only for a short time.
the weight gain sounds like she’s comfort feeding…many babies do this to soothe the burn…
also, this might help (this is not from me, it’s from a Moderator at the Yahoo breastfeedingreflux group):
what’s the connection between gas and reflux?
Gas is created when something isn’t digested properly; for example,
beans are generally harder to digest than other foods, which is why
they are notorious for causing gas in most people (they are generally
not a common problem with breastfed babies through mom’s milk, though;
this is just a common example to help make sense.)
Also, gas puts pressure on the esophageal sphincter (the muscle at the
top of the stomach that helps move and keep things down), making it
easier for whatever is in the stomach to be refluxed.
AnonymousInactive
Hi,
Sorry if I missed it, but are you breastfeeding or formula feeding (& what type if so)? I ask because the grunting you mention reminds me so much of both my boys as newborns. They grunted and they grunted and they grunted SO loudly, and in both of our cases, it turned out to be protein intolerances that caused the grunting, the excessive gas, and a lot of the discomfort in general. Many babies with acid reflux also have protein intolerances, which can make the reflux symptoms so much worse. The biggies are milk and soy protein, but my youngest son was also bothered by just about any significant amount of any protein in my diet.
if you do a search, you’ll find many many posts with all of us wondering
“I wonder if it was the _____ that caused the reflux”
Personally, I think there are a few factors:
* plain bad luck
*genetic predisposition (I tend to think this goes along more often with the mspi/protein issues/allergies cases, but it can of course also go along w/ an immature LES- see next on list)
* plain bad luck w/ being born w/ an immature LES (lower esophogeal sphinctor)
Personally I don’t think it has ANYTHING to do w/ what happened during pregnancy…that’s just me, but I have been on this board almost 5 (!) years now…
these links may be helpful:
My response- how long does this last? As a 1rst question: https://www.infantreflux.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=3541&PN=1&TPN=1
hang in there!!!
hugs!!!
~laura
ps: I just read more carefully:
CONGRATULATIONS!!!
if you plan on breastfeeding, and, if your prior refluxer(s) had/have mspi, then you might want to cut out all milk & dairy from your diet about 3 to 4 weeks before your due date, thus making your milk like neocate….
hellbennt2008-03-28 15:02:03
AnonymousInactive
Just some words of support. My little guy developed a bottle aversion due to being untreated for months and then treated with a too low dose of Prevacid for so long. By 7 months he completely quit drinking anything from a bottle except for one bottle that he’d take on his way off to sleep for the night, and he also refused any sippy cups. So, I spoon fed him expressed breast milk or formula for months. It was hard and I hated it but it kept him alive. It helped to feed him in a reclining bouncy seat instead of a high chair.
Oh, and Myles was also a huge puker. It was very discouraging to spend so much time spoon feeding him only to have him puke it all up afterwards. Somehow he managed to grow and thankfully he finally outgrew it.
Hang in there. I hope the Zegerid helps and/or the doc raises his dose if needed.
AnonymousInactive
Yea for the good news!!!
When I started the TED with Nathan (the breastfeeding equivalent of Neocate, I believe), we saw dramatic improvement almost immediately!! The first two days were absolutely perfect, and he never had another “bad” feeding again (screaming during nursing, arching, latching on/off a hundred times, etc.) unless I ate something with a lot of protein in it. But after the first couple of days, he did start sleeping poorly again and it was obvious that he still had plain old GERD — in addition to protein intolerances. So we got him on a marci-kids.com dose of Prevacid, and everything came together.
All this to say that since you already see such improvement with Neocate, that is probably a big piece of the puzzle to getting your son complete reflief — and maybe even all you need to do (I don’t remember if he’s on meds right now?) But don’t worry if it’s still not enough — my son needed both TED breastmilk and a high PPI dose to really get relief.
Good luck!!
, but there are no home remedies if baby is in pain. Yes, you can supplement medication & diet w/ things like probiotics: Probiotics, brands used: https://www.infantreflux.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=8970&PN=1and Slippery elm article: http://www.ajc.com/health/altmed/shared/health/alt_medicine/ConsHerbs/SlipperyElmch.htmlPlease avoid karo syrup w/ a breastfed baby (if you’re doing it for constipation, my guess is baby isn’t constipated…what are stools like? ‘normal mustardy/seedy breastfed stools? or watery & green? green & foamy? mucousy/stringy?)And, please don’t give gripe water (read for yourself- maybe you find it helps baby?): Gripe water: https://www.infantreflux.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=3438http://www.kellymom is an excellent resource for breastfed babiesCongratulations on the breastfeeding!!!so glad you found us!~lauraps: Wondertime article/colic solved; http://wondertime.go.com/learning/article/interview-colic-expert.htmland pps: mylanta cherry supreme (this particular kind of mylanta only) doesn’t have aluminum) is safe for babies, even newborns & can provide temporary relief- can give 1ml at a time, up to 5x a day- it may affect stools- if stools get watery/too much, then you’ve given too much & just back off. it’s safe!
