hello!

[Anonymous]

My name is Heather. I just gave birth 3 weeks ago to my second beautiful daughter…with reflux. Not only does she look like her sister but her reflux is almost identical to hers as well. At least this time I knew exactly what was going on from the start. I didn’t have to wait for a Dr to tell me what was going on…I was able to tell the Dr. I knew from the first day in the hospital that Mallorie had reflux. She kept gulping like she was swallowing something even when she wasn’t eating. I asked the nurses about it because I suspected reflux and they would just say she was practicing swallowing. I knew better. When we got home the arching and screaming in pain began. Just like her 3 1/2 year old sister Emerson she has silent reflux. We were discharged from the hospital on a Saturday and had a appointment with her Dr on Monday and she was started in prevacid at 4 days old. The Dr didn’t even try zantac since it did nothing for my oldest. My oldest was on solutabs and after a short period of breast feeding began gentlease. Mallorie was prescribed a compound and I began her on gentlease after another failed attempt to breast feed. I cane home and began researching and found all the info about compounds being unstable. I decided I would give it a chance. After 2 weeks we returned to the Dr where I expressed my concern about the compound. I asked if we could try the solutabs since I had experience with them with my oldest and had success with them. She said she had no problem with that. She only wanted to do half a 15 mg tab once a day since she is so small. I also had been noticing that Mallorie had been very gassy and seemed to be having stomach discomfort not related to the reflux. The Dr was actually able to see one of her poops while we were there. It was very bubbly and Dr said it was from gas. She thinks baby may have a slight milk intolerance and suggested we try soy. I tried soy with my oldest and had problems with constipation so I was leery to try it. She has been on it since Thursday and has not been as gassy but she also hasn’t pooped which concerns me. The solutabs are costing me $115 a month! But if it helps I do not care. So far I have noticed no difference with the change in formula besides her not being as gassy but she actually seemed to has more discomfort yesterday…so who knows. Its all trial and error until you find the right combination!

Well that’s our story so far. I look forward to getting to know everyone I know I will find great advice and support here!

[hellbennt]

welcome! there’s so much here to help you, and YOU can help others

I’m sorry you’re going through this again! please research all you can- the dose CAN be increased. I am NOT a dr! I am ‘just’ a mama & concerned citizen- I’e ‘been on’ this board for ten (!) yrs now, so I *do* feel I know a lot…however, YOU are the mama! You must make your own educated decisions…

so: welcome!

a good way to navigate is to look through the Stickied Topics in the various forums and also to use the Active Topics button located in the upper right-hand corner of the screen. ‘play’ with going back various amounts of time…

~laura

[Anonymous]

Welcome here! You have certainly come to the right place!

I too am so sorry your second baby has to struggle with reflux also like your older girl. But I can tell you… I know the feeling!! I was so devastated and yet prepared, when my second child was just like my first with reflux. I kept trying to ignore it and pretend like he didn’t have it. But by the time he was 5 days old, I could no longer ignore it.

We too tried Zantac with my first and it did nothing to help so we went to Reglan then compounded Prevacid. Through my own experience I realized how sensitive that Prevacid was. One time I used a Walgreens pharmacy because it was closer and I was so upset when they handed me a warm bottle. No refrigeration or ice packs. If I had known about this site back then and had Laura (yes she was here 6 years ago :)) to help me be brave… I would’ve told that pharmacy I wasn’t taking that medicine home. But I wasn’t that brave and sometimes wondered if it was imagination that the stuff HAD to be refrigerated and it went bad on day 14 if not before. 🙁

We eventually went to solutabs. My oldest was still taking them when my youngest started and I remember having to pay out of pocket $145 a month or for 45 days? And on top of that my son’s had to drink expensive Nutramigen. 🙁 So again… I know how you feel.

As far as med dosing, I agree that a higher dose might help. Before my son was even 6 months old he was taking 30mg a day. Our GI ok’d this but not very many peds and for sure not family doctors are ok with that high of doses.

I too failed with nursing my boys. Well, it sort of worked but not really. My oldest I nursed for 12 weeks, and my next for 8 weeks. Albeit they were the most terrible horrible weeks in my life!!! So, I feel for you on not being able to nurse. I’d like to give you a hug but will have to send one instead.

What you say about soy formula causing constipation in what I hear a LOT! It may help with the reflux a little but often causes constipation. What formula did your older daughter drink? I personally would stop the soy formula and use Nutramigen or Alimentum instead.

I would also highly recommend you look into and consider giving your little one a supplement of digestive enzymes and probiotics. This is what helped my children the most. You can read here what I have written up about how and why they can help. https://www.infantreflux.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=16038

I hope that soon you can find the right combination of whatever it is that will give your baby the most help and relief!! Hang in there!!!

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