Is chunky spit up a symptom?

[Anonymous]

Hello! I’m brand new here, and just beginning to suspect my 4 mo old infant daughter might have reflux. She has very few of the official symptoms (her weight gain is good, she sleeps pretty well at night, she doesn’t cough or choke, has no wheezing, rattling, etc.). However.

She has been a very fussy baby from almost day one. She has been referred to as colicky. She cries probably 2-4 hours a day in bouts. She almost never lets you put her down, so I have to carry her around all day. In fact, she won’t let me sit down; I have to stand and bounce or walk. Very tiring! That all by itself certainly doesn’t suggest reflux, just a needy baby, which is what I have assumed.

I remembered reading about GER with my first child, and I looked it up tonight. As I mentioned, she doesn’t show many of the symptoms. But one thing that I have not seen as a “symptom” in any reflux discussion is spit up consistency. My dd burps and then 5-10 seconds later spits up what we affectionately call cottage cheese. It is clear liquid with chunks or streaks of white solids. Occasionally, it even has a phleghmy appearrance. Sometimes she will scream right after she spits these up, but not often (maybe 2 in 10?). However, the cottage cheese spit ups are all day, every day. No real connection to feeding time, either. Everything I’ve read says all day spit up is perfectly normal, and as I said, the consistency is never mentioned. But, when I thought about it tonight, this seemed to me to possibly be a reflux issue.

Oher reflux symptoms she has exhibited: Fussiness or screaming at the breast, not always but sometimes. One time, just a few days ago, there seemed to be a pinkish tinge to her spit up (blood from esophagitis? or is that really unlikely?). And she has frequent, sometimes violent, hiccups. She does occasionally wake up with a scream, but only during the day in her swing, not at night when lying flat in her crib (again, seems NOT to match reflux…?).

Other info: she is almost exclusively breast fed, seems not to be affected by dairy products. She has been diagnosed with a weak suck and poor facial muscle control. She nurses very often, every 1-3 hours. She was waking every 2 -4 hours during the night to nurse, but not waking up violently, just fussing for food. Her BMs are just once per week, explosive and plenty wet.

Does this sound anything like reflux, or am I way off base? Sorry so long… Thanks so much for any input!

Signed, a worried mom

[hellbennt]

hi & welcome!

I just have a moment to post you some links: https://www.infantreflux.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=853&am p;PN=1&TPN=1

from the above link, here’s: Here’s about mspi and related issues: https://www.infantreflux.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=2697&a mp;a mp;a mp;a mp;a mp;a mp;a mp;a mp;a mp;a mp;a mp;a mp;a mp;a mp;a mp;a mp;PN=1&TPN=1

from here, there’s: web site that gives the best explanation of food allergies/intolerance and its relation to reflux that I have found to date. http://www.disa.com.au/ go on the left to the menu & click on “Food Intolerant Allergic Baby”

welcome!!!

[Anonymous]

Elijah is a more silent relfuxer too, (until this past week I
guess. This GER thing, it’s always changing yet somehow staying the
same LOL)

But when he does, he usually spits up clear with chunks which is
stomach acid with food. He has been spitting up or vomitting the last
few days. I have not seen any of the episodes but I do know once was
when he was choking and mom put him over one arm and patted him on the
back and out came everything had eaten and once he vomitted in his car
seat in bed 2 hours ater eating.. The hold might have pushed on his
belly and he spit up alot. He psit today in my house..it was
white from the mylanta I had given him a few minutes earlier.

Elijah use to cry for hours too, has also been doing that this past
week because of a med change and a not up to date G.I.Dr from a
childrens hospital.

The standard of care for GERD/GER is formula or breatmilk thickened with formula..I am not sure how the BFders do it.

They usually have the baby sleep with her head raised..at her age she
could sleep in her bouncer or car seat in her crib. This is how Elijah
sleeps at home. At my house I put him on a pillow so his head is higher
on my couch or bed..or his car seat.

Then when you go back the next week, they wil tell you to switch
formulas.

Then the next week, they will prescribe zantac or pepcid
which MIGHT help for a while but the dose for zantac is according to
the babies weight so you give that a few weeks, going back and forth to
weigh the baby at the Dr’s, still reflux symtoms. Pedi refuses to give
PPI’s under 6 months(drugs that are proton pump inhibitors, they turn
off the acid pumps in your stomach, working differently from zantac or
pepcid which are h2’s) .

Then when she is 6 months, you might get lucky and get to see a pedi GI
who will prescribe an inadequate dose of PPI’s and tell you NOT to also
give the zantac or pepcid leaving the baby virtually defenseless
against the acid because the PPI can take 2 – 3 weeks to work. Plus,
the PPI might be inactive.

Sound scary? Man we have all been through it. But if you go in
informed, print out the info on the marci-kids website things could go
real well. Even if he doesn’t think she has it, the studies on PPI’s
are that they do not harm the child. they only effect the proton pumps
and then pass. So maybe he will “humor you” and prescribe a PPI at the
right dose and if the symptoms go away, voila!

There is a special printout for medical professionals and how they should dose, presribe and make stable PPI’s.

http://www.marci-kids.com

Elijah’s Grammy2006-4-29 19:2:1

[Anonymous]

wow I must have gotten lucky, my sons pediatrician rx’d him prevacid 30 mgs at 2 months old…..

[hellbennt]

Elijah’s Grammy wrote:

The standard of care for GERD/GER is formula or breatmilk thickened with formula..I am not sure how the BFders do it.

Ummm…thickening breastmilk is a bit controversial…(well thickening formula can be, too…) – it’s ‘controversial’ bcse people feel very strongly about both ‘sides…’ I have to put the disclaimer that I never tried thickening and therefore only know from what I’ve learned by hanging around this board for close to 3 yrs- reading others’ experiences/opinions/research…thickening has been positive for many, though!!

thickening really is good for a baby that is aspirating (swallowing into the lungs) – there’s a swallow study that is done, where the baby is watched swallowing a liquid of various consistancies and the aspirating is addressed, as is to how thick/what consistency the baby needs her/his liquid to be thickened…thickening is also good for a baby that is FTT (failure to thrive), as it adds much needed calories…there’s links to all of this from here- look for the info about ‘how’ and ‘what’ to ‘feed my reflux baby’: https://www.infantreflux.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=853&am p;am p;am p;am p;am p;PN=1&TPN=1

anyway, I didn’t want to get all controversial, just wanted to give some info (as usual, LOL) and say that everyone here is amazingly wonderful & supportive!!!

~laura

hellbennt2006-4-30 12:3:49

[Anonymous]

Laura, thank you for the BF info.

I did not know there was controversy about the thickening I was
trying to let her know what the Pedi’s say to do. That was the very
first thing the Elijah’s pedi did put him on thickened formula.

Maybe this is why Elijah is gaining weight instead of loosing or FTT. He doesn’t spit up formula much anyway (usually).

The consitancy of the vomit depends on how long it has been in the stomach and what the child ate.

Milk gets curdled (chunky) when in an acidic environment like the
stomach. So if she vomits or refluxes right after eating, it will more
than likely not be too curdled, but if it happens after a few hours she
has eaten it is more than likely to look curdled.

So I don’t think the consistency of the vomit matters when it relates to GERD.

I know BF babies have their own timing when it comes to BM’s and it is not too unusual for them to go a week.

But could she be constipated? That would cause gas pains and crying.

Some children also have a delayed emptying of their stomachs which can cause vomiting.

If your pedi won’t listen to you and at least try to determine if she
has reflux I’d try right away to get a referral to a PEDI GI Dr as it
can take a while to get in to see them.

Hope all works out! It is so hard to have a baby crying and wanting to
be held and moving all the time..Elijah is just like that. He now is
usuing a walker and a jolly jumper with it’s own stand (not called
jolly jumper but on that idea. Hopefull this is not making the acid
worse, that’s for another thread LOL)

He loves being able to move himself around in the walker and I think it helps to keep his mind off of the pain.

Elijah’s Grammy2006-5-3 12:27:39

[Anonymous]

My doctor asked me the other day if my daughter’s spit up was “small chunks or large ones”. I really have no idea why that would matter. I thought that he was leaning toward one of them (large chunks I believe) having to do with a motility problem (too, not just reflux). That’s just a guess, but when I saw your post topic, it made me remember that discussion. Maybe someone else can add to my comment.???

Susan

[Author]

Posts