Sucking issue or Reflux

[Anonymous]

Having problems with Taylor, I can’t tell if it reflux issues or she is having sucking swallowing issues. She is on Prevacid 7.5mg once a day and the only time she is willing to eat is during her sleep, she still sucks on the bottle just a few sucks 1/2oz then stops, then I have to move the bottle around and hold her chin up for her to take a few more sucks. She typically only takes 2-2 1/2oz over a long 45 min period of time, she does get hungry every 3 hours. During this time she pushes her legs and cries. She opens her mouth wide and shakes her head screaming. Everytime we try to feed her she seems to try to have a BM she just doesn’t seem to get it. It takes forever to get a burp out of her and until we are able to get a burp out of her she cries and refuses to drink anymore. She seems to either play with the nipple or just chops at it instead of sucking and swallowing. When she is awake she just opens her mouth up wide for the nipple and cries. If she takes 2 oz prior to a burp she ends up gagging and vomiting up 1 oz of formula. I’m just at a loss, she is truly different from Alexis. She at least tried to suck then started to cry since it hurt her so much. Taylor doesn’t even attempt to suck most of the time. Alexis’s mom2006-5-9 0:31:18

[Anonymous]

Oh Sue – I’m sorry you’re having such a hard time. Have they suggested
feeding therapy at all for Taylor or a swallow study? I would think
that might help? Wish I had more advice – I hope things get better soon.

[Anonymous]

Sue

I answered your other post… i am sorry to say that it sounds a lot like Matthew (but you may want to check with a feeding therapist about swallowing). Matthew would take forever to eat, once we stopped for a burp, he would never go back to eating, it would take ages, he would have wet burps, cried etc etc. He also had the hiccups all of the time.

This was even after we were on the right dose of Prevacid… although it took us 3 moths to get there, so maybe by then all was lost… I would try not to push the bottle (easier said than done). If she wants 1 ounce, then try again a little later… if she starts to cry, try to distract her and burp her while playing if possible… warmer formula should make it a bit easier for her to burp? (Matthew did horribly on mylicon etc because it would make him have wet burps and i realise that the acid was coming up with them).

[Anonymous]

That is exactly how Myles ate (or didnt’ eat!) for the first four months of his life. It finally got better when we got him on 10mg Prevacid 3x’s per day. He’s still not a big eater, but he’s eating enough to grow normally. It used to take me an hour to feed him 3 – 4 ounces. It was maddening. The same thing with burping, too. He’d have to burp after only one ounce (sometimes 1/2 an ounce) and it would take forever to burp him. Then back to the same thing…not really sucking and swallowing properly, lots of gagging and crying, maybe drink another ounce, and need to burp again. This would go on for an hour and I’d finally give up. Myles did a lot of grunting, too. I always thought he needed to poop, but I think he was just uncomfortable from the reflux because as soon as we increased his meds that grunting during feedings stopped.

Is Taylor getting her Prevacid divided into three doses? Have you checked marci-kids.com to see if she’s on a high enough dose?

I’m sorry you are going through this again. I’ve had two reflux babies, too. So, I definitely know how frustrating it is.

[Anonymous]

Sue, that sounds exactly how Hailey used to feed (and still does feed for the most part). The volumes have increased over time now that she’s older, but she still will only sleep feed and stops after every 3/4 ounce or so, and needs soothing in between. When she was younger if she stopped at all she would never go back, now she will but still needs to be soothed. I would ask for a feeding/swallowing study. I hope things improve for her soon.

[Anonymous]

Sue,

Personally, I would definitely go to the doctor and have them check her out. Even watch her feed if they can. I didn’t take my daughter early for the feeding problems, and although she is much,much better now, I wish that I had taken her in the early weeks to be evaluated. I mentioned it to nurses, etc…, but never pushed the issue. They just blew it off as a fussy, noisy eater (I described her as eating like a starved, wild animal.). Now after “educating” myself in this forum, I know that it was not normal at all. At least they should offer some other things for you to try- (tests, different meds, etc…).

Good Luck,

Susan

[Anonymous]

Thanks everyone. It is just so frustrating, another reflux baby but things are just so different. I have called Early Interventions so we can get a feeding evaluation done on her and Alexis also needs a speech evaluation since she is 2 and very speech delayed. We have been assigned to a case worker but she is out of the office today so we don’t have an appt yet but at least we have things moving. We also have an appt with the Peds GI tommorrow. I just don’t know what he could do for us. I’m hoping things get better soon! I feel so bad for yelling at Alexis since she is just trying to help me when Taylor is screaming her head off but it is just truly getting in my way. I guess we have another 2 years until things get settled down around this household. Alexis is doing wonderfully with eatting, now we just have to get her to speak. Just the waiting game now!

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