I had a specialist appt today. My son spits up all of the time and it can be hours after a feeding. The specialist said that we could either thicken his feedings or start him on Reglan. I am so tired of medication, so I opted to thicken the feedings. He just turned 4 months old on Christmas day. He is formula fed (Enfamil Gentlease). He still uses the Dr. Brown’s newborn nipples, so I am worried about changing that. Any advice? Has thickened feedings worked for anyone else? I know that it has mixed reviews. Jackson spits up and chokes a lot.
It made a huge difference for us with Kaelyn, but I know that it hasn’t worked for everyone. We had to thicken a lot (1 Tbsp per ounce) before it helped, but it significantly cut down on her spitting. She still spit a lot, but at least she was keeping some of it down. She had a really strong suck so we were able to use Level 2 Dr. Brown’s nipples and she was fine with them, but I know a lot of people needed to go to Level 3 or the y cut.
We also, like Kim, had a lot of success. With Dylan we did Rice cereal, but for Carter, it was too binding for him, so we did Oatmeal with success. We thickened with 1TBSP per ounce as well and did the Y-cut nipples with the Dr. Browns bottles.
I know it hasn’t worked for everyone, but definitely helped us a lot. They both still spit up, but kept more down than without thickening.
1 TBSP per ounce? The specialist said no more than 1 tsp per 2 ounces. I have given more. When I read online, most sources say no more than 1 tsp per ounce. Will he gain too much weight if I do a tbsp per ounce? He is not a small baby- over 14 pounds. I put 2 tablespoons in a 7 ounce bottle today. He seemed to like it and is sleeping much better. I think that part of his sleeping issues must have been hunger related. Do I thicken every feeding? I put 2 Tbsp in a 7 ounce bottle and he is a different baby today! He is sleeping better, he is not fussy after feedings and he just seems overall content. I thought that the prevacid was not working, but I realize now that his fussiness was probably hunger related. He is still spitting up, even with the cereal, but he is full and smiling! Thanks for the tips!
klmccart2007-12-28 13:39:36