1 Week Old with Reflux

Please try chiropractic!! A lot of times the birthing process can be traumatic on a little one's spine. While twisting and working their way out of the birth canal, also sometimes being tugged on by the doctor, can cause a vertabrae to slip out of place, causing nerve stress. In her mid-back or "thoracic" area, those nerves exit our spinal cord and connect and control the function of all our vital organs and our digestive system. I work for a chiropractic physician and have seen a several babies with this same issue. Obviously a chiropractor adjusts a baby much different than an adult- usually just holding them close to their chest/shoulder and pressing on the specific vertebrae that needs to be moved. Babies and children generally respond very fast, so it may only take a couple adjustments to see major results. There are no side affects as with medications- and keep in mind that medications aren't correcting the underlying cause of the problem. I encourage to give it try-- contact me if you have any questions.
R. B.

My daughter had reflux. We tried all the things that you have been trying. We ended up giving her prilosec and zantac. she was about a month or so old before we got our diagnoses. one major symptom was that she would scream and sort of curl up when i burped her.
One thing that we did that really helped her sleep better was she slept in her car seat. Your pediatrician might not recommend that. But maybe even a swing that isn't swinging or a bouncy seat. We even tried a sleep positioner, but that was not helpful. We had her back in her crib by 3 months. I know adding the second medication helped. And she outgrew her reflux, was off the medication by 6 months. I know that seems like eternity now, but this will pass!

Hi, Have you checked the food and drinks that you are getting in your daily diet for possible causes of the baby's reflux? Just an idea!
K.

My son had the same thing. I dealt with nutritionist and nursing specialist and doctors. I had to watch what I was eating. No sodas the carbonation can go through the milk and upset the babies digestive track. I also went to a health store and picked up liquid probiotics. I would dip the tip of my finger into the liquid and let my son suck it off ( recommended by my nutritionist) It worked. And no swinging or bouncing until this is under control. I did the probiotis 2 times a day. One at morning and one at night. And I had to alternate my foods to see if my son was having a reaction to the things that I was eating. And he was. Coffee and OJ. Just take away one or two things for about 3-5 days and see if you notice your baby feeling better.

S., I don't have any good advice for you. I don't have any experience in this area. But, God bless you, hold onto Him through this struggle. I will be praying for you!

You're already doing pretty much everything that will help your little guy. The only thing that helped my son was to grow out of it. He is six months now, and he has recently graduated to not wearing bibs all the time! If you think the spit up is excessive check with your ped. to make sure its not severe GERD. THis can damage the esophagus. Congrats on your baby!

S. -

My son was VERY colicky and they are now saying that it was most likely reflux. He had all the symptoms your sweet baby has. One thing that really made him feel better is he liked it when my husband held him up against his shoulder where he was upright but his belly pressed up against daddy's shoulder. He almost always found comfort being held that way. The other thing that comes to mind here is that your baby is only a week old. So, my guess is that the medicine hasn't really reached it's "peak" effectiveness yet! If you are having ANY concerns with the sound he makes or his breathing I would strongly encourage you to make an appt to have him evaluated by his pediatrician with regards to your concern. I know that some shallow breathing is normal at that age but if it appears difficult then that is definitely something that you need to address! Newborns create enough sleepless nights for new parents...you need your rest and good sleep when you can get it so make the times you get to sleep to be worry free!!! :) Congrats on your new little one! God Bless your (new) family!

Hi S.! Congrats on your new baby! My son who is now almost 5 had the reflux thing when he was tiny. He wasn't colic, never fussy, but he would spit up a lot. This may sound crazy, but it's been proven in both of my kids: watch what you eat when you breastfeed!! Neither of my babies would let me eat any type of tomato based sauces, anything spicy, and other different things here and there. If eating certain things does certain things to us adults, it could affect the babies through the milk. A friend of mine (that I used to babysit her baby) ate a lot of cheeses and mexican food, and that was one fussy baby. I never could convince her to try to watch what she ate to see if it helped. This may not pertain to you, but it really worked for me and my babies. May be worth a shot!

If he is having shallow beathing and difficulties at night, take him right now to the dr's. and explain to them. Difficulties breathing is pretty serious in my opinion!! My little one comes down quickly with pneumonia if I don't keep an eye on him and his breathing. After 3 stays in the hospital at 4 days each, you tend to learn what to look for in a baby's breathing.

Best Wishes,

J. H.
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S.,

It sounds exactly like my 4 year old when he was born - he sounded so weird, it really freaked people out. He was diagnosed with tracheomalacia, which means that his trachea wasn't fully formed/hardened when he was born, so it vibrated a little when he breathed. Sometimes he sounded like a goose honking! He also had reflux, which I think either exacerbated or was exacerbated by the tracheomalacia. Both he outgrew by about 18 months.

I agree with one of the other posters - give the medicine a chance. We started on Zantac but ended up switching to Prevacid - it was a pink powder that we mixed with water and gave with a dropper - he loved it.

Another thing you didn't mention trying was small meals - very important! I think we did 2 or 3 ounces at a time, at the most. I actually had to switch from breastfeeding directly to expressing and giving with a bottle b/c it just seemed to work for him much better.

Make sure he doesn't lay down for at least 30 minutes after a meal. Also, our ped said he should sleep on him tummy, which I know is normally a no-no, but better than on the back in our case.

That's all I can think of right now - seems like ancient history as I try to remember everything. Best of luck and contact me directly if you want to chat about it more!

K.

Time is the best medicine. I stoped giving my son zantac because it didn't stop the reflux....and after nearly a month he was still just as fussy, it was also a pain getting him to take the medicine. He's now a year old and still refluxes a very small amount but it rarely happens.

What helped him the most was swaddling, holding him slightly elevated, and on his left side. Lots and lots of holding. I even held him all night long. I did this for about the first 2 or 3 months. He's doing great now.