2 Month Old Daughter Suffering from Severe Reflux!! Please HELP!

You need to be seeing a pedi GI doctor. We use Cook's and I feel they are the best. My son has suffered from severe reflux since birth, he will be 5 years next month and it is a battle we are still fighting. (his case is unusual, he was a 1lb preemie)

Yes there is a higher dose, my son was on two 15mg tablets a day, there are also other things you can do to help as well. Having a specialist will really help this!

I found the chiropractor was a HUGE help for my reflux kiddos. Also, wearing them upright in a wrap/baby carrier helped a ton too. Good luck!

My baby had reflux - my peditrician recommended Zantac - but it has alcohol in it, so she gave me a prescription for Axid - but some insurances won't carry it. (Liquid form to give baby).

I also cut all dairy out of my diet - and pasta. This helped, but it takes a couple of weeks for all the dairy to be out. A lot of babies can be lactose intolerant.

She also told me - like others suggested - always keep her sitting up - in pumpkin seat, swing, etc. Even when she sleeps. She also recommended bottle feeding her 2-3 times a day and mixing breast milk with rice cereal (just an ounce or so) and then nursing her afterwards - so I would keep breast feeding as well.

** The no dairy worked best - and now I rarely give her the medicine.

My newphew had SEVERE reflux. They had him allergy tested - he was allergic to everything. He would stretch out and scream in pain after he ate. My sister-in-law had to drastically alter her diet to keep breast feeding. If you try all of the above: sitting her up, rice, no dairy, Axid or Zantac and she still doesn't improve - then allergy test.

For immediate relief during those bad times, try Mylicon gas drops and/or gripe water (I like Wellements the best-Whole Foods sells it, but I ordered mine online). While reflux and gas don't necessarily go hand-in-hand, both of these remedies offer immediate solutions for tummy problems of all kinds. The Mylicon drops are simethicone, same as Gas-Ex, work very quickly and can be given frequently (up to 12 doses in 24 hours with no specific timing). Wellements Organic Gripe Water is a ginger and fennel solution, both are good for digestion, that is recommended for gas, colic, reflux, constipation and just general tummy complaints. Again, it can be given frequently, even added to bottles, and works quickly. Good luck!

Hi. I haven't read the other responses yet, but wanted to post quickly after reading one of your questions. The Prevacid SoluTab should not be broken or cut and it shouldn't be chewed...not that that one is a big problem with your little one. The SoluTab is a delayed-release medication and it cannot do it's job if it is split in two. As far as the strongest dose, your doctor is right. The maximum dose for anyone under 30kg (66.13 lbs) is 15mg. And Prevacid is generally the go to medication when other things haven't worked.

I'm not saying do not look for another pediatrician, because I don't know your history with this one, and I know how hard it was for me to find a pediatrician that my children were comfortable with and I liked when we first moved to the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. The first pediatrician I found actually called the children by number instead of name!! I'm the first person to say if you are not comfortable with a specific doctor then it is time to start looking for a new one. Trust your instincts. I'm not sure what area you live in, but my children (ages 2, 7, and 9)

In the meantime, there are some things you can do to help:

The first thing is to make sure she is upright during feedings and for at least 30 to 45 minutes afterward.

Check her car seat when she's sitting in it. Does she end up looking like she's sort of hunched over? This can put added pressure on her tummy and make symptoms worse.

When she is sleeping, on her back as recommended, make sure she's elevated about 30%. You can do this safely with a wedge of foam (available at any Hobby Lobby) that is placed under her crib mattress. (It's not recommended at her age to put a pillow in the crib with her because of risk of SIDs.)

If it is possible, try using one of those carriers that help you carry your baby close to your body. They're like backpacks, but not. You can get one that lets you carry her close to your chest, and this will help reduce crying and crying makes reflux symptoms worse.

Avoid tight clothing on baby. It can put pressure on the lower esophageal sphincter which also makes reflux symptoms worse.

You're already thickening her formula with cereal, which is a good thing, but try giving her smaller meals throughout the day and burping frequently (like after every ounce) during feedings. Also, try not to feed her directly before bedtime.

As much as we mommy's may cringe at the idea, giving her a pacifier may help with reflux symptoms. When a baby sucks on a pacifier, it increases saliva production. Saliva is an alkaline and it can help neutralize some of the acid that may come up.

When she's really tense, or after feedings while she is still being kept upright, or right before bedtime, you can try infant massage. It may help relax her, which will help with digestion after feedings and will help her fall asleep easier at bedtime.

I do hope this helps! Please let us know how it goes.

Nothing can help your child more then a visit to a chiropractor. Please, even if you do not see one yourself or believe in it take it into serious consideration. We did but it took us too long to figure it out and I feel awful we didn't do it sooner! Our son suffered dearly on medicine, in a doctor made sleep wedge at night that he was strapped into, he was just miserable never slept more then 1.5 hours in a row at night. Our son was off the medicine after 1 week of adjustments (3 total) Out of the sleep wedge after 5 adjustments, and sleeping through the night after just 2 adjustments. He mood changed he was so much more happy after and we have not gone back to those days since he is now 3 years old.

His upper body was so tight and bound up it was causing his stomach and esophagus to be touchier and reflux more. once he was loosened up he had no issues. Our son was on medicine for 5 months and never got better 2 weeks of adjustments we had the happiest, healthiest baby boy ever!!
Please give it a try. You might even find a good chiropractor who will listen to your story and give cheep if not free adjustments to help him out if you cannot afford the adjustment price.

I want to say I was not a chiropratic person before this issue with our son, so I am not someone who you would typically (i guess) see rave about them but seriously it was the best thing ever.

Oh and short term just an advice is our son lived in the swing or the car seat until we got our sleep wedge for the crib. No harm in him sleeping in those places to keep is reflux down.

Hey there! My 1.5 month old son also has some nasty reflux and he is also on Nutramigen with rice cereal! Dr. Raj and Dr. Wisler at Physician's for Children in Mckinney were SUPER nice and they referred us to a GI dr at Children's Hospital at Legacy as soon as I asked about it. Next day, I had the scheduling phone call and within a week he had his appt. He's currently taking Zantac 3x a day, which really seems to be helping. We also asked and received the RX for a Tucker Sling/wedge and that had our insurance cover it which was AWESOME b/c those things are $350+. When I can't let him sleep on my chest, he sleeps on his wedge. Everything seems to be working great, as my little guy was 5 lbs 13 oz at birth and is now roly poly at 11 lbs!
By the way, you are NOT overreacting. You are her MOM. YOU see this child every day and every night and YOU know how she's feeling. Just because Dr's know medicine doesn't mean they know the child they use it on. Good luck!

Don't brush off your babies misery because it is "common", no baby should have to suffer like that and the poor parents shouldn't either.

We used a med call Zegerid with our son. It is not commonly prescribed b/c it requires some work on the part of the parents to mix the dose properly.
He current meds may not be working b/c of an increase in her weight, the meds are SUPER weight sensitive.

For immediate relief, we used Mylanta Cherry Supreme. NOT regular mylanta, the Cherry Supreme does not have aluminum in it. We would give him just a ml. Your doctor probably will not agree with this. Also, I am not a doctor, this is what we did with our son.

Go to marci-kids.com it is the midwest acid reflux institute and has tons of advice and ideas that you can print out, take to your doctor and discuss. Showing up prepared will encourage your doctor to work on different solutions with you.
Don't give up!

I'm so sorry to hear that your little one is suffering. Below, I listed some of the things we did to ease my daughter’s reflux symptoms.

elevated the head of her crib (Had Nap Nanny been availabe, we would have purchased one http://www.napnanny.com)
fed her small amounts (breastmilk) at a time at more frequent intervals, some days it seemed like all I did was feed her
fed her in an upright position
diligently burped her
Kept her upright after feedings, she frequently napped in her stroller (without the carrier)
limited time in car seat
often, when she was inconsolable, the best thing I could do for her was place her on her back on her diaper changer pad - I don't know why but that seemed to soothe her
little tummies - gas x for babies
changed bottles - significantly less spitting up with VentAire http://www.playtexbaby.com/Products/Bottles/VentAire.aspx
never warmed her bottles, room temp or cold right out of fridge
ran humidifier when she slept - she was always congested from the spit up
carried her in her Ergo*
swaddled her for bed time and when colicky
when I knew she was hungry but she arched her back and screamed, I just kept offering the bottle (while walking, swaying, singing) until she'd finally take it

I spent some time on www.reflux.org and found some of the information helpful. Unfortunately, the page is not very user friendly and is full of ads. However, you can talk to a volunteer via email or telephone. That was helpful for me because I felt like I finally found someone compassionate and empathetic with some helpful advice.

Unfortunately, even though she'd suffered with symptoms from birth, we only realized it was reflux after she started on solid food and began regularly projectile vomiting.

Once my daughter was prescribed acid suppressers, she only occasionally experienced her reflux symptoms (for example, spending too much time in her car seat). She was on acid suppressers until a little after her second birthday but has been nearly symptom free since. We limit, but have not entirely avoided, greasy and acidic foods. Oranges are her favorite fruit and she loves Chick-fil-a.

Hope this helps.
I pray that your child quickly outgrows reflux and that God will grant your family peace and rest during this struggle.

*I received an Ergo (without the infant insert) when my daughter was almost 4 months old. My daughter turned 3 in November, and I still use it. It is one of the best gifts I have ever received. http://www.ergobabycarriers.com

You may find other helpful responses under the following mamasource posts:
Sun. Feb. 15, 2009, Stephanie R: Help for friend's baby with Reflux!!!!
Sat. Feb. 21, 2009, Jenny M: Silent Acid Reflux
Sat. Aug 1, 2009 Joy H: Acid Reflux in an infant
Sep 12, 2009 KP: Newborn Acid Reflux

My daughter is 5 1/2 months old and has been on Prevacid 7.5 mg in a.m. and p.m. She never took once a day always divided dose. I am sure you are, but are you giving at least 1 hours after feeding or 30 minutes before next feeding? Also, sitting up for 30 minutes after feeding?

You could also try a pedi gi doctor if you are still having issues. Poor baby. :(

I would not start giving more medicine to 2 month old baby without consulting a doctor. My son was on a prescription for acid reflux and we gave him Mylicon. Mylicon is basically sugar water so it was not like giving more medicine. Did your doctor also recommend smaller more frequent feedings? A 6oz bottle may be too much of a feeding and contributing to the reflux. We also found that white noise helped with the crying. Our son liked the sound of the fan on the cooktop. Make sure your little one sits up for 45 minutes after eating too.

My daughter also has severe reflux although she has more trouble with spitting up than acid at this point. The acid is being controlled by Zantac - milder than Prevacid. She is also on Reglan. My main suggestion is to see a pediatric GI specialist. In your pedi's defense they aren't experts in GI issues but a good pedi would know when to refer. Good luck. I know how frustrating it can be.

I haven't read other response and so I may be repeating this advice. My grandchildren had GERD. My granddaughter didn't need medication after she began sleeping in her car seat. We discovered this when we noticed that she slept soundly as long as she was in the car seat. We buckled her in and put the seat in her crib. She seemed to like this much better than on the mattress.

My grandson did not do well sleeping in a car seat. His mother tried several different kinds of things including some herbal stuff. I don't remember what she found that worked. I do remember that he continued to have difficulty until he was a toddler but not so much as to be a problem.

I suggest that you try talking with a physician who recognizes alternative medicine such as a naturopath.

I also suggest you consider trying a different formula if you're not breast feeding. If you are breast feeding try eliminating gas producing foods from your diet.

I have GERD and know that my diet makes a difference

Yes, I would say get a second opinion if you aren't happy with that doctor. There ARE other meds. My daughter was on Zantac and it worked great! Each baby is different and meds affect each person a little differently so maybe something else would work better for her. There are also natural or homeopathic options out there if that interests you.

We are having the same problem with our son -- now 3.5 m/o. In the morning and at night I feed him rice ceral (with a spoon) and mix it with the same formula you are using. I also mix in his medicine with it. He is able to eat about 4 tbspoons and sleeps very well now. It's not too often he spits up or vomits with the cereal at night -- he usually burps really well though. I've been doing this since he was 6 weeks old. We all sleep a lot better at night now.

Sorry so late in responding to this. I've been taking care of my sick husband and daughter for the last few weeks. I hope this helps.

First question is where is she sleeping? She should always be on a reflux wedge... never flat.. I had two severe reflux babies and both were on Zantac... (I didn't like that there were so many side effects with Prevacid or Prilosec) I had my 2nd on Prevacid for a week and she actually got worse.. she almost became colicky and seemed to be having stomach pain too. It was brutal. I had the pharmacy "flavor" the Zantac grape to make it more tolerable for my 2nd (didn't know about the option with my first). On the really bad days I would give my daughter a tiny bit of mylanta (like coating on her nuk) to just cool her throat. I got this idea from the nurses at Childrens Hospital. And about your doctor... if she doesn't reassure you or meet your needs... find a new one! That is a pediatritians job to be there to set a new parents mind at ease. Keep on them till your baby is happy.

We used the Prevacid solutabs (15mg) for my daughter. We found that cutting the tabs in two and giving half at night and half in the morning worked miracles! We had to play with the times that we gave them to her but once we figured it out it was amazing. She got over the reflux at about 15 months, there is an end in sight for you I promise.

On nights when she was really bad we would just have to let her sleep in her swim so she was sitting up. It seemed to work wonders for the sleepless, fussy nights. Good luck!

We raised the head of our baby's bassinet. sorta put her at an angle not quite as steep as the hospital's bassinet, but close! That helps. Second, we switched formula to nestle's good start & that really stopped her colicky periods. both my kids were on meds too and it does get bettter. best of luck.