Acid Reflux in Newborn/ Projectile Vomitting

My daughter developed this after two weeks of being home from the hospital. It was extremely frustrating because I would feed her and about 30 minutes later she would throw it all up and then be hungry again for more. She was unhappy all the time. Finally my doctor recommended a formula that had rice mixed in with it so that once she took the formula it was weighted down in her stomach lessening the amount of spit up. This lasted for about 8 months until she was upright most of the day. Hang in there!

Both of my daughters had acid reflux, projectile vomiting and colic. The doctor prescribed Zantac for the acid reflux and you could tell that it made a difference. They both still spit up quite a bit but you could tell that they weren't in pain anymore because of the acid reflux. It lasted for 3 to 4 months with both my daughters and then it was gone.

I had the acid reflux with my daughter - it lasted for a couple of months after she was born. I can't remember the medicine that I used, but the thing that worked for us is rice cereal in her formula (I BF but had to supplement). Some peds stay away from this at such a young age, but we did it and she's fine - no stomach problems or digestion problems at age 4. I took a teaspoon of rice cereal, dissolved it with warm water and then added it to her formula (breast milk). You'll have to use a larger nipple. Best wishes!

My son was EBF and had reflux as well. He would scream from 5 or 6 in the evening until 12 or 1am. It was torture for everyone. We put him on Zantac and that did help so he'd only scream until 9 or 10. The one thing I learned was that I couldn't comfort nurse. He'd puke everything up and I'd have to start all over. I single-side nursed no more than every two hours and usually tried to wait 3 unless he was upset. The hind-milk is thicker and so if you feed on just one side, they get more hind milk and it doesn't come up quite as easily. You can also try block feeding where you feed two or three times in a row on one side before switching to the other side. He grew out of it by 9 months but really didn't scream much after we FINALLY found a pacifier he'd take at 3 months. Until then we had really wrinkly pinky fingers :)
Hang in there! And don't put cereal in the bottle. It's bad for their digestive systems. If it gets bad enough that someone suggests cereal, check out "Simply Thick" it's the only tasteless digestible thickener available for breastfed babies.

Oh, wearing him in a sling at all times may help as well. There are holds that bring their knees up in their stomach that can help with pain and just being close will help with comforting.

First of all, it is so good to hear so many moms are breastfeeding. I think it is so important. I would definately monitor what you are eating and see how it affects him. Dairy would be the first thing I would cut out. My cousin had this problem with her son and she would feed him upright. She would straddle his legs over her leg and support him as he nursed with his back straight - that helped. My best friend had this problem with her babies and she gave them Optiflora and it helped tremendously. It is completely natural and safe for newborns. Let me know if you would like more info on it or EZ Gest which may also help. Here is a link http://www.shaklee.net/gemsoffire/product/20639. I always have some on hand and would be happy to give you some to sample. Poor little guy, and poor mamma.

Try cutting all dairy out of your diet. My oldest had the same problem. We read later (after he was weaned) that it could have been the cows protien coming through my milk. It upsets their system, they get sick, they want to nurse more to release endorphines that calm them down and that causes them more distress because of the protiens. Our doctor was never concerened either because he was still growing well. Although how I have no idea he seemed to spit up everything he was eating. It did get better after he started solids.

When I had our second son I did cut out all forms of dairy about a month befor I had him and excluded all forms while I nursed him. He never had any of the problems our first had. He also slept ALOT better! He did not nurse around the clock like our first either. The good news is that they indead grow out of it, but it wasn't until they were about 2 that they could really drink milk. They were fine with cheese and yogurt but we weaned then onto soy milk at 1 and they onto skim milk when they were 2.

Hope this helps! Good luck!

We had similar problems. Turns out my son had a milk protein allergy(a fairly common allergy in babies that they usually grow out of). Because I was souley breastfeeding, I ended up dropping dairly out of my diet and that helped a lot. You may want to drop dairy from your diet if you are only breastfeeding. It is hard for you but SO much better in the long run. My son is now 14m and drinks cows milk with no problem - so they do grow out of it. It may also be something in your diet. If dropping dairy doesn't help play around with the foods that you eat as well. Hope that helps!
-L.

You need to look into the types of foods you are eating that cause acid reflux and adjust your diet. Everything you eat is equally affecting your child. He may react more harshly to some foods that others. Fruits and juices such as orange, pineapple and 100% fruit juices often cause acid flare ups. Some veggies may cause gas such as beans, broccoli, cabbage, etc.

You may consider expressing milk to feed to baby in a bottle. Put about a teaspoon of cooked cereal into the breastmilk and feed it to baby in a bottle. This heavier food will help keep the food from automatically coming up. You probably need to put your baby on an acid reflux medicine. I think there is a Zantac for babies.

My first son had a terrible bout with acid reflux. It was combined with a flap on the stomach that was not yet completed developed. The combination made him puke everything up like a possessed baby. I know that's a horrible image, but that's how gross it was... all the time. He lost 2 pounds after leaving the hospital. I had a super frustrating time trying to get him to gain weight, change pediatricians multiple times, went to multiple lactation consultants... talked to anyone that had advice.

I finally found a doctor that suggested putting a small amount of cooked cereal into his bottles. I had to stop breastfeeding and put him on soy formula. I had to always have him sitting up after eating, so basically he had to sit up 24x7. I would have him sit in his car seat, bouncer, swing, jumper in the hall way, put him in the infant carrier on my chest or hold him. When he would sleep, I would either hold him or strap him into his infant car seat and put the car seat into the crib with blankets. Because he puked so much, I kept baby sleeping close to me all the time. He ended up having a SIDS episode, and I had to rush him to the hospital to recesitate him. I think it had to do with the acid reflux and he choked on what was coming up.

We were not sure if he was allegic to something I was eating or what. The milk based formula made him spit up alot, so it might have been a dairy allergy. He doesn't seem to be allergic to dairy right now, and he'll drink milk, eat cheese and yogurt. He's 5 now.

L. My daughters 5 day old son had the same thing the pedi wanted to put him on meds. Instead she put him on a product called "opti-flora" and a natural enzyme product called "ez-gest" and he is 3 now and has never had the problem again. The products are from shaklee and you can get more info from my web at livingwithsolutions.com. Let me know if I can help you. BTW my daughters pedi has her name on file for other moms with babies with the same issues. It works and it is perfectly safe for you little one. Good Luck
S.

I have been there and understand how difficult this is. My best advice to you is to listen to your gut and do not hesitate to press your doctor if you feel that your child is not improving. My doctors told me the same (they grow out of it), and my daughter screamed for months. They put her on Zantac, which helped the pain but not the spitting up. It was not until she completely stopped growing between six and nine months, that the doctors started taking me seriously. The more she ate, the more she vomited, and she just wasn't getting the nutrients she needed. She had an upper GI done, which confirmed the reflux, and they then started her on Prilosec, which significantly improved both the pain and the spitting. We finally weaned her off the Prilosec at 18 months, and she is now a healthy three year old.

She also had a milk protein allergy as an infant. I completely eliminated milk products from my diet as I also breastfed. There is no reason to discontinue breastfeeding for either reflux or milk protein allergy. She outgrew this at around eight months and now has no problems with dairy or any other foods.

I would not give him rice cereal, although I know many people do this with results. Keep him upright after feedings, elevate the head of his mattress, and wrap him in a tight swaddle--it may help him sleep. The Happiest Baby on the Block is a great book--lots of great information for calming fussy babies. I also recommend the block feeding. This helps the baby get more hindmilk and can help with an overactive letdown, which can also make them fussy. I breastfed my reflux baby on one side per feeding for the entire year-plus that she breastfed. La Leche League has a wonderful website and forum. A lactation consultant can also be a great help. Sometimes the doctors are quick to recommend switching to formula, but there is a lot you can do if you wish to continue breastfeeding.

You know your child best. Do not hesitate to call the doctor or get a GI consult. I wish I had done so earlier. It was a long, difficult first year that could have been a lot easier for all of us if I had been more persistent. Best of luck to you--it will get better!

have your doctor prescribe prevacid or prilosec or something along those lines. It helped my daughter. It helped her tons. Don't let your baby suffer, get him some medicine. I didn't want medicine for my daugher so I waited a while before giving it to her and it was a mistake. For her it lasted until she was 3-4 months old. Good luck. She's fine now.

Hii L., my granddaughter had acid reflux when she was a newborn. The Dr. finally told her mom to just feed her anything she could keep down her. We finally started rice or oatmeal cereal mixed with formula & a little bit of fruit. We also got infant feeders which really helped alot, they kept her from getting air in her tummy. She did very well with it and has completely outgrown the acid reflux.
Hang in there & good luck!!
L.

I wouldn't say my daughter had acid reflux but she did have the projectile vomitting. We had her on formula and we started adding a bit of rice cereal to help it stay down further in her tummy. The little flap at the end of the esophagus and beginning of the tummy just isn't strong enough yet and it will just take a little time. I would suggest (as long as there are no allergy concerns) that you pump some milk so you can add a bit of rice cereal to it and see if this does the trick. We started doing this when my daughter was 4 weeks old. We told her doctor about it and she was fine with it. One thing to keep in mind is that if you do this then you will need a fast flow nipple for the bottle because the rice cereal may block the nipple hole. A good rule of thumb is 1 teaspoon of infant rice cereal per ounce of milk...that's what we did - not too thin and not too thick. And I have to tell you the projectile vomitting practically stopped and she started sleeping through the night too. She is now on her way to being 3 years old and is completely healthy :-) Good luck :-)

Take your child to a chiropractor and have the baby adjusted it won't stop it completely but it should help a lot.
My niece had this as a newborn and it went on for over 8 months.My sister was so tired and the baby so fussy all of the time.She ended up putting her on Medication which she projectile vomited as well. Then a year later my Great Nephew had this problem we took him straight to the chiropractor and he had maybe 3 treatments and it stopped completely.
My niece had to go to childrens hospital when she was only 2 1/2 to have all of her teeth capped as the acid from the vomiting had ruined her baby teeth.She is now almost 5 and weare hoping her teeth will be okay as her adult teeth will soon be starting to come in.
My Great Nephew has never had any problems from the few weeks of vomiting.He is 4 now and has beautiful teeth.

First, I have to say, good for you for breastfeeding! It truly is the best thing for sensitive tummies, and don't let a doctor try to tell you otherwise, like I did. Sadly, my daughter had reflux and had to remain on medication for it until she was almost three. Most babies are not that way, though, thankfully! Our doctor told us that for the majority of babies with reflux, the symptoms disappear around 4-6 months, so there is a light at the end of the tunnel. As for things that make it easier, try to elevate the head of the crib with a pillow under the mattress, or if things get really bad, you could put him to sleep in his carseat so he's sitting up. Keep on breastfeeding!! and good luck!

My 3rd daughter had colic and acid reflux (yeah, those first few months were a big ball of fun, lol). The Dr. prescribed Zantac and she was like a whole new baby. It was amazing. Check with your pediatrician and be persistant that something isn't right. Remember, he's your baby, not the doctor's. You know if something isn't right and its your job to make that doctor listen to you and respond to your/your baby's issues.

I have a 7 wk old grandson that was doing the same thing only he is fed formula. We had switched his formula thinking that it wasn't agreeing with him. That helped some but not much. When he was born we asked the nurses about his breathing because it sounded raspy and wet. They said all newborn breathe like that and it will clear up in a week. His did not and we waited until he was a month old and made an apointment with his family doctor because he also was showing signs of stressful breathing such as if he was having an asthma attack. His mother; my daughter had childhood asthma. This doctor sent him to a Pediatrician. Who diagnosed either Reflux or something else that has to do with I believe his Larynx. With the reflux he is being treated with infant prescription reflux medication. It helps but he still has issues with spitting up most everytime he gets a bottle and at times he makes puddles and instead of burp cloths, we use receiving blankets because when he does blow, burp cloths are enough. The problem if it is because of his Larnyx is something that the doctor said is not treatable and babies grow out of the undesirrables by the time they are 12-18 months old. Has you son been checked to see if he is possibly suffering from colic? Hope this helps.

try giving the baby room temp water with peppermint (red and white striped) dissovled in it. There's a reason you get mints after dinner. The resturant does want anyone remembered leaving with a belly ache....

Hi L.,
My son had this as a baby and started to improve (a lot) by the time he was 6 mo. old. I did the same as you by feeding him in a 45 degree angle, raising one side of his bed, etc., but in his case he also took some antiacids prescrived by the doctor. If he takes meds, you should check his reaction to it, because the 1st one my son took (can't remember the name), gave him some twiching, and he didn't pee much. So observe him for side effects if you give medicine.
Good luck!

i might pass but dont hold your breath bc i had this same problem and i found out that my son was allegic to milk and he had to be on soy formula and we saw a gastrointestanal doctor bc there was something wrong with his tummy trouble. what i did was try my son on formula. the breast milk might be hurting the babies tummy ask your doctor about formula and or medicine for the acid refix disease bc more babies now of day it happens to newborns also try putting the baby at a 45 degree angle it should help with the reflixs

I haven't had to use it but have heard gripe water helps. It's homeopathic, and I've seen it sold at Babies R Us.

As I'm sure you'll soon discover, doctors can sometimes be wrong. I would consult a lactation specialist or someone from La Leche League. Your son may be having a reaction to something you're eating and perhaps eliminating some foods from your diet may do the trick. It did for my sister whose son did the same thing as yours. Good luck!

What is your baby eating? Is he breastfed, or on formula? My grandson experienced projectile vomiting when he received supplemental formula while his mom was at work. He was diagnosed with a severe allergy to dairy products. As long as he received a soy based formula he was fine, but dairy based formula caused a dramatic and painful reaction. After vomiting he would have large, red welts wherever the fluid touched his skin. If your son is breastfed and extremely allergic or sensitive to a food, it might even be passed through your breast milk after you have eaten it It would be worth checking into it to see if you can find a solution.

With all due respect to your pediatrician, projectile vomiting is never normal, and it isn't something that should be ignored. It's a severe reaction to something.

I had the same problem with my son who is now 9 mo. He had reflux but also has an intolerance to the cow's milk protein he was getting through my breastmilk. That is not uncommon, esp. with babies who have reflux. My son was on zantac until around 6 mo. The reflux faded out by then but the cow's milk issue is still there. I had to completely eliminate dairy from my diet. It takes 7-14 days for the protein to be gone and to really see if that is what is happening with your baby. Be sure to read labels as milk is in so many things you wouldn't even think of. And it goes by other names such as whey, casein, etc. Good luck. I know it is so hard when they are throwing up so much. It does get better though!

I was in the same boat as you. My daughter threw up so much I had to use towels instead of burp cloths. I had to change her clothes, as well as my own, several times a day because of the amount she threw up. It was awful!

I tried everything my doctor suggested: keeping her upright, small dose feeding, frequent burping. My doctor even suggested I stopped breast feeding switched to Nutramigen formula which was ridiculously expensive.

It never got better until a different doctor referred me to a pediatric gastro endenologist. The GE doctor prescribed Reglan which was what changed my life. After a few days on this medicine the throwing up stopped completely.

Don't feel bad for asking your doctor for a second opinion. It took me 8 months to put my foot down and say I knew the amount my daughter threw up was not normal. Once she was put on Reglan and the throw up stopped, I wish I would have done something sooner. Good luck!

are you getting a burp from him every single time he eats? Both of my kids were projectile pukers at first. With my first one, my mom told me to feed her less. So, I was feeding her 5 minutes on each breast and then also after every feeding I burped her until I got one. If I didn't get a burp she would always puke. With my second child, as long as I got a burp, the amount he ate could be left up to him. Sometimes, especially in the middle of the night when he was half asleep, it would take me forever to get a burp, sometimes 10-15 minutes! But, if I didn't get one and try to lay him down he would puke, so I kept trying until one came up. It may be worth a shot to try either/both and see if it works for you.

You've already got some great advice here. I will just reaffirm trying to cut out dairy from you diet to see if that helps. Also, you really should seek out a lactation consultant or your local LLL. This could also be related to over active letdown or an over supply of milk. I would suggest that as well as cutting out the dairy and seeking out a LC that you try block feeding your infant. Nurse your son on the same breast for several feeding before switching to the other breast. This will help him to get more of the thicker, fattier hindmilk.

Here is a good web-site you can check out for more information about breastfeeding and reflux. www.kellymom.com

L.-
I had the same problem with my little boy - born 11/08 - 6 weeks early. It started for him at about 4 weeks. It would be helpful if you got him on either Zantac or Prevacid...Zantac is the preferred first line therapy. The pain comes from the acid going back up into the esophagus. We started on Zantac and then switched to Prevacid. Neither of these medications will stop the throwing up - just neutralize the acid so his little tummy and esophagus aren't irritated by the stomach contents coming back up. I would not necessarily recommend the Reglan as first line treatment - there are some warnings associated with its use that aren't great (I am a pharmacist). Our little boy is 7 months old now and over the last month - we have seen improvements in his amount of vomitting - but for the first few months - it was common place for him to throw up after every feeding - all the way until his next feeding....sometimes projectile - other times just spit up. Little tricks that we used...always change his diaper right before he eats so you don't have to lay him back down after eating...laying them down really makes it worse. We always help him upright for at least 30 minutes after eating (this is pretty easy to do with a newborn but gets a little more difficult when they are a little older and just want to be put down - and it really consumes your time in the beginning too by the time you breastfeed and then hold them up for another 30 minutes...seems like you just put them down and it is time to feed again), put big bibs on him to minimize the amt of times we had to change his clothes...and for sleeping - we stumbled upon something called the nap nanny (www.napnanny.com). It is pretty expensive - but really seemed to help w/ the sleeping. If you raise the cradle or crib to the recommended 30 degrees....your baby always ends up at the bottom! Please let me know if you have questions...it seems to challenging and never ending while it is going on....but I can truly say it is getting better now!