Experience W/ Colic Calm Gripe Water ? Prevacid/Zantac Not Working

It looks like you've had a lot of great responses here. I had the same issues with my first, which I unfortunately never recognized as reflux. It's great that the doc is helping you- although I'd be careful about using the meds longer than necessary. Once baby is feeling better, you might want to try cutting out some of the drugs and see if you can get by with less.

One thing I didn't see mentioned though. My son slept best on his tummy. Not sure why, for some reason it helped. I never let him stay asleep on his belly when he was younger, only when I was next to him and could watch him just in case. But in our experience it helped.

I use gripe water now with my 3rd, and I did also with my second. I don't think gripe water helps nearly so much with reflux as it does with gas. It seems to work miracles when my daughter has gas stuck in the stomach. Usually she burps or farts not long after taking it.

If you do decide to use baking soda as one poster suggested, baking soda can be toxic in high amounts. There is a small amount of baking soda in some brands of gripe water, but it's carefully measured, and perfectly safe.

Hi Jeannie,

I'm a mom of 3 and pregnant with #4. It seems rediculoud to me for a doctor to want to prescribe so much for a new baby and diagnose something like acid reflux. I'm not a doctor, but it seems that with a calm environment and some patience these things will work themselves out. My 22 month old, was unbearable at that stage. I did everything with my own diet to make sure she was nursing healthy milk. I ended up switching to bottles and a healthy formula. we gave her gripe water and the herbal colic tablets. Her evenings and days became so much smoother. Once we all just relaxed and allowed her to cry without totally trying to soothe her with a million things she worked out the fussiness. I'll keep you and your baby in prayer for calmness and better digestion.

I have a few questions. Are you breastfeeding or bottlefeeding? If you are bottlefeeding have you tried changing the formula? Have you tried the GASX for babies? Please let me know.

thanks

Phooey on that stuff!!
Health food store sells a probiotic for babies, please try that. He will only be healthier!!
Peppermint tea helps too and warmth applied to the tummy.
God Bless

Jeannie,

Poor baby! It sounds like she's hurting if she's crying all the time. If I were you, I would skip the gripe water and take her back to the doctor. My sister's son cried for one full year and ended up having serious GI issues. She still feels horrible about it and wishes she has done things differently. It's hard though when the docs give you a course of action and you follow it but your baby is still upset. The bottom line is we, as parents, have to be our baby's advocate. If we don't fight for them, who will??!!

Here's my story if it helps... while still in the NICU after complications from birth, my daughter was throwing up after feedings, had a horribly red bottom (with broken skin), would hiccup a lot and made little sqeeky/chirpy noises. The doctors diagnosed her with reflux and immediately switched her formula to soy (Similac Isomil) and put her on Zantac three times a day. I was also pumping at the time so they had me cut all dairy from my diet. We noticed a HUGE difference by the next day and by the end of the week all symptoms were gone!

She's 4 1/2 months old now, still on Zantac and doing great! The only thing is they will outgrow their dose. We can tell because she gets fussy during feedings, will arch her back and struggle through a bottle. That's our queue to take her to the doctor to weigh her, recalculate (increase) the dose and feedings are back to normal again.

Hope this helps! Best of luck to you.

Jeannie,
Time to get your little one to a acupuncturist. I have sent many of my clients whom I work with in pregnancy to local acupuncturists with their babies. The treatments work very well. This can also be linked to sensitivities to food in your diet, mainly, dairy, and wheat.
I'm happy to give you referral to a qualified prac. near you.
Please feel free to email me.
Good luck,
L.

I know COMPLETELY how you feel. I "slept" with my 2nd daughter in a recliner (she couldn't stand to be laying flat and seemed to be able to rest some on an incline) for 2 months before I said anything to my pediatrician in complete desperation. She was diagnosed with acid reflux (based on symtoms and behaviors - no GI work) and she was a different child from her 1st dose of Zantac. It was liquid gold for us. I took it EVERYWHERE with us b/c I didn't want to be in a position of her missing a single dose. (If only I had said something sooner to the Doc! So trust your instincts and keep asking questions or trying different things until you find relief for her - and your family!)

So my thought for you is why so many meds? It might be better to just go with one. And if you can't find the right medication, I presume you've considered diet issues. If you're nursing could she be allergic to something in your diet? If she's on formula, have you tried changing to another formula. I was nursing exclusively and tried cutting things out of my diet with no change in her. I tried giving her a soy formula in desperation, but that didn't help. When the Zantac worked, my Dad bought stock in the company that made it b/c of what a powerful change it made in our lives!

And to give you hope that she won't needs meds forevery, at 6 months the Dr. suggested trying to phase my daughter off the Zantac. We did with no complications and she's a healthy 4 yr old now. Hang in there and GOOD LUCK!

Please take your baby off of those drugs. My mother always put a pinch of baking soda on the baby's tongue. I did that with my children who are now 25, 27, 29. My sisters (4) did the same with their children.

My daughter had reflux as well. We never tried anything but the Zantac, and that didn't seem to help much either. We found that the best remedy was the Fisher Price Baby Papison swing (which they can use from birth). Our daughter was in this most of the day, and slept in it at night. Just keeping her upright after eating and at night seemed help the most. I don't know anything about the gripe water, but thought the "Magic swing" was worth mentioning. Good luck to you and your little one, I hope you find a remedy soon!

They grow out of colic. Ditch the drugs. Lay her over your shoulder with her tummy on your shoulder and rub her back bottom to top. Lay her over your arm and carry her doing the same. By three months she'll be over it. The best thing is breast milk and make sure you're only feeding every two hours.

My daughter was diagnosed with the same at 5weeks. We tried all of the medicine they gave, but none of it seemed to work. In the end, I think it was all gas pains and colic. Try playing the radio really loud or vacuuming, I bet you will notice a difference....

I haven't used that particular gripe water before but I have used gripe water and it works. The thing is you have to also make sure you don't lay the baby down on her back after you have fed her. This may be difficult to do but it is imperative.

You also have to cut the feeding amounts and increase the frequency so that she is still receiving the same amount of nourishment but spaced out more. Do you breast feed? That would probably relieve a lot of the symptoms as well. You may also have to change her formula she may be allergic to milk and these problems she is having are part of an allergic reaction. I am surprised your doctor didn't ask you that... I would try a soy or hypo-allergenic formula to see if that relieves the problems if you are not breastfeeding and if you are breastfeeding, you might want to change your diet and eliminate milk and all forms of dairy, eggs, and nuts. All of these are known triggers and can cause intestinal discomfort.

I went through this with my son and he felt better almost immediately after I made those adjustments. It may seem like a lot but you can do it - you are a capable mother - if you weren't you wouldn't have asked for help!

Also, do not be afraid to lay your child on her stomach to sleep. I know I know the Doctors will have my head for telling you this but that is part of the problem. You try eating a calorie laden dinner and laying on your back immediately after!! You would be quite uncomfortable as well! We forget that babies are people too... LOL You could also lay your baby on her tummy on your lap and rub her back from left to right (up the left then down the right) that would help the gas and bloating as well. Hmmmm do you have this book:

http://www.amazon.com/Happiest-Baby-Block-Crying-Newborn/...

Copy and paste this link and either purchase immediately on Amazon or go and get it from the Barnes and Noble ASAP. It really works.

I hope I was helpful. My son had the same issues and my doctor prescribed him medication (as they are wont to do) and I never even used it because I used the book and what I just described for you. I totally breastfed though so there may be some differences but I hope that you can calm and soothe your baby without the medication.

Jeannie-
There is a new product out on the market. It is an enhanced water that contains over 70 trace minerals and is all natural. It restores the minerals your body needs to function efficiently. This alkaline water helps the body to heal itself. This will counteract the acid buildup in the baby's system. It contains No dyes, No calories, No sugar and No artificial energy. It is safe to use for children of all ages.

I would be glad to share my experience with the x2o with you. My daughter is 12 years old and is lactose intolerant. She cannot have much dairy without severe gas pains. This product has eliminated those pains and she is able to eat limited dairy products without any problem. I wish this product was available when she was younger.

This is safe to use for children of any age.

You can reach me at ____@____.com. I also have nutritionists working with me. Working with children is his passion, he would be glad to talk to you about your daughter.

www.drinkxoomawater.com

Good luck to you, having a unhappy baby is no fun.

C.

OMG...sounds like my 12 yoand 6 yo....talk about colic...have you tried a different formula? I went through 5 b4 i found 1 that worked...it's expensive (wish I could remember name but if you read them you will find it)...but it helped him and saved my sanity...also, sounds wierd..BUT an old German lady told me to let him suck on peppermint sticks...(like candy canes) that also helped alot!...dont give up...w/ time it does heal itself...they put my 6YO on zantac but I didnt like giving it to him either....I just fed him less more often and that helped too...Good Luck, S.

Have you looed into getting an Ambi bed?

http://www.ambybaby.com/

I have heard from several moms who have had similar problems with thier wee ones and they really work.

No I do not represent the company. I work for the Siren that wears green.

Hi Jeannie! We too had a similar issue. I told the Dr. that I thought it was reflux and he told me at 6 weeks it was too early to diagnose reflux! Which I do not believe to be true! We tried the gripe water at the store and also ordered some "special gripe water" online and I can say that they would put her to sleep for a little while (hour maybe), but for the price we paid for the stuff I do not think it did that much honestly!! My little one seemed to calm a bit if we massaged her tummy while she layed in our lap!! Hope this helps and good luck!! Hang in there it does get better, mine is 5 months now and she is pretty good!! GOOD LUCK!!

OMGosh to remember those nights :(. My son had colic and relux bad, he would literally cry/scream for hours every night. You have to lay her down sitting up a little so get one of those sponge triangle things and then rolls up two baby blankets placing then at each side of her so she doesn't roll off. If she is having terrible pains put her in a warm bath and rub her belly. Hope this helps.

PS He was also put on Nutramigen formula - not sure if your breastfeeding which is best but I couldn't breastfeed so he was put on the special formula.

Your posting was like reading my own experience! My daughter was diagnosed with reflux very early on as well, and her first 3-4 months were nightmarish. We got it diagnosed pretty early, but finding the right "cocktail" of medicines took awhile. What finally worked for us was Prilosec and getting her on the right formula (I couldn't produce enough milk for her). She could only take the premixed (and more expensive) formula, not the powdered kind. It's supposed to be the same thing, but it's not.

She would also get very constipated, so we used a lot of glycerin suppositories and fed her prune juice between regular feedings.

On the gas, try burping her several times during a feeding. Sit her upright on your lap and lean her over your hand, putting some gentle pressure on her tummy while you pat her on the back 'til the burp comes out.

I'd be happy to talk if you'd like to chat with a mom who's been through what you're going through. I think you can send a message through Mamasource.

Good luck and know that IT WILL GET BETTER!!! My daughter got over it pretty much by her 4th month, and is now a gorgeous 8-year-old with a voracious appetite!

My daughter had the same issue, the Gripe Water is all natural so it wont hurt to give it to her. My daughter was on Zantac as well and it seemed to help alot. The Gripe Water does help alot with hiccups and an upset belly and they seem to really like the taste. I say try it. My daughter is now colicky....

I have a organic product line of body products. Tummy Soother Balm would be great. My second son had colic and it helped tremendously. Check it out... annabellaknits.etsy.com

I have to agree with the other posters. The meds do take awhile. My youngest was on Zantac and it took over a week of using it until I saw some relief. I was also nursing at the time and I cut out all dairy products which helped. When he moved on to formula allimentum was the only one that helped. I never gave him Colic Calm gripe water but I did use gas relief drops.

So, I've never heard of colic calm, my pediatrician gave me Baby Bliss original gripe water and I used that with Zantac until my son was off Zantac at maybe 5 months old. We still use the gripe water when he has problems and it works like a charm. My son as an infant would start to calm down as he tasted it after using it for about a month, it worked so well. I still wonder if it was really the gripe water after all, since we stopped the Zantac and use only gripe water and it managed it just as well. He had dairy issues, so we will give it before hand to prevent issue and it is great. Good luck!!

Went through a similar experience with my daughter and the meds took at least a full week before I noticed any improvement. It was truly awful but thankfully with time she improved but she remained on the meds for about 9 months thereafter. I breastfed and would keep her upright for 30 minutes after meals and sometimes lay her on her left side (you'll want to talk with your pediatricain first.) I also waited before putting her in the carseat at least 30 minutes after meals because the harness pressed on her stomach maknig the situation worse. My daughter had colic and acid reflux and would cry until she exhausted herself and finally fell asleep only to wake up 15 to 30 minutes later. It was such a trying time for our whole family. Hang in there and I hope she gets well soon:)

First, good for you for getting your daughter diagnosed and on the way to being more comfortable. We waited a few months before putting my son on Prevacid. And it made all the difference in the world once we did! We went from all the crying and discomfort (and lack of sleep!) to much more happy baby. Second, it does take a few days, maybe up to a week, before the medicines work. I know it is really difficult but hang in there!

Don't stop the meds. I tried gripe water and don't recall it working (and my son was probably taking meds too- it was 5 years ago!) The medicine didn't work for him either (although it did with my daughter). But with both of them, him earlier than her, they just grew out of it. He was good to go by 2-3 months and it took her 6 to get off the medicine.
Just keep trying.

hey Jeannie!
First of all I want to say I'm sooo sorry that you've had to deal with colic.. and while I haven't had any experince with Reflux in babies I can tell you what happened with my Friends baby that was diagnosed with the same thing... none of the medicine helped actually did more harm then good. So she took it into her hands and stopped listening to the doctor.. she switched her baby to soy formula and the baby instantly started feeling better... I'm not sure if that helps but thats all I know... I have used the Gripe water for teething and I know that its all natural and won't interfere with the prescriptions... hope it was some help ;)
C.

Dear Jeannie,

This is such a difficult situation for your baby and for you. Both my boys had gastro issues, it was really tough.

My youngest (now 13) had reflux, but wasn't diagnosed until 3 months old when he developed pneumonia from aspirating the fluid into his lungs. Prior to that he was not a happy camper and I walked the floors every night trying to soothe him. Once diagnosed, we used Zantac/Propulsid combo. (Propulsid is no longer available.) What is really important is that the meds help to tone the muscles and heal the esophagus. The esophagus can develop scar tissue, and that you want to avoid. I also used to prop up the head of his crib a few inches to allow gravity to help. (I nursed him for a very long time, 2 years, just to avoid any other potential issues.)

My oldest son (now 23) was a completely different situation. He was so sensitive to everything that I ingested that he was a miserable baby for the first 4 weeks of nursing. I cut out dairy, but that didn't do the trick (also, it shows up in so many foods you wouldn't expect it to.) We went to soy formula, but he was allergic (major puking) so we ended up with the formula Nutramigen. It was expensive but so worth it! I hated to give up nursing but for him nursing was not a good thing. Within a day of the he was a happy baby.

If you want more info on the formula:
http://www.meadjohnson.com/app/iwp/HCP/Content2.do?dm=mj&...

Certainly check with your doctor before making major changes, and give the meds a little more time to work. Did your doctor recommend the Maalox Max? I ask because I've heard that antacids may decrease the absorption of Zantac.

If you need a wonderful Pediatric Gastroenterologist contact:

Lynn Duffy, MD
15005 Shady Grove Road Suite 120
Rockville, MD 20850
###-###-####

Also has offices in VA.

Best of luck to both of you,
T.

oh boy, does this bring back painful memories...My daughter was exactly the same, just from day one!!!we tried everything and Zantac didn't work for us either, we were prescriped Pepcid, but I felt there was little relief on that either.Are you breastfeeding??believe it or not, but I had to stop breastfeeding because I was sick and I used Goodstart formula and she was calm for one week (I pumped everytime she got a bottle)once I restarted breastfeeding she went right back to screaming her head off.don't get me wrong, I am all for breast feeding, I am successfully nursing my 3 month old son right now, but I had cut down on every possible "bad for her" food and it didn't work!She was allergic to my milk proteins and ther was nothing I could do!So I stopped and had the happiest baby you can imagine!!
Gripewater works well with my gassy son, it is just an extract of fennel and anis. I treat both my kids only with homeopathic medicine and it works wonders.if you have the chance and the money, take your baby to a homeopathic doctor and you will be given probably Chamomilla C30, (you can buy this in healthfood store), comes in little pellets, which you can dissolve in a teaspoon of water and give it to your baby(in bottle).It is basically chamomile and very calming for the intestins.Workes great for us, unfortunately at the time of my daughters birth, i wasn't into Homeopathy yet.Good luck and keep your sanity

Hi there,
My kids never had this problem, but my friend's baby did. She ended up changing her diet and cut out all dairy products. (That is if you are breast feeding). That did the trick for her and she stopped the meds.
Good luck and hang in there, things will get better......
Agi

Hi Jeannie,

Look up this information on the web:

http://www.coliccalm.com/baby_infant_newborn_articles/aci...

Get into a mom's support group.

http://attachmentparenting.meetup.com

Good luck. D.

My son suffered from acid reflux as well. I know what you are going through...he got up every 2 hrs for 7 mons. I had NO sleep what so ever. I took him to a specialist and they tried Zantac but it wasn't strong enough. I had an upper gi series done on him when he was a month old and it showed damage to his Esophagus. They gave me meds for him to heal and and we went to a high dosage of Prevacid. I think one med at a higher dose is better than a bunch of meds. Once the meds healed his insides we continued with the prevacid until he was about a month old. Make sure you keep they baby sleeping upright. A lot of the times I slept on the couch w/the baby on my chest.

Two ounces of organic chamomile tea helped soothe my infant's evening fussiness, troubled digestive system, and restless sleep.

~L.

Keep goping to the doctor as much as you want to. My daughter had reflux and she had to be on malox and prilosec. It is hard and ery high maintnece but for sure by 6 months she was over it. Hang in there and bug the doctors-I did! I think 2 weeks is rediculous!

Jeannie,
I feel for you so much! Hang in there! My daughter is now 3 1/2 months old and we went through the same thing with her in the early days. She was diagnosed with reflux at 1 week old and still takes Zantac 3 times a day. Unfortunately, it really does take AT LEAST a full week before it starts working. The reason for this is that with reflux, the throat is irritated from the acid and basically has a sore on it. The medicine first has to heal the sore for them to feel better, which takes some time. I did try the Colic Calm gripe water, but it really did not help her at all. However, it did help my son when he was an infant, and he had reflux too. With him it would calm him instantly, but only for about 10-15 minutes. My daughter also had/has painful gas. I try burping her really well and keeping her upright after feeding and that helps. We also discovered she has a milk protein allergy. Anyway, it is SO HARD. Get some help if you can so you can have a break! It gets better, I PROMISE!!! You will not have to go through this forever!

If you are breast feeding, try drinking peppermint tea. My daughter was colic and my doctor really didn't like using medication unless nothing else worked>
Once I started drinking the tea and after she nursed, keeping her upright there was a drastic change. She went from crying for hours to being just alittle fussy and then all the gas seemed to clear up. Good luck.

My son had the same thing ad his pediatrician prescribed prescription gas medicine - I think it was called Levisin...also we were referred to a gastroentologist from childrens that is here in Annapolis. She was great! Also I breast fed and used Nutramigen formula which worked wonders. If you are local and need the info for the gastro e-mail me. Good luck!

Hang in there. Please give it a little longer on the meds. With my daughter it took Prevacid and a change in formula-we had to go to alimentum. If you are breastfeeding, you may want to take a close look at what you are eating and cut out all acidy foods. Hopefully your doc did an upper GI to definately say it is feflux (our doc did one on our son but for our daughter, he just "guessed" and to this day I wonder if she had milk sensitivity or reflux. My son took Axid briefly when the zantac wasn't working. It supposidly heals the esophagus quicker, so you may want to ask your doc about it. We tried grip water and didn't see much difference with it. Good luck.

Hi Jeannie,
Never used Colic Calm gripe water, but my second child had a very similar problem. We were in the doctor office once a week from the time he was born because he would scream constantly, and could not poop. The doctor literally had to probe him and as a one week infant he was dislodging stool..no wonder he was in pain. We tried the medicines, going through every type of formula Enfamil offered. After the pediatrician sent him to a children's hospital for diagnosis, we learned he had a protein intolerance. At 5 weeks of age he was put on a formula imported from the UK called Neocate. It is VERY EXPENSIVE, but it was a miracle...it changed everything for him.
Question for you...did you have high protein levels during your pregnancy? I have found that other mom's, including myself, had high protein levels...Doctors/obgyns have ignored the link, but just seems a little funny to me. Take a look at Neocate on the internet and ask your doctor...it's worth every penny!

Hi Jeannie,

I was just wondering whether you are breast feeding? My two daughters had terrible colic, and when it seemed that at about 3 or 4 weeks my son seemed to be starting to get a bit "gassy" I asked my pediatrician what, if anything I could do about it. She said there are many things which you eat which change the make-up of the protein in your milk and make it harder for the baby to digest. There are all the obvious things like broccoli, cabbage and garlic, (also chocolate - darn it!) but actually one of the main culprits is cows milk. I switched to soy milk while I was breast feeding and my son didn't experience any of the colic nightmares I had with my girls. It could have been a coincidence and maybe he wouldn't have had any troubles anyway, but it's really worth a try because I know it is nerve shattering to have to deal with a colicky baby.

I hope you find something that works.

L. P

I feel your pain, I had a reflux baby too and it was rough! I put him on zantac at 4 weeks old and it took about two weeks to kick in so don't take the baby off of it yet. The dose may need adjusted as well, just keep in contact with the pediatrician. Sometimes a different medicine will work better too. Other things that will help... Keep the baby elevated at a 45 degree angle for 15-20 minutes after each feeding, and as much as possible for that matter. You can elevate one end of the bassinet but putting a box about 8 inches high under one end to keep the baby's head elevated which really helps. The baby can sleep in the car seat or swing as well as those are elevated. The key is to keep the food down. I even elevated the changing pad b/c he would wail everytime I changed his diaper. It's so sad! My son wanted to nurse all of the time b/c it made him feel better but the more food in his belly the worse he felt so it was a horrible cycle. I also recommend the miracle blanket which you can find at http://www.miracleblanket.com/ it is seriously a miracle and will help your baby sleep.

I never tried the gipe water but as with all things, check with your pediatrician first.

Good luck!

Hi Jeannie, my name is Lena Is your baby on formula or breast milk? What I would suggest is stop meds and give her Mylacon its for babys, and you dont need a prescription, I am from Lebanon so when our kids have upset stomachs, we make them a nice warm bottle of Anis Seeds, you boil the anis seeds, put water in a little pot wait till its getting ready to boil then put about 1 or 2 tablespoon of anise seed in the water wait about 2 mins for the water to turn green, like green tea color, then put 2oz of cold water in the bottle and then strain the tea into the bottle only 2oz, so you'll have warm tea, then sqeeze a tad bit of lemon and just a little bit of honey because lemon and honey is great for the digestive system, try that in the morning and right before bed, for one week and see if it work, also you can use the Mylacon. Good Luck, I do it for my kids, I have a 4 1/2 and soon to be 1. sometimes I will give warm water with lemon in it, so she can melow out a little. Take Care

My daughter had acid reflux as well. She had burps and gas like a frat boy! We went to see a specialist and he gave us some type of formula that was broken down more than the regular so she didn't have such gas and that worked. We had to use that until they received a stool sample to see if she was allergic to milk. She wasn't so we were cleared to use "regular" formula. Regular to me is stuff you can buy at the store - not prescription. I'm not sure if you are nursing or using formula, but we used Enfamil A.R. and it helped a lot. It seemed to help almost immediately. It was better than adding rice cereal to the regular formula. She used Zantac throughout her first year. She doesn't need it anymore. But, I do remember the Dr. saying that the Zantac doesn't stop the acid reflux, it just ensures that is doesn't burn and it won't erode her esophagus. We also had to up the dosage as she gained weight. I'm not sure if your kid has this as well, but our daughter would sound "snorty" for the lack of a better term. The Zantac helped that, but we knew when she was sounding snorty again that it was time to up the dosage. Of course we let the Dr. confirm that and tell us the exact dosage before we did it. Hang in there. It does get better. I hope this helps!

I'm sorry if I repeat what others have said, but this is what worked for us.

I have a 15 month who doesn't have reflux anymore and a 5 week old with a bad cas of it. Both of them responded IMMEDIATELY to the medication Axid and the formula Enfamil Gentlease. The Axid took effect, I'm tellin' ya, instantly. It keeps the acid in the belly from forming more than it's supposed to, keeps the acid down in the belly and coats the esophagus. I don't know a single person this medication hasn't worked for. My son is 5 weeks old and takes 1 ml. 3 times a day. Without it, he is miserable. My 15 month old took it until he was a year old. The Gentlease has partially broken proteins that are easier for infants to digest...says so right on the can! :)

Talk to your pediatrician about it!