My Daughter - Elkton,MD

Good Morning A.. My daughter had acid reflux also. I put her on Dr. Browns Bottles and that helped a lot and then she went on meds when she was 5 mos. old. We did the medicine for 1 month and it helped a lot. They say that children out grow the reflux by 1 year. I would do the medicine twice a day and talk to the doctor about taking her off the medicine around 6 mos. old and see if she changed.

Good Luck. My daughter out grew it for the most part. Once in a blue moon she will have an acid reflux. She is going to be 3 next month and I can give her Tums when I think she needs it.

A.,

I appreciate your concern about over medicating your beautiful baby. No one knows her like you do and that is a special bond no one can take away.

Please, take a moment to put this in perspective. Take a deep breath in through your nose and out through your mouth. You don't say which particular medication your daughter is on. If it's for her acid reflux, please know that the medicine is helping her keep the acid down in her stomach, allowing her to digest more of what you lovingly give her and ultimately live without pain.

Unless you're injecting her with crack please try to keep in mind you are giving her medicine to help her eat, grow and live a happy life -- not drugging her.

I recommend talking with a nurse at your pediatrician's office or your pharmacist to allay your fears about drugging your baby.

Good luck and God bless you.

The meds take the pain away for your child....she will outgrow it Both my daughters had reflux and they are now 3 and 8 months and off meds and doing great....did the doctor say anything about making the bottle thicker with rice cereal that helps alot...1tsp per oz.

my now 18 month old had reflux from birth, he spit everywere it was more like perjectile.. he was on zantac and it made him iratable. by age 1 he out grew it. but we thickend his formula and was on special formula 1 tsp per ounce worked wonders plus 2 hr after feeding he had to be reclined or sitting up, bouncy seats worked..

my daughter has had severe reflux since birth and is on prilosec twice a day. we feel the same way...... like we are drugging her. but i have to say...... it has made a world of difference, and it has been the best thing for her. she was in so much pain before. the good news is that the gastroenterologist said that most kids outgrow it and end up being weened off of the meds. i don't think you should feel bad about it. i think our child getting her nutrition is the most important thing, and the meds help her to eat and keep her food down. have you discussed your concerns with your doctor? has your child had any tests done?

S. :)

Hi A.. I'm sorry that your daughter is having a rough time. I know how tough it can be because my son had reflux from birth. His pediatrician put him on Zantac which only made him feel worse and worse with each dose he received. I know that a lot of people will think this is crazy, but we ended up taking our son to our chiropractor for adjustments. The change in our son was amazing. He would be adjusted one day/week and completely symptom free for 6 or 7 days and adjusted again the next week. When his symptoms did reappear, they were very mild...just enough that we knew he was ready for another adjustment. He never cried and it never hurt him. He is five years old now and never had to take a reflux med since he was a newborn. The dr has an instrument for infants and the elderly who are more fragile. I never heard any cracking joints or anything like that. We even had the full support of the pediatrician. The adjustments for his reflux lasted about 8-9 months. I am by no means an all-natural, homeopathic fanatic...my kids get antibiotics when they're sick...but sometimes a more natural approach can work. I don't know if you'd be open to any of that, but if you are it's defintely worth the try.

I wish you good luck. I hope you find what you need to help your daughter!

B.

Hi A.,
I am sorry to hear that. My boys SPIT-UP HORRIBLY!!! But, they were never diagnosed with reflux. Not sure why, I guess they figured it would stop. I am sorry I don't have a medical answer for you, but I have a burp cloth for you that wil help YOU from wearing it. The reason I know is because I invented it BECAUSE my kids spit-up so much I was SICK of wearing spit-up! No pressure to look, just thought I would throw the site your way. It is http://www.LovePrints.net

Could it be the formula?

Hope this helps you a little! And I hope she gets better.
S. McGoldrick, Mom-inventor, Designer & Owner
http://www.LovePrints.net
____@____.com

A.,

Have you tried just thickening her formula? My 11yo had reflux when she was a baby, and she was on Zantac, but they also thickened her formula. Talk to your doctor, most thickeners now are tasteless, but they make liquids the consistancy of thin pudding, which helps keep it in her stomache. If it stays in her stomache, then there's no need for the Zantac.

Hope this helps,

M.

Hi A..

I gave my daughter acid reflux medication from 8 weeks through 6 months. My daughter would spew her formula up so hard it would pass my body and hit the wall!!

As the mother before me stated, it was a way to help our babies grow and hold their food down. This medication will not go on forever. My sister in law had to give it to her son until he was 12 months, but he has been off of it for over a year now.

Trust me, you are doing the best thing for your baby girl.

Your daughter won't be on medication for the rest of her life. In all likelihood, she'll only be on it for a few more months. My son was put on Zantac at 6 weeks old. He had terrible reflux and was spitting up almost everything he was taking in. We started giving him the Zantac every twelve hours and he was completely fine. He still spit up a little, but it was a normal amount. Then, around 5 months we noticed he was spitting up less, so we cut back the meds to once a day, and occassionally when he really needed it, and by 6 months, he was completely off it. We didn't need to add rice to his formula or thicken it at all.

Hi A.,

I have two boys, ages2 1/2 and 6 months, and both of them have acid reflux. They were both put on meds around 3 months old. My older son had it worse and would scream in so much pain until we put him on Zantac 3 times a day. He was on it for almost a year, but he was a completely different baby once we started the meds. He no longer screamed in pain and was actually a very happy baby so I personally think that the meds are so worth it and they will not be on them forever. He no longer needs constant Zantac although he does still have the occasional bout with reflux. My 6 month old is on Pepcid 2 x a day and we are now weaning him off. But he would also scream in pain. The medication soothed both of them and neither was being over medicated. My 2 1/2 year old is a healthy smart energetic child and doesn't even remember the reflux he had so bad. Don't feel guilty. She feels much better and will not be on the meds forever. I know this b/c I had reflux with both pregnancies and it is painful.

Ah relux....we had an incident at the incompetent hospital here regarding her reflux. Are you nursing or using formula. If you are using formula, consider changing it. Also, feed your daughter in a more upright position. Our ped didn't want to prescribe Zantac because he said that it doesn't help much, and makes kids irritable. She outgrew the reflux by about 6 months or so. I have also heard of people taking their babies to a chiropracter as well. A few years before we had lauren, we went to a chiropracter who had infants in regulary. It may be something to look into because now most insurances cover so many chiropracter visits per year.
I hope that this helps!