Pacifier and Reflux

L.,

My 7 month old is still suffering from reflux (although less than before). The pacifier works. I usually give it to her right after she eats. The sucking help keep the food down. I don't like to give it to her at night because I don't want to have to keep waking to put it in her mouth if she looses it at night, but I do let her use it for naps. At about 12 weeks I started to express milk and add some rice cereal to her bottles, which also helped to keep the food down, but I ultimately had to use pepcid (which has made a huge difference and she is still using).

Hi L.,

My son also suffered from reflux and was on Zantac for two weeks to help his esophagus heal (it totally worked!). But I'd also read that caffeine can make reflux worse, so if you're a coffee/tea drinker, you may want to switch to decaf. As for the pacifier, it also helps with the reflux, and like everyone else has said, I wouldn't worry about it. And you can definitely just use it at certain times. Good luck!

all babies have difficulty at first with reflux issues, the old saying that a fourth trimester would have been helpful is especially true.

as long as your baby is having good weight gain, making enough wet diapers, and keeping down more than he spits up, the pediatrician generally will not reccommend a medication as the solution.

in terms of your diet, a doctor may tell you that eliminating caffeine, chocolate and certain foods may be helpful and it may, but for many women it doesnt make a diffence.

when breastfeeding my baby(now 5 mo old), the old otc med that worked is called BABY'S BLISS GRIPE WATER.(it contains fennel) It is sold at Walgreen's only. There are other gripe brands, but this one has a thicker solution.

in terms of pacifiers, babies do suck down air when they are sucking the pacifier, but if you find that it is helping your baby sleep, then use it.

babies who are good breastfeeders will not get confused by having both.

dont forget to make an appt to see your peds doc if things get worse.

good luck! :)

My experience with my son first started at 3 weeks. He screamed for hours after I fed him with the gas. I went to the clinic nurse and she said it was my diet which in turn caused the 'fizzy " milk. No amount of burping can get the air when it's inside the milk. Her suggestion to me was as follows:
Put baby on to trigger the letdown then take baby off and let your milk flow until it slows to a drip then put baby back on. This gets rid of the fore milk and they get the good hind milk straight away. Feed from one breast per feed but offer second if baby still seems hungry and eat PLENTY of protein..... to the point of overload :) SHe described breast milk as the fore milk being soda and the hind milk bacon and eggs.... therefore the soda will cause tummy pain everytime.
I used to eat lasagne for breakfast , lunch and dinner. This worked really well for me. There was also a protein chocolate powder I drank in milk called sustagen. I don't know if it's available here in the US as Im Australian.
I also discovered stuff called stomach calm which is a homeopathic remedy sold in OZ which you can buy from an aussie pharmacy website www.pharmacyonline.com.au.
It's made by a company called bauer.. so just search bauer stomach calm and that was like magic in a bottle. SO much so that with my daughter who also has gas issues I gave it to her prior to every feeding. I still use it today when the kids feel sick and they are 8 and 5 :)
I hope this helps you, It worked a treat for me. goodluck!!!

I also used pacifiers for both kids and they also helped.

My daughter had GERD and is 11 months old now.. she outgrew it @ 9 mo.

For one, Mylicon has been recalled for scraps of metal being found in it so I would stop that and get him tested for use of that
it's so hard when they're as tiny as they are now.. but feeding him as upright as you can.
Pacifiers kinda do help...lol it allows for their air to balance. I only use the pacifier at night time. I didn't want to use it in the beginning at all either. But my babies comfort is more important to me as long as I'm not doing anything to interfere w/ her development. Besides once he's asleep, you can slide it away from him.
I had to use the medication for my daughter 3 X a day and slowed to 2 then finally it was only half of the dosage in the morning ..
Weird thing... she got sick w/ stomach bug when she was 9 months . The 1st time she ever got sick in her lil lifetime. And after that she didn't spit up anymore.
Usually they grow out of it but still have issues growing up but can control it.
Her ped also said after feeding not to put her in a car seat on the go for at least an hour. The can stop breathing from the acid coming up and going down another tube in their immature systems.
I hope this helps

I know you are b feeding, but for me, my "reflux" baby was bottle fed and the only bottles that worked/she could get a good amt of formula down with were Dr. Brown's, which I would highly recommend. After I switched to those bottles, she started drinking 2x as much instantly and no more upset tummy. I suspect there was not much of a reflux problem to begin w/ though she did spit up and ate small amts of food before then.
For paci, usually babies will develop a habit. Not sure about if it helps w/ reflux or not, I would assume that it may only because maybe it aids w. digestion (sucking, stimulating digestion?). You can try to give just at night but both of my kids developed a habit w. the paci. Which was easily broken by going cold turkey by the time they were about 1 yo.
Good luck!

Hey L.

I just wanted to give you a website that has TONS of tips on how to help reflux and everything. A friend of mine went through it with her kids too... bad and it's no fun!!

Please check out www . infantrefluxdisease . com and there you will find many moms on the boards for support as well as a HUGE amount of info for you and to help you deal with Dr's too!!

Good luck, reflux can be hard to deal with!

I would try cutting all the dairy products out of your diet. My son seemed like he had the worst colic when he was tiny. He was up half the night screaming and crying and just never seemed happy. We tried to figure out what was causing it and eventually we realized that it was worse when I had dairy. I would try cutting it out for a month and see if it gets better. I switched to soy milk (they even make soy ice cream and soy cheese but the cheese is not so good) and took extra calcium. I have had reflux and heartburn issues since I was in college and I also noticed that it helped me with my heartburn too. Be warned, it sometimes takes 2 weeks for dairy to leave your system (and his) so you may not see any difference for the first 2 weeks. But it's worth a try. It turned my son into a completely different baby.
You also should make sure you are burping him every 5 minutes so the gas doesn't build up too much. Don't switch to bottles as someone else suggested- formula will only make things worse!
Another place you can look for advice is http://www.kellymom.com which is completely dedicated to breastfeeding moms. The site has some really great advice on everything- not just breastfeeding.

Gas is different than reflux- and you have to deal with both! :( Poor mama! Gas is usually from rough nursing (bad latch, gulping, etc.) or from what you're eating a few hours before he nurses. My son did much better when I held my breast for him, sort of smooshing it against him as he nursed. (Does that even make sense??) He gulped less, and relaxed more as he ate. I also adjusted his body positioning. The gas disappeared completely, once I stopped eating dairy products too.

But nothing I did really helped his reflux. That was a medication solution for us. I did keep him upright, like you've been doing. But he just didn't stop crying after eating until he was on Zantac.

If your little guy likes the pacifier, then go for it. Don't stress about where and when. You can always wean a baby off a pacifier when they're older. My mother in law is a child psychologist, and she has a great philosophy:
Babies are under an enormous amount of stress already! If something is comforting and soothing to them, such as sucking a thumb or pacifier, then by all means- allow them to soothe themselves!

Most babies need to suck. And unless you want him on your breast all day and night (like mine was at 5 weeks, because he wouldn't take a pacifier!), then definitely give him the binky!

L....oh, I understand!

My baby boy is 6 weeks old...and sounds a lot like your baby. I ended up nursing him on only one side per feeding to help with the gas, and I've cut dairy and chocolate out of my diet and elimonated the nasty stinky spit up. He's also stopped screaming at night.

I wrote more about it here http://teahlo.blogspot.com/2009/01/wfmw-gassy-babies.html

I'm glad you mentioned diet. Because that could be exactly it. But your diet not his. Try and cut as much dairy out of your diet as possible. Dairy tends to make babies more gassy. So, no milk, cheese, ice cream. Cut them out of your diet for a week. And if you see a difference in him then there's your answer. Also try to stay away from gassy foods beans and such. This may make a difference in him too. I wouldn't worry about the paci. Both my kids were breastfed and LOVED thier binkys. If it helps him sleep, I'd give it to him. My son gave his up on his own at 3. My daughter, 18 mos, still loves hers. Some babies just need to suck. They find it very soothing. And if it helps him sleep then let him have it, what is it hurting. And you don't have to worry about it affecting his adult teeth, since they know now that the placement of your baby teeth has little to do with your adult teeth. Also, if it seems to help with the reflux, why not.

L.,
Congratulations on breastfeeding him! Don't stop because he has gerd.

Diet change: yours first!

You may wish to stop your milk/cheese intake (it's hard I know) and slowly reintroduce it.

(**I would stop these before milk**) You may wish to look at your diet: Do you eat cruciferous vegetables? Broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, Artichokes, etc. Do you eat onions or garlic (it is REALLY hard not to with prepared foods these days)? All these can give your little one gas. I had to cut them out until my son was just over 13 months, the slowly reintroduced them. I still can't FEED him these foods yet. We introduced broccoli, and it was just terrible to see him with that gas.

Sometimes you need more than just an inclined mattress. Sitting in a car seat or a swing may have to be the 'trick' you use.

re: pacifier - he may have a need to suck - or he may still be hungry. Offer your breast before pacifier; make sure he is not still hungry.

He doesn't have as much gas/reflux during day I'm betting because he is more vertical than horizontal.

Good Luck!
M.

Dear L.,

My daughter was colic and the pacifier saved me. If it is colic swaddling also helps a great deal. I wouldn't stress about using a pacifier if it is helping your little guy then go for it. Although my daughter used it until she was around 2 she never walked around with it in her mouth and only kept it in her crib. My son refused the pacifier was also and colic that was extremely difficult. I thought I would die from exhaustion. My kids are 24 and 19 so I really never heard of reflux as much then as I do now. I am not sure why so may babies have reflux now. I would still call the pediatrician and get the medication but I wouldn't worry about using the pacifier if it's working. Good luck I hope you get some sleep soon!!

My son had reflux as well, with lots of gas. The hospital where I had him offered a massage class for newborns. The massage therapist there showed me a way to massage his belly to help constipation and gas, it helped to move things through the baby's system. To this day, it still helps my son with gas pains. You might want to check with a massage therapist. I also used mylicon, and the MD did not give us meds for the reflux until he was diagnosed with asthma too. To do the massage, I first rub his belly in a COUNTER clockwise circle (clockwise is supposed to make the gas and constipation worse for some reason) at least 7 times. Then just rub his belly straight from top to bottom 7 times. Then hold his knees to his chest for the count of 7, then bicycle his legs at least 7 times. Repeat the entire procedure at least 3 times. It sounds silly, but this really helps my son with his gas and constipation even to this day and he is 4 now.

Hi L.,
Poor baby and poor mama! My son had gas & reflux (& colic). As everyone advised, keep him elevated for like half an hour and elevate the head of his crib or the bassinet, if this is possible. My son actually slept in his infant seat/carrier for almost 4 months. I found that the pacifier was helpful for the reflux, the sucking seems to keep the acid down, apparently, unfortunately, the sucking can cause gas. I'm sure you can just give him the pacifier at night, or just for sleeping-we limit my son to "in the crib only" with the pacifier. As far as the gas, when I told my pediatrician that the Mylocon was not working, she said that there was compelling research that pointed to breastfeeding mothers who took probiotics decreased their babies' gas. I started taking acidophilus supplements with probiotics and he seemed to feel better.

Good luck!
E.

My daughter (now 3) had horrible reflux - we didn't want to go the route of medication if we could find another solution that would give her relief. Our wonderful ped. suggested the pacifier and it really did help - so for 8 months, she ended up with the pacifier after each feeding and at night. Elevating one end of her crib mattress, letting her sit upright as much as possible and burping her more often during feedings helped too.

Hi L.,
My son is now 9 months and I believe he has reflux. My doctor didn't prescribe medication. He was more for natural solutions. I think some things have helped just a little. This next visit I think I might beg for the medication because he wakes up at night screaming.
Since he was first born I give him a pacifier at night. He'll use it a little and usually spit it out. I'm not having any trouble with him being addicted. He's actually started to wean off of it himself. It helped soothe him at night. I was told to put a pillow under his mattress to keep his head elevated. Laying flat makes the reflux worse. Also to keep him upright at least 20minutes after feeding. That his hard when he feeds at night but I try to make sure to do it during the day. I just recently consulted a friend and they suggested Molasses and water soothes the stomach. I'm still working on all of this but maybe they'll work for you. Take Care!

If the pacifier works, use it! The main objective is
for him to be comfortable. Remember he will not get on
the school bus with a pacifier. Good luck.

My son had gerd also. diagnosed at 6 weeks but i'm pretty sure he was born with it. i bottle fed him and it was torturous beause he sucked so slowly that it was take 1 1/2 hours for him to take 4 oz. then at least once a day he would projectile vomit. he woke up every nite crying. i would give him another bottle because i'm sure he was hungry. i would not worry about the pacifer. be happy he wants to suck. my little guy is now over 2 and is still delayed in speech due to poor muscle tone in his mouth. the zantac did help alot with the gas pains. i was told to give him small amounts of formula every few hours. not an easy task. gerd is pretty common with baby boys and he will probably out grow it by 15 months. good luck and he will be fine.

L., I have no adivise on refulx as none of my kids have had it. I've read about other who have and a few suggestions would be to keep him elevated for like 1/2-1hour after he eats. Maybe try having him sleep in the swing or his carseat this helps digest etc. Pacifier/sucking helps move the food down which could ease his discomfort.
As far as being gassy...are you watching what your eating. I've breastfed all my babies and I've had to watch my diet and keep out the gassy foods..ie,,onions, peppers, broccoli,garlic, etc. That might be causing him pain too.
good luck!

S.
Mom to 5 under the age of 7

L.,
I am a mom of three and I have been down your path. My first was the same way as what you are describing. We played with different formulas and that made a difference. He was about 3 months old when we finally got him "right". My second had severe colic. She would not go to my husband during her, what we titled "the bewitching hours", so it was really tough on me. that lasted 4 months and we did the whole formula change with her and saw a difference. With my third, were well aware of the warning signs. A friend of mine introduced me to GRIPE WATER. It is all natural. I used to give it to her before her feedings and it worked wonders. She had almost no gas and she was very comfortable. I know it is made by LITTLE TUMMYs. (i know they have it at Shoprite and Babies R Us) I would recommend it to anyone. Give it a try!!! It is sold in a bottle (like cought medicine) I just wanted to add that, because when I first went looking for it I was looking for a bottled water. I think they take like a teaspoon. The directions are on the bottle. Good Luck!!!!

Hi L.,
I know how difficult it can be. My first was exactly like that. Before you hit the Dr. check out http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/fast-letdown.html and some of the articles at the bottom of the page like this one http://breastfeeding.hypermart.net/toomuchmilk.html

I wouldnt doubt you may have too much milk as another mom posted. Annie from La Leche in Greenwich is wonderful. She has literally saved me. We just had our daytime meeting this past Wed but you could always call her. Here is the local chapter info. The next meeting is Wed, Feb 4 in the evening. http://www.lllusa.org/CT/WebGreenwichCT.html Pacifiers will help calm the baby in the meantime and shouldnt make it worse as long as he is not getting more air in.
Good luck, keep me posted!