47 answers

We Need Sleep!!!

I have an eleven week old little girl that has reflux. She is on prilosec and zantac twice a day. She has never been a good sleeper, but now is up every 10-15 minutes all night long. She tosses and turns and throws her head back and forth and is just very restless. We have switched formulas and are now on Enfamil Nutramigen (and using Dr. Brown bottles). We have also been to a GI specialist who wants us to do a upper GI scope test. She was losing weight and after seeing the speicalist who put us on the medicine, Aubrey is now eating 3 oz. per feeding (was only eating 2 oz) We had previously taken her to the ER because she was screaming day and night! The ER doctor said she had colic as well as acid reflux. The screaming is much better now, but we are still struggling with sleepless nights! We are running on empty and don't know what else to try!!

What can I do next?

Featured Answers

Prevacid is a life saver! Ask the GI if that medication is a possibility. I firmly believed that it saved my daughter's life.

It might help you to read the book The Happiest Baby on the Block by Harvey Karp, MD. I have seen him on television and read the testimonials on the book--He sounds like a wonder-worker. I haven't finished the book, so I can't give you my own opinion of whether his stuff makes sense, but why not try it? Good luck!

My daughter has had reflux her entire life but it does get better. Has anyone suggested elevating her upper body as she is sleeping and keeping her elevated after eating for I believe it was 30 minutes or more.

More Answers

Hi K.
I know what you are going through. I am 35 a first time mom! and my baby boy did the same thing. He is now 11 months old and it will get better. We did not do the GI scope, we put it off and kept trying everything else. What we did and I don't know what helped the most or if it was a combo,was...
prilosec, not letting him lay flat, we got a positioner from babies r us that slanted and gradualy got thicker at the head to allow for elevation but kept the whole body lined up, used mylicon because he also had lots of gas, I slept with him on my chest/stomach many nights (I know people don't recommend this, but after so many nights of this you have to sleep, so I did what ever it took), the formula and bottles that worked for us was Simalac Sensitive RS you can only get it in liquid form and the bottles we use are playtex ventair stage 1/slow flow. I also have a friend who had this same problem and the doctors put their baby on goats milk and it helpped. Just know that it will get better. No one really encouraged me there and I remember crying myself because I was so worn out. Hope something works soon. J.

2 moms found this helpful

Oh honey!, I really feel your pain! My daughter (now almost 5yrs old) had severe acid reflux when she was born. She would only sleep for minutes at a time as well. We were at our doctor's office NONSTOP and were finally referred to a gastroenerologist at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital after an upper GI showed the severity of her reflux at only 14 days old. We were on Enfamil Nutramigen and Similac Alimentum at that time. The doctor at Vanderbilt took my daughter off of it immediately and put her on plain (and cheap!) Carnation Good Starts! The very, very plain kind....no bells and whistles. We were told to add 1 TABLESPOON of rice cereal PER OUNCE of formula to every single one of her bottles. You could practically spoon feed it, it was so thick! We were also on 4 reflux medications. I actually had to keep an Excel Spreadsheet to keep up with them and their dosage amounts and times! But, that and the new formula worked wonders for our baby. They told us that the reflux would "peak" at 6mths and then gradually go away as her diet switched to all solids and they were exactly right. I voluntarily took her off of all the meds at 4mths old because she would spit up regardless of being on them. Although, I think those meds played a big part in the inital healing of her esophagus that was totally raw at the beginning. Basically, we lived in a world of spit-up for those first 6mths. I mean TONS of spitup. But, it really did get so much better once she began baby food. I totally recommend the carnation good starts formula. When you go back to the dr, ask them about this formula and tell them someone told you that it was recommended for their baby by a gastroenerologist at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital in Nashville. Remember that it takes a full two weeks for a new formula to get in their system and the old formula to totally leave their system. As long as you can rid your little one of the pain & heal the esophogus, the spit up shouldn't be a concern as long as weight is still being gained (which our daughter did). It's very hard to deal with though and it seems like there's no end in sight, but I promise it will all get better as they get a few months older. I can remember that time in my life like it was yesterday and I often am amazed that I had the guts to have a second child! LOL The lack of sleep and walking and bouncing and spit up is EXHAUSTING! I remember carrying a bazillion burp cloths and changes of clothes and a kroger sack for soiled stuff everywhere we went........it was awful. But, you live through it! =0)Mine is now almost 5 and hasn't had a sign of reflux since she starting eating real food. And our second didn't have it at all. Good luck to you and your little one. The upper GI isn't too bad...and it will show you first hand on the screen what's happening inside your baby. Keep us posted!

2 moms found this helpful

-Ask your pediatrician if there is any reason why you can't try Mylicon.
-You've received many great responses. I agree that you should go along with the recommendation for the endoscopy for her reflux if the head elevation and reflux positioning aren't helping.
-Try this:
1) Make absolutely sure that she is well-burped after each ounce and after each feeding.
2) After the feeding, let her lie stretched out on her right side with her head up on your chest in a comfortable chair while you hold her and you both doze for at least the next half hour.
3) If she wakes up screaming and thrashing, hold her arms and her legs securely, pat her back or her chest to try to burp her more, keeping her in that right-sided with her head elevated position.
4) Change her diaper before her feedings. Avoid changing her diaper for at least 30-60 minutes after feedings so her legs aren't lifted above her head. (You might need to increase your use of A&D, or whatever you use.)
5) Make sure that her diaper is lose and she has no waistbands or constricting clothes around her abdomen. Avoid letting her belly get compressed after eating.
6) Avoid letting her sense any tension or anxiety.
-Positioning her, remember that air rises and the stomach drains down and to the right. Trapped air and "heartburn" can be painful to these immature tummies.

-For Aubrey's colic, which she may be growing out of: Putting them in their carseats and driving around the block helps, running the vacuum cleaner sometimes works, sitting the carseat on the dryer worked the most often with mine.

-Just remember that she's being more tormented than you are. I don't know how we got through it with mine, but we did.

1 mom found this helpful

Have you ruled out thrush? We had a similar problem with our 4 yr. old. It turned out the thrush was in her esophagus and digestive tract so eating hurt like you know what!!! We gave her an herbal medicine called Gentian Violet and it cured the crying, sleeplessness and general crying about 5 hrs. a day!!!! (They told me she had colic, reflux, underdeveloped stomach, etc. They couldn't see the thrush in her mouth.) It's cheap and easy so worth a try. Also, look into what her adenoids look like. She had hers removed in Jan. That has helped with her breathing... Good luck!

1 mom found this helpful

Well, you probably already do this, but just in case you didn't already know:
Babies with reflux should never be put flat down in bed. The crib should be adjusted so the head of the mattress is a few notches higher than the foot, so that the baby is sleeping on an incline. Of course than the baby tends to slide down to the bottom of the bed, so you need to stick a small wedge under her legs to help keep her up there. Sleeping in a car seat is also good for reflux, but bad on the spine, so inclining the crib mattress is better a better way to deal with the problem.
the meds she's on; Prilosec & Zantac, decrease gastric acid secretion. While this eases the problem of reflux, it can increase abdonimal discomfort. Gastric acid is necessary to digest food in the stomach. So if the gastric acid is decreased, so is digestion, the slower rate of digestion therefore increases adbominal disfomfort (esp the Prilosec).

1 mom found this helpful

I see you've gotten a lot of responses, and I didn't scan thru them all but here's my 2 cents...
If there is anyone that you can trust to stay with her one night-let 'em!
You and your husband go get a room and sleep!
You will feel better and be able to cope a little longer.
I'm sorry your little one is not well. I remember the sleepless nights, too. My heart goes out to you!

1 mom found this helpful

I assume you already have the angle wedges for the crib and changing table and always keep babys head slightly elevated. I raised my nephew and now my daughter and here is what I found that worked. The only formula that either would tolerate was Similac Sensitive (not that they were allergic to lactose)and we started them both on very small amounts of rice cereal in their bottles. Try dipping the pacifier in honey to neutralize the acid that is in their throat causing so much pain. For colic nights add some peppermint to warm water, it works wonders and also helps with the acid. Also stage one bananas can help to neutralize the acid.(you can add a little to the bottle) I know that doctors are fussy about feeding foods so young. Both of mine were on them at three months. *GOLDEN RULE: If it comes out looking exactly like it went in then the baby is not ready, if it doesnt then the babys tummy is using it and digesting it and is ready. All babies are ready at different times.* Dont be afraid to try sleeping on the belly.
You could also try this website. Pricey but very worth it and some insurances will cover the cost or some of it.
http://www.tuckersling.com/

Goodluck!

Prevacid is a life saver! Ask the GI if that medication is a possibility. I firmly believed that it saved my daughter's life.

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