Acid Reflux - Omaha,NE

Both my babies had acid reflux. When they were really little (like 0-3 months) I put them in their swing to sleep in the daytime, because they could sit up and fall asleep. I guess sitting up is better with the AR. She is probably just so tired at night that she falls asleep easier, which is good. Do you have a swing?? Try it! I know you probably don't want her to get dependent on that, but you can transition her to her crib later. Is she on medication for the AR? My daughter is 7 months now and still on Ranitidine, and still needs it! It really helps though. Good luck!

I'd HIGHLY recommend taking her to my chiropractor. I've taken all 4 of my kids at around 2 weeks old. Any time their sleeping patterns are off, I get them aligned. He is truly amazing. This resolved one of my kids ear infections also. His practice was featured on Fox 9 news a while back for treating acid reflux and other things the doctors could never diagnose. Dr. Johnson is who I would recommend - in Apple Valley. His website is www.johnsonspinalcare.com and the phone number is ###-###-####.

Hi K.
The little girl I watch was the same way until her mom took her to the dr and they said she had stage three reflux which is pretty severe. She would also spit up alot which is why her mom took her in. I now put a blanket over the window and a pillow under the mattress and swaddle her and she will sleep for a few hours this way good Luck T.

My daugher has reflux. There was one good way we could tell the difference because my son was really fussy and gassy, but she was different, The reason why we new she was reflux was because of her spitting up and she arched her back when she was eating. I would try keeping her up right about 20 minutes after a meal and also you can try a wedge in her crib, I know they sell them at target. That was she is still some what upright. Another thing you could try is giving her gas drops that might be the problem too, those have worked wonders on both my kids and they are over the counter and won't harm your child.

A.

Hi K.,
Is she fussy during the day at all? All 3 of my kids have had reflux, my 9 month old has had it the worst. He had silent reflux so he wasn't spitting up, but was very clearly in pain throughout the day. He actually slept decently at night, but only because he was up all day screaming. Reflux is worth looking into, but I would maybe try darkening her room and using some white noise. Maybe she's just having a hard time calming down for naps. My son was a horrible napper, he'd wake up after 25 minutes on the dot every single time. We had to use white noise and gentle patting to get him over that hump, but once he learned to do it himself, he's been good every since. If it is reflux, there are many treatment options. Just call your doctor, they are really good at identifying the symptoms. My doctor watched my son for a few minutes and he showed clear symptoms (arching, screaming when being layed down) and it didn't matter if he just ate, or ate 2 hours ago, it was bad all the time. Good luck.

I have 3 children all have had acid reflux and it does not sound like that is what it is. Acid reflux is typically when you feed your child and about 5 minutes after eating you child will spit up and spit up for awhile after eating. If your baby sleeps well in the bed all night, along with laying flat in his/her bed with no problems I think that your baby might just like it to be dark in the room. Your baby would be fussy all day long especially after feedings if him or her had reflux. I would try hanging a dark sheet over the windows durning the day and see if that helps. It just doesnt sound like a reflux issue, my 4 month old has it really bad and is on Prilosec and would cry every time I layed him down and spit up all day long. Email me if you have any more questions about the reflux

Hi K.,

I am a big believer in the cry it out method, but for OLDER babies. I can tell you from reasearch and personal experience that babies don't have the capacity to calm themselves until around 4-6 months, and even at that age, we only let our son cry for 5, maybe 10, minutes before going in and soothing him. It sounds to me like your daughter is getting worked up and it only escalates, as she can not yet calm herself.

I don't know anything about acid reflux, but I would reconsider your daughter's nap schedule, as it sounds like she goes to bed pretty effortlessly at night. Babies napping needs are always changing, and perhaps your baby needs either fewer naps, or naps that are more spread out. I would start by postponing her naps by 15 minutes from when they usually are, and then adjust as needed.

Do you swaddle her? My son loved to be swaddled. Swaddling with a blanket can be difficult, so we had a swaddler that had velcro and was very easy to put him in.

Another thing to consider at naptime is that your baby should be relaxed, but still awake, when you lay her down. Having a baby fall asleep in your arms is not the best habit, as they often wake up when placed in the crib, or shortly thereafter.

I would also try to ditch the car seat habit, but I know how easy it is to do ANYTHING to get them to sleep. I have read about special slings that go in the crib that sort of prop a baby up to a semi-sitting position. They are for acid reflux babies, and I personally have never used one. They might be worth investigating--maybe another mom who has used them will chime in.

I think many people today are too quick to jump to the "it must be acid reflux" conclusion. I run an in-home daycare and over the past year I've taken on 3 new infants and all of them (100%) were given medication for acid reflux. This seems scary to me, because as the all-day provider I can tell you none of them spit up often, screamed after they ate, or screamed when you laid them down. (the classic signs for reflux). It seems the doctors and parents are pushing now for medication for reflux, when its simply babies being babies and having fussy times. I would definitely try the room darkening suggestion - since she seems to sleep well at night. Altering the nap schedule may also work. And yes, stick to the same routine you use at night. Babies thrive on routine. I too have heard that chiropractors work wonders! I wish I would've tried that with my first daughter (now 2 years). Hope that helps.

All of our sons had reflux until they were about 8 or 9 mos old. They slept in car seats until they out grew them, and then after that I placed big fat phonebooks under the 2 upper legs of their crib, so the head of the crib was elevated. I also did not lay them down flat within 2 hrs of eating. We had the same scarey symptoms, till I found out what it was. We had the choking on the reflux. They had meds, too, to reduce the reflux. Over time, too much gastric juices can erode the esophagus and cause real problems. So, they all sawy pediatric GI specialists. Good luck, It improves drastically after the first year. I, now 48, still suffer from late meals. My 13 yr old son gets the pain that radiates across the shoulders in back with some foods.

Before you decide she is sick or something, first, try to figure out what is different at nap than at bedtime - this could be something very simple. My daughter wouldn't sleep in her room for naps either, until we put up room-darkening curtains to make it almost as dark as night, and we had to turn on a little circular floor fan and a Lullaby CD on repeat for her all night. The daytime traffice noises and birds and such were blocked out my the fana dn music, and the curtains made it seem like night. After that she became a much better napper!!! Also, make sure the naptime "routine" and bed routine are similar, if not identical, and done the same every time....nurse, rock and sing, then put her down ( or whatever you do)....every time.

All the other suggestions are valid, but check out these things first, she is getting to the age where she is more aware of her surroundings, and maybe a brighter noisy room just doesn't feel like sleepy time to her!

Good Luck!

Jessie

K.,
An 8 week old baby is way to little for any cry it out method. There is something wrong with her and you should seek out your childs doctors help to find out what it is. There is a reflux test that can be done (with your drs referral) at childrens hospital that will very easily and accurately tell if your baby has reflux. Please seek out a professionals help and read the info from Dr Sears on this link http://www.askdrsears.com/html/10/handout2.asp before trying any cry it out method with your baby.
C.

FYI. Reflux doesn't always mean they spit up. Some refluxers just have the stomach acid splash up and burn their throat/esophagus. Left undetected, your child could develop severe burns as my nephew did and had to be hospitalized.

It does seem a bit odd that she's ok there for nap, but not bedtime. Is she getting a feeding before both? If it were reflux, you would think that it would bother her at both times. If it is reflux, I suggest keeping her upright for 30-45 minutes before laying her down to sleep. This will allow her tummy time to digest some before she goes horizontal, when reflux is more likely to occur. Give the pediatrician a call. Maybe they have some more insight for you! Good luck!

Please take her to the DR. My daughter was the same way with sleeping habits and it turned out that she had sleep apena. And that she was so tired that she would sleep through the night. to test for this is that they put a strip across the baby's upper lip that has two probe going up and one going down to test her breathing when she sleep. The doctors all thought she had acid reflux too but after doing millions of test on her they found out different. She was born a healthy full term baby too. good luck

My daughter had acid reflux but didn't spit up a lot. She would hardly nap during the day but would when she was in her car seat or fell asleep in the swing. The first night she had the medicine she slept through the night. I don't remember if she was up a lot during the night but I do remember she didn't would be up right away during her naps after I layed her down and like I said she didn't spit up a lot.