Reflux

My daughter was on Zantac & it worked like a charm. She still spit up, but the nonstop crying was over. I also fed her Nestle Good Start with a little bit of rice cereal to weigh the formula down. She also slept in her car seat for 3 months since that was the most comfortable for her.

Try Similac RS it is new and also Lactose free. It might help with the gas as well as with the Reflux. I have had great success with it!

My youngest son who is 1 had the same problem. They put him on prescription meds twice a day also.He was also on the formulla nutrumogen.The change in formula did to seem to help and eventually he out grew the reflux.I would consider changing his formula. He also slept ona wedge in his crib which kept his upper half of his body elevated so that he didnt have as much reflux issues while he was sleeping. Hope this helps.

Hi J.,

I worked Maternal-Child Health (RN) for 3 years (recently) and am now working with Hospice. The information and suggestions I'm going to give you come from experience in the field and being a mom myself to 3 great kids.

You've actually mentioned several things going on, so I'll break each of them down - hopefully, it will be easier to understand this way. But first, I want to say, congratulations on your new bundle of joy - it certainly appears that you are very in tune to your baby to recognize how he is responding to the spitting up and the hipcups. And... the best thing you've noticed is not to lie him down flat (except for diapering). In a baby, the distance between the stomach and the mouth is very short and if the muscle on the top of the stomach (the spincter muscle) doesn't shut all the way during and after feeding, the possibility of spitting up formula is much greater. So good for you for recognizing this!

1. You say he doesn't spit up during the night and it's only in the day. So my first question would be, what are you doing differently in the nighttime versus the daytime? I'm thinking because it may not appear apparent, it may be the fact that nighttime is much quieter and there are no external stimuli to distract him or over stimulate or cause anxiety for him. I know that may sound funny, anxiety in a baby, but my last child would basically 'shut down' if there was too much going on around her - she's going to be 6 soon and will remove herself if there is too much stimuli around her.

2. Hipcups tells me he may be getting the formula too fast - perhaps the hole in the nipple is too big. This is one cause for the hipcups... and the stomach cannot handle it that fast. Another thing is you may need to burp him more often. Offer him an ounce, burp him, then continue to feed taking opportunities in between to burp him. The BEST BOTTLE ON THE MARKET (in my opinion and the moms I cared for that had the same problems you are having - and I had myself with the spitting up) are the DR. BROWNs. They have an inner tube that helps to eliminate the amount of air that gets in the belly through the bottle. My second choice are the Avent bottles.
Bottles and formula can make a HUGE difference in your baby's comfort. And with mentioning formula.....

3. Have you tried any other formulas? You baby may not be digesting the formula well - is it milk based? Some babies cannot tolerate this - then you would try Soy. I had to use Soy on my first daughter because she was so miserable on regular formula, but once I changed it to Soy, I had a much happier little girl! My second daughter had to have Neutramagin - which is even broken down more than the Soy and twice the price! Not to worry with Soy, it's fine for the baby and has the same amount of iron. According to a nutritionist I knew, she told me that Soy has the same amount of iron and that a baby should never be a low iron formula unless the baby has a blood condition and the doctor prescribed it, that iron is very important to a baby's diet.

4. I see that he is now on reflux meds at 6 weeks. Did the doctor suggest you try anything else first - like changing formulas or bottles or positioning.... anything? When he vomits, and it appears it's hurting him because he's crying, it could be a couple of things. One, it really does hurt because you know how reflux feels as an adult, imagine a baby! and/or Two, he's vomiting and some of it is probably coming out of his nose, which is quite uncomfortable and scary. I'm just wondering since the reflux med doesn't seem to be working, maybe it's not reflux, maybe you need to change the formula and give that a try, if you haven't already.

5. Last, but not least, don't worry about your bundle sleeping in the swing. I think my son spent his first six months in the swing b/c he wasn't a good sleeper and I worked full time at the time - I needed sleep! Just make sure his head is supported. You can even tilt the swing seat back a bit so that his head has more support thanks to gravity and it's not cocked forward with his chin lying on his chest.

6. Giving him gas drops won't hurt him although it doesn't sound like it's helping much right now, either. Just from what you're telling us, I would take a look at what the difference is between day and night and also the formula used and the type of bottle. Hopefully, it's something as simple as this.

Of course, any opinions and advise you get that doesn't set right with you, than go with that feeling and/or check with your MD. I truly believe that there is nothing a mother's instinct - you will never be without it again! Not all mothers are born with it, but after "hearing" what you have noticed, you are very in tune to your little bundle. Don't doubt yourself, even if your doctor tries to 'sluff' you off, if you truly believe there is a problem, or something is 'just not right' keep going after it - you'll be glad you - I guarentee, you'll be glad you did in the end - I've had to do it a couple of times, even b/f I became a nurse, and was right each time. Believe in you!!!

Let us know how you make out and the very best of luck to you and your baby- J.

Hang in there! It will get better. My ten month has been on zantac since he was about six weeks. He cried for 12 weeks for three hours a night and never slept at night. I am now woking with a chiropractor an giving him homeopathic meds to help with the tummy issues. Check with a chiropacotr, they actually work with babies and tummy issues a lot! It gets a little better each month!

Hi J......
This challenge can definately be a difficult one. I am a mother of 3 adult children now but am also a Holistic Practitioner and have found something that works very well with my patients with gastric reflux. It is a liquid nutritional supplement that really is amazing at healing a variety of health challenges...both in children and adults.

If you want more information go to http://www.frequensea.com/whyphytoplankton and watch the videos describing what it is and how it works. If you want to try it, let me know or you can buy it at http://www.whyphytoplankton.net

Feel free to email me directly at ____@____.com

D. Ward ~ Barrhead Wholistic Health Centre
###-###-#### ###-###-####

Hi,
I have a 2 and a half year old boy and he suffer from the same thing. He drank Alimentum from Similac and it helped out alot. I also changed his bottle to Dr. Brown's. He got much better but now it looks like it's coming back. He takes Prevacid 15mg. I hope the info helps.

Dear J.,
My first reaction is that something is NOT agreeing with your son, be it the formula and/or the medication. First, I would try changing the brand of formula; not all brands are right for every baby as their digestive systems are not well developed. If that does not bring success, I would try a soy-based formula as he may be lactose-intolerant at this time. That's not to say it will last forever. And lastly, I would try putting a very small amount of cereal in his formula, a few flakes at a time. That might help to keep the food down.
I can sympathize with you as my son had gastro-intestinal problems. I would experiment until I found what worked. It would work for awhile, and then I would experiment again. By 8 weeks, he was on cereal, by six months he was eating several jars of baby food at a time, and by a year he was eating pork chops and everything the family ate. Not only would his symptoms disappear, but he was healthy and happy. It was totally against popular belief and most pediatricians' advice, but my pediatrician advised, "Do what works for 'your' child". By his symptoms and reactions, your son is relating something to you.
Remember, Motherhood is not an exact science. Rather, it's a relationship that requires trials and tribulations. This is the beginning, and you need to be in tune, and listen to your child every step of the way.
I wish you good luck, W.

it does cause him pain. It burns when the food comes back up because its also the stomach acid with it. My doc had me put my daughter on rantitidine 3xs a day (morning noon and night) and switched the formula to enfamil AR too. I would burp my daughter every once or two to get the gas out, that helped a lot!! My daughter slept in a swing for about 3 months and then transitioned to the crib, she would spit up big time in there sometimes. I would really encourage you to burp him lots and lots. Oh and while feeding him try to keep him at an angle... if you bed your arm while it is completely extended in front you and have him rest his head on your bicep helps too...kinda hard to describe.Hope it all works out!

My son was the same way, and was on the same medicine and formula. We went through a really hard time from about 3 weeks to 3 months, then we noticed that the frequency and quantity of the spit-up was decreasing. When we went for his 6-month checkup, the ped had us stop his medication (we had a prescription in case it didn't work). We did, and it seems as though he has grown out of it. Our ped said that sometimes the muscle that keeps food in the stomach isn't totally developed and that's why they spit up, and that they generally grow out of it between 6 months and a year. My best advice is to be patient, carry an extra outfit (or two) for the baby, and know that he will be okay.

OMG do not give your baby and adult dose of mylanta! Call the pediatrician and tell them that the meds arent working. My baby was on Zantac, and it didnt work either. I was nursing at the time. He would projectile vomit all stomach contents, then want to nurse again because he was hungry still. I gave up on the medicine because it made no difference, and within a 2 months he wasnt vomiting as much, and then he altogether stopped. So I think that sometimes it is just something there little bodies have to heal on there own.. ANd they do most times. They told me to switch to formula and add a spoon of rice cereal to the bottle to weigh it down and help keep it in the stomach. I blatantly refused to give up breastfeeding, and the pediatrician seemed to give up hope on me, so I called a different one. They told me he should be fine and to keep doing what I was doing.. And they sell a wedge for the crib to keep the baby inclined, here is a link--- http://www.medslant.com/medslant-benefits.html
Good luck.. M.

My son is now 2 1/2 and had reflux from day one. We didn't know what was wrong with him as he would spit up- actually the formula would come out of him, like he was a fountain. He was constantly aspirating the formula and his breathing sounded awful. Sometimes he would stop breathing for a few seconds as he was choking so much from silent reflux as well. He also made all kids of weird noises that sounded like a goose honking as there was much inflammation in his throat.
Anyway, we switched him to Alimentum so we could be sure there were no allergies. He tried Zantac - no luck. At nine weeks old, he began taking Prevacid - 15 mg. every morning. What a difference it made. It didn't stop the reflux - you can't stop that as it is a sign that the stomach valve needs to mature- but all his inflammation disappeared and he threw up much less. He also slept on a Tucker sling/wedge so if he did vomit while sleeping, he wouldn't choke. www.tuckersling.com He stayed on the wedge until he was about 10 mos. old. Feeding has always been a challenge but you'll find what works and doesn't work. It took him longer to adjust to solids at 4 months old. He also was able to switch to Isomil soy formula at 8 months old. Since Prevacid is weight dosed my son needed a night dose of 7.5 mg in addition to his morning dose when he was about 3 months old. He stopped the night dose at 2 years old and now we are weaning him from the morning dose.
I wish you the best of luck. If you have any questions, let me know.

Please consider trying a good chiropractor and/or a classic homeopath... all far better alternatives than what now isn't working for your precious child.

Have you tried a different formula? Maybe it is not agreeing with his stomach.

J.,

I went through the same thing with my now 12 month old daughter. She was prescribed prevacid which wasn't working right away then was put on zantac as well. We finally saw some results - a little less crying and eating more, so we took her off the zantac. She is still on the prevacid to this day. I also started giving her Nutrimagen by enfamil (recommended by dr.) it is a hypoallergenic formula that is fully broken down and makes digestion easier. I believe she has a milk allergy as well which is very commmon in kids with reflux. The only draw back is that the Nutrimagen is very expensive - but luckily my insurance covered it all. I would check with a gastro pediatrician to see if they can offer you more help (we had one in our practice).

It is going to be rough for a bit but he will get better. Also try swaddling or wearing him in sling - that really helped my daughter calm down.

I had the same problem with my daughter. We used Axid. It did help her a lot. She was taking it three times a day. Same as your son, bothered her more during the day than at night. I let her sleep in the swing until about five months. Then transitioned to the crib when the reflux seemed to be getting better. Some things that have worked for others is to change formula. My daughter was getting predominately breast milk, but I do hear that changing formula does work, and maybe talk to your doctor about the type of medicine your son is on.

Good news!! You know how the doctors keep telling you it will go away... IT DOES!! It is not easy, especially to see them in pain, and when they are not sleeping.

My DD had pretty bad reflux too. She was on numerous meds, Pepcid ended up working the best. Double check and see if the formula you are using is milk protein based. My DD had a dairy protein allerty along with the reflux, and we didn't find out for a while. She would get horrible tummy aches and be really fussy almost all the time. When we cut dairy out of my diet, I was breastfeeding, that made a huge difference. Before that she wouldn't spend any time on her tummy and she didn't crawl until she was about 10 months old. She had some delays due to the pain of the reflux. I hope you find something that works! Good luck!

C.
Mommy to Jess, Katie and Julia
www.TimetoChangetheDiapers.com
Adorable, affordable cloth diapers and reusable items for babies, kids and Moms!

In addition to zantac my son's doctor recommended rice cereal in his bottle to help keep it down. He still spit up but not as bad as it was before the cereal & meds. He slept upright also; swing, bouncy seat, it was the only way he'd get a good night sleep. He grew out of sleeping upright quickly. The spitting up stopped at 10 months. Good luck.

A.

Hi J.,
My daughter had reflux too and it is extremely challenging at times. She was on prevacid and that seemed to work for her. What I learned was that the meds weren't for the spit up- they were for the pain. it's possible that med doesn't work for him so it might be worth trying that or zantac. It is something he will grow out of but it takes time. Some babies like the bjorn. You may also want to get her checked out by a gastro just to rule out anything more serious.
All the best,
Rose

Hi J.,

My daughter had acid reflux too. I used to give her Gripe Water; I think it helped her o lot. You can buy the product @ buy buy baby, here is the link

http://www.buybuybaby.com/product.asp?order_num=-1&SK...;

Reflux is so frustrating. My son had it so bad he would stop breathing because he would choke on his own spit up if he laid down flat. Try to lift one side of his crib up...They sell inclines to put under the mattress at babies are us and buy buy baby. Also, my son did similac, enfamil AR, and three others before we tried ALIMENTUM. It was MUCH BETTER than Enfamil AR and medication. My son was on a different med but it didn't help him at all. Ask your dr. about alimentum and definately try it before putting your child through the gastrointestinal testing. You could save yourself and him from a lot of trouble. Nothing really stopped my son's reflux but the formula helped, as well as having him sleep in his bouncy seat or car seat. The good news is that once he was able to turn around it improved a bit, and once he could sit he was a much happier boy!

J.,
Hi. My name is H. and that was me 7 years ago. I can still remember it like it was yesterday. My son was 2 weeks old when I found out he had Acid Reflux Disease. It's gonna get worse and yes, It Hurts!. I gave him Zantac. It was prescribed by hid doctor and boy-o-boy, I swear by it. Although it doesn't stop it all together, it does minimize the projection and the pain. You are doing good by giving him Emfamil AR. That's what I used, but you should try to give him half servings more frequently. People have sphincter muscles right at the top of the esophigous (sp*?). Even though it's commonly under-develpoed in premature babies, it's also possible in full-term births as well. My son absolutely loved taking it. He took it until he was two and by God's will, he was fine and ready to go off it. never had a problem since. Good luck and I hope I was able to help.

Your son may respond well to homeopathic treatment for his reflux. Please go to www.nationalcenterforhomeopathy.org to locate a certified classical homeopath in your area. As president of the national center for Homeopathy I can vouch for the safety and efficacy of homeopathy. Please look into it for the long term careof your family. It is a healing practice that moms can learn to use. many Blessings, Dr. N. gahles ____@____.com

It is quite possible that your child needs a stronger dose of his medicine, or another brand. I know with my children (all 3 had reflux, and 1 severe), whenever we started to see the vommiting, crying and arching of the back we need it was time for a stronger dose. If your pediatrician doesn't want to make a change I highly suggest seeing a gastronologist (spelling?).

Good Luck!

K.

My daughter had acid reflux and was on Pepsid. She was also on Similac Lactose free formula. That seemed to be the only thing that she could tolerate because it was lighter on her stomache. I know how it feels though she would always scream with her feedings and it was horrible. After a few doses on the pepcid everything started to get better. She grew out of it by about 8 months. As for sleeping in the swing don't worry about it my daughter slept in it all day for about 4 months before be transitioned over to the crib. She would only sleep in her bed at night. She seeemed to be worse during the day than at night. My older daughter also lived in her swing for a few months since she hated her bed. I wouldn't worry about that. Hope everything gets better for you.
Jenn

Both of my children went through this. It stopped for both of them at around 11 month. I was recommended the rice cereal as well but you should be careful with it because it can give babies constipation sometimes. You just have to be patient and not panic, he will outgrow it.

The Best thing to do is, Keep him UPRIGHT,

and feed him LESS but more frequently

MOre than likely, He is OVER eating,

Feed him 2 OZ of food ever 2 hours Burp him after the first OZ

Its VERy hard to keep on that schedule but it should help him keep his food Down

AT night he isn't reacting because his belly is probably the MOST empty at that point,

In stead of letting him sleep in the swing,

try placing him on a PILLOW, I used a KING SIZED pillow in each of my childrens beds, and a standard in the bassinette

If I laid them flat they would puke
it also seemed to stop the hiccups which with my childrens powerful stomache muscles would make them PUKE

Make sure when you BUrp them to start from the BOTTOM of his backside and work your way up, even if they burp before hand take the time to work ALL the air OUT,

GOOD luck

HOPE IT works for you.

Also try investigating PROJECTILE Vomiting- this was something that I thought my OLDEST child might have had,
and researching it gave me quite a few good ideas

M

J.,

My 2 1/2 year old was the same way and nothing seemed to help her until she started with the rice cereal probably around 9 months. I heard from a few people that they would mix the rice cereal in with the formula in the bottle and that seemed to help. I think they even sell formula with rice cereal in it. Your baby may be to young for this but if he is still like this if a few months I would give it a try. It would be better than all the medicine. Some babies are just colicky and there is not much to be done. Good luck!!

i nursed my baby girl (now 2 1/2 years) and she had some reflux issues. she seemed to spit up every 2 hours like clockwork for quite awhile. we used baby prevacid, and one day forgot to give it to her and realized that it was doing nothing... so we just stopped it all together. we let her sleep at an incline (in carseat or swing often and when in her crib/bassinet... we would put a rolled up recieving blanket under one side of her, to prop her at a gentle angle on her side.

she grew out of it by 4-5 months and is perfectly healthy today. i personally some babies esophogas, etc. just aren't fully developed yet and unless the spit up/regurgitation is painful (which in our case, it did not seem to be... i also forgot to mention that we did a barium test which showed no anatomical problems)... then they will eventually grow out of it.

sorry if that was not helpful... just my experience.

darci

Hi. My 3rd child is now 13 months & had reflux from day 1. He was on Alimentum & then switched to soy at about 8 months. I too have been through the mill. All my carpets, clothes, crib sheets, etc. are ruined from the constant spitting up. Actually "spit up" is an understatement.
I did not want to put him on meds so we opted to try a pediatric chiropractor. From what I understand, the Vagus nerve runs through the neck & controls the esophagus and it is sometimes damaged during birth. The chiro works to align it more properly. Within 2 sessions we saw a huge difference. He wasn't spitting up all over, just a very little a few times a day. The chiro we went to also performed chinese medicine techniques & organ therapy.
He had about 3 months of therapy at once a week (we started him at 4mo old). We have been reflux-free since November. I can say from our experience that the chiro has helped our son tremendously. Good luck & keep your patience! I lost it many times!
Nicole

Ho J.,
My daughter had the similar symptoms that your little boy has. I use to give her a spoonful (not sure if it was a teaspoon or tablespoon) of ADULT Mylanta 1/2 hour BEFORE I gave her a bottle and that would coat her stomach and would cut down on the gas, reflux and irritability. Maybe that would help?

L.

He may need to be on a different medication. Both my boys (now 2 1/2 and 4) had reflux. The little one went through a number of medications. He had to ultimately be on one (can't remember the name) that only one pharmacy in the state made (it was $200/month, but we got reimbursed from insurance). I would talk to your pediatrician again, or to a gastro doctor who specializes in pediatrics. They may also recommend a different formula as he may be intolerant to the one you're giving him. You're doing everything right, so don't worry that it's something you're doing. He may just need a different medication.

M.

My son who is now 15 months used to have reflux when he was 3 months old. His pediatrician put him on zantax to help it. He had to get switched to the similiac alimentum formula, which did help. Sometimes he would spit up, which at times looking like he was pouring vomit out...we knew it was because of the reflux...but eventualy babies grow out of it and yours will too...What might help when he gets older is to feed him baby cereal because it will bind his stomach.

J., You may have to seek a speciallist on infant reflux. Trust me, I have Acid Reflux and it is no joke. Medication and diet and helped me. Your poor son. It may be the formula but you definitely need to find out what is going on. Good luck.

Just some FYI... Did you know if your child is on any formula other than basic milk based formula, your insurance will pay for it?

My daughter who had horrible reflux (still does) had the same problems. She had a MILK allergy as well, so we had her on Soy formula. THAT helped with the gas and hiccups. Baby ZANTAC stopped the regurgitation within a day of her first dose. SHe slept (and we did) in a bouncy chair for her first year, and her changing table had a prop-up angle too it as well.

So her Peditrician wrote her a script for the Enfamil prosobee, and with some paperwork and a top tier co-pay (mine was 50 a month) for 18 cans of powdered, these were the smaller cans, (you can get what you want) Prosobee each month. I paid the co-pay and that was that!! I ended up selling a bunch of the extra I had on Ebay and made back some of the co-pays and also gave leftovers to family and friends. TALK TO THE DOC!! ALso think about SOY formula, her gut may not be ready to handle cows milk. My daughter drinks cows milk now with no problems. Contact me if you have any questions, and get your formula free!!

Hi J.,
My son who is now 7 months old had same problem when he was a newborn. I tried everything just like you but nothing worked. I did what my pedriatrian suggested to just wait it out. When he was about 3 months old he stopped spitting. So that's my advice to just hang in there with spit ups. It will go away. Take it easy.

hi J.,
my name is M. and i'm a 33 yr old stay at home mom to twin 2.5 y/o boys. i wanted to let you know that my boys both suffered terribly from reflux and for a long time (they were preemies...). they were put on every medication under the sun and nothing mattered. as a matter of fact, it became worse. we ended upseeing numerous GI specialists and the final one took my boys off all meds and told me that ALL newborns suffer from reflux (some wrose than others) bc of their immature digestive systems. all in all, he gave me 6 weeks to come back if it continued. low and behold, by the 6 week mark it had passed. i would see a GI specialist and not rely on the pediatrician to make decisions about the degree of reflux your baby has. these meds are so overprescribed.
hang in there, your baby is so so new. time will pass and as he gets stronger and bigger etc...you'll have new hurdles to jump through.
oh and the swing situation is what so many moms succumb to bc it soothes the baby and he's in an upright position so he doesn't get as refluxy....eventually, you'll have to make the ol' switcheroo to the crib but it's all good for now. and truth be told, i belly slpet my boys (not that i;m telling you to)bc it helped with their reflux and their sleeping. i bought the bebe sounds monitor and heart rate monitor and plopped them on their bellies. my pediatrician wans't pleased w me but it worked.
take care,
M.

I had twin boys that had the same problem. Today they are 3 1/2 and yes it does get better! Anyhow, we ended up putting them on Similac Alimentum (which is a formula that had predigested protein). Enfamil Nutramagen is the same thing. It was amazing because within 24 hours of switching them they were different babies. I never had luck with the gas medicine or the Acid Reflux medicine. Remember you can try these things without hurting him. I was always so scared to switch their formula or try gas meds, but they were fine. I wish you luck, but it certainly worked for me X2. Also the Alimentum or Nutramagen are more expensive.

My twin boys slept in their car seats and swings a lot. I still say you can't start builing a bad habit until a baby is 9 months old. Therefore, do whatever you need to as it is helpful to have a comfortable baby. I used to freak out thinking they'd never sleep in their beds, but they did once I introduced them to the beds. So from sleeping in boppy pillows, car seats and swings to their big boy beds. You too can do it!

Take care,
A.

J., I can empathize as is sounds like you are going through exactly what I went through 2+ years ago. Although it seams like an eternity away for you, my son out grew the reflux once he started sitting (around 6 months). He still, to this day 2 1/2 years later, hiccups very easily and I think that is his anatomy. Once the reflux went away he slept through the night (12-13 hours) was happy and laughed all of the time.
As for suggestions, you are doing everything my doctor recommended for me. I was breastfeeding, but had tried formula and it still did not change the reflux. My doctor had recommended Pepcid. I helped only slightly, but as I stated above once he was able to sit, it drastically decreased. As for the swing, my son was in there until he was 4 months old. I went through D batteries like water, but it was worth it (the AC/DC swings had not come out yet). Moving him to a crib was not too difficult. It took about 2 weeks. I did keep him swaddled in the crib until he was about 6 months (which helped). Sorry I could not offer anymore, but there is an end in site and it is not too far away. All the best......

have you asked your doctor about mylanta?
i gave it to my son 10-15 min. before each feeding from the age of 6 weeks until he was about 5-6 months. i know that doctors also presribe zantac. maybe the formula doesn't agree with your son. if your doctor isn't helping you- get another pediatrician.

My heart goes out to you! I know how it can feel to not know how to help your infant. That said, does he have an allergies? Acid Reflux is sometimes a symptom of an allergy. If you can figure out what the allergy is you may be able to reduce the reflux.

Long story but the Pediatrician had me switch to a hypo-allergenic formula when we suspected a milk allergy that was coming through my breast milk. She developed an allergy to the hypo-allergenic formula as well and actually became worse. I ended up taking her to a infant G.I. specialist where they told me it was impossible for her to be allergic to the hypo stuff. I finally convinced them that I knew what I was talking about and they let me feed her Neocate. It is a special formula for children with allergies. It' expensive, really expensive. Like 45.00 buck a can, but it helped a lot.

It may be something else in the formula besides the diary protein. Lot of children have allergies to corn syrup that is used in most formulas.

I had to do a lot of my own research to find answers. There is a lot of information out there. Obviously, I'm no doctor but I have had to deal with a similar situation and it has all worked out really well and I feel like I have learned alot!

J., Ifeel your pain. Please hang in there. My little boy was just diagnosed with the same thing. I took himto one of the top specialists at a top Children's hospital in this area. The doctor said only time heals this condition. My son is 15 months old. The doctor says that medication such as this can take up to two months to start working and provides minimal relief. Please email me if you have any further questions. I am going through the same thing right now.

Prevacid! It is wonderful. My daughter was a different baby only after 3 days of using prevacid. It was the third med we tryed and it worked!

I'm not sure yet what to recommend, but I do know that my chiropractor has helped us since my youngest daughter was born. They have specific ways of helping newborns. Since everything is connected t our spines, I would suggest you take your sone to see one. I did email my chiropractor since he is a nutritionist also to ask for his suggestions and I'll let you know as soon as I hear from him.

But one thing I do know is that I would not use any kind of medications. Our stomachs have natural acis that it needs to break down and digest food. Unfortunately, the anti-gas and antacids out on the market eliminate all acid thereby causing more problems as well as a dependency.

I only use Shaklee products and they have two products for this kind of problem. Soothing Stomach Complex and EZ Gest. I believe a quarter of a tablet is ok for very young children but will find out if it's ok to give to newborns.

I always placed my daughters on their sides to sleep, snuggled in between the wedges of foam baby stores sell for infants.

F.

My son had a lot of the same troubles, not with spitting up, but horrible colic and gas, making him scream and cry constantly. He would be in agony from 5 PM until the wee hours of the night. It was awful!!! I suggest you talk to your doctor about a change in diet. My guy ended up being severely allergic to my breast milk, and was so much better after we switched to a soy formula. I'm pretty sure that enfamil is milk based, right? D.

Hi, I am so sorry for your situation and I know exactly what you are going through, my daughter, who is now 21 weeks, went throught the same thing...though she was never a big spitter, she had silent reflux so she would SCREAM with all her bottles and woudln't sleep during the day unless on someone, but she was fine at night!!!

she was put on zantac first which helped a bit but than stopped because it has to be increased with weight and it wasnt' enough. Than she was put on prevacid, which i hear great things about from everyone, 15mg once a day and i took her to a GI doctor. He recommended, because she was still screaming with the bottles to put 1 tablespoon beechnut oatmeal per 2 ounces in everybottle and she was only 7 or 8 weeks old, well it worked(use beechnut because it doesn;'t contain soy which alot of babies unknowingly have allergies to). Also she drinks nestle good start(the orange one) and that one is the best becuase it has broken down protiens that help with digestion and enfamil doens''t have so that may be contributing to your baby being uncomfortable. by the time she was about 12 weeks, she started complaining a bit again with her bottles, so the doctor said to add .4 ml pepcid twice a day and that is what she is now on (thought I split the prevacid (7.5mg in the am and 7.5 mg in the pm and .5 pepcid twice a day)and we have NO acid reflux problems, she maybe gets the hiccups onec everyother day if that(it used to be many times a day)..

as for the swing, my baby girl, once we got her meds right, woudn't nap during the day but only in her swing, and she still does. i tried to get her to nap in her crib at 15 weeks and she and i were miserable for 5 days but i am going to try agian soon...she sleeps through the night now(7pm-6:30am) so she should be able to nap in there soon!!! As long as your baby is getting the necessary sleep, i woudln't worry too much about it now. Focus no getting him on the right meds and making him more comfortable, it is tough, but you will get through it!!!! Good luck, please contact me with any questions!!!!

My son will be 5 months this Saturday and he's been on Ranitidine since he was almost 5 weeks old. His GERD has definitely been challenging, and then to add to that he has a milk allergy and it took months 2 and a half months to figure that out. The medication does take a while to kick in and sometimes for certain babies it doesn't work at all. It sounds like you're doing all the right things, I would also ask your Pediatrician to see if maybe he has a milk allergy and whether you should change him to Soy or Hypoallergenic. Good luck, and feel free to ask me any questions at all.

Instead of medication, babies magic tea will soothe baby with acid reflux. My baby was the same and he got relief through this tea.

J.,

My heart goes out to you! My daughter (now 11 and 1/2 weks of age) has reflux; she wasn't diagnosed until she was 7 weeks old and had gotten to the point where nursing was too uncomfortable for her and her weight gain was minimal (after gaining beautifully in her first month).

Here's what I can tell you about our experience: Zantac (your baby's medication) was the first med we tried combined with Mylanta and these yielded no improvement. Then we were offered Axid 3 times daily, again in combination with Mylanta, and had very little improvement (though eating became a tiny bit better). A visit to a pediatric GI specialist and we were told that when an infant reaches four months, much of this resolves. My daughter, however, continued to be in tremendous pain and getting her to eat was nearly impossible.

We finally have relief now that she is on Prevacid, 1 ml twice a day. What a difference! She is sleeping well, eating beautifully and, thankfully, is no longer in pain.

My daughter continues to sleep in her cradle swing, as being on her back provokes regurgitation. I use a pregnancy wedge pillow under her head and upper torso during diaper changes. You can get one at Babies R Us for about ten dollars.

You might consider asking your pediatrician about Prevacid. While 50 percent of babies have refluxed, some need the PPI (proton pump inhibitor) medication rather than the H2 blockers (such as Zantac).

One last suggestion: if you are using formula, ask your doctor about either Alimentum or Nutramigen. Both are hypoallergenic and great for babies with reflux.

Best of luck--

A.

Hi J.,

Get your son checked and follow your guts about his reflux. Rule out any easophagal related issues. Also find out from the peidatrician if he has any allergy and how much milk content is in it. Lactose intolerance can also lead him to throw up. Maybe start with a formula which has least lactose content. Check on any side effects of Ranitidine.
Depending on how he spits up, if it is projectile or gurguatated, the symptoms are different, write down in a dairy his feeding and bowel movements, so it will help when you go to the doctor, you will have all information.
Also Check the book "Super Baby Food" from Yuth Aaron as well for tips.