Sleeping and Acid Reflux

we totally went through this and the zantac was a lifesaver. It is possible that the not sleeping is not related to the reflux, but I would agree with trying to raise the bed. And if you are going to consider putting her to sleep anyway but on her back (which I do NOT recommend), please at least put a fan near her crib. A recent study said that it significantly reduced the risk for SIDS esp. with kids put to sleep in a less than ideal environment. You could also check with the ped about adding some rice to the milk (if you bottle feed at all). WHile usually adding rice doesn't help them sleep longer, it might help yours keep the milk down better and thus sleep longer. That did help with my son's reflux, though he still spit up until he was almost a year. Good luck-- this does pass-- usually when they learn to sit up.

I'm not one for drugs but getting to the root cause is my thing. I'd say to start with a good probiotic. It will balance her gut and help her eat better. It might be a food allergy so check out that too. A good chiro could help like www.drviolacanhelp.com is good or if you are too far from her she could refer you to someone she trusts.

I would also suggest holding shots off until she is 100% so her immune system can work porperly.

Good luck,
M.

Yep--you can put phone books under the legs of the top of the crib. Or you can put a small pillow under the mattress.

Hi J.,

How long are you going to keep the baby on Zantac?

Here are some web sites:

http://www.coliccalm.com/baby_infant_newborn_articles/aci...

http://www.cdhnf.org/pdf/coping_reflux_GERD_guide.pdf

http://www.fussybaby.ca/fussybabieschiropractic.html

Hope this helps. Good luck. D.

I am not sure how this would work with a 4 month old, but for older children and adults it is recommended that the legs to the bed be elevated 4 inches higher than the foot so that there is not reflux going on while you sleep. She is probably refluxing during sleep. Perhaps you could raise the crib at one end?

You might want to ask your doctor about this.

One Step Ahead sells blocks to lift one end of the mattress (much better than pillows, wedges, rolled up towels, etc). Our son's crib is elevated as high as possible without him sliding down. He was dx'd with reflux due to hiatal hernia from being a premie and he would not sleep for more than 10mins at a time, day or night. After 4mos, the peed finally gave permission to let him sleep on his side, with a positioner.

NOTE: I'm not saying you should let your baby sleep on his side! I know how they stress the 'Back to Sleep' program and its success. But our baby needed to sleep, hated the bouncy seat, the swing, etc (things we tried several times each day).

He's now 8mos, and since he's been rolling over, he loveslovesloves to sleep on his belly - this has made all the difference in his sleeping.

Will your baby sleep in something else, that will keep him more upright?

Finally, Zantac didn't work - they switched him to Axid, which gave relief almost immediately. I've known other moms who's babies only got relief from Prilosec and/or Maalox.

Its trial and error, so stay in touch with the pediatrician if things don't improve. Good luck :)

if you have not done it already you need to put something under her mattress in the crib to elevate her head while she sleeps. she will have acid come up in her throat sometimes while she sleeps. put a humidifier on because the heat will dry out the sinuses. you should be able to start her on food soon. see if she can eat some rice cereal. try a few tablespoons to start out mixed with formula or breast milk-whatever you do.