Please help with my baby....?

Question

Hi, I have an urgent question...I have a 7 week old baby and ever since he was 2 weeks old he started spitting up a little more then half of what he ate. It could be right after he's done, or it can take a while. But it's getting worse and I took him to the doctor yesterday and told her what was going on and she said since he is gaining weight, it is ok. He's on Enfamil Lipil with Iron. Is this normal or should I push the issue and get his formula changed or just wait it out??

Answer 1

I would push the issue, especially if it gets worse. Both my boys (now ages 3 and 4) had GERD (gastroesophegial reflux disorder). They spit up horribly. They also were putting on weight, but they were miserable. They would scream while they were eating.....and it only got worse after they ate. Their little tummys would get so hard and tight. They would just arch back and then lean forward and spew.
You have several options. You can switch to Enfamil AR which has added rice starches to thicken the formula. These starches can help absorb some of the excess acid produced.
You can add about 2 teaspoons of infant rice cereal to the formula to thicken it up. You will have to use a nipple that has a larger opening than the one he currently uses.
You can push the issue with the doctor and see what they say. There are several medications that you baby can take....Prevacid and Regland are the two that we used. My sons took them and I was quite glad for it. They became much happier babies, and I was doing a lot less laundry. They ate more, but less often.
I hope this helps you out some!

Answer 2

So sorry for you to worry. Many babies have a faulty tummy valve and when the milk hits the valve, it pops up and makes the milk come up. I had one that did this, but it does improve as the baby matures. You can ask your doctor about changing his formula. Maybe try the formula without the iron, first and see if this might be an issue. Another thing my Pediatrician recommended was to use 1 part formula to 1 and 1/2 part water. Most formulas are thicker than needs to be and is heavy on a babies tummy. If it continues after doing these 2 things, you might want to try goats milk or a soy milk. But try the formula without the iron first and dilute it like I suggested. I believe this may work for you. As long as your baby is gaining properly I wouldn't worry, but I would try to help aleviate the problem. Try these couple of things and see if what happens. I have 4 children and fostered 12 newborns awaiting adoption and each did well. God Bless. You are a smart mother and should always listen to everyone then make up your own mind!! :) Have fun with your little One!!