Any information about infant acid reflux?

Question

My baby after discovering that she has severe milk allergies, now has been diagnosed with acid reflux. She is taking meds but it doesn't seem to be helping. She is 4 months old and they haven't put her on cereal yet. I've read that this helps? She doesn't sleep well because I think the reflux is bothering her. I have tilted the head of her bed and it still doesn't seem to help. Anymore suggestions?

Answer 1

Hi! She is ready to start cereal! Please at least give it a try for a few days. I think she is hungry.

I am not sure about the extent of her 'allergies' but I can tell you that sometimes burping a baby too much can make them spit it up more. My daughter was like that and used to spit up a lot and it was a mess. My son is totally different. I have noticed that when I burp him less, he spits up less. I guess every baby is different but I wonder why I never thought to try that differently with my daughter so maybe it will help with you.

Also NEVER tilt the mattress. It is dangerous because if the baby rolls over, she can get caught between the mattress and the frame of the bed and possibly suffocate or get badly injured. I have heard of it happening recently. Not trying to scare you but every mother wants to be aware of stuff like that.

Have you tried putting her in a infant carrier or carseat at night? I know it sounds funny but actually my daughter could only sleep like that when she was an infant. I got a lot of remarks from others that it isn't the 'proper' way and that she should sleep in a crib but they had no idea how hard it was to get any sleep that way...

Part of caring for a newborn is experimenting with different things. Do whatever it takes to try and soothe her and help her sleep and eat better so that she will grow up healthy and happy. Perhaps she is being 'over-fed' and this is why she spits up so much. It could also be the position in which she is being fed. If you feed her with less pressure to her tummy area that might relieve it. So try that and also decrease her amount of formula by 1oz.

When she fusses really bad and gets really unhappy try giving her some formula with a bit of cereal (2-3 oz) if that doesn't help then offer her some applesauce. It will interest her to have a different taste in her mouth even if it is just a few tiny bites.

When my son gets colicy, I sometimes give him a few spoons of vanilla ice cream. It makes him stop crying and seems to cheer him up a bit. I know it sounds funny but my mother-in-law gave me that advice (she is a mother of 7) and it actually worked!

Some babies do not like sleeping on their backs or on a flat surface. My daughter was like that and the carrier really helped us rest better. Another good tip is to keep tabs on her gums. She could be cutting a tooth and you don't realize it.

If your baby has congestion sometimes, that could cause reflux. If she has some mucous then be sure to use a vaporizer at night and also give her a tiny bit of children's benadryl. It can help her sleep better too. (less than 1/2 tsp)

Babies this age are naturally fussy at times. It is because they are learning to roll and want to scoot around, they also grow rapidly at this phase and cut teeth and begin having bigger appetites and sometimes ready for solid foods like applesauce and pureed things. So a lot is going on with her now and the best you can do is find ways to make her calm. I
wish there was an easier solution to give you but follow your instinct and it will be fine.

One day you will look back and see how time has gone so quickly and miss her needing you so much. My daughter is now a toddler and so independent that I miss how she used to love me to rock her.

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

So have you removed all cow's milk from her diet? (if bf'ing that means removing cow's milk from your diet, if ff'ing that means a non-milk-based formula) I can't tell from your question if you have done that yet or not. If you haven't, then that is a likely cause of the continued discomfort. Also, if you have just started the reflux meds, it can take a couple days to see a result sometimes. With the meds, she may continue spitting up, but it shouldn't cause her pain. It will neutralize or inhibit the stomach acids, but her esophagus is still immature, so it is normal to spit up, still.

If you have already removed cow's milk from her diet, it can take up to 4 weeks to see an improvement. Dairy stays in your system for a long while. If you've waited long enough that you should be seeing an improvement and you have also waited long enough to see an improvement from the reflux meds, she may need either 1) a different reflux med (there are different types; some neutralize the acid, some slow down the production of acid and some stop the production completely) or 2) elimination of soy products. Very often a baby with a sensitivity to cow's milk proteins will also be sensitive to soy.

The good news is that reflux usually goes away at 6 months when the esophagus matures. It sure is a long 6 months, though, isn't it?

Check out the link below; I referred to it when I was dealing w/infant GER in my daughter. Best of luck.

Answer 4

Hey there,
If you are a acid reflux (GERD) sufferer you can find useful information on this site http://www.goobypls.com/r/rd.asp?gid=568

They teach a natural method about how to get rid of your acid reflux. It worked for me.
Best

Answer 5

Sometimes putting cereal in a bottle is recommened for babies with acid reflux, talk to the doctor first. Make sure you keep her sitiing straight up for 30 minutes after every meal.

Answer 6

Try holding her in a more vertical position while feeding, and burp her during and after feedings. Giving her less breast milk or formula at each feeding (if you can get away with it) can help too. You can make up for it with more frequent feedings. Formula users might also try adding a little rice cereal to the bottle or using a formula that comes with "added rice". (Ask your pediatrician about whether you should try this and how to mix in the cereal.) None of these suggestions is guaranteed to soothe your baby. They may even make her crankier. But all are worth trying before calling a doctor.