UPDATE #16 on 7/30 - Newborn has Acid Reflux

[iris0110]

Zantac didn't work for KEarnan either. He had high volume reflux. He went on zantac and then another that was supposed to help on top of that (can't remember the name at the moment) but they didn't help and the second med made him horribly painfully gassy and constipated. We wound up at a pedi gastro and she prescribed Mylanta, after each feeding and up to every half hour if needed for pain. I don't know if that worked or if he was just starting to outgrow it by that time (he was born on medicaid because dh's insurance wouldn't take me on pregnant and it took 9 months for them to accept ds and we had to wait 4 months for the appt). He was about 5.5 months at the time he saw the gastro and it was pretty much totally gone by 6 months. He still has bouts from time to time though.

I cut out all dairy form my diet, but I never saw that it helped. You could try cutting out some of the more high allergen foods and see if it helps her. Other than that just keeping her upright as much as possible. I found that the fisher price cradel swing kept Kearnan at the perfect angle and helped him actually get some sleep. He would be so miserable otherwise. I'm so sorry mama. It is so hard when our little ones are sick and we can't seem to help them.

[va703]

My 10 week old has been on Zantac since he was 2 wks old. It helps some, not entirely, and it did taken a good 2 weeks to see improvement. Mostly what helps is being upright after eating, nursing frequently (smaller volume), sleeping elevated...pretty much what the PPs mentioned. I've been lactose intolerant since I was pregnant (crappy) so no dairy for me anyway, I try to be careful about what I eat and I watch for things that bother him. We've done gripe water, too, and that seems to help sometimes. It's soothing for him.

Reflux is awful, it's heartbreaking to see such a little one so uncomfortable and be so unable to help them. Good luck with the Zantac, but don't be afraid to go back and ask for something different if you don't see improvement. It's tough but they do grow out of it...

[princesspink]

DS was diagnosed with severe reflux at 3 days old (diagnosed via barium swallow). It was horrible! He turned blue a couple times from choking on spit up. UGH!

Zantac is nasty. We had a hard time even getting DS to take it. After about a month we switched to Axid and it was wonderful. DS was also on a second medicine called Reglan. It's controversal since long term use has some nasty side effects. Reglan is used to move along the digestive system, emptying the stomach faster so there is less to spit up.

If your child was prescribed Zantac, how long before you saw improvement?

DS's was within a couple days, but again he was severe.

Did the Zantac at any point make the reflux go away entirely? If so, approximately how long after starting it?

DS stopped taking the meds around 10 months. His didn't go away entirely, but we no longer needed the meds to keep his food down. Zantac, Axid, Prevacid and the like just reduce the burning, they don't "cure" it. We switched to regular old Mylanta. Now DS doesn't need anything. I've read that they do eventually grow out of it, so I'm guessing that's the case with DS.

I am breastfeeding, and she eats very well. Does my diet affect her reflux?

http://askdrsears.com/html/8/T083301.asp

There is a list of foods that could potentially make the reflux worse. Not every food on tht list will effect your kiddo, but if she is having problems you can try eliminating from that list one at a time to see if it helps. The only thing that DS had issues with was me drinking milk. I could have cheese, yogurt, etc...but milk caused issues every time!! He still has issues with cow's milk.


We bought a special inclined pillow for her to sleep on, and we are keeping her inclined after feedings.

This is great!! DS loved to sleep in his swing because the incline was perfect. I also wore him in the tummy to tummy position in a sling.

Are there other things we can be doing?

DS naturally wanted to nurse every hour. He would do small frequent nursings. This helped soothe his throat and since they were smaller meals he had less to reflux up. So I highly encourage feeding on demand vs. a schedule.

Also BF for as long as possible!! DS had a lot of flare ups once I started supplementing with formula.

[Momof1+2]

One of my twins was on zantac and reglan as well as maloxx and caffenine when she was born. She had reflux which also led to apnea, so she was on an apnea monitor. We that she did best sleeping on the fisher price infant to toddler chair with rolled up blankets on her sides.
She did great on all the meds but you have to up the dose of zantac with weight increases as the doses will be less effective as they gain weight. As her apnea improved she was taken off the meds and was free and clear by 7 months.
We also thought she had colic for that time but apparently the reglan made her REALLY cranky all the time...when she got off it a new baby was given to us...she was finally happy.
Best of luck to you and your DC,
Jacqui

[Michelle8903]

When Kyla was 4 months old she was prescribed Zantac. She was also a "silent refluxer". After three weeks of it doing pretty much nothing I took her back to the ped and she was prescribed Prevacid and did much better. When she was 6 months we took her off the Prevacid and she was fine. She outgrew the reflux.

From the time she was 2 months to 6 months I stayed away from dairy products and that did help too. Maybe give that a shot and if the Zantac doesn't work don't be afraid to ask for something else.

Good Luck!

ETA: We also had a wedge under her mattress and she seemed to sleep better with that. We also had to make sure she was elevated for a half an hour after each feeding. She always liked being upright much better than laying down.

[smapple]

UPDATE 7/30/07


Hannah is doing great. She has not had any reflux for 4 days now! We have even stopped the Zantac. I did not believe the Zantac was doing her any good, and I had just scheduled her a follow-up appointment with her doctor, and she started doing better!


I believe her reflux was all caused by my diet. I started keeping track of what I was eating and when she had reflux. I've eliminated several foods, but since cutting them out of my diet, she has not had any reflux!


She has a sensitivity to milk protein, pineapple, strawberries, tomatoes, chocolate (and caffeine), and any other citrus or acidic or spicy or fried foods. I have also been avoiding soy, just to play it safe (haven't had it enough to know if it is a problem food for her). It's been a challenge to figure out what things affect her, and also to figure out what I can eat without any milk products in it but it has been worth it!

[rainbowbrite812]

that's great that she's doing better. E has reflux and my doc started him out on pepcid...and while it worked wonders it was $40/month and i just can't afford that, so we're now starting on zantac to see if it will do the same for ds. he's already started spitting up, but i figure i'll give it a full 2 weeks as he's only been on it for 2 days.

i'll have to see about the prevacid pills if this doesn't work before going back to pepcid.

[Shyla]

Originally Posted by smapple UPDATE 7/30/07 Hannah is doing great. She has not had any reflux for 4 days now! We have even stopped the Zantac. I did not believe the Zantac was doing her any good, and I had just scheduled her a follow-up appointment with her doctor, and she started doing better! I believe her reflux was all caused by my diet. I started keeping track of what I was eating and when she had reflux. I've eliminated several foods, but since cutting them out of my diet, she has not had any reflux! She has a sensitivity to milk protein, pineapple, strawberries, tomatoes, chocolate (and caffeine), and any other citrus or acidic or spicy or fried foods. I have also been avoiding soy, just to play it safe (haven't had it enough to know if it is a problem food for her). It's been a challenge to figure out what things affect her, and also to figure out what I can eat without any milk products in it but it has been worth it!

Im glad to hear she is doing better. Ds was on Zantac when that ddint work they put him on prlosect (sp?) that was costing us over 100 dollars a month. When all of the sudden he had a severe allergic reaction and we found out his reflux was due to his allergies and what I was eating. No wheat, dairy, peanut or fish for me. You might want to have a blood allergy test done so that they can put it in her medical records and so you know if there is anything else I love hearing about moms doing hard things for their little ones (like giving up chocolate) If you need any help finiding things dairy free let me know I have lots of suggestions (things that have worked for us)

[thenanny]

Our doctor advised me to eat the Activia yogurt at least one per day. Once DS reached 4 months of age he began having it in an infant feeder. It eliminated it. I remeber at one point we went on vacation and eliminated the yogurt for like 4 days and it was back. so I know it really helped. It took about 2 to 2.5 weeks to take effect, but once it did it was immediate and wonderful.

[tuckabella]

My friends baby had this. He basically slept in his swing for the first 4 months! But he did grow out of it! There is a lght at the end of the tunnel mama!

Prayers!