Infant Diagnosed with Reflux

My son and one of my daughters both had reflux when they were born (at 32 weeks). My daughter was on zantac and grew out of it by about 6 months. My son was switched to prevacid and also grew out of it by about 9 months. Neither of them experienced congestion or hoarseness. Also, for my son, since his reflux was worse than his sisters and he spit up ALL the time, my pediatrician recommended rice cereal in his milk and then later formula - one teaspoon per ounce. Hope that helps!

My son was changed from Zantac to Axid because he hated the minty taste of Zantac. Axid tastes much better and he actually seems happy to take it.
N.

My daughter was diagnosed with Reflux at about 6 weeks. I thought I was losing my mind until we figured out what was wrong. She wouldn't sleep unless someone was holding her and she ALWAYS spit up. I found an excellent specialist in Glenview. Her name is Dr. Suzanne Nelson. Her phone number is ###-###-####. Until we took her to see Dr. Nelson, nothing was really helping. Once we saw her, things got much better. I will tell you that I would put my daughter to sleep on her stomach b/c it seemed to help her sleep better. No doctor will tell you that is okay with the whole SIDS risk so please do whatever you think is best. I would watch my daughter very closely, espeically during naps to make sure she was breathing. Once she could roll over, I stopped watching so closely. Sleeping on her stomach very much helped my daughter. My daughter also was on Zantac and then, moved on to Prevacid. Dr. Nelson is GREAT! I highly suggest seeing a specialist with this and not just your regular peds doctor. My daughter out grew it by the time she was one, but I've heard that some kids can outgrow it faster or slower.
Good luck and remember, this too shall pass!

L., I use to work for a pharma company and did a lot of research on pediatric reflux. This organization and website has lots of good info http://www.naspghan.org/.

Hi L.,
My son who is now almost a year was diagnosed at 1 month old with reflux. He actually had it so bad it affected his swallowing and he had to be on thickened liquids until he was about 5 months old. He was also on Prilosec twice a day until about that time. We also propped his crib up on blocks to keep his head elevated at night. That seemed to help a lot. We also used the infant wedge pillow. Before that he would wake up choking and screaming because it was so bad. Good luck and she will get better!
S.

Hi, I have an almost 2 yr old who had reflux and was also on Zantac. He grew out of it at about a yr old. As far as a group I recommend cafemom...they have every group on there you can think of. I hope this helps and congrats on the baby

www.kidswithfoodallergies.org

she may not have food allergies, but lots of parents there deal with reflux. However, her symptoms may be related to food allergies.

I'd call the dr about the congestion and hoarseness.

Ug I wish I could help you--my son is still spitting up and on medication at 10 months

L.:

It might be very helpful to meet with a lactation consultant for the one on one attention you can get with her watching your baby feed and getting to know the two of you so that you can get assistance with the concerns that you have.

P., RLC, IBCLC
Pres. Lactation Support Group, Inc
www.lactationsupportgroup.com

Hi! Eli's wasn't as bad as some of the stories I have read but it was around 8 months that we were able to stop using the Zantac. He slept in his car seat until he was 6 months old and it made a WORLD of difference. The pediatrician said it was fine and his kid did the same! The more people I talk to, the more I hear "yeah, my kid slept in his car seat forever." Are you breast feeding? I learned quickly that he couldn't nurse all the time or nurse too much or he'd puke. So, I was careful to make sure there was at least an hour since a feeding had ended and never nursed on both sides. It may lead to having to nurse more often, but it's worth not watching him scream and puke.
Good Luck with everything and feel free to PM me for any advice or just to vent:)

This brings back so many memories. Our daughter at 9 weeks was diagnosed with reflux. She was put on Prilosec. What they did not tell me and that I learned from reading the recommendations for adults was to take the Rx and wait 30 minutes before eating. Once we did this, plus put at tablespoon or two of baby cereal in her bottle it helped tremendously.

We did run into problems as she put on weight. The Rx dose is based on the weight of the child. If you have not been recently, that could also need adjusting.

When my daughter was ill from time to time we had to add the simply Thick to her formula and breast milk.

I have been a daycare provider for 12+ years and several children have had reflux. Has your pediatrician referred you to a G.I. doctor to have them check your little one out? If not, I would put the bug in his/her ear to do so.

My daughter is now 3 and still on Rx and doing wonderfully. 3 of the 6 children that I have had at the daycare are totally off the Rx. At our last check up with our G.I. specialist said that he will keep Samantha on her Rx at the same dose and only increase it if need be. But, if there is no need then as she grows she will gradually wean herself off. I sure hope that all this helps. If you need someone to talk to feel free to contact me. I wish you all the best. K. S.

Hi,
Boy do I feel for you! My second child had really bad reflux that caused alot of turmoil for both my husband and I. There are different cases of reflux and you hear some people talk about it and you are thinking that doesn't sound like my child's reflux (meaning that their child just spits up alot) You are thinking to yourself, wow I wish that is all that was going on. My son would be up all hours of the night screaming his head off. I kept going to the doctor and saying something else is wrong with my child. This is not normal. He would choke constantly, projectile vomit, and never be able to just sit and be comfortable. At first, you are feeling horrible for you child and then after months of this going on you are so exhausted that you are just angry at both children but your husband too.
My son didn't react to Zantac to well. When I would tell my doctor what was going on at home, he thought we should change to Prilosec. Now that did improve things considerably. However, my doctor failed to tell me that milk intolerance and reflux go hand in hand. So if your daughter is formula fed then change to soy and if you breastfeed change your diet. Take all dairy out of your diet and you should see some improvement. We couldn't take my son off Prilosec until he was 15-16 months old. He had a bad case that I think was influenced by the dairy. My third child also had reflux but it was controllable and he only had to be on Zantac for 6 months or so.
Things to help her sleep at night. I put towels under his mattress so he was sleeping on an incline. Not so easy to do with a newborn. I had him sleeping in his carseat or bouncy chair. Unfortunetly my kids are tummy sleepers (even though they say not to do that) but I do believe this helps too! I would only do that if you know your child has good head control and you have watched her take a nap like that.
Your child is defiantly hoarse from the reflux. That is one of the major signs. I would ask your doc about Prilsec or Prevacid. My girlfriend had really good luck with Prevacid. There are many websites about reflux. If you just put it in google you can find many helplines and get good advice that makes you feel good that you aren't the only one that is going through this. Feel free to contact me more if you just need to vent to someone. I know what you are going through.
D.

Prop her crib matress up. I used a boppy with Evee's. Worked great. That's how babies with reflux need to sleep, is propped up. Evee grew out of it at about 8 months. Now she does absolutely wonderful. She maybe spits up once a week. They will stop eventually, it just differs. Hope this helps.

Hi I have a daughter with reflux as well.
she had it since birth.We also had her on Zantac and although she was doing better in didn't last long.
Now she's 8 and she on prevacid.That seems to be no problem for going on 4 years.
My daughter was 7 1/2 weeks early.You might want to check with your doctor just in case.My doctor told me that if the baby is still having reflux it could eat up her esophagus.
I'm not trying to scare you it might be nothing.
I would check just to be safe.

My daughter had reflux when she was that little also. The doctor told us to put 2X4's under her maitress at the head of her crib to raise her up. The horseness and stuffiness in due to the reflux. We actually bought a cool mist humidifer and it has been on every night since she was diagnosed with reflux. She is now 11 months old and the reflux has subsided. I don't think there is really a timeframe that it stops. They say it gets better once they are on solids. We also had to put oatmeal in her bottles so that it would be heavier in her stomach. That helped too!

Hi there-

Both of my kids had/ have reflux. I have a 4 1/2 year old who grew out of it around 2 years of age and an 8-month old who still suffers with it. Both children were born at 37 weeks and yes, prematurity plays a role. Their systems just aren't full developed yet.

You can expect that she will out grow it. My son took a little longer than usual. They usually outgrow it by one year of age. You can also expect that they will be more susceptible to colds and infections because the acid coming up into the esphogus causes irritation and because their nose/ throat is so close together there is more chance for infection. Watch your baby to see how symptoms develop. If they interfere with her eating and sleeping, it's time to call the doctor. Otherwise, just realize that it's par for the course.

My children never completely stopped refluxing even on the Zantac and colds always made it worse because of the refluxing. You should always take caution never to feed her unless she is in a reclined position and keep her upright as long as possible after feeding. Keep an eye on your child as she grows to make sure that her dose is appropriate. If she starts refluxing more, than it's time to increase the dose.

Also, she will do better once you start her on rice cereal because it is more solid in her system. Try not to give juice for awhile because of the acid and extra liquid. You may notice that she wants to eat smaller and more frequently. Reflux babies do this to comfort themselves.

Finally, both of my babies slept on their bellies. I know this is taboo and I was deathly afraid of SIDS but I was more afraid that she would reflux and choke on it if she was on her back. So, for the first 6 months, I slept in her room to help keep her safe.

Sorry that this is so scattered. I hope this helps and please feel free to e-mail if you have any other questions.

Ps. DO NOT put her on Reglan. This is a bad drug.

My two year old daughter had it as an infant and now my 4 month old son has it also. My daughter erupted like a little gyser every time she ate and we were covered in it for 8 months of her life. Now were reliving the exact same stuff with our son but he doesn't launch it like she did. ha ha ha. We tried Zantac and Pepcid with both of them and putting cereal in their bottles but none of it ever really helped. I didn't keep them on the medicine because I didn't see much of an improvement and they both grew fine and gained weight and length right on track so for us it was more of just a laundry problem.

For my daughter when she was little she slept in her carseat. I know that's a no no but it was the only way we felt safe for her to sleep. With my son were a little more seasoned now so we went and bought one of those wedges that you can put under the mattress and then a positioner that keeps him on his side. It's worked out very well for us. My understanding is that when they become mobile, specifically pulling up and crusing/walking is when you'll probably see it subside. That's when it stopped for my daughter.

Just wait until you get to the strained carrots and peas....loads of fun! Loads as in laundry loads! Just keep up what your doing and honestly if you don't see an improvement with the meds I don't see a point in giving it to them. Just keep a good idea of weight and if she's gaining weight she's fine.

Hi L.:

My daughter had the same thing - she too was put on Zantac (which I hated giving her) it turned out to be an intolerance to Milk/lactose. If you are nursing try eliminating ALL dairy from your diet to see if it subsides. If you are fomula feeding the only thing that worked for my daughter was the Enfamil Lacto free - an then when feeding cereal she tolerated the Nestle good start.

When I eliminated the dairy I also stopped administering the Zantac.

She didn't grow out of it until almost a year.

Somethings that helped me with reducing the reflux was changing her diaper before the feeding - if she pooped during the feeding I would try to keep her propped sitting up while changing her. At night she would be propped up (head above heart) in a car seat, swing, or bobby (that is a little tricky though you need a good thick blanket that won't slip). Really try to get a good burb without spit up. If I think of something else I will let you know

Good luck

My son was diagnosed with reflux but his twin sister was not... thank goodness. I have heard that child can be hoarse from the reflux. I am not sure about congestion... I would ask your doctor. Places like this are great for reference as well as the many other Yahoo Groups/Meetup.com groups for moms! My son was put on Zantac and it did help. Also trying to get a burp did (but he was SO hard to burp and most of the time wouldn't). Propping him up after he ate for 15-20 minutes kinda helped. It was around 11 months that I would say he officially grew out of it. Each month it got better and better (read: less spitting up/etc). Hang in there!

Hi L.,
My daughter also had reflux when she was very young I tried every thing the only thing that worked for her was to prop up the head of her baby bed with phone books and lay her on her stomache I know they say not to do that because the baby can sufficate. But my ped. told me to just prop up the bed and I did and it didn't really work very well. They say that some kids grow out of reflux as they get older. I hope this is true for you. Unfortunatly it wasn't for me my daughter is now 16 yrs. old and still takes previcid every day for reflux. As far as the conjestion and hoarseness I never experenced that with the reflux you should probably seek medical advice on that one. Hope this helps. My name is G. and I am a sahm with 3 kids. Have a great day.

my son was about 4 weeks old when he was diagnosed. the dr. gave him reglan and is worked great. he too sounded hoarse and congested. still does every once and a while. he is 4 1/2 now. he slept the best on his stomache. sitting him upright did nothing but make him scream and whatever he ate would come out of him nose. it was aweful. try having her sleep on her side if you are comfortable with her sleeping on her tummy. my daughter was only 15months old when he was born so i needed the sleep even for a few hours uninterupted. good luck

Hi L.!

I responded to a similar request in August because my son and daughter both had this problem. I'll copy and paste it here for you!

My doctor told us to put books or something similar to raise the head of my son's crib rather than moving (raising)the mattress, which she said could pose some type of danger. My daughter loved being snug in her carseat, so we put her in her carseat and then in her crib. This eliminated having to raise her crib. We ended up having to put my son on formula with added rice, which thickened what he was drinking and helped it stay down. We used Enfamil AR. I don't know if there are more recent formulas, but that helped the most. Good luck!

L. - One more thing I thought of - instead of putting my son on the ground on his back under his play gym we put the gym (cloth) on top of his bouncie seat (or toddler chair) and he was elevated and could still enjoy the dangling toys. Just make sure she can't roll off! I hope some of this helps!