Infantreflux.org | thickening feeds with silent refluxers

This topic has 8 replies, 1 voice, and was last updated 16 years, 1 month ago by Anonymous.

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August 24, 2008 at 8:43 am #55669

Anonymous
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I would imagine it would help with the refluxing even thought they don’t spit up, right? I mean, it weighs down the food and keeps it from splashing up in the esophagus? Any thoughts? And I’m not looking for a debate on rice cereal. My first DD had horrible reflux too, was on thickened feeds VERY early on, and this was one thing that gave her alot of relief (and she’s never had any tummy troubles or allergies as a result). This DD has even more pain than my first, so in addition to the typical meds we’re trialing and working our way through, I’m just looking for something else that may offer her some relief. And I’ll be speaking to our pedi about it as well but was just wondering what your thoughts were on using it for silent refluxers verses regular refluxers.

August 24, 2008 at 10:04 am #55673

hellbennt
Keymaster

Congratulations on the birth of your baby, Lilah!!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE her name!!!

I am SO SORRY that you’re going through this again! YUCK!!

Maybe with her it is mspi? so hard to tell!

hang in there,

~laura

my thoughts on thickening: If baby has had suck/swallow study and is found to need it due to aspiration, then thickening is a must and then a product is used, like Simply Thick, in the consistancy that the study found would be effective for the particular baby.

If a baby is having a difficult time gaining weight bcse s/he is refluxing so much – then I would say to bring baby to nutritionist/dietician who specializes in this and get help adding calories somehow via enriching formula, etc.

you say you don’t want a debate, so I won’t debate. I don’t believe in using cereal. that’s me. others (like yourself) have found great success!!!

I don’t happen to believe in the whole gravity explanation. but others do! I would think that in the case of silent reflux then it’s just ‘more’ that has to come up and then back down again. my theory.

hellbennt2008-08-24 10:06:24

August 24, 2008 at 10:50 am #55678

Anonymous
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Hello!

Well, our story in a nutshell. My son Kaden, is now almost 5 months old. Diagnosed with reflux at just over a month old. We have gone through so many formula’s trying to find one that would not make the reflux worse. Enfamil A+, Kirkland, Nestle Good Start, Similac alimentum, Gentlease and now, he is on Enfamil Thickened A+. The Thickened formula has made a pretty significant difference as to how much he is refluxing. He still does, but not as much as before. The thickened formula is constipating him, but our ped said to give him juice, a couple of oz a day (not all together, just a bit here and there) and it is slowly working itself out.

The ped also wants us to put him on cereal, his thoughts are that the more that is in K’s belly, the more that will stay down. So to speak.

I don’t thicken with cereal, but rather buy the formula that is already thickened. I hear often people talking about thickeners, but I have yet to be able to find any, maybe in Canada it is just harder to do.

I do have a friend who is an SLP and another who is a dietician, perhaps I should ask them where to get them………………..

Anyhow, we have had more success than not, with the Thickened formula.

I have also found that switching to Dr BRown’s bottles have made a positive difference too. Something to keep in mind!

Take care

August 24, 2008 at 12:30 pm #55682

Anonymous
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Congrats on the new baby! I hope you can get Lilah comfy soon.

Without debate, I will tell you our experience with my 2nd son (he was a silent refluxer-severe w/apnea). When we used cereal, we found that 1) it made him more uncomfortable b/c he had intolerances as well and his tummy would rumble and churn trying to digest it and his screaming episodes peaked 2) when he did silently reflux, it made his choking episodes worse b/c he would reflux up this sludge and swallow it back down. I realized that for him, it was a little more dangerous b/c of the apnea episodes, he was actually choking on it.

that is just our personal experience with it. I don’t think it mattered how thin/thick the liquid for my silent refluxer, he was going to reflux no matter what and swallow it back down. he just needed good pain control.

good luck, i know you will decide what is best for you little one!!!

August 24, 2008 at 3:37 pm #55684

Anonymous
Inactive

Thanks for your experiences so far. They do help and I would like to hear more from others too.

Apnea and chocking have not been an issue with her reflux, and I am of course open to the possiblity that it may not work. I am just planning on a trial. I do believe that with some refluxers it just doesn’t help, but I disagree with the idea that it helps no refluxer. There are too many stories (including my first DD) where to give an un-thickened feeding resulted in a major difference. I even at one point tried to do away with the thickened feeds (after a long period of time pain-free) just to see what would happen, and dispite the continued zantac….her symptoms returned. So I went back to thickening. My reasons with this one have nothing to do with weight gain, nutrition, or aspiration…it’s comfort only. And I was curious if a silent refluxer theoretically could benefit comfort-wise as much as a spitter-upper would. And just and FYI, she has no intolerances to anything in formula…she’s been checked out for that. The only reason we are continuing with the alimentum is because insurance covers it completely, she likes it…so why not.

So please, if anyone else has any input I’m listening.

August 24, 2008 at 4:31 pm #55687

Anonymous
Inactive

Maybe look into a thickener like Simply Thick. Simply thick is used by hospitals (including the NICU) and nursing homes to thicken liquids for patients. It thickens without changing the taste of the liquid.

Simply Thick can be pricey, but check around. I know you can get it by asking the pharmacy at Walgreens and CVS. Also, try your insurance company. If you get your formula from a home health company, have them ask if it is covered by your insurance. My insurance would have paid for it with a prescription from our dr.

Thickening with cereal also hurt my little guys tummy and gave him lots of gas. I think his GI system was just too immature to handle cereal at that age.

One question I have is to ask if your little one has had a upper GI barium swallow? I ask b/c if your little one is aspirating anything into her lungs while she’s refluxing, you definitely don’t want to thicken with cereal.

August 25, 2008 at 8:23 am #55695

Anonymous
Inactive

No she hasn’t had one, is that something they typically do if there are no signs of aspiration occuring?

August 25, 2008 at 9:43 am #55696

Anonymous
Inactive

The barium swallow can be helpful in diagnosing aspiration. It can also aid in diagnosing reflux due to trachea/larynx problems and is used to make sure that there are no structural problems that are causing the reflux.

http://www.medicinenet.com/upper_gi_series/article.htm

August 27, 2008 at 12:55 pm #55780

Anonymous
Inactive

My son is on both Zantac and Prevacid, but still seems uncomfortable after eating — so we are trying thickening with rice cereal. We tried it first at two weeks old, without much luck — but now it’s really helping. There’s a big difference in his comfort at night. He is mostly a silent refluxer, but now and then spits up. I feel like I’ll try most things to see if they work for us — if they do, great! If not, we move on.
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