Does she have reflux?

[Anonymous]

We’re going to the dr. next week but we want to know now if there is anything we can try, antacids,herbals, etc. Our baby is almost 6 weeks and has been showing signs of reflux (we think) for about 3-4 weeks. She is breastfed although w/ a shield, she burps good usually and my wife feeds her on a pillow at a 20-30 degree angle.

I’ve read a lot and know there are a lot of techniques to try, elevated feeding/sleeping, different sleeping positions, elimination diet, etc, etc. We’ve tried everything. My wife doesn’t eat anything anymore, she’s eliminated dairy, eggs, nuts, spicy foods, raw vegetables and most fruits, etc, etc. but hasn’t helped much that we can tell.

She is showing all the common symptons of reflux and was a month early too. She is spitting up at all times up to two hours after feeding, straining painfully all the time, never sleeps direclty on her back, vomits through her nose at times, grunts all the time, she is comfort feeding and throwing it all up. I would say about half the time she exibits signs of pain and discomfort, even during sleep.

But we’ve called the nurses and dr.s and since she is gaining ok they say not to worry. But if the dr. doesn’t do something this time we are getting a new dr.

THanks for any input, I’ve been reading so many stories similar to ours. I would appreciate any ideas for home remedies or techniques that may help. We give her warm water w/ a little Karo & some of her gripe water mixed in and it seems to help comfort her but only for a short time.

[hellbennt]

hi there,

I have a lot to say. a LOT. it’s here:

Groupie Intro: my intro: https://www.infantreflux.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=853&PN=1&TPN=1

so PLEASE READ/SKIM/SRCOLL through.

I hate to be cynical , but there are no home remedies if baby is in pain. Yes, you can supplement medication & diet w/ things like probiotics: Probiotics, brands used: https://www.infantreflux.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=8970&PN=1

and Slippery elm article: http://www.ajc.com/health/altmed/shared/health/alt_medicine/ConsHerbs/SlipperyElmch.html

Please avoid karo syrup w/ a breastfed baby (if you’re doing it for constipation, my guess is baby isn’t constipated…what are stools like? ‘normal mustardy/seedy breastfed stools? or watery & green? green & foamy? mucousy/stringy?)

And, please don’t give gripe water (read for yourself- maybe you find it helps baby?): Gripe water: https://www.infantreflux.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=3438

http://www.kellymom is an excellent resource for breastfed babies

Congratulations on the breastfeeding!!!

“Why bf is best for reflux baby”: https://www.infantreflux.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=10133&PID=87611#87611

so glad you found us!

~laura

ps: Wondertime article/colic solved; http://wondertime.go.com/learning/article/interview-colic-expert.html

and pps: mylanta cherry supreme (this particular kind of mylanta only) doesn’t have aluminum) is safe for babies, even newborns & can provide temporary relief- can give 1ml at a time, up to 5x a day- it may affect stools- if stools get watery/too much, then you’ve given too much & just back off. it’s safe!

[Anonymous]

thanks, I guess we’re just trying anything, as long as it’s safe. And the gripe water really seems to help her, but I’ll read your links.

The Karo is just because she seemed to be straining soooo hard, but that might have just been gas. She’s never been constipated and stools are normal mustardy as far as I know.

I’ve read here that some people try childrens Mylanta, is that safe? What will the dr. usually prescribe or recommend OTC? She had another bad night and spit up about 15 times, probalby everything she ate.

[Anonymous]

Oh, I just read the gripe water thread. Ours doesn’t contain sodium bicarbonate but only natural ingredients. We’ve used colic calm and baby bliss brands, they are both all natural although the colic calm is $$ and she spits it up a lot and it stains everything.

If I buy Mylanta, is there a childrens version? I couldn’t find any. Do I just give the adult cherry one mentioned here? How much to give??

thanks.

[hellbennt]

mylanta cherry supreme (this particular kind of mylanta only) doesn’t have aluminum) is safe for babies (even though it’s adult- there is no baby mylanta), even newborns & can provide temporary relief- can give 1ml at a time, up to 5x a day- it may affect stools- if stools get watery/too much, then you’ve given too much & just back off. it’s safe!

since you want to go natural, I would eliminate ALL, including HIDDEN, dairy & soy from your (wife’s) diet, ALTHOUGH since stools are ‘normal’ and, there is no blood (is there? you can have stool tested for occult blood- occult is hidden), then it might just be plain ‘ole reflux and have NOTHING to do with diet. if you read Groupie Intro https://www.infantreflux.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=853&PN=1&TPN=1, you’ll find that my baby did not have any protein issues (I did the complete dr sears elimination diet just to make sure) but did have SEVERE GERD.

hope this helps!

~laura

ps: it’s a great sign that stools are normal! I would keep a food journal bcse you (your wife) might not even have to be on a restricted diet at all (especially since you say it doesn’t seem to be helping…)

[Anonymous]

Hey there! Sorry that your lo is having such a rough time. From the symptoms you list, it certainly sounds like reflux, and having had both a refluxer who didn’t gain weight and one who was a porker (he too overate in order to “kill the burn”), the doc was much more concerned about my non-gainer. I had a hard time getting anyone to take me seriously about my son. However, after hours of screaming and endless vomiting, I stopped allowing them to brush me off.

I think you are right in taking her elsewhere should the doc not seem helpful. If you get the help you need, the doctor should prescribe a PPI. Most docs start with H2 blockers, like Pepcid or Zantac. Some babies do great on these, but they are very weight sensitive (doses have to be constantly adjusted) and often they stop working after awhile. PPI’s are really your best bet (Prevacid, Zegerid, Prilosec). There are all different forms, but check out http://www.marci-kids.com They have the most up to date research and information on infant reflux and medications, dosing, etc.

Also, I just wondered why your wife used a shield when breastfeeding. Does she have OAL? If so, it can really irritate reflux, but there are ways to combat this.

The Mylanta should help with the gas and hopefully help make her more comfortable until you can get some real help from the doc.

Hope this helps!

[Anonymous]

Great, thanks a lot. I went ahead and bought the cherry supreme mylanta and everybody thinks I’m crazy for giving it to her. But I gave her a small .3ml dose and she immediately (almost) felt better for 2 hours and I gave her the same dose after she got a little fussy and she was better again. I wish I knew for sure that she had reflux cause I don’t want to give her medication she doesn’t need. She still seems to have the gas but did not really spit up & doesn’t seem to be in so much pain, we’ll see tonight which is usually the worst.

I did look at the other Mylantas and they all seemed to have the same ingredients, I didn’t see one w/ aluminum. Oh well.

The doctor is not going to freak out when I tell her I’ve been giving her this stuff is she? Maybe I shouldn’t tell her & just see what she recommends or prescribes???

[Anonymous]

My wife uses the shield because she says her nipples are too flat, but that has only happened since they grew so much (sorry) and stretched out her nipples. But I think after the nurse gave it to her she got used to it and liked it and now doesn’t try much w/o it cause the baby likes the shield so much.

I don’t think she has OAL, her milk drips out slightly when she gets ready to feed but not pouring or squirting out. But she does sometimes try to pump a little before feeding to see if that makes a difference.

What should I tell the dr. to convince her she needs the PPI or some other prescription? Will they automatically prescribe this if I tell her the symptons she’s having, i.e. constant spitting up, comfort feeding, straining and grunting in pain, never sleeping alone, etc, etc. Or will they not do anything cause she is gaining weight.

[hellbennt]

from groupie intro I would look at the link(s) for Sandifer Symptoms- see if baby shows any of these- these are ‘proof’ of reflux

your dr may say everything is a-ok bcse of great weight gain or dr may listen to you as the parents/advocates

you may want to say something a little different than ‘I read on the internet’ about the mylanta- dr shouldn’t freak, but I don’t know your dr- we all learned of this from our drs- well I did from my ped GI- many tell parents maalox so mylanta is pretty much the same…

from what I recall, using the shields is supposed to be temporary? from here: “Why bf is best for reflux baby”: https://www.infantreflux.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=10133&PID=87611#87611 there’s a link (look for my purple post, lol!) for finding a IBCLC (int’l board certfied lactation consultant) near you & also some helpful La leche league info (toll free number)- personally I would ask someoone about the long term use of the shields- but hey! yay! breastfeeding!

oh & pumping before a feeding isn’t too helpful- makes body think that baby needs more (supply & demand) so it becomes a cycle of having too much, needing to pump, body thinking baby needs this much & then produces too much once again…but again, congrats on the breastfeeding! It’s HARD! and its not like it’s intuitive and easy like we’d think! (using a dishcloth/washcloth to absorb the extra is helpful & I tend to like the washable flannel nursing pads- I feel they’re more absorbant & well, washable, LOL!)

gotta gooooooooooo

[Anonymous]

Ok, after last night we are 75% sure the Mylanta helped her quite a bit. We have only been giving her about .6ml and ony 3 times within about 12 hours so far. But she seems to not be spitting up as much (which I didn’t think it would help that but seems to), doesn’t have as many painful episodes of grunting and straining, not quite as much gas although still a significant amount. But she still will not sleep directly on her back, on her left side is her 2nd favorite position after sleeping right on her tummy on top of me which keeps her sleeping for 3-4 hours sometimes with just a grunt here and there.

I don’t really want to tell the dr. she is doing so much better w/ mylanta cause I’m afraid she won’t prescribe her the prevacid or whatever she needs most. But now the dr. has cancelled on us and can’t see her till Thursday at the earliest, so we’ll have some more evidence by then.

I did look at the sandifer forum and couldn’t find a clear list of symptons, other than breath holding and turning blue. she doesn’t do that at all that I can tell, unless she is gagging on her spitup which I think is a different situation than breath holding. I will search for a list of symptoms.

Oh, btw- you mentioned earlier that if there is no blood in her stools then she probably just has plain ole reflux and no food intolerances. Did I understand that right? She doesn’t have any visible blood in her stools. She does poop a lot of times and just a little amount though, maybe every two hours she has some poop in there, but not very much. It has been this way since we brought her home.

She also has a little umbilical hernia if that is of any consequence, I have read that it is very common in premature girls and they will grow out of it in a couple years and usually is not a concern. We will ask the dr. on Thursday though.

[Anonymous]

Just b/c there is no visible blood in the stool doesn’t mean there is none. Ask to have a fecal occult blood test done. It’s best to bring one of the poopy diapers with you, so the doc won’t have to root around (sorry) for stool. All the doc will do is add dops of dye to a paper with some stool on it and look for a reaction. VERY SIMPLE. This will tell if there is microscopic blood in the feces.

I would write down EVERY SINGLE symptom you can think of and discuss each of them with the doc. Usually (not always) they put it all together and that way you don’t forget anything you want to talk about. Print out the marci-kids stuff for the doc too.

If the doc has any brains, he/she will see that you can not honestly give your baby Mylanta all day long. It’s GREAT for break-through and temporary relief, but is not a long-term treatment. I would assume the doc would not want you to treat reflux with Mylanta, but I’ve seen stranger things. The doc should notice that the Mylanta helps the symptoms, therefore the cause for the symptoms is reflux. I DO know of one mom on here who’s ped had her treat her lo’s reflux with Mylanta, but I would probably tell the doc. Just my $.02.

GOOD LUCK!!!!

[Anonymous]

I’m still confused about the bloody stools. does that indicate a food intolerance?

We dont get to see thr dr till thursday now & no other peds will see us unless they transfer her records, so I guess shes on the mylanta for 3 more days.

The local natural store has that flora baby stuff, is that worth a try?

[hellbennt]

bloody stools would be an indicator of an allergy or intolerance-

what I was referring to was NON ‘normal breast-fed baby stools’

as in any frequent, reoccurring stool that is NOT mustardy/seedy.

so, if stools are: watery (all the time), green (almost all the time), foamy like shaving cream, stringy (meaning mucousy), and/or combinations of these things then MAYBE it’s more than ‘just’ reflux & is inntolerance/allergy.

BUT if stools are ‘normal’ (and especially if they are normal & do not contain blood when tested for occult blood) then it may NOT be due to intolerances/allergies…

phew

[Anonymous]

Hi there….You probably won’t see actual blood in the stool. I never did. I have heard from different GI’s that sometimes the blood will turn the poop really dark and tarry looking, but not always. None of my kids poop ever did that even though they all tested positive for blood in the their stool. According to my Ped GI, it can take up to 4 months to actually get a positive test for blood in the stool. Also, according to my current GI, mucous in the stool is the condition that confirms colitis in the intestines, as it is the intestinal cells inflammatory response.

Testing for blood in the stool is really easy, I’m not sure why more docs don’t’ do it. If your ped hasn’t tested hi, maybe ask him to, but remember even if your babe is having allergy or intolerance issues, it may not show up.

[Anonymous]

Thanks. I’ll ask the dr. to test tomorrow, we are finally getting in. I hope she just gives her a scrip for prevacid cause I’ve read good things about it here. I don’t want to to go through another week of being miserable just so the dr. can ask us to try things we’ve already done.

Oh, the mylanta seemed to be more effective at first than it is now, she seems to not get as much relief from it as she did at first, although still some. Is that normal? We are giving her about .75ml about 5 or 6 times/day as needed. She is about 11 lbs & 6 weeks old.

I have a whole list of about 10 symptoms and 10 questions for the dr. She is going to spend some time with us whether she wants to or not.

I ordered a Res-q wedge and I hope that helps, although when she is really fussy she doesn’t care to sleep in any position even being held. Anybody tried these wedges?

area1232008-04-02 16:52:55

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