Info on Reflux you should read it

[honeybunny78]

If you suspect or have been told that your baby has colic, you may want to consider the possibility that your baby may have reflux. This may not be the answer for all colicky babies, but in my experience and based on my conversations with other mothers, reflux is very common and is very often misdiagnosed as colic.

Symptoms

These are some of the more common symptoms of reflux. Your baby may only have some of them, and may have other symptoms that are not listed.




Spitting up frequently

Vomiting

Unexplained crying

Poor sleep; frequent waking

Fighting during feeding

Arching neck or back during feeding

Frequent hiccups

Congestion

Wheezing

Coughing

Hoarseness

Strange odor on breath

Poor weight gain

Frequent choking episodes


Important: There are a couple of common misconceptions about reflux:

First, your baby does not have to be losing weight to have reflux. On the contrary, many reflux babies actually overeat because eating eases the pain.

Second, your baby does not have to be spitting up to have reflux. This is known as "silent reflux" and can actually be harder on your baby because their esophagus is getting burned by the acid on the way up and again when it goes back down. It's also a lot harder to recognize as reflux.

Talking to your pediatrician

If your baby is exhibiting signs of reflux, you should talk to your pediatrician about it. Be forewarned though that many pediatricians only consider reflux to be a problem if the baby isn't gaining weight properly. Beyond that, many seem to think it's merely a laundry problem for an overreacting parent and will tell you that your baby will grow out of it and send you an your way. Yes, your baby will grow out of it, but if your baby is experiencing pain and discomfort from reflux, there's no reason why he should have to suffer while he's growing out of it! You need to make sure that your doctor understands that your baby is in pain and that you're not complaining about the laundry. And if he still doesn't listen, find another doctor. (That's what I and many other mothers have had to do.)

What you can do to relieve symptoms

Formula
Reflux is sometimes due to protein sensitivity, allergy or other intolerance. Your baby may do better on a soy formula, but many babies who don't tolerate milk well are also sensitive to soy proteins as well. Talk to your pediatrician about formula options. There are hypoallergenic formulas such as Alimentum and Nutramigen that may help. They're expensive, but if they help, it's worth every penny. (And I've heard that some insurance companies may cover these specialized formulas if prescribed by a doctor.)

Another option is to thicken formula with rice cereal. Again, talk to your pediatrician about it. Many doctors will tell you that it's okay to add up to 1 tsp. of rice cereal per ounce of formula. Or you can use a pre-thickened formula like Enfamil AR. It's more convenient, and you don't have to deal with clogged nipples. (Note: Rice cereal can cause gassiness and constipation, so you might want to introduce it gradually to see if your baby tolerates it well.)

Tip: If you thicken your own formula, try running the dry cereal through a blender first to make it really fine. Then prepare all the bottles the night before. This gives the cereal a chance to really thicken the formula.

Positioning

Let gravity help your baby whenever possible. Keeping your baby upright during feeding and for 30-45 minutes afterwards will help a lot. Also, many reflux babies have a really hard time laying flat to sleep. My baby was always very restless, noisy, and constantly squirming and grunting. It took me a while to figure out why. Finding a sleeping position that will be comfortable for your baby can be quite a challenge.

Here are a few suggestions:



Let him sleep in a car seat or bouncy seat

Elevate the head end of the crib by placing books under the legs

Elevate the head end of the crib mattress by placing a pillow or quilt underneath

Use a crib wedge

Use a Tucker Sling



Medications

It's always preferable if you can relieve your baby's symptoms just by making changes in his feeding and positioning, but if you've tried all that and your baby is still suffering, there are a few medications that you might want to ask your pediatrician about. Most are only willing to prescribe Zantac and Reglan. To get a prescription for Prilosec or Prevacid, you will probably have to get a referral to a pediatric GI.



OTC antacids such as Maalox and Mylanta (the adult strength liquid); Mylanta Supreme is cherry flavored. Ask your doctor or pharmacist what the proper dosage is for your baby's weight.

Zantac (Rx) - neutralizes the acid so that it doesn't "burn" as much; well tolerated by most babies, few side effects

Reglan (Rx) - a motility drug (helps empty stomach faster); miracle drug for some, but many babies don't tolerate it well at all, and there are some pretty scary side effects

Prilosec or Prevacid (Rx) - acid blockers (PPI-Proton Pump Inhibitor); greatly reduce the amount of acid produced by the stomach

[Tammy]

My baby is one month old and developed all the colicky symptoms this week. It is so sad to see her in pain like that. We just switched to soy formula at the recommendation of her doctor. How long before we would see an effect? HE said to wait two weeks and if it doesn't work then go back to regular formula because nothing will but I want to try the hypoallergenic ones as was recommended here and by a friend. How long should I wait?

[Blessed]

Our GI recommended that we try a hypoallergenic formula and said that if it was going to help we'd know within 3-4 days. But then if you see improvement, you have to wait another week or so to see if it's permanent.

[honeybunny78]

We also tried that too. Hope is lactose intolerent. So soy is the only thing that worked for her.

[Jan]

I am so pleased to have found this new message board started since I visited last.

There are a few other symptoms that families have often noticed for example.

My grandaughter used to heavy gulp a lot. It didn't matter if she was drinking or sleeping or eating. In her case it was diagnosed by a speech therapist, that she has an immature swallow.

Basically what this means is, she would get out of sync when swallowing so every now and again she would take a big gulp which through her stethoscope revealed a double swallow.

This symptom does improve in time as their tongues get more used to what they have to do. This is also very common in preterm babies.

Many mothers have changed formulas and many report back that they do so a rapid improvement, but the majority of mothers tell me that this is very short lived, maybe lasting just 3 days or so.

What we do here in the UK to help the 'happy spitter' is to give Infant Gaviscon. This is mixed and given to a breast fed baby during or after feeding. In a formula fed baby this is mixed in with their milk. I believe in the USA mother's are given instructions on how to use Gaviscon liquid.

What Gaviscon does is, it coats the oesophagus all the way down and then lays on top of the stomach contents.

In our Jade, she vomited whole bottles instantly until on Gaviscon and has hardly vomited at all since.

There are side affects though, some babies can become very constipated on Gaviscon, but most parents report having no symptoms except a lot less washing to do.

Jan