hi guys,
my daughter is 6 weeks and lately she cries so loud and hard that she turns red. doctor said she might be having reflux and several bad days, he gave Zantac but very low dose thus she is still crying but not alot.
any one else’s kids having reflux problems??? and how to get rid/control it. any ideas?
Re: Reflux in babies
My son battled with reflux (GERD) for the first 5 or 6 years of his life. His case was not typical as he didnt display the classic symptoms (crying, back-arching etc) His only symptom was that he didnt eat, it made him hurt so he started avoiding it.
His docs didnt diagnose it until he was a bit over 2. At first we tried zantac. It can take up to 6 weeks to see the full results of the medicine. Thats because reflux makes the esophagus sore from stomach acid coming up and back down. It really burns. So that soreness takes a while to heal.
If the symptoms are still there after 6 weeks you may want to try a different medication. Zantac didnt work well for my son so we tried Nexium. That was even worse so we next switched to Prilosec and it worked like a charm.
Many infants with reflux outgrow it around age 1 year. The stomach valve (LES) gets stronger, stays closed better and the acid stops refluxing up into the esophagus.
Something that can help is to have the baby sleep on a little bit of a slope. Raise the head of their mattress by putting a pillow or folded up blanket underneath. A semi-raised position can help keep the acid down in the stomach.
Good luck! I know its a worrisome thing to go thru - Inshallah, baby will outgrow it soon!
Re: Reflux in babies
Try Gripe Water.
However, don't get the Indian store one, not that it is "bad" but I heard that they haven't maintained their standards. I used to buy Gripe water from Canadian pharmacies. You get many different brands and all are good and radily available anywhere in Canada, so if you are able to, get it from there. I used to give my daughters gripe water whenever they had acid reflux or colic and it really really helped. However, it was an occasional thing for them, not as severe so this worked.
Re: Reflux in babies
I was just thinking of opening a similar thread. My 4 month old baby has horrible reflux as well. She used to be a 'happy spitter', but since the last month or so, it's gotten worse to the point where she cries, arches her back, and then refuses to eat no matter how hungry she is. There are times it's hard to console her. We tried oval drops, gripe water, raised her mattress...pretty much tried everything. Nothing has worked. The doctor prescribed Zantac, but even that hasn't worked after trying for over a month. Now the doctor has prescribed Prilosec. We're also supposed to see a pediatrics GI specialist to get further tests done. I'd hate to put her through any tests, so I'm hoping it'll just get better on its own.
We tried changing the formula a couple of times, but that hasn't helped. In my research, I came across loads of people who said to add a teaspoon of cereal to thicken the milk. That's supposed to help it stay down. We asked our doctor, but she said she doesn't really believe in that. We also tried thickened formula (enfamil)...and that didn't work either. These days we have her on Gentlease (enfamil), and she seems to be better. I don't know if it's just her cycle of a few good days, or if it's actually helping. We'll wait a few more days and if she's back to refusing feeds because of pain, we'll start Prilosec.
I don't know if you're feeding her yourself or formula. If formula, then maybe talk to the doctor about changing it. Some babies are sensitive to proteins in the milk, others might be lactose intolerant. You might want to get to the bottom of it before it gets any worse. Try to see a pattern for her crying. If she cries right after feeding, keep her upright for at least 15 to 20 minutes after each feed. Try holding her in a baby bjorn, or just hold her upright. Burp her often during feeds. Change her diaper before you feed her...that way the liquid in her tummy doesn't slush around while changing her. If you have her on a 3-hour schedule, maybe shorten it to 2 or 2.5, and feed her smaller amount. That way it gets digested quicker.
These are just a few little suggestions that MIGHT work or make things slightly better for her. Do talk to the doctor again if zantac isn't helping. You don't want it to get worse.
Re: Reflux in babies
gripe water USED to be awesome.. ever since they took the alcohol content out of the mixture, its not the same.
the best one out there was woodwards.