PLEASE HELP!! Acid Reflux baby

[ii_butterflies@hotmail.com]

My 8-week-old daughter has, what I'm told, is horrible acid reflux. I'm nursing exclusively and I've cut out dairy, eggs, nuts (mostly because my 2-year old son is severely allergic to all three of theses things) and because the dairy really seemed to upset her. I'm pulling my hair out and I feel awful for her. She spits up all the time and it's very forceful, she cries a lot after eating as well. I've tried nursing her closer together and further apart and neither seems to help. I'm lucky if I can get her to nap for more than 45 minutes at a time. She will, thankfully, sleep at night between 4-6 hours on the first stretch, but this is after the 1-3 hours it takes to settle her down. I'm just frustrated and concerned for her. I'm taking her to a chiropractor today, so I'm praying this helps. I am not a big fan of medicine, so it worries me to try this with her. I want to keep nursing her...any help, advice would be greatly appreciated!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[APEMBERTON]

The Exact Same Thing Happened To My Cousin When She Had Her First Baby. She Too Was B/f Exclusively, But He Still Had A Horrible..horrible Time. She Was A Complete Wreck( You Sound The Same Way). She Pushed Forward W/ The Breastfeeding Even Though He Spit Up All The Time. It Got Better As He Got Older & Once He Got The Medication.(don't Expect A Miracle Though) Age Is The Main Thing That Helped Him.i Have Also Heard The Chiropractor Helped So Maybe That Will Work!!! I Am So Sorry I Know How Frustrating It Can Be!!! Good Luck & Keep Us Posted.

[ii_butterflies@hotmail.com]

Thank you!! I need to hear things like this to stay encouraged!

[MommaC]

I'm so sorry for you. It's so hard to watch your baby scream in pain and not be able to do anything about it. Not to mention what that screaming can do to your nerves! Honestly, if it's that severe, medicine might be the best thing. I'm not really a fan of drugs myself, but I've watched friends go through this with their babies, and it's amazing what Prevacid can do! And my friend's doctor was really understanding and helped her wean her son off the meds a.s.a.p. Other things to try include sleeping on an incline and keeping her upright for AT LEAST 30 minutes after eating. Doctors often recommend introducting solids (pretty much just the baby cereals) for reflux babies because the cereal stays down better than just liquid. Do the best you can to prevent her from getting gas bubbles, and help her to get them out with as little trouble as possible...struggling with a gas bubble will usualy make them throw up even more. Good luck to you! I hope your baby (and you!) get some relief soon!

[charliesmommy]

I know exactly what you are going through. My baby had reflux too. He has been on Zantac since he's been home from the hospital. If they suggest that, take it. The main thing it does is keep the stomach acid in your baby's tummy so that it doesn't irritate her esophogas (sp). Could you imagine what her throat much feel like?
Be patient, your baby will eventually be fine.

[Mommy2Beans]

My dd had horrible reflux too. She didn't scream after she ate but she would projectile spit up almost every time she would eat. What I found worked for us, having her eat as upright as possible, I was a big fan of nursing while we both layed down but once I got thrown up on enough I had to sit up! We also burped her 1/2 way through feedings to try and eliminte any gas bubbles, we would also keep her upright for atleast 30 minutes after she ate. We used her infant seat a lot, she slept in in countless nights when she was a newborn just so she would keep her food down. We tried a lot of things before putting her on meds. I'm not a fan of medication for an infant but she was miserable and I was miserable for her. She was on Zantac for about 2 months. It worked wonders but she hated the peppermint flavor. Her relfux was almost totally gone by 6 months. She will be okay, try not to worry too much!

[CLS]

Wow, I had no idea how many babies get reflux. My DS also had reflux. We ended up taking him to a gasterointestinal specialist to get him diagnosed. (No fun, I don't recommend it.) They put him on Zantac and later liquid Prevacid, both of which did NO good. Finally, we discovered the wonders of sleeping in an infant seat and using rice cereal in his bottles! Definitely make sure the infant seat is on the ground so that you don't risk a fall. We found thy best way to keep DS warm during the winter was dress him in those fleece footy pjs, and of course we kept him away from drafts. The rice cereal mixture we used was 1 tsp per ounce of formula. I'm assuming the mixture should be similar for breastmilk, but talk to your doctor first if you decide to try it. We also used Dr. Brown's bottles to minimize that gas. That helped a ton for DS too. Good luck, and remember things won't be this bad forever. Most babies do outgrow it by around 4-6 months!

[kmalsop]

My son has struggled with acid reflux also. I breastfeed exclusively, and did the same thing you did. Cut out foods in my diet to try to stop his discomfort. After dealing with it for four months, my doctor has opted to put him on Prevacid. It seems to be helping. Talk to your pediatrician. I don't like to medicate unless all else fails, but this is worth it. Plus, I can eat what I want again.

[ii_butterflies@hotmail.com]

Thanks!! I've tried the chiropractor and it seems to be helping somewhat...we'll probably try the medicine if it doesn't settle down soon.