Zantac or solids?

[Dea]

My 5 mos old has reflux. He isn't in pain, but there is a lot of spitting up, a lot. With every bottle. (I can't breastfeed--sigh)
So my ped said I can either start him on zantac or start him on solids. neither option sounds good to me. I really like baby lead solids, which I did with my toddler and it worked out well.

what would you do?

[Bokonon]

Is the spitting up the only symptom? How is his weight gain?

Is he on formula? Have you tried dairy-free?

My son was an epic spitter and it just kind of resolved itself around 6 months. He was exclusively breastfed.

[minkajane]

If he's got reflux bad enough to prevent him from getting adequate nutrition, I'd go for either the thickened formula specially made for reflux or "heavy" solids like cereal or oatmeal. I always try the non-pharmaceutical approach first before going for the meds. But don't hesitate to go for the meds if other things don't work. Much as it sucks to have to give a baby medication, avoiding esophageal damage and getting enough nutrition in him is the most important thing.

**hugs** Hopefully you find something that works for him.

[Dea]

Originally Posted by Bokonon

Is the spitting up the only symptom? How is his weight gain?

Is he on formula? Have you tried dairy-free?

My son was an epic spitter and it just kind of resolved itself around 6 months. He was exclusively breastfed.

His weight is good, he's a chubby boy. I'm wary to put him on a soy formula, so we haven't gone dairy free. I didn't think it was reflux because he's gaining weight and his happy and all that, he doesn't act like he's in pain at all. But I don't want him to have damage. My my MIL and my mom have reflux issues, and my MIL has had to have surgery to repair damage. So I don't want him to have to have the same issues, although they are much older...

Originally Posted by minkajane

If he's got reflux bad enough to prevent him from getting adequate nutrition, I'd go for either the thickened formula specially made for reflux or "heavy" solids like cereal or oatmeal. I always try the non-pharmaceutical approach first before going for the meds. But don't hesitate to go for the meds if other things don't work. Much as it sucks to have to give a baby medication, avoiding esophageal damage and getting enough nutrition in him is the most important thing.

**hugs** Hopefully you find something that works for him.

I want to avoid damage. Sigh. Poor guy. Although he doesn't seem to care much, he'll puke a whole bunch and keep on smiling.

[EmilyVorpe]

I feel like worst mom ever when I read these posts!!!! I guess Im way mainstream when it comes to some things....
3 out of 4 of my babies have had milk/soy issues. 1 was just milk issue. 3 out of 4 have had SEVERE reflux from 2 weeks old. We started out the gentlest reflux medicines and have eventually landed with them being on 2-3 medicines all at once. My 8mo is currently on 2 medicines and still spits 30 times a day. He is not in pain, but without the medicines, he screams hours and hours on end.
We were also given the suggestion for thickening. The baby wouldnt drink it, so it turned out to not be an option. We were even told to start real baby foods at 4months. He wouldnt eat anything until he was about 7 months.

The way we figure it is that we want whats best for the baby, and if that means doing something that you wouldnt normally want to do or give something that isnt the most ideal thing, as long as it keeps the baby from suffering damage.....it ends up being worth it.
Maybe I am too mainstream....

[Path2Felicity]

My DD had bad reflux too. And lots of vomiting.

I went on a Total Elimination Diet to figure out what was hurting her. I'm still off soy/legumes and chicken and turkey.

I think most of the time, they get reflux from foods we're eating that go through our breast milk. It's better to control the reflux with dietary changes in my opinion.

[ShwarmaQueen]

I'd probably go the cereal (oatmeal or brown rice) route, if that would prevent damage. You're not a failure if you don't do BLW! Besides, you can totally do both.

[firewoman]

My second vomited a lot like that but gained well and wasn't in pain. I didn't do anything different. I kow that vomiting is annoying, but if it was corroding his esophagus and causing damage, he would complain. Even when I started solids, he still spit up huge amounts. It resolved around 1 year. It was messy but if I had it to do again I wouldn't medicate or begin cereal/solids before baby is ready.

[aramat]

Also, smaller feedings, more frequently. And of course, being extra gentle with baby when tummy is full (try to avoid things that put pressure on tummy, including having baby sit straight up).

I've read reflux peaks at 4-5 months of age.

[Bokonon]

Originally Posted by firewoman

My second vomited a lot like that but gained well and wasn't in pain. I didn't do anything different. I kow that vomiting is annoying, but if it was corroding his esophagus and causing damage, he would complain. Even when I started solids, he still spit up huge amounts. It resolved around 1 year. It was messy but if I had it to do again I wouldn't medicate or begin cereal/solids before baby is ready.

My mom says I was a happy spitter until about a year, even though she started me on cereal at like 3 months old (it was the 70s) and I was formula-fed. I have no esophageal damage.

Spitting up is gross and inconvenient, but without pain, it's not really a problem.

[Dea]

Thanks everyone.
I didn't consider that if there was damage he'd let me know. We tried cereal a couple of times. He enjoys it. (he's a funny little guy) It kills me a little every time I give him some, I haven't noticed a difference. I figured it might take a while?

EmilyVorpe, please don't feel bad, I don't think Hudson's reflux is severe, if it was, I'd put him on meds. There is a time and place for them, so I think you did the right thing. I feel that I"m on the cusp, he's gaining and not in pain, so that's why I'm confused.

[Kmama2]

Neither. If he isn't complaining or having weight gain issues I wouldn't do either. My first spit up until she was 15 months old. She was a happy spitter so I didn't worry about it. My 9 month old still spits up 15 + times a day as well. He doesn't complain about it so I don't medicate.

[Plummeting]

Originally Posted by Kmama2

Neither. If he isn't complaining or having weight gain issues I wouldn't do either. My first spit up until she was 15 months old. She was a happy spitter so I didn't worry about it. My 9 month old still spits up 15 + times a day as well. He doesn't complain about it so I don't medicate.

Same here. Why is your pediatrician diagnosing reflux vs. normal spitting up? The way to dx reflux in an infant would be through a pH probe, not by asking mom how often or how much baby spits up. If your DS is gaining well, he's getting plenty of nutrition. If he's happy, he's not in pain and he's not damaging his esophagus - that would HURT. There has not been any research showing that infants who spit up a lot, but are otherwise happy, healthy, and gaining well, develop long term (or any, as far as I know) esophageal damage. Therefore, medicating in such circumstances is overkill.

Zantac will not stop the spitting up. It will only change the pH of the stomach, which can increase the risk of infection and reduce vitamin and mineral absorption. Sometimes babies NEED this sort of medication (so don't feel bad, EmilyVorpe) but in cases where the only symptom is the spitting up itself, I think you'd be hard pressed to find any research suggesting it's necessary. Some babies just spit up.

[omelette]

I've had 2 boys with reflux/gerd. The first was considered a happy spitter, he'd projectile a cup of spit up onto the floor and be smiling away. His stopped at 6mos before the intro of food.
My second is almost 9mos, eating solids and still spitting up. We just tried him on Zantac b/c he is very uncomfortable but it is not helping, I actually think he's been spitting up more since he's been on the stuff.
With both boys I tried food elimination, chiropractor, naturopath and doctors and nothing helped. I'm just waiting for #2 to outgrow it too.

[naschaka]

My DD is 14 weeks and she has had issues since about 4 weeks.  First it was gas, then it became spitting up.  Then the spitting up was accompanied by silent reflux, and then in the midst of 3 different reactions to something I ate the spitting up let to vomit which led to more reflux which led to lots of pain/crying.  It was clear the first 2 reactions were dairy so I've removed that from my diet and then the third was a mystery at 12 weeks.  So I went on an elimination diet: in addition to the diary I cut out at week 10, no wheat, soy, eggs, corn, chicken, beef, nuts, chocolate, alcohol, caffeine, or tomatoes.  At 4 days after I started the elimination diet she was in so much pain for 2 days that I took her to the doctor.  The Ped. prescribed Zantac.  I hate meds and how much we overmedicate these days, but my girl was in pain and it was supposed to help.

But instead it appears that it is making it worse - she's happy all day now EXCEPT in AM/PM when I give her the Zantac when she then vomits up her entire meal that follows to the point of pain.  So I think it may be making it worse not better - Omelette are you having the same reaction? 

I'm considering calling my Ped. tomorrow and telling her I'm taking my DD off of it and keeping up with the diet, then using Colic Calm instead if she has any problems.  I'm regretting giving in to meds since it seems to have made it worse!

[Knitting Mama]

What non-medical things have you tried so far? For my daughter's reflux, making sure she was never nursing or sleeping flat were big keys, and wearing her upright after every feeding for a good hour. If he's sitting well on his own now, making sure he's just sitting rather than laying down after he eats would probably achieve the same result.

[LadyCatherine185]

if he's gaining and not in pain, i wouldn't do anything.

have you tried probiotics? Also, there are herbs that help with reflux, it is a catnip/fennel blend. we are going to start this with my 12 week old who is on zantac for painful reflux. (screaming for hours a night without it)

[elluin]

There are other options besides meds or solids. Our dd's reflux responded really well to chiropractic treatment, upright positioning (we wrapped her a lot) and diet changes (I had to cut wheat).

Good luck, reflux is hard on baby and parents!

[MacKinnon]

Well, I've got a super reflux-y 5 month old and we're trying solids. We already did Mylanta and Zantac, neither did much. Well, the Mylanta would help on a really rough nights, but it has aluminum and I'm not comfortable with that. Tonight for the first time ever, she had solids, then a bath, nursed, burped without spitting up, and fell asleep. No spit up! She's a fussy baby though, and not gaining well. She's slowly sliding down the growth chart. I am breastfeeding, and I've done elimination diets, but seen no change. With my DD, it was milk, and an instant cure when I quit dairy. I read that 44% of babies with reflux also have milk protein allergies, but soy is high on the list. Has your ped suggested a formula change? Honestly, at 5 months, with a baby who enjoys solids, I would be fine with it. I read Colic Solved and it had some great med and symptom specific info that made me feel better about my options, and feel better educated about the options. It's written by a pediatric gastero. and I felt was pretty balanced in it's views. He does talk more about formula options than breastfeeding, so it might be a good reference for you to get some ideas. All this said, some babies are just "happy spitters" and if they are gaining well, and happy, I wouldn't worry about it! Just get good bibs (and a stain remover!).