[mandalamama]

i was born with GERD, mine was serious enough that i ended up with a feeding tube and had to learn to eat. so i've dreaded Willow showing any signs of it. she's got some of the symptoms of reflux: persistent coughing and hiccups, chronic nasal congestion, irritable crying after each feeding, sour/wet burps, and some spitting up. she doesn't spit up very much, and she showed all the same symptoms when she was nursing (she's FF now). i've heard they can have "silent reflux" with little or no spit-up. i'd mentioned all this at her 1-month checkup, the dr. said as long as she's eating and gaining, she doesn't have reflux. but: she is gaining very slowly, and she eats *too much*. as in, when she BF'd she cluster-nursed pretty much all day, and now she is hungry for the formula every hour or even more often. i still have GERD and i drink something constantly, because swallowing helps ease the pain. Willow shows hunger signs constantly, but then shows signs of pain during or after eating a little bit. so i'm wondering if she has silent reflux. anyone have experience with this stuff? how do they diagnose it?

 

[amyandelle]

Elle has silent reflux. She does not spit up at all but I can hear it come up in her throat and then I hear her gulp it back down.

From the symptoms you are describing it sounds like it could be silent reflux. I recommend seeing a GI specialist. The regular ped is not as knowledgable as the GI ped with this type of thing. Elle was not diagnosed until she was 7 months old and she was also diagnosed with food allergies at the same time but at this point things were extreamly bad and if she had been diagnosed earlier it would have saved her a lot of pain and suffering!! I had been mentioning all of her symptoms to the regular ped at all of her visits starting at 1 month old and even made extra visits and they blew me off every time telling me that all of her issues were due to her not sleeping in a crib

:

The GI specialist never once asked me where she sleeps and she took the whole situation very seriously. She put Elle on Zantac and with-in a few days her symptoms started to go away and she was much happier. She is still a poor sleeper but there is no more pain with nursing or arching her back and crying. She still has a chronic stuffy nose and bad breath from time to time but for the most part she is much better!!
Good luck and keep us posted!!
Amy

 

[USAmma]

Hi! Nitara had the silent kind for the first 3 mos. The only indication was that she was in constant pain, screaming, and refusing to eat. Also back-arching during feeds. My dd has a stomach tube right now. I would be very interested to hear your story, when you learned to eat, etc.

Unfortunately it's hereditary in many cases. My dd, we feel, had reflux. He ate by medicine dropper for 7 mos. and finally started taking bottles again at about 9 mos.

Nitara still gained with her reflux even though she wasn't eating much. She ended up FTT because of loss of body fat and stalled head growth. I think it's BS that you should only be concerned if she's still gaining. What do peds know? You should really see a specialist -- esp. with your family history-- to rule it out. Some reflux babies overeat and still gain, but they are in pain. I wish my ped had taken my concerns seriously before it got to the point where Nitara stopped eating. If she had been treated with prilosec or something early on, she might be drinking bottles right now instead of sitting in her highchair hooked up to the feeding pump.

((HUGS)) and keep us up to date. BTW I love your dd's name!

Darshani

ETA click on Nitara's caring bridge page in my sig and look for the photos section. There's a photo of her back-arching during feedings. This is very common in reflux babies.

 

[hjohnson]

Is back arching after feeding common in reflux babies? My son loves to arch his back and shriek after BF on one side. He is also quite spitty. Sometimes when he spitsup he is fine, other times he start crying after he spits. My ped keeps telling me his fine as long as he is gaining and there is no blood in the spitup. I wonder though. He definitely isn't as happy at the same age as his brother was. It takes an effort to get a smile out of him some days. Burping is an ordeal as well.

 

[USAmma]

Back arching is common when the baby is having pain from reflux. Some babies are "happy spitters" and don't arch or fight feedings. My oldest never back arched. She vomited a lot but then happily drank more. If your baby is in pain it might be time for some Zantac or stronger meds . . .

Darshani

 

[J-Max]

I have one of those "happy spitters"

DD#2 started extreme vomiting after eating right after birth. I tried limiting my diet (exbf) and that did not seem to make any difference. My ped had a child with reflux, so she was very helpfull. DD did not seemed to be bothered by it, she was content and happy, ever when she was vomiting. We tried EVERTHING and nothing seemed to decrease the explosive spitting up after nursing. At 3 months we put her on Zantac, but took her off 6 weeks later, because it did not do anything. This continued even after she was on solids (GROSS!). I am preg with #3 and lost my milk about 3 months ago. We noticed a big decrease with the vomiting. I kept a strict food-vomit diary for about a week and noticed it was really bad after a meal with milk. We have cut out all dairy and she is fine! (untill something slips by me). We think she has a very severe milk allergy (runs strong in my family).

I know this is not an answer to your question, but we thought she had reflux (and probably did some). She gained weight and was not in pain, just the extreme vomiting. You might want to try a different formula - just a suggestion.

I HTH and your little one is feeling better soon!

 

[mandalamama]

she's not arching in pain at every feeding, but gradually she's arching at more and more feedings. yesterday she vomited for the first time! quite the Exorcist moment. right in the middle of a bottle, and she didn't even cry or fuss (it was me and my husband doing the fussing!). when she does spit up, it's usually a tiny bit and about an hour after eating. she ends up overeating i think, just so she can keep swallowing. i mean she weighs just over 7 lbs. but i feed on demand and she'll demand a 4 oz. bottle every 2 hours during the day, she'll drink 3.5 oz of that. when i was BFing she cluster-nursed pretty much all day long.

she does sleep well, but right from the start she wouldn't sleep lying flat ... she slept in her car carrier for the first 4 weeks, then i got her to sleep in her co-sleeper by elevating the top of the mattress with rolled-up towels underneath. still won't lie flat in bed with me, if she slips down from a half-sitting position she wakes up crying. i'm calling her ped tomorrow, if she's not knowledgable about GERD i'll have to ask for a referral.

Darshani ... my mom said i learned to drink from a bottle at 3 months finally, but i didn't have silent reflux i had just plain ol' throwing up all the time reflux. i don't know what treatment they gave me, this was back in the late '60s. i do know i've had GERD every day of my life, i had a dr's note to have a bottle of water in class with me in school so i could keep sipping to ease the pain. as an adult, i didn't want to take meds for it and the sipping trick, plus meditation to ease stress, has always helped. i take phenergan when it gets really bad ... with GERD as an older child or adult, once you start throwing up you can't stop! phenergan acts to prevent vomiting. i've tried Zantac and other drugs but don't like the headaches and other side effects, hence i just keep on sipping liquids all day. so i can see why Willow has always demanded feeding so very often.

 

[Dylan'sMom]

My DS didn't projectile vomit like many babies do with reflux. He always spit up a little and arched his back while nursing. Sometimes he would cry, sometimes not. They did an upper GI on him to officially diagnose (hated the bottle of chalk). He's been on Zantac from about 4 months old and it has seemed to help him tremendously.

From family experience they do learn how to control it as they get older. I believe I had it when I was a kid because my mom says I used to do the projectile thing. I don't have many problems now, just occasional heartburn.

 

[wtchyhlr]

this is very interesting, my mom keeps harping on the fact that i was a projectile vomiter as a newborn... And I know I have GERD as an adult, as well as a milk senstivity. I wonder if I had reflux as a baby. I am planning on doing the no dairy / no wheat routine when this baby is born to cut down on the stuff that I know I'm borderline allergic to, to minimize the chance of baby allergic reaction....

 

[chantald]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mellybean i've heard they can have "silent reflux" with little or no spit-up. i'd mentioned all this at her 1-month checkup, the dr. said as long as she's eating and gaining, she doesn't have reflux. but: she is gaining very slowly, and she eats *too much*. as in, when she BF'd she cluster-nursed pretty much all day, and now she is hungry for the formula every hour or even more often. i still have GERD and i drink something constantly, because swallowing helps ease the pain. Willow shows hunger signs constantly, but then shows signs of pain during or after eating a little bit. so i'm wondering if she has silent reflux. anyone have experience with this stuff? how do they diagnose it?

Hi
My DD is the same way and our Ped said the same thing. She won't treat DD unless she isn't gaining.. which she is. She cluster nurses, spits up a little, has wet burps, cries after many feedings and most burps.. She is also 14 lbs at 2 months!!

The Ped said that the meds they Rx for reflux are not great for kids, cause Parkinsons like side effects and are not indicated for kids who are gaining well.. that we just have to wait it out and as she matures.. it will get better..

Ok.. but it doesn't make listening to her cry any easier..

hugs to you

Chantal

 

[mandalamama]

dr. agreed today that she does indeed have reflux, and she's already had her first dose of Zantac. i hope it works for her! i feel bad i didn't call last week, i wasn't as aware of silent reflux yet though. at her 2-month checkup i'm going to ask if acid reflux equals GERD, or is it different, how to tell if Willow's reflux is going to be chronic, etc. i had been blaming it on formula but she did show symptoms during BFing. poor kid, i hope it's not chronic for her! i still carry a beverage with me wherever i go and have to sip constantly. and i can't eat citrus fruits or tomatoes.

 

[USAmma]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mellybean dr. agreed today that she does indeed have reflux, and she's already had her first dose of Zantac. i hope it works for her! i feel bad i didn't call last week, i wasn't as aware of silent reflux yet though. at her 2-month checkup i'm going to ask if acid reflux equals GERD, or is it different, how to tell if Willow's reflux is going to be chronic, etc. i had been blaming it on formula but she did show symptoms during BFing. poor kid, i hope it's not chronic for her! i still carry a beverage with me wherever i go and have to sip constantly. and i can't eat citrus fruits or tomatoes.

It's not your fault, and I too didn't know about silent reflux until Nitara was dx. Nitara has not outgrown hers yet but it seems to be getting better. I was just at her surgeon's office today and he said to start thinking about the fundo surgery if she doesn't get better soon. Just to improve her quality of life. I still think she might outgrow it though. The fundo is a serious surgery.

Sorry to get off track. Anyway, it's hard to tell if it's going to be chronic at this stage. With your history it may be, but then again maybe not. Most reflux babies get better when they can sit up on their own. If not then, it should be better when they start to walk. If it's still around at 18 mos it's probably going to be chronic.

BTW I pumped for Nitara for 7 weeks and she still had it. It actually got better on Alimentum formula. I think because she was allergic to things in my milk. She had projectile vomiting sometimes, mucous in the stools, etc. Alimentum made it slightly better, back to silent reflux for several months. Nitara's stomach empties too slowly. You might want to check and see if she's still spitting up hours after the feedings, or if you can tell if she has wet sounding burps, nasal congestion, or a gurgly voice. If so tell the doctor, there are meds that can help.

Nitara is on Bethanachol, which has few side effects compared to Reglan. It has helped her a lot, but not fully corrected the problem.

Come over to www.parent-2-parent.com boards if you want to join a lot of moms who have babies/kids with reflux. It's so supportive and informative. I've learned more from the parents there than at the doctor's office. Your experiences as an adult with GERD would be valuable. I'm sorry you are still dealing with this yourself. Willow is lucky to have such a good advocate in you.

Darshani

 

[mandalamama]

i'm trying to figure out the best way to give Willow her Zantac ... it tastes yucky so she won't take it straight. i tried mixing it with her regular bottle of formula and that worked, but the ped said she's supposed to have it 30 minutes *before* a meal. if i mix it in with only a little formula or give it to her straight, 20 minutes later she's screaming and arching inconsolably

for the moms who are using Zantac, how do you give it to your babies so they're comfortable?

You might want to check and see if she's still spitting up hours after the feedings, or if you can tell if she has wet sounding burps, nasal congestion, or a gurgly voice. If so tell the doctor, there are meds that can help.

wet burps, yup. always spits up about an hour after eating, not during. she's had nasal congestion since she was born. i kept thinking it was formula but she had all the same symptoms when BFing. we're seeing the dr. Monday for her 2-month checkup.

i'll check out that parent board, thank you! this is so hard, Willow is at the age where i should be putting her down for tummy time so she can learn to lift her head, or laying her flat on her back so she can learn to roll over, but she screams in those positions. luckily she's ok at night, i elevated her co-sleeper mattress at the head. but for some reason that doesn't work for playtime.

my experience with GERD is that most of the meds made me sicker, so i ended up going med-free in my early 20s. if i swallow nearly constantly, it keeps things going in the right direction. so i've always had a bottle of water or diet soda or hard candies on me at all times. i also eat lots of tiny little snacks rather than full meals. i keep a bottle full of water or diet soda at bedside and wake up to sip quite a lot. i'm really, really hoping Willow's case isn't as bad as mine

 

[USAmma]

I have just a second-- try flavoring some water with vanilla. Then suck the meds up in a med syringe, and such some vanilla water in another med syringe. Squirt to the side of her cheek, aim towards the back, then squirt some vanilla water after that. Babies LOVE vanilla. Does she take a pacifier? If so, you can squirt some and then pop the paci in her mouth so she has to suck and swallow it. Only squirt .1 to .2 ml at a time, that's too small of amt to spit if she starts learning how to do that. Nitara learned to spit so now I give it down the tube. The tube does have advantages!

Darshani

ETA: have you checked for allergies yet? What kind of formula is she on again? I wonder if Alimentum or Nutramigen would make a difference? It made a slight difference with Nitara. Stopped the projectile vomiting for awhile because it moves through the system faster. If you try it and she hates it at first, add vanilla.

 

[mandalamama]

allergies: she's had persistently green poops, so we'll be discussing allergies at her 2-month checkup on Monday. she's doing a LOT better last night and today on the Zantac, i give it to her in a 2oz. bottle so she drinks all of it, and it seems to still be effective. she'd had green poops when i was BFing and i eliminated all dairy for a week, and there was no change. but we probably will be trying Alimentum, i think.

how did you help Nitara get tummy time and back time? i mean, to learn to lift her head and to roll over? Willow can't stand either position, so she's carried or worn all day.

 

[USAmma]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mellybean allergies: she's had persistently green poops, so we'll be discussing allergies at her 2-month checkup on Monday. she's doing a LOT better last night and today on the Zantac, i give it to her in a 2oz. bottle so she drinks all of it, and it seems to still be effective. she'd had green poops when i was BFing and i eliminated all dairy for a week, and there was no change. but we probably will be trying Alimentum, i think. how did you help Nitara get tummy time and back time? i mean, to learn to lift her head and to roll over? Willow can't stand either position, so she's carried or worn all day.

I waited until she was ready, and then she wanted to all on her own. I think around 4-5 mos. Even carrying Willow upright in a sling will help her get neck and back strength. You are doing a good job mama!

The green poop could also be from too much foremilk. Are you pumping until your breasts are empty? Nitara couldn't tolerate my milk very well so I froze it in a deep freeze. I *still* have some left in the freezer believe it or not. I thaw some every so often. She's tolerating it much better now but still gets a red ring around her anus sometimes.

Darshani

 

[mandalamama]

Willow is on formula, we had to wean at 3.5 weeks because of my medications. it's good to hear she'll catch up on the developmental stuff

your Nitara is such a cutie!

 

[USAmma]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mellybean Willow is on formula, we had to wean at 3.5 weeks because of my medications. it's good to hear she'll catch up on the developmental stuff your Nitara is such a cutie!

I remember that now!!

Sorry! How are you feeling now that you can take your meds full strength now?

Darshani

 

[mandalamama]

i'm feeling really great. i actually feel guilty that i feel so good, because i'd rather be breastfeeding. but i get so much done in a day, able to take good care of Willow and take care of myself and the house. every time i'm able to pick her up and dance with her i know i did the right thing

i notice since we started Zantac, it's harder to get her to burp! some feedings i don't get any burp at all. we are using Dr. Brown's bottles, she gets hardly any air. i wonder if that's a common Zantac reaction, though?

 

[thyme]

Quote:

i'm trying to figure out the best way to give Willow her Zantac ... it tastes yucky so she won't take it straight

Regular Zantac is hideous tasting. We get it made at a compounding pharmacy with banana flavor and DS has been able to tolerate it since he was 3 weeks old. (Getting it compounded w/flavor is different than just adding flavor to the existing Zantac.)

Also Axid is very similar to Zantac and tastes way better.

We use a syringe and squirt it into the back of his mouth and he swallows it right down.