Please need help again-reflux ?s

I'm sorry you're having a rough time. my 1st is/was a very high needs child so i know it is very stressful.

i haven't read any of your previous posts so i don't know what else you've tried besides zantac, but my 2nd baby (4.5 mos. now) had reflux and i eliminated dairy in my diet and it stopped. it is obvious b/c any time i eat a little bit he is spewing all over the place again. maybe you've already looked into that but just thought i'd mention it.

it might be better to try diet changes first before doing all the stressful scary tests. We have had to do that, too, with our older ds and I'm with you, it was awful and we didn't learn anything new. In my experience, most regular peds and gi doctors aren't very open to the diet sensitivity idea.

I hope you find a solution!

I'm sorry she's not showing much signs of improvement yet. It sounds like she needs a stronger med such as Prilosec or Prevacid. My dd has been on Prilosec for more than a year. It made a huge difference for her as far as comfort. I don't think an upper GI test is in order just yet. Try the stronger meds first and give it a week or two to start working.

It could also be that your baby may have some other issue going on such as gas or digestive problems. You can safely give gas drops before or after every feeding. Also examine your own diet to see if there are things that might be irritating to the baby's tummy such as dairy (that's the biggie).

You mentioned she's running a fever-- maybe she's coming down with something. You don't need to give meds for a low grade fever.

My dd had severe reflux and she did best sleeping on her tummy. It helps a lot with reflux babies. You have to weigh the risks and benefits of tummy sleeping vs. back sleeping and do what you think is best. Just listen to your heart.

After all that-- some babies are just high needs. Some becuase of medical issues, and some because they are just that way. My first was high needs and needed to be held all the time, was not the happiest baby in the world. She's now 5 and very sensitive, intuiative, and deep-thinking about things that most kids her age might not give a second thought. It was very, very hard but I'm glad dh and I did so much AP with her as a baby so she could blossom into the person she is today.

My second baby, the one with severe reflux, she was not high needs. When she was feeling good and not hurting, she was very content and laid back. I took her periods of high needs to indicate that she was hurting and I demanded of the doctors to help make her feel better.

You just have to know what's normal and not normal for your baby, and learn to listen to your heart. ((HUGS)) I know reflux is so hard to deal with. PM me if you ever want to talk.

I was also going to suggest cutting out soy, I had to do that with both of my babes.

Just like dairy, soy protein is hidden in a lot of things. More often than not if something says "vegtable protein" it has soy.

My 7 month old is still having trouble with his reflux too. My ped just kept increasing his dose so I'm taking him to a Ped GI. It doesn't mean he'll automatically get any tests done, or even has to if the doctor suggests it, but I want to see what all my options are. I'm tired of seeing this little guy still struggling.

If it helps, my daughter had upper and lower GIs around eight weeks (I think) and while they weren't FUN, they weren't as bad as I thought. The upper is a little tricky because you have to feed them that stuff so they need to be hungry for a while and the lower - well, not fun for obvious reasons. At that point I was DESPERATE to rull out anything more serious than reflux because she wasn't responding to meds and had some other problems. There were a few specific things they were looking for that had easy surgical fixes and as much as I wanted her to be "fixed" - the idea of surgery was scary. Turns out it is reflux but I don't have to wonder if it's something more serious.

Don't be afraid of seeing a specialist. Ours is great - he is in almost constant contact with us and has really worked with us to adjust her meds and habits and improve her quality of life. As much as no one WANTS their kid to be on meds, sometimes it's just necessary.

Edited to add - because your baby's weight and physical maturity are changing so fast, this is not a situation where you'll get a med and a dose and that's the end of it. It really is an on-going process of adjustment and change. It helps to either have a ped or GI you LOVE because you'll need to talk with them often to keep up with your changing baby.