GERD

I know there are several of you ladies who have had your fair share of the challenges with GERD in their infant. Help!!  Ellie was born preemie and shows classic signs of GERD. I had her at the dr she is gaining weight we got the spitting up under control by slowing her feedings and sitting her upright for 20min after meals.

She was still pulling her legs up to her chest often and seemed uncomfortable so I talked to the nurse at the ped today and they said it's safe to try infant gas drops. So we have done that and yay it helps. We also have her bassinet propped Approx 30 degree so she isn't flat on her back.

BUT she had another projectile incident this evening. Mid BF session it just came pouring out with no warning. What do I do?!?  It's much more upsetting to me than her an I'm afraid to sleep at night because she still does sometimes spit up. They told me I could try rice cereal mixed with breastmilk but I've heard mixed reviews on this. She also seems to over eat and does better with the bottle bc I can know how much she has gotten and can limit it. But I do love BFing and want to continue.

Any suggestions???  I know the GERD is typical for bc she was born at 35 weeks 1 day gestation but OMG I did not realize how stressful it is :(. And I'm so tired bc I'm afraid to sleep bc I'm afraid she will throw up or spit up while I'm asleep

[tiredbuthappy]

aw... poor little one :(
DD#2 had terrible reflux- worse than any my ped had seen, and we had to medicate. Still, with it being as bad as it was, I didn't want to try rice in the breastmilk. And my pediatrician and the pediatric gastro both agreed with my decision (although they would have allowed me to try it). However, hers was silent reflux, so we had NO spitting up, ever. She swallowed it all back down. My little one over-ate as well, and honestly until the acid was being managed with meds, not much helped that problem.
You say it is much more upsetting to you than her. Does that mean she is not in pain but just projectile vomitting? The over-eating indicates the possibility of acid problems, but if she is not arching her back, screaming in pain when she spits up or burps, etc... then it is possible that it is simply a matter of maturity of her digestive system.

If you feel it is really bad, you may want to consult a pediatric gastro. Since she was a preemie, I would think that insurance would cover it. They can do tests to help you figure out what the problem is (a weak flap, acid reflux, both, or neither). As for your peace of mind, I assume since she is breastfed and in a bassinet, she is next to you at night. That would have been my suggestion. I do know some people resort to sleeping their babies in the swing until they outgrow it (but make sure it is a fully reclining cradle swing).

Sorry I don't have more helpful solutions :( It took us over 8 months to get reflux properly controlled with meds. We tried pretty much everything except for cereal in the milk.

[tiredbuthappy]

Forgot to mention- I saw a VERY strong correlation to bad days and certain foods I ate- specifically onions. ANY tiny amount of onions had both of us crying (me because I made her have so much pain). It got to the point where I couldn't even eat jarred tomato sauce because of the tiny amount of onion powder in it. You may want to start paying attention to when it seems worse and what you ate.

And, I just saw your post on the preg 18-34 forum. I realize your ped said no meds until she's not gaining, but surely your pediatrician recognizes that some babies overeat to soothe their throats? If you feel he is not listening to your concerns, you may want to get a second opinion. My ped immediately recognized that my kid was gaining much faster than normal and knew why. Yours may not gain too fast, just because the overreating and the vomitting are balancing eat other out. If I were you, I would start to journal her behaviors and interventions you have tried. That way, when you go back to the ped, you are armed with a list of symptoms, what worked, and what didn't. This can help give the ped a clear picture of what is going on.

[SunWorshiper_26]

Thank you so much!!  You have really helped a lot. When she projectiles it seems to mildly bother her but after every meal she is arching her back pulling her knees to her chest and very fussy upset about it. I am afraid to BF anymore because I can't monitor and stop her when she's had enough so I'm bottle feeding pumped milk and measuring out 2 oz and that is all she can have so she's up every 2hrs to eat but better than over eating I suppose.

I think I will talk to the dr on Mon and if they won't listen you are right a second opinion is a great idea!  Thank you SO much for your help!!  I'm so sorry that you also have had to go through this with your little one :(. I also don't want to do rice cereal if I can help it. Thank you again so much!!

[SunWorshiper_26]

Ped called to tell me today that they think it's best to start Ellie on Rx Zantac. Yay!  Hoping this is the answer :D. Also spoke with a lactation consultant who will come to the house and help me if the Zantac isn't enough :)

[tiredbuthappy]

I hope you get some relief soon!
When we started the zantac, we did notice an improvement, which confirmed that it was acid reflux. Unfortunately, the zantac wasn't enough for her.
Definitely accept the visit from the LC. It's great that you have that resource available.

Watch out- the zantac is gross and getting it in to the baby can be tough. It's peppermint flavor! What baby likes strong peppermint? Unfortunately, it's the only flavor that will mask the bitterness of the meds. DH said some pharmacies try to make it grape flavored, but it is worse. But if it works, it's a God send.

[SunWorshiper_26]

This Zantac seems to help but she HATES the flavor the face she makes oh boy!  She has BF 3x since and it wasn't till this last feeding she over ate and overflowed. Is that normal?  Any suggestions?  I had cut her off bc it seemed too much and 2 min later overflow.

[NicoleW09]

I think it's normal. I have to really watch DD's intake and cut her off bc she will also overeat to soothe her throat. It's kind of hard to monitor intake when you are breastfeeding though. My ped told me it would take a few days before we really knew if it was working for her or not. I hope Ellie feels better soon!

[tiredbuthappy]

They actually say it can take up to 2 weeks to see the full effects of the zantac. It may help immediately, but will take a few days to build up in her system. If there is irritation to the esophagus from the acid, it can take more than a week to heal. But if it seems to help, that is very encouraging.
She is probably used to eating frantically, and it'll take a bit to settle down. The fact that 2 out of 3 feeds were good must have been a huge relief.

[SunWorshiper_26]

That's good to know because she has spit up 2x since my last post but a decrease in quanity of spit up and frequency and less back arching and pulling knees to chest. Hopefully ill continue to see improvements. Thank you so very much for all of your help. I truly appreciate it I was in tears not knowing what to do anymore you helped So much!