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18 week baby
My 18 week old baby girl has gerd although zantac has taken away the pain and carobel somewhat helps the vomiting. She is only 11lb 4oz and is in the 2nd centile. She only takes 4 5oz bottles of nutramigen 1 each day and when I try to give her more she just vomits it up due to her reflux. However she has extreme flatulence at night from 11pm right through until 7am. It is constance, is foul smelling and doesnt stop with the result neither she nor I sleep. Does she need to see a gastroenterologist. I feed her upright, move her legs ect. She burbs during every feed often several times so why does she not get any relief and why does the flatulence keep going all night, very painful for her and huge ones! I need help. She is a bright and active baby who has no other problems but I am now exhausted. Should I try her on baby rice?
Saw baby's paed yesterday and he has changed her to Neocate formula and wants her started on baby rice made up with the Neocate. Even after only 2 bottles last night she had much less flatulence last night, i was only up twice with her and she slept 12 hours! Now maybe this is a coincidence so I don't want to get too excited. I am not going to try the spoonfeed till Saturday as I want to see how she goes with the Neocate first. I just found out that the Nutramigen she was on still has some dairy in it, all be it hydrolysed so Neocate may help.
My goodness, I almost forgot the most important thing, LOL! SUPPORT, SUPPORT, SUPPORT! Being a mommy of a GERDling is hard work. There is an online forum of people dealing with the same issues as you. This was my home for two years!! You should check it out.
http://www.reflux.org
The most action is on the Beginner's forum. Good luck!
http://www.reflux.org
The most action is on the Beginner's forum. Good luck!
What was her percentile at birth? Nutramigen is an excellent formula to have her on! The flatulence is likely not from the formula, because it is hypoallergenic. Does she use a pacifier? That can cause gas, however, pacifiers are generally recommended for GERD babies, because it helps to reduce the acid, as well as promote oral stimulation in a child that likely has and will likely continue to have some feeding difficulty. What type of bottle are you using?? I would recommend Dr. Brown's. They are expensive, but totally worth it. Some of the cheaper bottles are finicky. You have to have the cap screwed on just right to get the proper flow. Too tight, and she has to suck too hard. Too loose and lots of bubbles. Bubbles are needed to equalize the pressure in the bottle, but Dr. Brown's has a venting system so that no bubbles get in. I would not recommend using baby rice on a sensitive tummy. Yes, it may help keep the formula in, but there are other thickening agents that can be used. If your daughter has lost weight, or has not gained significant weight, in that she has dropped 2 or more major centiles since birth, i.e (25% to 2%, thus crossing 10% and 5%), then you should definitely consult with a pediatric gastroenterolgist, or at the very least, request that your pediatrician do a thorough work up for failure to thrive. If she was always small, that's a different story, but with the GERD, feeding of only 20 oz per day, and vomiting, a pediatric GI is definitely in order.
In a baby that small, it's hard to say that ALL of the pain she experiences is directly related to gas. It could actually still be the GERD. I always recommend (as a mother) that any baby with significant vomiting and pain be placed on a PPI, such as Prevacid, as it is much more effective than zantac at preventing esophageal damage. As well, with an infant who vomits (NOT spits up, but VOMITS) and does not feed well, there is a condition known as delayed gastric emptying (DGE), where the stomach does not empty as efficiently. You may want to also consider that as a possibility, and a pediatric GI would be able to look into that.
Some babies are just gassy because there systems are immature and all she may need is time. Same thing for GERD. Immature LES (Lower Esophageal Sphincter). However, I can remember doctors pooh-poohing me and telling me that my daughter would outgrow her GERD by 6 months to a year, and that was NOT the case. My daughter was almost 9lbs at birth, and is 28lbs at age 4. You CANNOT get back the crucial first year when it comes to growth. My daughter is still playing catch up with weight and height because her doctor did not manage her GERD and associated difficulties as best they could when she was an infant. Hang in there, I personally know how rough it can be to have a GERDling. (((HUGS)))
In a baby that small, it's hard to say that ALL of the pain she experiences is directly related to gas. It could actually still be the GERD. I always recommend (as a mother) that any baby with significant vomiting and pain be placed on a PPI, such as Prevacid, as it is much more effective than zantac at preventing esophageal damage. As well, with an infant who vomits (NOT spits up, but VOMITS) and does not feed well, there is a condition known as delayed gastric emptying (DGE), where the stomach does not empty as efficiently. You may want to also consider that as a possibility, and a pediatric GI would be able to look into that.
Some babies are just gassy because there systems are immature and all she may need is time. Same thing for GERD. Immature LES (Lower Esophageal Sphincter). However, I can remember doctors pooh-poohing me and telling me that my daughter would outgrow her GERD by 6 months to a year, and that was NOT the case. My daughter was almost 9lbs at birth, and is 28lbs at age 4. You CANNOT get back the crucial first year when it comes to growth. My daughter is still playing catch up with weight and height because her doctor did not manage her GERD and associated difficulties as best they could when she was an infant. Hang in there, I personally know how rough it can be to have a GERDling. (((HUGS)))
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