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babies w/reflux and the cause
I have been thinking about this for a while now. There are so many abbies now getting reflux and being put on meds and taking cereal way to eary for thier young little bellies!!
I rarely if ever heard of this when my other children were born. Also I was made aware of a new study that showed dr's use antipumpinhibitors I think their called, way to often and when they are not intended. I guess something about taking away the good acids by takign them causes stomach issues and digestive problems and can lead to a whole list of problems.
So this is crazy! Why are these little babies getting reflux so much more often now? There has to be a link somewhere! I had a little one eary whose flap did not close off so he had projectile vomiting and my little guy now has reflux but it has gotten better the older he gets and I have never gave him a thing for it!
SO I thought moms of babies who has it could answer some questions for me.
(I took progesterone shots this last pregnancy)
Did you take anything other then prenatals during pregnancy including OTC?
Where you given any meds during birth?
When did it start, and when did it become a cause for concern for baby?
Did babies diet change before dr even talked about the meds? Please elaborate
Who first mentioned the meds you or dr?
How long did it take for the meds to work?
If you did nto do meds and did cereal did it make things better and how?
I hope I am not stepping on anyones toes here, I am not meaning too, I am hoping some of you have wondered the same thing.
The meds for me by pill and shot is the only thing I can say of. He had it from a few days after birth and has only been BF since birth and yes my diet did make him worse so I had to eliminate certian foods, I started him on foods at 6 months but mostly just a tablespoon once a day is all he eats if that, he has had no issues with food so far. I did hold him at first becasue of reflux when he laid down to fast after eating. It seemed to happen within say 20 min after eating I would hear him choke. He is sitting up though now and that has helped. I did not do tummy time for a while as I could nto lay him down for a while after eating and then it would be time to sleep or eat again so the tummy time got nixed often.
Anyone think of any other similarities?? Wondering if the prenatals are made different or the higher amounts of a certian thing is causing it!?
I rarely if ever heard of this when my other children were born. Also I was made aware of a new study that showed dr's use antipumpinhibitors I think their called, way to often and when they are not intended. I guess something about taking away the good acids by takign them causes stomach issues and digestive problems and can lead to a whole list of problems.
So this is crazy! Why are these little babies getting reflux so much more often now? There has to be a link somewhere! I had a little one eary whose flap did not close off so he had projectile vomiting and my little guy now has reflux but it has gotten better the older he gets and I have never gave him a thing for it!
SO I thought moms of babies who has it could answer some questions for me.
(I took progesterone shots this last pregnancy)
Did you take anything other then prenatals during pregnancy including OTC?
Where you given any meds during birth?
When did it start, and when did it become a cause for concern for baby?
Did babies diet change before dr even talked about the meds? Please elaborate
Who first mentioned the meds you or dr?
How long did it take for the meds to work?
If you did nto do meds and did cereal did it make things better and how?
I hope I am not stepping on anyones toes here, I am not meaning too, I am hoping some of you have wondered the same thing.
The meds for me by pill and shot is the only thing I can say of. He had it from a few days after birth and has only been BF since birth and yes my diet did make him worse so I had to eliminate certian foods, I started him on foods at 6 months but mostly just a tablespoon once a day is all he eats if that, he has had no issues with food so far. I did hold him at first becasue of reflux when he laid down to fast after eating. It seemed to happen within say 20 min after eating I would hear him choke. He is sitting up though now and that has helped. I did not do tummy time for a while as I could nto lay him down for a while after eating and then it would be time to sleep or eat again so the tummy time got nixed often.
Anyone think of any other similarities?? Wondering if the prenatals are made different or the higher amounts of a certian thing is causing it!?
Come to think of it while I was pregnant with her my heartburn and reflux got much much worse. Before I was pregnant I would only have a flare up and need meds maybe twice a month or so. Then in the second trimester I had to have tums everyday multiple times. It was so bad it was making me sick. I think maybe it's a genetics thing with her as I have it and DH has it.
I had two kids with it...I only took tylenol a couple of times pregnant, and abx once for a severe upper respiratory infection...
I did not take any meds during l&d
My two that did have it, had it almost immediately
With my first I did try meds, but with no avail it didnt help, so I said nope no more..So with both we just did enfamil gentlease with one and similac RS with the other and they both helped..My daughter is now almost 6 months old and I have her on plain sensitive formula, and she still spits up a little and has that gaggy type reflex some but not much
I did talk to my pedi, and saw a specialist for infants, and they both think that it is a hereditary issue for both of mine..DH has reflux horrible...I dont know that that is the case for everyone else, but it was with me...I do somewhat feel it is hereditary though that somewhere down the line someone in the genes had it...
I did not take any meds during l&d
My two that did have it, had it almost immediately
With my first I did try meds, but with no avail it didnt help, so I said nope no more..So with both we just did enfamil gentlease with one and similac RS with the other and they both helped..My daughter is now almost 6 months old and I have her on plain sensitive formula, and she still spits up a little and has that gaggy type reflex some but not much
I did talk to my pedi, and saw a specialist for infants, and they both think that it is a hereditary issue for both of mine..DH has reflux horrible...I dont know that that is the case for everyone else, but it was with me...I do somewhat feel it is hereditary though that somewhere down the line someone in the genes had it...
I had a few more thoughts... I have discussed this at length with my neighbor who is a nurse. Her son also had terrible reflux but that was 18 years ago. Back then, they didn't medicate. Her son was miserable until 8 or 9 months. Not just fussy, but the full-out screaming that reflux babies do. We now have meds that they give to these babies. In fact, these meds are often used as a tool be pediatricians to *diagnose* reflux- if they work, then it's acid reflux. If not, then it's not. This is a fairly new thing, and most pediatricians prescribe based on what the drug reps tell them and what samples they get to hand out to the patients. Now, I realize that this sounds bad, but in many cases the benefits outweigh the risks. I do suspect that in some cases peds are too quick to offer the meds, without giving other interventions a chance. What many moms don't realize is that spitting up is normal- it's when there is acid along with it that is causing the pain that meds may be needed.
I have also discussed with several medical professionals that there does appear to be a link between colic and relux. Not all reflux babies have colic, but most colicky babies have reflux. Decades ago (my neighbor's kid, for example) these children were considered to be colicky. Having experienced both, I clearly see there IS a difference. My daughter's colic was neurological in nature, not digestive. The reflux did aggrevate it, but her colic symptoms and behaviors were caused by an immature neurological system.
DH is a pharmacist, so we don't medicate blindly- we know a bit about them. His primary concern about the meds was that Prevacid can inhibit calcium absorption. Since those a critical months for growing, that is why he refused the prevacid at first. But it was very clear that our little one was in extreme pain, and she was over eating. When the zantac wasn't doing enough, he agreed to try the prevacid (weighing risks and benefits).
Despite the severity of her reflux, we were able to wean her off the meds by a year. We have not seen any lasting impacts of being on the meds yet. Her digestion appears to be normal. We do occasionally see mild signs of heartburn if she eats certain foods, but usually not bad enough to give her OTC meds. I think we have had to give her a dose of Maalox 3 times in the last 7 months.
I have also discussed with several medical professionals that there does appear to be a link between colic and relux. Not all reflux babies have colic, but most colicky babies have reflux. Decades ago (my neighbor's kid, for example) these children were considered to be colicky. Having experienced both, I clearly see there IS a difference. My daughter's colic was neurological in nature, not digestive. The reflux did aggrevate it, but her colic symptoms and behaviors were caused by an immature neurological system.
DH is a pharmacist, so we don't medicate blindly- we know a bit about them. His primary concern about the meds was that Prevacid can inhibit calcium absorption. Since those a critical months for growing, that is why he refused the prevacid at first. But it was very clear that our little one was in extreme pain, and she was over eating. When the zantac wasn't doing enough, he agreed to try the prevacid (weighing risks and benefits).
Despite the severity of her reflux, we were able to wean her off the meds by a year. We have not seen any lasting impacts of being on the meds yet. Her digestion appears to be normal. We do occasionally see mild signs of heartburn if she eats certain foods, but usually not bad enough to give her OTC meds. I think we have had to give her a dose of Maalox 3 times in the last 7 months.
Did you take anything other then prenatals during pregnancy including OTC?
~No progesterone- I did have to take pepcid on and off during pregnancy for terrible heartburn. I normally do not have any of these problems- they emerge during pregnancy.
Where you given any meds during birth?
~I had a c-section, so I had a spinal, morphine shot, and then percocets and motrin for a few days
When did it start, and when did it become a cause for concern for baby?
~I first noticed it when we were still in the hospital! mine had silent reflux so she NEVER spit up. I would hear it come up, hear her swallow, and she would make funny faces. After a few days, those faces turned to screams.
Did babies diet change before dr even talked about the meds? Please elaborate
~ I did have to change my diet. We discovered onions aggrevated her tremendously. I couldn't even eat jarred tomato sauce (ragu, etc...) because of the slight amount of onion powder in it.
Who first mentioned the meds you or dr?
~My pediatrician, but I went in there with a long list of interventions we tried first (small, frequent feeds, frequent burping, holding upright, sleeping on an incline etc...)
How long did it take for the meds to work?
~We did see some improvements immediately, which confirmed to my ped that it was acid reflux. However, her case was so severe, it took us 8 months to get the meds right. We started with Zantac, and when that didn't work we switched to Prevacid. During the transition, there is a period where you continue the zantac while waiting for the prevacid to build up in the system. Then you wean off of zantac. We couldn't wean her off the zantac. On both, she was OK. As soon as we dropped the amount of zantac, there were horrible flair-ups. I cried along with the screaming baby. The pediatrician had never had a baby that didn't respond to the standard doses of these meds, so he referred us to a Gastro. The gastro did an allergy test at 6 months (no allergies) and upped the dose of prevacid. This worked and around 8 months we had the right dose that prevented the very drastic symptoms.
Her reflux was so bad, it looked like what they describe as Sandifer's Syndrome.
If you did nto do meds and did cereal did it make things better and how?
~Both the ped and gastro mentioned cereal in addition to meds, but as soon as I reminded them I was bf'ing they took that as a cue that I didn't want to do that and they dropped it
I wondered if there is a trend as well and would be curious to know if you see any patterns.
~No progesterone- I did have to take pepcid on and off during pregnancy for terrible heartburn. I normally do not have any of these problems- they emerge during pregnancy.
Where you given any meds during birth?
~I had a c-section, so I had a spinal, morphine shot, and then percocets and motrin for a few days
When did it start, and when did it become a cause for concern for baby?
~I first noticed it when we were still in the hospital! mine had silent reflux so she NEVER spit up. I would hear it come up, hear her swallow, and she would make funny faces. After a few days, those faces turned to screams.
Did babies diet change before dr even talked about the meds? Please elaborate
~ I did have to change my diet. We discovered onions aggrevated her tremendously. I couldn't even eat jarred tomato sauce (ragu, etc...) because of the slight amount of onion powder in it.
Who first mentioned the meds you or dr?
~My pediatrician, but I went in there with a long list of interventions we tried first (small, frequent feeds, frequent burping, holding upright, sleeping on an incline etc...)
How long did it take for the meds to work?
~We did see some improvements immediately, which confirmed to my ped that it was acid reflux. However, her case was so severe, it took us 8 months to get the meds right. We started with Zantac, and when that didn't work we switched to Prevacid. During the transition, there is a period where you continue the zantac while waiting for the prevacid to build up in the system. Then you wean off of zantac. We couldn't wean her off the zantac. On both, she was OK. As soon as we dropped the amount of zantac, there were horrible flair-ups. I cried along with the screaming baby. The pediatrician had never had a baby that didn't respond to the standard doses of these meds, so he referred us to a Gastro. The gastro did an allergy test at 6 months (no allergies) and upped the dose of prevacid. This worked and around 8 months we had the right dose that prevented the very drastic symptoms.
Her reflux was so bad, it looked like what they describe as Sandifer's Syndrome.
If you did nto do meds and did cereal did it make things better and how?
~Both the ped and gastro mentioned cereal in addition to meds, but as soon as I reminded them I was bf'ing they took that as a cue that I didn't want to do that and they dropped it
I wondered if there is a trend as well and would be curious to know if you see any patterns.
I've had 4 babies on reflux meds and one that wasnt so I will try to answer for all of gthem
(I took progesterone shots this last pregnancy)
Did you take anything other then prenatals during pregnancy including OTC?
No not with any of them
Where you given any meds during birth?
These are pretty much things I took during each of my pregnancies (including the non-reflux baby): tylenol, sudafed (both psuedoephedrime and phenylephrine), hydrocodone (during 3rd trimester), antibiotics and cold medicines
When did it start, and when did it become a cause for concern for baby?
early on (with in first 3 weeks) with all 4 of them-I became concerned when it was projectile spit up and they were spitting up almost their entire bottles-even if it had been awhile since they ate.
Did babies diet change before dr even talked about the meds? Please elaborate
No, with one she was strictly formula fed. With the other three they were on breastmilk with formula supplementation the first few weeks.
Who first mentioned the meds you or dr?
With the first one it was the doc-she had an upper GI also
2nd and 3rd I brought up reflux and doc prescribed zantac
4th I brought up zantac
How long did it take for the meds to work?
almost immediately for the last 3...a couple days for the first, hers was the worst though.
If you did nto do meds and did cereal did it make things better and how?
I've done meds and cereal. With all of them except the last one with reflux. My doc recommended using Enfamil AR becuase it has the rice starch added and it worked great, he came off the reflux meds before any of the others did and it wasn't as messy as the cereal.
Hope this helps :) and no toes stepped on :)
(I took progesterone shots this last pregnancy)
Did you take anything other then prenatals during pregnancy including OTC?
No not with any of them
Where you given any meds during birth?
These are pretty much things I took during each of my pregnancies (including the non-reflux baby): tylenol, sudafed (both psuedoephedrime and phenylephrine), hydrocodone (during 3rd trimester), antibiotics and cold medicines
When did it start, and when did it become a cause for concern for baby?
early on (with in first 3 weeks) with all 4 of them-I became concerned when it was projectile spit up and they were spitting up almost their entire bottles-even if it had been awhile since they ate.
Did babies diet change before dr even talked about the meds? Please elaborate
No, with one she was strictly formula fed. With the other three they were on breastmilk with formula supplementation the first few weeks.
Who first mentioned the meds you or dr?
With the first one it was the doc-she had an upper GI also
2nd and 3rd I brought up reflux and doc prescribed zantac
4th I brought up zantac
How long did it take for the meds to work?
almost immediately for the last 3...a couple days for the first, hers was the worst though.
If you did nto do meds and did cereal did it make things better and how?
I've done meds and cereal. With all of them except the last one with reflux. My doc recommended using Enfamil AR becuase it has the rice starch added and it worked great, he came off the reflux meds before any of the others did and it wasn't as messy as the cereal.
Hope this helps :) and no toes stepped on :)
oh and i saw a discussion awhile ago on medhelp similar to this that for some reason caught my attention and i remembered it. it was dealing with the correlation between hiccups in the womb and reflux. a lot of women were saying that their reflux babies had hiccups very often in utero.
this could be a pattern. ariana definitely hiccuped ALL the time when i was prego (like multiple times a day) and has reflux.. ?
this could be a pattern. ariana definitely hiccuped ALL the time when i was prego (like multiple times a day) and has reflux.. ?
* i took a prescription & OTC yeast infection medicine on two occasions and MAYBE tylenol once or twice.
actually, and the DAY i found out i was pregnant i had to go to the doctor for bronchitis and my mom came with me. i wasn't ready to tell her yet and didn't even know if was going to keep the pregnancy. they gave me one dosage of steroids and two breathing treatments of albuterol.
i also took iron supplements from about 28 weeks on.
* during birth i had an epidural.
* i think i noticed the reflux around 4 weeks. it wasn't really a problem other than excessive vomiting at times
* i believe we tried to switch her formula once to a soy based similac before meds. we only fed it to her a couple of times. it made the reflux worse it seemed and the spit up smelled AWFUL so we switched right back.
* i first mentioned the meds and it took them about a week to work maybe
* we did meds and cereal but the cereal was what made the most difference. she slept through the night (eventually at about 12 hours give or take an hour), ate every 4 like she was encouraged to do by the pediatrician, and was hardly EVER fussy between feedings.
actually, and the DAY i found out i was pregnant i had to go to the doctor for bronchitis and my mom came with me. i wasn't ready to tell her yet and didn't even know if was going to keep the pregnancy. they gave me one dosage of steroids and two breathing treatments of albuterol.
i also took iron supplements from about 28 weeks on.
* during birth i had an epidural.
* i think i noticed the reflux around 4 weeks. it wasn't really a problem other than excessive vomiting at times
* i believe we tried to switch her formula once to a soy based similac before meds. we only fed it to her a couple of times. it made the reflux worse it seemed and the spit up smelled AWFUL so we switched right back.
* i first mentioned the meds and it took them about a week to work maybe
* we did meds and cereal but the cereal was what made the most difference. she slept through the night (eventually at about 12 hours give or take an hour), ate every 4 like she was encouraged to do by the pediatrician, and was hardly EVER fussy between feedings.
you know my boys with the problems could not tollerate me ahving any milk products while nursing.
My nehpew took the nutramigen and that stuff worked for him but boy does it stink! Glad it is helping her! Maybe after a few months she will be able to get off the meds as her belly developes and gets stronger muscles!
little;ady2010 thanks:)
I really think that us moms learn our babies better then the dr's do!
My nehpew took the nutramigen and that stuff worked for him but boy does it stink! Glad it is helping her! Maybe after a few months she will be able to get off the meds as her belly developes and gets stronger muscles!
little;ady2010 thanks:)
I really think that us moms learn our babies better then the dr's do!
Yeah, the Nutramigen is hypoallergenic and lactose and soy free. She was also gaining weight, but it was on the slow end of the spectrum. The Good Start had her constipated constantly as well. I've noticed that now she's a much happier baby and her bowel movements are closer to what they were while I was bf'ing.
I just thought I'd share my little ones experience, I had a hard time with her projectile vomiting when she was born. She was born at 35weeks. Also I had taken antibiotics and was prescribed percocet for back pain during my pregnancy, I only took them 3x a week though. I was taking regular prenatal vitamins as well. My doctor wasn't concerned about her reflux at all, he just kept saying its normal for babies to throw up. Well finally after the 4th visit to his office, she was 2months old and it was a problem since day 1. she projectile vomited on him, then he believed me on how bad it was. He was really hesitant to give any meds or try cereal, so he told me to switch to lactose free formula which didn't contain the cows milk proteins,(guessing either reflux or allergy) and it also seemed to be a "heavier" formula, she was instantly fine! also I found it really helped to give her 3-4 burp breaks during a feeding, instead of the recommended 2. And that really helped! My doctor wasn't very helpful with her at all, he always has brushed things off. So I've gotten a new doctor for her and my little guy who is due april 11th. I think it horrible how many babies go through this, there has to be a cause for so many of them to have it. But I just don't know. Good luck and congratulations on your pregnancy!
hmm so did he say it was maybe the flap doe not close properly and is true reflux? My first son would puck across the room if nothing was int he way:) ALways had change of clothes for me and him when we went out! LOL
Here is a article, I forgot to save the actual study and stiull ahve to find it
http://health.usnews.com/usnews/health/healthday/071105/anti-reflux-drugs-may-be-overprescribed-in-infants.htm#
I never gave any of mine meds and they have grown out of it. My first some the dr said as long as he gained weight not to worry, since I went through it with my first I have never mentioned it to my dr with Henry. I have a hernia which causes me reflux and it is horrible but a gastroentestinal dr told me that babies who drink milk expecially who are BF do not need to worry about erosion like we do and spitting up and vomiting is nothing to worry about unless it casues breathing issues.
If the dr told you she has a protien allergy, it would have to be from any protiens I would think as all milk has protiens, cows milk has bigger protiens and can be harder to digest, goats milk is closest and smallest like BM is from what I hear. ummm I am really thinking it has to be from meds we took while pregnant! I just don't know what else it could be but the study does say that it is not getting worse just dr's over treating so who knows. I had 4 preterm babies prior to henry and I went full term with the progesterone so I am glad I took it, and I am not for meds at all really but I am glad to go full term!
Here is a article, I forgot to save the actual study and stiull ahve to find it
http://health.usnews.com/usnews/health/healthday/071105/anti-reflux-drugs-may-be-overprescribed-in-infants.htm#
I never gave any of mine meds and they have grown out of it. My first some the dr said as long as he gained weight not to worry, since I went through it with my first I have never mentioned it to my dr with Henry. I have a hernia which causes me reflux and it is horrible but a gastroentestinal dr told me that babies who drink milk expecially who are BF do not need to worry about erosion like we do and spitting up and vomiting is nothing to worry about unless it casues breathing issues.
If the dr told you she has a protien allergy, it would have to be from any protiens I would think as all milk has protiens, cows milk has bigger protiens and can be harder to digest, goats milk is closest and smallest like BM is from what I hear. ummm I am really thinking it has to be from meds we took while pregnant! I just don't know what else it could be but the study does say that it is not getting worse just dr's over treating so who knows. I had 4 preterm babies prior to henry and I went full term with the progesterone so I am glad I took it, and I am not for meds at all really but I am glad to go full term!
My baby has reflux and a cows milk protein allergy. I have both of those as well. she's 6w old and on zantac and I only do a bottle with rice cereal a few times a day. She just kept getting worse and finally over a weekend we switched her to Nutramigen and kept with the zantac and she only has the projectile vomiting episodes every other day or so. I didn't ask the ped for meds, I just told him she was getting worse as time moved on and he gave her zantac and said to thicken her feedings. Personally, I think the nutramigen has helped her immensely, because while we were treating her the same with the Good Start she was still projectile vomiting after every feed.
I also took progesterone during my first trimester as it was very low and I was bleeding. I also took fintstone vitamins bc my prenatals made me even more sick and I had severe hyperemesis the whole pregnancy. I had a yeast infection twice, three UTI's and BV twice. I was prescribed meds for all of those instances as they were putting me into preterm labor.
I also took progesterone during my first trimester as it was very low and I was bleeding. I also took fintstone vitamins bc my prenatals made me even more sick and I had severe hyperemesis the whole pregnancy. I had a yeast infection twice, three UTI's and BV twice. I was prescribed meds for all of those instances as they were putting me into preterm labor.
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