My daughter is five weeks old, and was diagnosed with reflux when she was one week old. She was on Zantac for a while, and it didn't seem to help. My ped referred us to a GI, and he has recently switched her to Prevacid (my husband and I are anxiously awaiting some sign of relief).

Previously, while on Zantac, we were giving her Similac Alimentum, but she was still irritable. The GI has put her back on breastmilk and has asked me to watch my diet. Has anyone been successful with continuing to breastfeed a baby with reflux?

Hi and welcome!

I am still b'feeding my 19 month-old (now just once before bedtime, though!) and she was exclusively b'fed throughout her infancy. It is hard work, especially when you have a refluxer who comfort feeds, vomits up most feedings, etc. However, in my case, I'm glad I stuck with it, as we later found out my dd has a dairy intolerance and a soy allergy. I've had to radically alter our diets, but you get used to it.

The biggest factor in deciding whether or not to continue is your comfort level. If you feel you can do this and you're comfortable continuing, go for it. If you are exhausted, unsure and don't have support, you might want to consider another route (formula, etc.)

How do you feel about continuing to b'feed? :-)

I bf my son til 20 mos and I'm still pumping for my daughter who's 13 mos. Niether of them could tolerate any formulas at all. I've had to alter my diet radically for both with a gluten free diet for the celiac. and also egg and dairy free for allergies. It's a pain sometimes, but they just get sooooo sick on formula. Make sure you pump while trying formulas to make sure she can tolerate them before stopping. I would have been in a world of hurt if I had.

Good luck in your decision!

Sorry, i'm in a hurry...but I wanted to share that I successfully nursed my son for 13 months. However, it's not as easy for some as it is for others.
*I've moved your question to the "Breast feeding" forum so it gets the appropriate attention. ;)

I'm still breastfeeding my son and he is now 13 months old, he nurses 2 times a day now. I also had to alter our diet since he is MSPI, it gets easier after time. If you still want to continue breastfeeding go for it and if not than make sure you find a formula that she can tolerate before you quit.

I breastfed my son till 9 months and wish I had done it longer. I thought that by stopping breastfeeding that he would be healthier with formula cause I would know what his intake was, but like Bethanys mommy, we have suffered with allergies and he refused and reacted to most things we gave him.

My son will be 12 months this month and we are still breastfeeding. It is has been hard because of his comfort feeds and intolerances but I still think it is worth it. I knew though that I wanted to breastfeed no matter what from the start. So I think it's more of do YOU really want to??

Breastmilk is much eaiser on their tummies but is not the only option. Let us know if you have anymore questions.

I've been bf'ing Ava for 13 1/2 months now, and after our last ph probe (this past monday), I most definitely plan to let her wean herself. She wakes up screaming and crying in pain anywhere from 5-15 times a night, and each time she woke up in the hospital, her ph was 0.5-0.7, and after nursing back to sleep it went up to 3-3.5. Milk is a base and neutralizes the acid, better than any of the meds we've been on. At first, I almost listened to the (well-meaning?) friends and family who suggested that I was encouraging a "habit" by nursing her throughout the night. These same people now feel awful for telling me to let her cry it out. No one knows your baby better than you, and I know that nursing is what's best for Ava. She's always been a sipper, and for the first few months, I was shirtless b/c it seemed like we were always nursing. She's still not one to down a cup of water or milk, still a sipper, but at least I've put a shirt on again. I totally support extended bf'ing especially for the GERDlings. As long as she's game, so am I.

Our GI swore it was the best thing to do for a true refluxer and that he would have been much worse on anything else.... So.... I breastfed my refluxer until he was 2! He had a lot of other problems like low immune system from reflux so breastfeeding helped in this area as well :)