Hello all,

My DS was diagnosed with reflux. He is on 1.2 Ml Zantac twice a day. Ped also changed his formula to Alimentum. He was doing really well on it(not alot of spit up). But now he is only taking about 24 oz a day. He was taking about 30 oz a day. And is starting to spit up hours after eating again, not alot(tsp or 2 at a time).

Yesterday he was on his tummy and spit up came out of his nose. It also looks kinda clear sometimes. I know Alimentum is different than milk or soy based formulas. But it looks really gross. Has anyone else had this problem? Should I talk to the Dr again? I don't know what to do anymore.

Celeste

Well, Bryna is almost 8 months old and has still only takes 24 oz a day and doesn't tolerate any food....so I wouldn't say that 24 oz is that bad. (We do thicken the Alimentum though) Bryna has DGE, so I've actually never seen clear spit up from her since she always seems to have food left in her tummy (But my sons is clear sometimes). Hers would also come out her nose too. We were on more Zantac I think at that age, but I can't really remember since we changed the dose every 3 weeks for weight gain. She has always been small though (she's just 16 pounds now) so you may want to make sure the dose doesn't need to be upped. The problem with Zantac is that its so weight sensitive and the docs are bad about keeping you on a good dose. I think 3x a day works better too (we actually were on 4x a day in the end). Maybe you can have them check the dose and let you give it 3 times?

Being on their tummy seems to really irritate reflux when they are young. I would suggest you limit that if it's bothering him. Bryna always spit up way more on her tummy. So much that she hated it and so I stopped putting her down like that. I always worried I was gonna have problems with her motor skills because of that - although she rolled late - 5 months. She was sitting at 5 months. I finally started putting her on her tummy more consistently last month and she had learned to crawl in 2 weeks. Now she is crawling all over the place. My friend's baby was born two weeks after Bryna and still can't sit up well on her own. So don't worry if you don't put him on his tummy too much right now.

(By the way, it looks like your kids are close in age like mine. Brayden and Bryna are just starting to really play well together. I was worried about them being only 13 months apart - but now I'm really glad)

I don't think that 24 oz is that horrible. I can't remember how much Sam was taking, but I know it wasn't more than that. Sam did puke clear as well and out his nose. I was told that this is common in refluxers. I don't really have many suggestions for you! I hope other people will chime in for you!

Ryan is about 15 1/2 pounds. He was a comfort feeder. So to me 24 oz is quite a change.

I think I read on one of the posts about clear spit up possibly being stomach acid. Ryan makes the worst faces when he spits up now could it be stomach acid? Or just the horrible smelling(tasting) Alimentum coming back up?

I did ask the Doc about upping the dose of Zantac. She says he is on the correct dose. I live in a smaller town I don't know if there is a GI around here to go to. There might be one in Pittsburg, the closest big city. I don't know if the Doc will even refer me to a specalist.

I am also a little worried now because he seems to be sleeping all the time. He falls asleep at around 8 at night and will finally wake back up sometime between 6 and 7:30. I know some parents would kill to have their child sleep that long at night. But it worries me just a little. My DD wasn't sleeping this well when she was this young. I am probably worring about nothing with the sleeping I just don't think it is normal, especally(sp) with a refluxer.

Thanks
Celeste

Celeste... you can mention the sleeping to your dr., however, I don't think it's a big deal. My nephew is almost 4 mos. and has about the same sleep schedule. He's down around 730 pm and is usually up at 6 am.

My dd was on a number of different formulas. At 7 mos of age, we took her to a GI and he put her on a hypo. formula, different from Alimentum and Nutramigen, called Neocate, and Zantac. The combination of the two completely changed my little girl... before, she had thrown up constantly. You may want to mention Neocate to your dr. Also, if you can, see a GI.

Where are you located? I'm also in PA and our GI was from Danville, however, he had a satellite office in DuBois.

We live in Ohio on the WV-OH border. If you know where Wheeling WV is I am right across from there.

My Brooke was sleeping that amount of time at that age too...so dont worry too much, because of his weight he is, it is fine for him to be sleeping all the way through.

Brooke was also a comfort eater, and was on 32oz a day at 2 months, but now she is 4 1/2 months old and is still at that same amount.
My doctor actually told me today to cut her back, as she is eating too much, and it is making her reflux worse....so 24oz is spot on for his weight, and too much for his age.....the 30oz would have been too much for his weight, but babies with reflux will eat and eat to sooth the throat, and then pay for it after, thus wanting more milk to soothe...it is a vicious cycle.

Sooo...in short, the slowing down of milk drank per day I wouldn't worry about, as on his new formula he might be feeling better therefore doesn't need the soothing.....as he was probably not eating out of hunger before anyway.
As for sleeping, he is probably able to sleep better now that he is feeling better, and has a lot to catch up on, and I wouldn't worry about this either.

I hope your Ryan is on the road to recovery.

Take Care

My dd is also on Alimentum and is spitting up clear liquid. I would say as long as your lo isn't crying when he is spitting it, its OK. If he gets upset and crys, then its probably burning and would definately mention it to your ped. My doc said that my dd would probably still spit up, but as long as she didn't cry the meds were doing their job.

Also, when we started Alimentum, my dd did stop eating as much. Just this past week she is started to get up to where she used to be. When we first started the Alimentum, I always wondered if it was more filling for her....but everyone says that changing formulas can reak havoc on their little tummies, so maybe he just has an upset tummy. It can take 2 - 3 weeks to see full results, so I have heard.

My lo is the about the same age as yours, I hope he is feeling better soon.

Hi Celeste! Noah was on Alimentum for many months... Since he was/is not much of a puker, I don't have a lot to offer here. But, I do remember that before we thickened Noah's Alimentum, it came up much easier than other formulas because it is so thin. Do you thicken now?

I would not be so worried about the reduced amount of ounces, because he still is at a good number. If it continues to drop, though, I would definitely get him in to see the doctor.

The increased sleeping could be from relief from the Alimentum. Perhaps he is feeling better throughout the night! I hope so!