My wife and I have a beautiful 3 week old infant son named Aiden. He has been experiencing some discomfort for a little more than to weeks after nursing. Definately looks like reflux to me but I am no expert. His episodes begin about 10 - 20 min after nursing. tight tummy, arching back and screams of pain lasting for 45 min to an hour. His only relief seems to be from eating, though this starts the cycle again. Our ped has stared him on Zantac. (5mg/2X per day)
After three days we have seen no if any relief.
Our biggest question: Does Zantac take time to do it's work?

A few more details:

He seldom throws up massively. Only about 3 times I am aware of. There are occasional spit ups.

His breathing seems to be rapid, even for his tiny little lungs. This symptom can be associated with lactose intolerance. Are there other simularities between the two and how best distinguish?

Ped sent him for xray today. What can we learn from an xray if anything? Anything reflux related to look for?

Thanks for any help and replys.

Louie
Also, you may check out our church at www.destinyrevivalcenter.com

Hi Louie and welcome! It's nice to see Dad join us.

Sorry about your son having reflux issues, we've all been there (are still there actually). Sounds like reflux to me too. Have you tried feeding smaller but more frequent meals throughout the day? I know, that's hard with a three week old that probably eats most of the day anyway. Also, are you keeping him propped up during and after his feeds? I used to sit motionless on the coach with Shae up on my shoulder for 30-45 minutes after feeding her and many times that would help alot. Needless to say though I got no sleep and nothing accomplished throughout the day.

They say that Zantac can take up to two weeks to work, although some people say they notice a difference right away. The good news is that even if you don't see any improvement after the two weeks, there are other more effective drugs that will most certainly work...check out the treatments page on the main site.

It's hard to distinguish between reflux and lactose intolerance b/c they are frequently connected... for example, a baby with lactose intolerence will have much worse reflux when on milk or formula that is lactose based. Remove the lactose and the reflux improves or stops. That doesn't mean that all refluxers are lactose intolerant though.

Breathing issues like you describe can also be related to reflux, aspiration of the refluxed material can cause blocking of the airways, apneas, wheezing, asthma....etc. I always thought that Shae's breathing sounded funny when she was that age but she had so many doctors around her all the time that never noticed any problems with it that I now figure it was normal for a baby so little.

The xray won't show anything about the reflux...I'm not really even sure why he ordered an xray in the first place. I suppose to rule out any anatomical abnormalities, although an upper GI would better show that.

Anyway, I hope I helped to answer your questions a little bit. Maybe some of the other moms can jump in here and add some insight as well. Please continue to keep us informed of his progress and don't hesitate to ask as many questions as you need to.

Thanks for your response!

We do keep his head elevated at all times. We've even placed a pillow under the matress in his bassenet to elevate is head 3-4 inches while sleeping. His episodes of seem to be deminishing somewhat (or we are just getting used to them) as time passes.

His xray did reveal lots of air in his intestines. We are paying very close attention to his eating, making sure he has a good latch to prevent any air. Also we are expereimenting with a couple of different pacifiers, also trying to achieve a good seal while sucking.

Of course, at this point, we have lots of "advice" from other mothers we know that have had similar problems. Herbs, oils, message . . . the list goes on and on.

One highly marketed item I have stumbled upon is Baby's Bliss GripeWater. Do you know anything about this product? Seems to have many common ingredients as many people have suggested. Have read lots fo GOOD feedback but wondering about the bad side. Any info?

Good to hear the mattress is elevated. Don't be afraid to elevate it even more if you want. I always kept two pillows doubled under Shae's mattress...the higher she was up the better she did. If you are worried about him rolling just fold up three large towels, one to go on each side of him and one under his bum. Put these underneath the crib sheet and then tuck it in well so the sheet is tight enough that it holds the towels in place. There are several products on the market now as well to help with this process and if you want info on them I can look it up but I always found this process to work great.

:? Yes, I remember all the well meaning advice givers (count me in as one of them I guess... :lol: ) well...everyone seems to think they could do things so much better and 'fix' the baby, if only we tried their remedy. Sigh. Although, I did get advice from Dr. Bernie Seigal (retired pediatric surgeon and best selling author of Love, Medicine and Miracles (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0060919833/qid=1079364501/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/104-2233109-1817540?v=glance&s=books) and many more) to use massage as it helps to aid in digestion. He also said to try a herb called mastica. Of course, for Shae nothing helped.

Generally I think that gripe waters (any brand) are safe and don't really have any side effects. The chances of it helping reflux unfortunately are slim to none...they are not made for treating reflux. If you feel like he has too much gas and that's causing much of his discomfort then by all means, if you want to try it, go for it (always consult your pediatrician b/f trying anything new), it can't hurt.

I hope that helped. Please keep us posted on his progress.

Aiden, though not completely better has been a little more comfortable, largely due to our efforts in keeping him elevated. Gripe water did not help, though we did determine that it is a great cure for hiccups, so this has been a blessing as well in keeping air out of his tummy.

Went to the ped yesterday for his one month checkup. teh Dr., not being satified with his progress decided to explore a little deeper. An upper GI was done and revealed that his reflux was worse than expected. After consultation with a specialist at the University of Virginia, we are switching him to Prilosec, and continuing to pray for his relief.

Also, we have discovered he is much more comfortable on his stomach. Before anyone gets excited, we are not just arbitrarily laying him face done on his stomach. First of all there is much debate about sleeping on the stomach vs. on the back and I can see dangers in both. In this case, on the back, even with his head elevated about 7 inches does cause some discomfort and chokeing. His breathing seems to be a little labored as well.....very raspy. I will try to discribe his comfortable position: I lay on the bed on my back. I place him across my stomach laying face down and allow him to slide down until his knees are comfortably positioned on the bed next to me. Typically, he will curl his arms up under his head to create his own pillow and "ta-da!', instant comfort. He is well elevated and his breathing is completely silent. ZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.... We are going to expereiment with his "boppy" and other pillows to see if we can simulate this position in a way that will safely provide this comfort without tieing down mom or dad. I think this position, coupled with Priosec will provide the comfort he needs so he (and we) can get some need needed rest.

Loving our Little Aiden....
Louie

Don't worry, no one will get excited about the stomach sleeping...although sleeping on their backs is recommended now it's really common for refluxers to not be comfortable unless they are on their stomachs. I'd never recommend laying them on their stomachs just b/c of the risk of SIDS (which is already increased in reflux kids) but I would never (and don't think anyone else would either) judge anyone who put their baby on their stomach when trying to find some comfort for their kids. We have to do what works, it might not be a bad idea just to tell your ped about it though so he is aware of it and can help make sure it's done as safely as possible.

The position he is sleeping in sounds like the way Shae used to sleep on me when she was first born...she loved it. As far as providing a safe way without tying down you guys, you might want to look at the tucker sling (http://www.tuckersling.com). Normally I don't recommend it only b/c I think you can accomplish the same effect with towels strategically placed in the crib but I don't think the towels will work well for stomach sleeping so in this case the sling might be a perfect solution. A lot of times you can find them second hand all over the internet as well.

I think the prilosec switch was a great idea and hope it helps! Keep us posted!

TUCKER SLING!!!! :idea: Sweet!!! Looks like the ticket. Thanks!

holy cow ..i looked into the tucker sling ..111.00 bucks not including s&h ..is it me or is that insanely expensive for a wedge of foam and fabric nappy..well cm3boyz let me know how it works out ..my Alanna is 10 weeks( and 1 day) old and we've never been able to put her down for more then 20 mins at a time ..even elevated she is miserable and demands to be held.It looks simple maybe i can make one of my own for under 100.00 :wink: i think if my insurance will reimburse us maybe we'll just buy one ..it just seems like alot of money to spend on something she may really dislike .I mean everything is great for the first try and she seems to like whatever the trick of the day is but..for that day .the swing works once a day. the bouncer /vibrating chair same thing she'll sit in it once or twice a day ...we even have a vibrating/musical bassinet and she'll ahve nothing to do with it .she sleeps with me well on me .I think maybe her pedi needs to adjust her dose of zantac ..i'm thinking of pushing him for a consult with a gastro...she's just really been more miserable this last week (sigh) it really is a rollarcoaster geez i hate rollarcoasters

holy cow ..i looked into the tucker sling ..111.00 bucks not including s&h ..is it me or is that insanely expensive for a wedge of foam and fabric nappy..well cm3boyz let me know how it works out ..my Alanna is 10 weeks( and 1 day) old and we've never been able to put her down for more then 20 mins at a time ..even elevated she is miserable and demands to be held.It looks simple maybe i can make one of my own for under 100.00 :wink: i think if my insurance will reimburse us maybe we'll just buy one ..it just seems like alot of money to spend on something she may really dislike .I mean everything is great for the first try and she seems to like whatever the trick of the day is but..for that day .the swing works once a day. the bouncer /vibrating chair same thing she'll sit in it once or twice a day ...we even have a vibrating/musical bassinet and she'll ahve nothing to do with it .she sleeps with me well on me .I think maybe her pedi needs to adjust her dose of zantac ..i'm thinking of pushing him for a consult with a gastro...she's just really been more miserable this last week (sigh) it really is a rollarcoaster geez i hate rollarcoasters

Yes, Daniele, I agree 100% that's it's way too expensive....that's why I always preach about the rolled up towels with pillows under the mattress instead. I think in this case though it may work better for a child on their stomach.

Yes, I saw the price too! I did look on ebay and found some wedge pillows for about 15 bucks! The one I saw only was 7 inch but we will buy 2 if we cannot find 12 or 14 inch. Lisa has a baby carrier (http://www.ergobabycarrier.com/) that we plan to use as the sling to keep baby from sliding down the wedge. I know I can fugure something out for less than the $111.00 :shock: Lisa has been using the sling anyway during the day so she can get anything done. It's worked very well....accept for one little problem when she was brushing her teeth one day...OOPS!! "Sorry Aiden!" :lol:

If that's $111 American, all I can say is Yikes! I'd hate to think of the cost to us up in Canada with the exchange added...

well so far she won't let me put her down long enough to see how the pillows and rolled towels would work out but i'm working on it :lol: ..i just can't see paying 111.00 but a full nights sleep would almost be worth it ..i'm still on the fence well cross your fingers for me .... Daniele

Oh for sure, with exchange, shipping and duty....whew...it''d be up close to $200 for us! I don't know how people can afford it, I mean since Shae was born things have been so tight that this is exactly the time when I couldn't afford to spend an extra $200 on something like that.

I agree though, a good night's sleep is worth pretty much anything...luckily for us the towels worked great and Shae loved being to snuggled into them, it was almost like she was still in my arms when I'd put her in it b/c I had them so tight around her.

Per my last post, we switched Aiden to Prilosec with much success. Praise God! He is much more comfortable and resting better. We never went as far as trying any of the devises described here earlier...just keeping him elevated the old fashioned way. Pillows, blankets, boppy, etc.

We have noticed that when we do not get a good burp of of him he is miserable. However, somewhere I read that being hard to burp may be associated with low stomach acid. Isn't that what we wanted to achieve with the Prilosec; low acid production? If the acid facilitates burping, then is burping as critical when taking Prilosec? and if not, why is he still fussy if he doesn't burp? YIKES, what a tangled little web!

Has anyone else had a similar senario?

Thanks for sharing!
Louie

Yes, reflux sure is a tangled little web!

For those of you with access to Len's Mills, they have wedges available for $12 (Canadian). They also have 30% off this week. They measure 8" x 18" x 24". We're going to give it a try and see. If it doesn't work too well, I can always add the pillows back in under the mattress.

So glad to hear that the Prilosec is helping so much!

As for the burping, I've never actually that it was related to low stomach acid. Shae's been on PPI's for almost four years and she burps fine. We did have trouble in the beginning getting her to burp...I think that it was just related to her being so new though...some babies are just harder to get burps out of...reflux or not. Have you tried any of the gripe water when you know his discomfort is specifically from the gas?

Yes, you absolutely need to achieve less stomach acid if you have any chance of him being comfortable despite the reflux. The stomach acid, or lack there of, really shouldn't affect a burp I wouldn't think. I mean, I burp is nothing more than air in the tummy, which can be uncomfortable for baby but it should come up eventually no matter what's in there or not.

Great tip on the wedge Janette!

Len's Mills (Canada) has foam wedges that are 8" x 18" x 24" for $12. They're on sale for 30% off this week. We're going to give it a try. We can always still leave the towels in.

My son has had reflux since he was 3 weeks old. He is now 11 weeks and has been sleeping in his carseat.

Has anyone had trouble with using a wedge and the infant sliding down? I put my son to bed with the bassinet elevated only to find he had slid down almost face under covers!

Yes, you need to use the sling with the wedge to keep the infant in place, as we were discussing earlier, it gets expensive.

I had posted on another thread about the trick I used to use with Shae but can't find that post right now so I'll explain again. Prop the mattress as you mentioned already doing but then use towels rolled up to hold him in place. Take three very large bath towels and roll them up nice and tight. Put one on each side of where the baby will lay leaving just enough room for the baby to fit in between nice and snug. Then put the rolled up towel underneath, across the other way to hold up his bum. You now have a U shape made with towels. Take a crib sheet and place it nice and snug over the towels and tuck it under either side of the crib to hold the towels in place. You've made a nice little nest for baby and they can't go anywhere.

Carseats aren't great for helping with reflux b/c they can tend to bunch up the tummy and put added pressure on it causing more reflux. You are better off using a bouncy chair. There's one shown on the products page of the main site but you can get them anywhere and they are pretty inexpensive. Shae pretty much lived in hers until she was over a year old.

Hope that helps.

Roni,

I know this wouldn't work with my 2 year old, so is there a similar trick for older kids to keep them from sliding down? Evan loves his pillow, but he keeps sliding down off of it during the night so that he's no longer on the elevated part of the bed.

I'm not really sure Janette. I have found this pillow (http://www.acidrefluxpillow4baby.com/) that looks like it would hold a larger child...although it's still (I think) $50 US. Perhaps you could try to rig up something like this yourself? We don't have anything keeping Shae propped anymore...she sleeps with us (since she was about a year old) and so we just keep putting her back up on the pillow several times through the night.

Leave it with me, I'll try to think of something else that might work...or find something.

Trent slept in his bouncy seat until he finally got too active for it. I used to put his bouncy seat inside the crib. He stayed in it all day long too. It had a vibrator on it and it was the only thing that kept him happy.

Amy

Thanks for the advice. I tried the crib last nite with his positioner and a rolled blanket under his toosh. I checked on him three times through the nite. He slide to the side and down a little. I'm going to try the towels under the sheet tonite.

With his car seat I would prop it in the pack and play so that it was back far enough that he was slumped but when i would get him in the morning, he would be all balled up. It looks cozy but i'm so afraid its going to effect his growth.

I wish i found this website sooner!!! Thanks!