Hi everyone -
My daughter is 9 1/2 months old and spits up constantly. She always has. However, she is what the call a happy spitter, she never screams and cries and wasn't colicky. My dr. thinks she'll just outgrow it and since she is thriving and not in pain they've never done anything about it. She weighs about 18.5 pounds.
Well now it seems to be getting worse. I've tried ever kind of forumula out there and she spits up on all of them. When I was nursing she would spit up the breastmilk as well so I don't think it is a milk allergy. Today after her morning bottle she spit up 7 times, and each time is about 1 tablespoon. I just want to cry it is so bad.
What should I do? Should I insist on trying Zantac? Does that help with the spitting up?

Thanks so much.

Hi and welcome!

Has Lydia been diagnosed with reflux? If so, you may wish to urge the doctor to try her on some meds. to make her more comfortable and to prevent any damage from the acid.

Good luck and please let us know how things go.

Hi and welcome!!!

The good news is chances are probably close to 90% or more that she will outgrow this in the next few months. Reflux also does tend to peak and get worse before they outgrow it so maybe you are close to the end.

If she is a happy spitter and growing well, you are likely going have a lot of trouble finding a doctor that will prescribe anything. Having said that, I understand completely how hard it is to watch them throw up all day....believe me I do. I hate to say it but you might be stuck waiting it out and cleaning puke.

The problem with Zantac and other acid reducers/blockers in terms of helping with vomiting is that they are designed to reduce or block the amount of acid the stomach produces so that the refluxed material is not painful and damaging. They are not designed to stop the actual act of vomiting itself. There are a few drugs that are supposed to help with that by moving food through the stomach faster and helping to coordinate peristalsis (the movement of food through the digestive tract)...these are called motility agents and can be found listed on the main site (in my signature) on the treatments page. The problem with these is usually bad side effects (particularly the Reglan) that have to be weighed heavily against the side effects they are experiencing from the reflux.

Have you tried any of the lifestyle modifications? What formulas have you tried? I would think that the right formula (I'll try to help steer you in the right direction if you tell me what she's already been on) and some lifestyle modifications should help enough to get you through the next few months until she is over this.

I hope that helps answer your questions a little. Thanks for joining us!

Thanks for your replies. No, she has not been officially diagnosed with reflux. My dr. basically said exactly what you did, that she is a happy spitter, she is thriving and gaining weight, and we will wait this out and hopefully she will outgrow it soon.
I have basically tried every formula, Enfamil Lipil, Good Start, Enfamil (no lipil) and Soy and she spits them all up. The only ones I have tried are the hypo-allergenic ones.

Thanks,
Tanya

Sorry Tanya, I hate to repeat what the doctor says b/c I know how it feels to be shrugged off by them and go home and watch your kid puke all day. The problem is not so much that they don't care or want to help (in most cases), but more as I said in the last post, there just really aren't great options for treating it.

I think that maybe your best bet if you can't stand watching (and cleaning :D ) the puke all day anymore is trying some of the more hypo-allergenic formulas. These are more expensive but can, in some cases really help the throwing up. Of course tell your doctor before you switch formulas that you intend to do it. You can get Nutramigen, Pregestimil and I think even Alimentum at Walmart I think.

Also, you didn't mention if you were doing the lifestyle adjustments or not so just in case, make sure to keep her propped up during and after feeds (for at least a half hour), prop the mattress, avoid clothing that is tight around the mid section, small but frequent meals through the day. Have you tried thickening the formula? Ask your doctor about that if you haven't yet.

I hope this helps some. If all else fails, we're here to vent to when you just don't think you can clean puke one more time without going nuts :D .