Need advice please from Moms with Infant GERD Exp.

[LogansMommy]

Hi all, my 3 week old appears to have GERD as his older brother did. With DS#1 we had no idea what was wrong (Peds called it colic) and didn't discover it was GERD until he was several months old. With DS#2 I have seen a lot of the same behaviors (seeming to swallow and choke even hours after a feeding, crying/screaming inconsolably for hours nonstop, arching back and thrashing about) so I talked to current Ped and we started Zantac yesterday.

What I am wondering is- have those of you with infants with GERD all seen results from Zantac, or have you had a different RX? Did you also switch formula and if so was it to the hypoallergenic or the soy? (He is on the 'regular' with DHA and ARA right now). And laslty, anything else help your GERD baby be more comfortable?


TIA-
Arianne
Mommy to Logan and Gavin

[thomma]

Both ds and dd took zantac for gerd for almost a year. We didn't have to use special formula but did find that Dr. Brown bottles really helped. Also, for months, we had to feed them with a football hold not the typical in the crook of your arms type feeding. The more upright you can keep him the better. We would keep both kids upright for at least 30 minutes before laying them down.

good luck-
Kim
t&e 5/03

[Mermanaid]

Mallory just stopped taking her zantac two weeks ago (she just turned one) so we have a little experience with this. For us, the zantac worked wonders. But, you may find it doesn't work as well for you and be forced to try prevacid or some other cocktail. Everyone's body reacts to the meds differently.

We also used Dr. Brown's and they helped immensely (vs. the avent). Mallie started out on Enfamil Lipil with DHA/ARA. The day we left the hospital, they put her on soy. That lasted two days before I decided that the hysterical crying was not just adjusting to a new home. Obviously she is allergic to soy. So, her ped put her on Nutramigen. She stayed on that until she was 8mo and doing well with yogurt. At that point her ped GI told us to try Goodstart. It worked great for her.

It goes against the mainstream, but what helped her with the discomfort the most was putting her on her tummy. Some nights it was the only way she would relax. We tried putting a phone book (per ped recs) under her mattress, but she just wasn't liking that at all.

Good luck and I hope the zantac works for you.
l

[bcky2]

both of my boys had gerd and neither one responded to the zantac. they were both on prevacid, but eveybody responds to meds differently. my older ds was on soy formula and now i cant even remember if it was because of the gerd but i believe it was. with #2 he was on alimentum because of a milk protien allergy. we did alot of upright time after eating to keep it down and with #2 we had to do alot of adding some cereal to his formula because he was keeping nothing down and not gaining weight. that helped to keep it down but i would never do that without the ok of a ped (actually we had a gastroenterologist?), and with you feeling ok with it. my ds was also around 3 months when we started that. good luck and i know that it is hard, i remember crying all the time because i couldnt get them to stop crying :( most babies are over it by 6 months, very few have it for longer. my older ds had it for over a year but it go so much better at 6 months. big (((hugs))) and i hope that your little one gets some relief.

[bcky2]

i forgot about that, tummy time did wonders for my first ds!!!!

i wish that i had know that the dr. browns bottles were better. someone told me that avent was awsome so that is what i used and they sucked for us :( i should have just sucked it up and spent all that money over again for the dr brown ones.

[daisymommy]

Joshua had GERD too. We went thru countless pediatricians who all said it was colic, or just that "babies spit up and cry sometimes." UGH. My mommy instincts knew something more was wrong! We finally found a great pediatrician who listened to me, and said "oh my! he has a bad case of reflux, and I think he's milk intolerant too."

So, that very day we stwitched to Alimentum formula (hypoallergenic--similar to Nutramigen), and the Dr. put him on Zantac. It took 10 days for the medicine to really work, and for the regular milk formula to clear his system, but after that, boy, he became like a different child. Not all better, but so much better. Hi scrying went from 12 hours a day (I kid you not!) to only 2-3 hrs a day, more like a normal baby. He still would spit up, but it didn't hurt him when he did (Zantac doesn't stop the spitting up, only the acid that burns them when they do).

I had tried several different formulas, but nothing else worked like the hypoallergenic one did. We also used the ready to feed type (gosh, it was like paying for liquid gold it cost so much! but hey, it was worth it). The Ped. and a GI specialist both said that for babies like mine, they need the thicker ready to feed formula to help keep it down in their tummy (powder mix type is thinner), and that the powder type had so much air in it from mixing and shaking, that it made their bellies hurt more. It seemed to be true with my son.

My other words of wisdom:
-Don't ever lay a reflux baby down flat. Sounds weird, but true. Even at nighttime, we had his crib and bassinet mattress propped up on a slight angle, so his milk would stay down. When he was older we did do tummy time, but not as early as most babies. He just couldn't handle it. Everything he ate would come back up. He did roll over and crawl later, but that's just how it was for him.

-After each feeding have your baby upright (in a bouncer seat, swing, your arms, etc.) for 20 minutes so their milk can digest some.

-Josh slept better on his side or tummy. My Ped. said that back sleeping for reflux babies is dangerous, since they can drown in their own vomit! When they sleep on their tummy (something I allowed when I was right in the same room)--it closes off the weak stomach muscle so they don't spit-up. Joshua slept for hours this way! woo-hoo!

-Put a small folded receiving blanket behind the small of their back when they are in the carseat. The bend in the car hits their bellies right at the weak spot, causing them pain. But if thri aren't bent so much in the middle they feel better. The gentle curve of the bouncy seat (when you are at home) is sooo much better!

-Let them sleep upright in the bouncy seat next to your bed or in their crib, or in the swing if it helps. Don't worry, it won't be forever, but it sure does help you and them get some sleep!


I know there is more advice in my head, I'll be thinking of it and add more later. Until then, good luck, and know that this too shall pass :)

[niccig]

After increasing doses of zantac, DS was swapped to Prevacid. I'm hoping to wean him off it in the next couple of months. He also slept in his carseat propped more upright for months. As soon as he could roll over both ways, we put him in the crib and he now prefers to sleep on his tummy. I had to nurse him in an upright postion. Now that he's older, he stands on one side and leans over to the opposite breast and does this bobbing dance with his legs, it's quite funny to watch.

I hope you quickly find what works for DS
Nicci

[Tondi G]

My kiddo didn't have GERD but I wanted to point out that there is a new Infamil AR with added rice starch to thicken the formula to help it stay down. there is also something called Enfamil gentle ease that is supposed to be easier on their tummy's without having to go with the expensive Nutramigen!

I found Dr. Sears website to be very informative and helpful when I was looking into formulas!

http://www.askdrsears.com/html/0/T000100.asp#T031003

Good Luck.... hope the Zantac does the trick for your little one!

~Tondi
Mommy to Mason 7/8/01 and Aidan 5/4/05

[LogansMommy]

Wow- so much great advice- Thanks! Not to sound dense but where do you get Dr Browns bottles- would BRU have them or should I search online?

TIA-
Arianne

[SewSarahSew]

My daughter had reflux and we had to beg our pediatrician for Zantac. She was not a spitter, she would swallow it, but that acid just doesn't feel good. Sometimes it seemed like the Zantac helped, and other times we couldn't really tell. But our neighbor, who is a pediatrician, advised us to just keep her on it. He said that there is no harm in it, Zantac isn't going to hurt her.

You've gotten lots of great advice already, but thought I would add that using a sling or mei tai helped us a lot. It kept her upright and held in mamas arms, without my arms falling off!, and which helped keep her happier. She wanted to be held all the time, but when you have an older child, that's just impossible unless you're using a sling or babycarrier. Also, the slight pressure of her tummy to tummy against me also seemed to help.

Good luck!

ps. We saw a pediatric gastroenterologist with Daniel, not for GERD but for slow weight gain. He recommended Carnation Good Start for ALL babies on formula, since it really is much easier to digest than the other standard formulas (similac, etc). Always talk with your ped. before switching formulas, but if you do want to try a differnt one, I would try that one before the really, really pricey ones.

[bcky2]

i saw them at tru so i am sure that bru would have them.

[thomma]

We got ours from Wal Mart as well as BRU.

Kim
t&e 5/03

[LogansMommy]

Thanks - Good Start is actually waht he is on...but I do wonder if the DHA ARA that is now in it could be agrrevating him and I should try and get the now less popular/available version without it (Good Start Supreme)?? Anyone have thoughts on if the DHA ARA affects gas or fussiness?


Arianne

[Mermanaid]

I've read anecdotal comments that some babies don't react well to the DHA/ARA.

I would try switching to the regular Good Start and see what happens (can't make it worse, right?). We tried it one time (while Mallory was still on Nutramigen) and she just wasn't ready to be switched off Nutramigen. When the Ped GI did want us to go to Good Start I just stocked up on the DHA/ARA version and never even tried it again.