Natural Remedies for A/R ? Several Questions I Have...

My daughter did the same thing when she was a baby and it was explained to me that some babies just literally fill up and it has to come out. She wasn't diagnosed with anything. It was suggested to me that you burp several times into the feeding and hold the baby upright (as much as possible) while feeding. My daughter FINALLY stopped doing it once she was sitting up for a couple months. My friends daughter did this until she was 13 months old and she was on the stinky anti-allergy formula.
Best of luck!

Hi, I'm not sure exactly what your son may have but, my daughter threw up like that when she was a small baby and the dr. suggested soy milk and it worked, she quit the projectile vomiting..... not sure if you've gave that a try.... it may help.... good luck. C. R

Hi D.,

My son was always spitting up too and had the discomfort. He took 1/2 teaspoon of mylanta two or three times a day. While it's not a natural remedy, it's not prescription either which I felt better about. He slurped the mylanta off the spoon willingly. He did outgrow this "acid reflux" before he was one. No more spitting up!

In terms of an allergy to the formula the test is to switch formulas for at least one week and see if it makes a difference. If you think it's the milk he is sensitive to, switch to a soy based product. We did this too because my son was and continues to be lactose intolerant. You won't notice a change though for several days so don't stop after one day and think it didn't work. If you think it's something other than the milk (lactose) in the formula, switch brands for a week. We used the target brand and the sam's club brand. My cousin with an embarrassingly gassy baby had success with enfamil.

Good luck to you!

Hi,
both my kids have had reflux. My daughter is 10 months now is just coming off of prevacid. I struggled with the same issue as I could not see giving my new baby drugs so soon. But, after seeing the huge difference in both of their lives by reducing the pain I knew it was the right thing. What also helped is we took our son, and then our daughter to a pediatric GI. We felt that the expert opinion was really helpful since this person only specializes in this area. My son also had to be taken off of breast milk and put on a special formula, so yes, it can be an allergy too and they can help figure that out. Generally if there is an allergy they will have blood in their poop...not really blood you can see, but very small traces that increase over time. They will test for that with you.

If there isn't pain involved with the throwing up then I honestly wouldn't worry too much about it, but if he's in pain then you should go see a specialist. I can't recommend ours enough, Dr. Marjorie McCracken in Los Gatos. She's a PhD and she's a wonderful caring doctor that takes time to discuss all your questions/concerns with you.

Good luck and congrats on your baby boy.

I have read recent research about giving probiotics to infants for such things as colic. I have even seen some formulas including probiotics now. I bought probiotics for my daughter at Whole Foods as she gets very gassy at times (she's 3 yrs now) and they really helped. Trying different bottles and/or smaller, more frequent feedings may help. Do you have him sit up for 15-30 minutes after eating? I agree that many infants are now on meds for this and wonder if there are holistic things to do instead. Good luck.
Sincerely,
L.

gripe water helped my little one when he had A/R. it settles their stomach. he didn't projectile but he spit up ALL THE TIME and sometimes A LOT. i noticed more when he took the bottle because looking back i believe i was overfeeding him. when they are so young they aren't as good at controllin ghow much they need/want. so they get super full and have to spit it back up. try feeding him less and giving him gripe water during his feeding before or after.

good luck.

I breastfed both of my kids, but remember some advice given to me when my first was a newborn. The lactation consultant advised that because I was breast feeding the baby got their fill of sucking. Babies are designed to do so much sucking in a day, and with breast feeding it is more work than if they suck from a bottle. She explained that bottle fed babies may need additional sucking and that a pacifier was great for that, whereas my child should probably do without or they may not get the needed amount of nutrition because they had not been eating when they were sucking on the pacifier. Strange but true.

Also, it may be an allergy, I will do a bit of googling and my own research to determine that. Also consider a homeopathic doctor. The visit most likely will not be covered by medical insurance, but may be worth it in the end.

Also, ask a chiropractor if they have any input. Sometimes birth can cause the slightest trauma to the nerves in the spine. Some of the nerves affected may have something to do with digestion. My chiropractor knows which part of my spine is affected by my symptoms, simply because he knows which nerves are where.

Last...in your browser simply type in Alternative Medicine: Acid reflux in a 3 months old infant and see what comes up. Good luck, hugs!

T.
Founder
www.theparentpack.org

There is more to acid reflux in an infant besides constant spitting up - some babies are just barfers no matter how much you burp them, but constant PROJECTILE spitting up, regardless of how much you burp your son, is not normal and a sure sign of real acid reflux. Your ped was able to diagnose the condition quickly and easily because there are several tell-tale symptoms that point to only A/R and no other condition - it is not a difficult condition to pinpoint, and because it is quite common and easily controlled with very small doses of baby safe medication, pediatricians are quick to diagnose and offer a cure. No one likes to see their infant in pain. Furthermore, if he were allergic to the formula you give him, he would also be having serious poop, gas, and digestion issues on top of the projectile spitting up (he would be - a milk allergy effects the entire system and would be giving him diarrhea, gas, the whole gamit of digestive issues) - and allergic reaction does NOT just include spitting up.

Unless you want to continue to see your son uncomfortable, give him the liquid Zantac. It is very commonly used, and very safe for the treatment mild to moderate acid reflux in infants.

At 3 months, my daughter was diagnosed with acid reflux. She was presenting all the telltale signs - a constant projectile spitting up, uncontrollable "pain" crying, an inability to tolerate laying flat, wanting to eat and be held all the time. Babies with acid reflux generally cannot sleep lying flat, as it allows the excess stomach acid to creep up the esophagus and causes severe pain and burning - reflux babies are often bad sleepers, or will only sleep in an upright position (in a swing, infant carrier, someones arms). Reflux babies also want to eat constantly, even when they are not hungry, as the lactose in the breastmilk/formula calms the burning of the stomach acid.

Liquid Zantac saved our life, and turned my unhappy infant into a happy, pleasant, well adjusted and pain free love. Try the Zantac for a week or so - if it helps, you know that the diagnosis and treatment were spot on (you do have to give the zantac a few days to take full effect). She grew out of the A/R by 7 months, and we were able to to take her off the zantac altogether.