Reflux in 4 Month Old

My daghter had terrible reflux too. We saw a pediatric GI specialist. Her suggestion was to thicken her formula with a couple tablespoons of cereal. I was breastfeeding and bottle feeding so we only did it when giving her the bottle. It did help. She was about 4 1/2 months at that time. I think the reflux became much better at around 7 -8 months. Good luck!

Talk to the Dr as when they are this little it is very possible to "outgrow" the dose quickly. He may need more than first prescribed if his weight did increase to the next level. That is what happened to my first son. Also the car seat can squish their tummies and make it worse if their body is not straight. Try to tilt it back (prop a pillow underneath) a little so he is not so upright with all the weight on his lower half or I found the bounce seat had a more even angle for the whole body to rest. On a side note have you looked at Kellymom.com regarding the BF and reflux? It may be worth a look around especially about an "oversupply". Reflux is so frustrating. BM is best to heal and help prevent it from getting worse so keep it up. It does get better, I promise!

My 1-year-old started taking Xantac when he was 2 months old, and it made a huge difference with his spitting up and ability to sleep at night. He still ended up sleeping in the swing a lot for the first few months (which we didn't want to do b/c we were worried it would make it difficult to transition him to a crib, but it was clear when he was getting too big for the swing and was more than happy to move to the crib). Sounds like your baby was a preemie... not sure how that affects these types of issues, but you might want to see if his continued vomiting is an allergic reaction to some food you are eating. Dairy and soy are among the most common, as well as eggs, nuts (esp peanuts), and shellfish. Maybe it would be worth consulting with a pediatric allergist. Or try eliminating dairy from your diet for a week (I know it's tough) and see how he does, but an allergist can probably guide you through that process better. Also, have you tried any kind of sling or carrier? That might help keep him upright without wearing your arms out. Good luck!

All 3 of my kids had reflux. What helped my 2 younger ones was giving them the Similac soy formula. My daughter also took zantac 2x a day. It helped, but my 2 older ones especially were pukers. Believe it or not, my oldest continued to puke until he was almost 10, and my daughter still pukes and has been diagonosed with abdominal migraines. My little guy outgrew it though.

My oldest is going to be 16 and he was always in the 95 percentile for height and weight so noone really worried. My daughter was below 10 percent for weight, so she was put through a lot of tests. However, despite all this, she has caught up and in is now 50/50 height and weight. We eliminated chocolate and hard yellow cheeses from her diet and she has stopped puking. You mentioned breat milk, maybe you should eliminate those things from your diet.

Good luck. I know how frustrating all of this can be. Let me know if I can advise any other way.

Hi J.,
This sounds exactly like my two sons. One is 3 1/2 (he out grew reflux at 4 to 5 months) and one is 1 month old and we're in the midst of reflux hell! LOL. My son is gaining weight as well and formula vs. breast milk makes no difference here either. YES, spitting up formula up to 2 hours after eating makes it difficult for the little one (and you) to rest! And yes, laying down or car seat - oh J. I feel for you.
With our first son we found he was allergic to milk based formula. So we switched to soy and he was allergic to that too. So we went to Allimentum (Similac brand pre broken down formula). This didn't stop his reflux, but it helped a lot. With my second, as soon as he showed signs of discomfort on milk based formula, I went right to Allimentum and it's been better, but again not gone. I've been told that reflux happens because the valve between stomach and esophagus hasn't matured enough so fluid flows easily back and forth.
I have found that the following really helps:

1)After he eats, keep him upright for at least 30 to 45 mins.

2)When possible I put my son in the baby bjorn carrier and then he's upright for a lot longer than 45 mins. and I can get stuff done around the house.

3)**Check with your doctor before you try this** My doctor suggested giving 1/4 tsp. of Mylanta before the bottle. We have found that giving half the dose after he spits up really settles him because it neutralized the acid he's just spit up.

Good luck, and know you're not alone!

Sorry to hear about this. Must be really rough on all of you. :( My youngest (3 months) had a mild case of reflux and a simple thing helped alleviate his discomfort and spitting up: slightly elevating the head of his crib. We placed a pillow under the head of the crib mattress and then kind of filled the gap it created underneath with a rolled bath towel. The mattress is at a 15 degree angle or so; my son no longer wakes the moment I put him flat on his back. His "voice" came back to normal (it was very hoarse and strained for a while due to the stomach acid that was sitting there during sleep). And he's spitting up a lot less and overall seems happier. Your son's issue sounds more severe but perhaps elevating the bed coupled with your doctor's advice (and other moms' suggestions) will help your little guy feel better. Good luck to you!

I have two friends who had the same issue with their babies and it was not just reflux. There is a small muscle that is not functioning properly in the stomach which prevents the formula or breastmilk from staying down. It is not serious but most times does require surgery to repair the problem. My friend from my gym said her grandaughter just had to have it done for that same reason. She was vomiting and loosing weight she had the surgery at about 3 weeks old and is doing really well now. She is eating no problem and is gaining weight beautifully. I think I would go for a second opinion if your doc is not visiting the possibilities of other causes. If it is just reflux I do have an infant at my childcare center who has to have rice cereal put into each of his bottles to help hold down the formula. That has helped him tremendously. You can ask the doc if trying that is a possibility. Good luck

Hi J.,

My daughter was diagnosed with reflux at around 3 months, and the doctor put her on Zantac. Although I was hesitant about giving it to her at first, I must say that it was the best thing that we could have done. The symptoms seemed to disappear immediately, and we had our happy, able- to- drink- her- formula- with- ease daughter back. She stayed on it for about 5 months, and then never needed it again.

Good luck to you!

Sincerely,
Jen S

My son was on zantac and he did really well. try soy, it turned out my son was allegic to dairy.

First of all, the dose may need to be adjusted. Talk to the doc about that! Also, consider a food sensitivity. My little one had bad reflux from 2 wks-8 months. He was on Zantac the whole time. But I found that when I stopped eating all dairy products, it really really helped as well!

Give it a try. Stop eating dairy completely for a few weeks, and switch to a sensitive formula (not lactose-free, which is total bunk!) when you supplement. (maybe soy?) If it helps, then awesome! If not, then at least you've ruled that out.

Good luck! And remember- at least 50% of babies have an underdeveloped valve when they're born. For most of them it just takes time for it to get strong, and keep that milk/formula down. Spitting up isn't the problem- it's pain and weight loss that have to be treated! So your kiddo may start to gain weight and be healthy, but still spit up. That's what happened with mine!

My daughter had reflux really badly when she was first born. She weighed 5.14 and was 3 weeks early. She too lost a lot of weight and thats when the concerns began. She was always vomiting (across the room) and would wake up screaming in the middle of the night. She also always wanted to eat which the Dr. said was to control the acid. They want to eat to push the acid down. We tried malox and it worked but as soon as we stopped she was sick again. Her Dr then put her on Prevacid pills and they worked wonders. The oral suspension type made her worse. She would take 1/2 a pill in the am and 1/2 in the pm. After a 2 nights she started sleeping through the night. At this point she was 8 weeks old. She outgrew it by the time she was 9 months old. I am so glad we solved it for her b/c she was miserable. I know many people don't agree with prescription meds at that age but for us it worked and my baby was better! I hope this helps you and that your little guy feels better soon. Good luck.
Danielle

maybe the baby is allergic to breast milk formula and soy have him checked for allergies. just found out my friends daughter was allergic and they put her on some medical formula that costs alot like 60 for a small can but if you have good insurance they might cover it

D. married 2 kids 43

J.,
My son ended up having reflux. From the time he was born he spit up like crazy and would never sleep at night. My doctor wouldn't give me anything and said he would outgrow it. He was 7 months, eating solids and still spitting up all the time and not sleeping. I finally convinced him to put him on medication. He prescribed prevacid tablets. That seemed to work. He instantly stopped spitting up. He is 13 months and I just weaned him off of it. He's ok now. That was my experience with it. Maybe you need a different prescription. I would just trust your instincts and push the doctor. My son would have suffered so much longer. The doctor actually apologized to me for not listening and medicating sooner. Good Luck!

Try feeding him in an upright position and then leaving him upright for about an hour. We eat vertically, but too many people feed their babies horizontally. The air isnt able to escape their tummies and then it pushes up in a rush and causes them to regurgitate. If you feed them slowly upright the air escapes continually and no burping or spitting up.

Hi J.,
My son was diagnosed with reflux at about 3 months of age and was put on a daily dose of prevacid which worked absolute wonders for him. He was a mess before the medicine- projectile vomiting and screaming after each feeding (he was formula fed), but the meds cure him completely. He was on prevacid from 3 months until about 8-9 months, when he started to eat solids.
Good luck! Sorry you have to go through that, it's so hard when they're uncomfortable!!
Lynsey

Have you tried different types of formula? Similac makes a sensitive kind... or if that doesn't work try soy or alimentum/nutramigen. Maybe try to take dairy out of your diet too, since you're breastfeeding... cut back on foods that can cause gas like broccoli and spicy food too. Good luck.

Hi J.,

My daughter had reflux almost the entire first 6 months of hre life (now she's 8 months old.) Our pedi put her on Zantac first and that didn't work so he put her on Prevacid. I wasn't breast feeding so we started her on Alimentum. We also put cereal in her bottle to thicken it up so it would stay down. She did continue to spit up sometimes but it was much better. At her 6 month checkup we stopped the meds and then stopped the Alimentum two weeks later. It seemed to get much better once we started solids at 4 months as well. Now she has completely grown out of it. I hope this helps. Good luck!

I am sure you ave gotten plenty of good responses but having a reflux baby myself, I always want to give my input for a tough situation! My youngest son had reflux from day one. I dont think weight was an issue but he was extremely uncomfortable. The pediatrician first prescribed him Zantac and that didn't work. We also tried everything from switching formulas and using mylicon drops to different bottles, etc... We ended up going to a pediatric gastroenterologist who put him on Prilosec and wanted him to go on Reglan which I refused.. The prilosec did work alot better than Zantac did and we ended up using nutramigen formula (pre digested formula)with the Dr. Browns bottles and dealing with lots of laundry and baby holding!! Once he started walking, he outgrew the reflux! I did have the reflux resurface about two years ago at the age of 6 but all is good! It is a tough road to be on but they do outgrow it.Good luck!

When my youngest son was about 2 months old he started throwing up everything also. We ended up taking him to a stomach doctor and they told me that the flap that held his food in his stomach wasn't completely formed yet.They put him on special medication until he was about 2.He is now a very big and healthy 15 year old, he stands 6'2" and goes about 280!!! They say that most kids will grow out of it with meds but a few requirer surgery. Hope this helps you out.Oh and I also breast feed him until he was 16 months.

My son went through similar symptoms for 6 months before diagnosed with Reflux, aspiration, and lactose intolerance. I had been to the pediatrician 4x before insisting on a referral to a pediatric gastoenterologist and when seen and evaluated several tests were done and he was diagnosed. He would scream, vomit, have severe diarhea, weight loss, etc. After treated by the specialist, several changes in his diet, and some education for my husband and I we were able to provide him relief which of course gave us great relief. He has grown out of all of the issues with minimal treatment and is now above average in height and weight but not obese. His weight is appropriate for his height but neither is average for a 6 year old. I thought I would never make it through it. We went 6 months before being able to get it right but once we did there was a drastic change and quality of life for all of us was better. He went on a special formula because he could not even tolerate soy. I forget the name of it but it was very expensive. The cost was worth it though! You may want to ask for the referral and have a closer look at things! Good luck. I know how difficult this can be and how heart breaking it is to watch your child suffer from it!
M.

Hi J.,

My daughter had acid reflux from the time she was about one month old until she was about 8 1/2 months old. The first sign (other than the excessive spitting up) was that she only gained about 1/2 lb during her first month. She was 8 lbs. 4 oz at birth and was just under 9 lbs. at one month old. Her pediatrician prescribed Zantac (which is probably similar to Pepcid) and suggested that I supplement with formula to "up" her calorie intake. While the Zantac seemed to ease my daughter's pain, the acid reflux continued to occur with the same frequency as before. She spit up the formula just like she did with the breast milk. The only thing that really helped was time. Her pediatrician said that most babies outgrow acid reflux by the time they are 9 months old and that was surely the case with my daughter. Her weight gain continued to be slow and steady - not as much as her pediatrician hoped it would be, but not so little as to classify her as failing to thrive.

Hang in there. Time most likely will help your son's situation, too. I know that's probably little solace right now, but it will get better. Also, once he starts eating solids (cereal, etc.) the reflux should diminish some. I'd only be concerned about the reflux if your son seems to be missing developmental milestones or if he's not gaining weight at all.

A little about me:

37 year old WAHM of 19 month old daughter and 9 year old son; great hubby of almost 13 years.