Spitting up a LOT - Occoquan,VA

My son had reflux and after trying just about EVERY brand of formula and every specialty formula out there (I did not breastfeed) and we found Carnation Good Start to be the BEST!! His spitting up calmed and he wasn't as gassy... it was much gentler on his system then any of the formulas we tried! He was also on reflux medicine for a brief time but once we started the Carnation Good Start we slowed weaned the medication and he was fine without it! GOOD LUCK! :)

We had that problem and switched to mestle good start in the green can (I can not remember what exctly they call it anymore), as recommended by her doctor. It made a world of difference. She was breastfed and formula fed as well.

Enfamil makes a special formula for reflux: Alimentum (or something like that). The doctor should have told you about it.

My son had reflux badly. They recommended (at not even 1 month of age)I give him rice and oatmeal cereal in his bottles to help keep the formaul down. (this was recommended by a specialist) He didn't get cereal any other time during the day since he got it in his bottle. They said although my son wasn't fussy and they agreed he didn't require medication at this point, he could later be in pain due to spitting up over a long period of time cause by the acid. He said it was best to try and keep the food down. That's what we did. We 1st tried 1 tbsp of rice cereal in the bottle for 2 weeks and it didn't help but a little so then we went to oatmeal b/c it is thicker. Later we did end up having to add 1 tsp of karo syrup to his bottles b/c he was getting constipated. Once we got the combination down right, it worked like a charm. It would mean you wouldn't be able to breast feed unless you pumped. I have read up on all of the problems the reflux can cause them later in life and also with their throat and I am glad I choose to do it. My son still has reflux but he is able to keep things down. Good luck to you & God Bless!
~K.

I'm sorry I can't answer your question, as my son is exclusively breastfed so far, but I just wanted to let you know that my son spit up a lot too....and right around 4 months it really seemed to get bad! He was spitting up a ton, and our doctor too said there was nothing to worry about (he was gaining weight, didn't seem to be in pain, etc.). As time passed, things definitely got better! He's 6 months old now, and doesn't spit up NEARLY as much, and when he does, it's generally very small amounts. Just wanted to offer you some hope. Good luck!

I know you placed this request a while ago, but I just noticed it and thought I would give you what I used as well. I also see that you have a ton of responses as well, so here's just one more to add...
Both of my boys, which were also exclusively breast fed, were terrible with spitting up. Since they also didn't have a problem with losing weight and being fussy about it, we never got to medicine either. So, I just started reading a little about it and realized that they had milk allgeries (not diagnosed by the Dr.), if I had anything with milk in it. Once I started staying away from products that had milk, soy and/or eggs in them (VERY hard by the way), thier problems subsided. My first son (now 2 1/2 yrs) never had a problem with drinking milk on his own at 1 year, and he grew out of it by 8 months old. My second, has taken a little longer so far (he is currently 8 months old), however, I have found that giving him a teaspoon of GRIPE water a couple times a day has worked tremendously! (I wish I had discovered it 2 1/2 years ago). It is somethinig that is natural and you can even give it to them every 30 minutes if necessary, it's that gentle. I started them both on solids between 4-5 months as well, and it didn't seem to make a whole lot of difference (just different colored puke! :) Hope this helps, if you haven't found anything else yet.

Carnation formula worked well for my baby and that is after she was on isomil.

My son did the same thing. Both of my kids were breastfead and formula. My pediatrician said anytime you use both, you should use a soy based formula. As soon as I changed, my son was good! Good luck!

My nephew spit up a lot too...to the point where it become kind of comical. He was in no pain what so ever because he never reacted to it. Just puked as if it was a normal thing to do. We learned that there was something in this throat that wasn't fully developed yet (like a piece of skin or something) and once he was around 9 months the spitting up diminished a lot as he had outgrown the problem. He'd be crawling around the floor and would spit up a whole lot but would just keep on going. We had to follow him around with a rag! He was a very healthy boy--always 90th percentile for weight--so the lost ounces never hurt his weight gain. Maybe your daughter has a similar issue--nothing to worry about and no need to change formulas?

Have you tried burping her in the middle of a feeding? That may help a bit. I used similac to supplement because all of mine had trouble with enfamil. Since she is 4 months old, you could also add a little baby oatmeal cereal to her bottles help with the reflux. You'll probably need to switch to the fast flow nipples if you put cereal in the bottle. Good luck.

Hi Proud M. B. One of the things you can do is burp her in between feeding. So if you are nursing and you nurse her on both breast at a time, before switching to the other breast you can burp her. Also since you are giving her formula you can put a teaspoon of cereal per ounce of milk, preferably oatmeal as rice tends to constipate, in her formula. Hold her up for about 15 to 20 min after feeding before putting her down. Or allow her to stay in a bouncy seat, swing or on a boppy pillow in an upright position after feeding. This tends to help.

My son had reflux, he was put on medication for it. The first pediatrician I went to gave me 2 different formulas made by Enfamil to try - I cannot remember the exact name, I know one was a "Lipil" and it was in yellow lableming then there was one that was in orange labeling. She had told my son would not like the flavor of either formula and he did not - and he spit up even more. I put him on the Enfamil Prosobee Soy Formula and had great results. He still spit up because of the reflux but it was a lot less and did not seem to be so painful. I know the Enfamil website gives you a good description of each of their formulas so you may want to check there. Good Luck!

Proud M. B,

The previous posts are good advice. If you really do want your baby on formula though, I would try Similac. My son didn't like the Enfamil and I had to switch him to Similac as it is a little more gentle on the stomach. I also had to use the soy formula. When it was time to wean on to regular milk, he couldn't handle cow's milk, I had to use soy and now we use rice. He still gets the nutrients he needs to grow. Hope this helps.

When I visit my doula clients post partum, I sometimes hear reports of reflux. The most successful parents have not medicated and chosen to look at mom's diet. Also, chiropractic and acupuncture are two modalities that can and have helped with this issue. Please feel free to contact me if you'd like more specific info and or referrals to competant practitioners near you.
L. M
Birthbliss
HypnoBirthing childbirth education and birth doula services in DC, MD and Northern VA

I have used Alimentum with good results. It is more expensive, but it was worth it.

Try weaning her off of all formula. It is vastly inferior. If you want the best easiest thing for your baby to digest then nurse exclusively for as long as possible and intro. solids late and slow.

Hi Proud Mommie!

I supplemented both of mine with the Nestle's Good Start.
It is more gentle on their tummies. I know a mom from my first mother's group did wonderfully with the Enfamil Pro-So-Be (??) Lipil. Her little guy had reflux to the point he wasn't gaining weight. She had to quit nursing, was trying all kinds of things, but the Lipil saved the day. Within a week things were better.

Have they considered a dairy intollerance or other allergy?

Best of luck ~

Our son spit up a lot, and after a hospital stay (3 days) and lots of doctor's appointments, I discovered that if I drank milk he would spit up.I stopped drinking milk and the spitting up stopped. He is almoost 14 now, and has never had a problem drinking milk himself. Our neice had reflux and we made sure that she stayed in an upright position for about 30 minutes after she ate, and that problem improved immediately. I hope that this helps!

First off. Every baby has some type of reflux. They're systems just aren't mature enough yet to keep everything down. The severity of the reflux varies from child to child. I have 3 kids. My 9 year old did not have reflux at all. My 2yr old had the reflux without the spitting up. She was in pain all the time. She would be breastfeeding and arching her back and crying and pull off. It was terrible. She just cried and cried and cried until we got her on meds. Zantac worked for us. I weaned her from breastfeeding at about 7mos because I was returning to work as a nurse full time, so we put her on Enfamil AR (it's already thickened with rice as mentioned by PP). She grew out of it at about 10mos. My son, who just turned 1, had/has acid reflux as well, but he was/is a "happy spitter". He didn't/doesn't cry, doesn't appear to be in discomfort, he'll smile at you as the spit up is running out of his mouth and then try and play in it. He would spit up volumes from the time he nursed until it was time to nurse again and he nursed every 3-4hrs. He was not on any meds. The Zantac and Prevacid will work to reduce the pain of acid refulx, however, it doesn't treat the spitting up. There really isn't a cure for "spitting up" unless your child has a pyloric stenosis, which results in massive amounts of projectile vomiting, so that is where your doctor is coming from with not treating your daughter. That being said, my son, at a year, only weighs 17lbs 11oz because of the reflux. He out grew most of it at around 9mos but does continue to spit up some even on table food. He weaned himself from BF at 9mos and we put him on Similac Organic. He wasn't a fan of the AR and I don't like buying non-organic dairy anyway, so it was a win win for us. Good luck, I hope your daughter outgrows the reflux quickly.

it is not suggested to give meds by the american peds assoc if the child is thriving. The meds do have neg side effects. If your baby is not loosing weight then the spitting up is not an issue. Spitting up is normal....even a lot of it. Usually it is from over eating, but could be for another reason. It is not normal and should be addressed IF che is loosing weight. Then it is often more like projectile vomiting. The only time I would consider giving the meds against the guidelines is if the child is screaming in pain constantly. (our case) That is... more than 3 hours a day of screaming.

I'm surprised no on has mentioned Enfamil Gentlease formula. Both my boys had to go on it and it helped their stomachs a lot. It's broken down so it makes it easier to digest. There's another one as well specifically for spitting up you can try as well. Good luck!

My BF one month baby was the same. Bbaies mgic tea did help and soothed him instantly.

Hey there,
One of my twins had reflux and we used Enfamil Prosobee and it really helped with his reflux. I would use Mylicon (over the counter) drops before every feeing and it helped. Thankfully her grew out of it around 6 mon. I now the other Enfamil Nutramigin is helpful too but very expensive. Oh another trick was to try and keep him as upright as possible during and for a little while after his feedings and that seemed to cut down on the spitting up. Good luck and enjoy her.
Take care,
M.

As L. as she's gaining weight and isn't obviously uncomfortable, there really isn't much any dr will do. There are also two kinds of reflux. There is reflux, which is simply that the digestive system is still maturing and trying to work things out. That kind of reflux is not effected by medications. Then there is acid reflux, which my son has a severe case of. Acid reflux is painful and often causes weight loss and is treated with medications.

As I said, Cody has severe acid reflux. He is on two medications for it (Prevacid to prevent damage from the acid coming up and Reglan to aid in his stomach emptying faster to try to prevent the vomitting - he vomits entire feedings). I did exclusively breastfeed for 10 wks but had to stop because of his reflux. After a trip to the ER and an overnight stay, it was determined that the best thing for him was thickened feedings. Since I obviously can't add rice cereal into my boobs, I had to stop breastfeeding.

Cody drinks Enfamil Lipil and we add rice cereal to his bottles (this is only recommended if recommended by a doctor). He actually gets 3 tbs of cereal in a 4 oz bottle, which is way thicker than most babies would get.

Enfamil makes a formula for babies that is already thickened, called Enfamil AR (added rice). It is a great option, but simply wasn't thick enough for my son.

You said your daughter is 4 months, have you tried feeding cereal or oatmeal from the spoon? Our pediatrician gave us the go-ahead when Cody was 4 months and it helped a lot. At 5 months he started baby foods. He never vomits any of the food, just the bottles.

Hi there,

I have a 10 months old with severe reflux since about 3 1/2 months. Just an fyi, it will eventually hurt her. The constant reflux of the stomach acid will start to irritate and can damage her esophagus. My little guy takes previcid and reglan every day. YOu might want to get a second opinion from a pediatric gastroenterology specialist. My little guy had to switch to a formula called Elecare (very expensive) to combat he reflux and allergy issues he has.

You'll also want to keep a close eye on her weight.

The other thing that helps is more solid food. Introduce it asap. It stays down better than the liquids.

Good luck,
L.
Reston, VA

My son had acid reflux and had to be put on medication, it was horrible. We ended up getting him Enfamil AR. It has rice starch in it. Unfortunately we tried everything else first, switching formula's (expensive kind) lactose free ones, rice cereal in the bottle. None of them worked, some even made him worse.

Both of my children had reflux. My daughter sounds like yours -- spit up all the time. She never cried or seemed uncomfortable and she gained weight fine, so she was not put on meds. I just had her wear a bib during all waking hours until she was about 10 months old and the problem resolved itself. My son on the other hand never spit up but was in screaming, crying pain all the time. We put him on Zantac after 4 months of that crazy misery and he was fine. He took it until he was between 10 and 12 months old (hard to remember exactly now, he's almost 6). We tried various formulas with them and I tried changing my diet when breastfeeding and never noticed anything diet-related helping the problem. We also started giving them rice cereal in their bottles relatively early but I also didn't think that made a noticeable difference. Best wishes to you.

Hi - You have already gotten a million responses but I had to add mine. Our pediatrician before meds suggested that we start adding a little bit of rice cereal (as much as it takes to keep things down) to our son's breast milk or formula bottles. This really worked like a dream. We started when he was about 3.5 months and we still do it now at 5.5 months sometimes even though he now gets some solids. I always favor a non-medicine response first if possible. Hope this helps!

My little one had reflux too and I wanted so bad to breast feed and it was working out, except for she was misrible. We put her on Zantac and Enfamil AD (added rice) and she was a totally different baby. Happy and gaining weight....I even mixed it with breast milk for a while. She is now almost two and off the formula and Zantac....you'd never even know we had so many problems in the begining. Every baby is different, but this worked for us. Good luck and hope you can find something that works.

In regard to the post below, don't think that formula is causing your child to spit up more frequently. I nursed my son exclusively for 4 months, introduced solids at 4 months, and continued to nurse through 6 months. He is now entirely on formula. For the first 4 months, he spit up quite a bit. When I introduced formula to him, we used Similac soy - just as another poster had mentioned. He is doing well on the soy and no longer spits up in excess. Children develop at different rates, and some may have a bit of reflux (in varying degrees), which - in most cases - cures itself over time. My daughter, who's now 4, was on soy formula also b/c she spit up quite a bit. At 11 months, we slowly introduced whole milk to her by mixing it with her formula - half formula, half whole milk. She has no problems at all and is active, tall and lean, and healthy!

If your daughter is not fussy (neither were my two) and is gaining weight, then don't worry. Try the soy to see if it minimizes the amount she spits up. Good luck!

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"Try weaning her off of all formula. It is vastly inferior. If you want the best easiest thing for your baby to digest then nurse exclusively for as long as possible and intro. solids late and slow."