Saturday, February 28, 2009

Help!

So it's pretty official-I have a baby with acid reflux. And omigoodness-it is so not fun! I don't really have anything to compare it to. Ellie and Luke did not do this. Luke went through a brief spit-up problem after I switched to formula, but it didn't last too long. Andrew's is sometimes projectile, and sometimes it just flows like a river out of his mouth. And he loves to eat so he just wants to keep eating, but if his tummy is full, it will just come right back up. He constantly needs his clothes changed, which sometimes I do, sometimes I don't, because changing him and moving him around is a guaranteed spit-up. I will often put a bib on him, but again, the moving of his head and neck just sends it right up, soaking the bib, and we're back at square one. All of this is bad, but it's the worst at night. Last night I fed him at 12:30 and he was yawning and I knew he was ready to go back to sleep. I laid him down and he would be relaxed for a little while and then he starts squirming and I know what's coming. So I'm lying next to him ready to catch the spit-up with a burp cloth so that I don't have to change his pajamas. This went on for the next few hours-he didn't fully go back to sleep until almost 2:30. He didn't wake to feed again until almost 5. Which is great, but when he is up almost half of that time, that only leaves me 2 1/2 hrs. of sleep. Okay, so then I fed him at 5, and he is out! But again, moving him causes the milk to come up. So frustrating!!
I love our pediatrician. He is a family friend. (Went to college with my dad) He was actually mine and my sisters doctor when we were little. He is extremely smart and I really trust what he says. So I was quite disappointed when he explained that he doesn't like to give medicine for that unless absolutely necessary (like if the baby is losing weight) and Andrew certainly doesn't fall into that category. Maybe if things get worse we'll talk again. He also said babies usually outgrow it at around 8 months!!! Are you kidding me? 8 more months of this?

So, all you moms who might be reading this-I'd love any advice. Anything that I can do (like certain foods to avoid). I know there are a lot of babies who have this, so any help would be greatly appreciated!

Despite all this reflux mess, things are getting a little easier-not much, but a little. I can actually prepare a meal (if you want to call it that-cereal for breakfast and mac'n'cheese for lunch). Luke watches a lot of movies, which I feel guilty about, but I remind myself that you do what you have to do. Ellie loves Andrew and wants to hold him/see him/talk to him often. We've had to make some rules about when he is asleep-do not touch him, get in his face, run around the house screaming at the top of your lungs. (Much harder to enforce when Ellie and Luke are together and in a silly mood-usually around the dinner hour) Also, Ellie has this "baby"voice that she like to talk to him in, and bless her heart, it so annoying. (It isn't even words, it's just this jibberish sound and she does it all the time) I have tried to encourage her to use actual words to talk to him, so he can hear real words and one day will talk back to her (hey, whatever works)-being really careful not to hurt her feelings, but she really seems to like this little language.

Because I know my family would like some pictures (and I apologize because they aren't the most recent) here are some that are about a week or so old. They are actually some we took to use for Andrew's birth announcement.



14 comments:

The Morrisons said...

Here is my two cents for what it's worth: Don't use medicine unless he is in pain or like the doc said is losing weight. The meds taste terrible and often don't work. Owen projectiled till about 2 months, then spit up but not all over till about 4.5 months (I started a little cereal and it helped tremendously. I think I had tons of milk and he loved to nurse so he would eat sooooo much and spit it up-but the pay off was that he only ate every 3-4 hours and he slept great at night like 5 hours from the get go. I did find out that Owen had a sensitivity to milk, eggs, nuts, and corn. I think he is starting to outgrow these (but most outgrow it way before that). I think forgoing milk and cheese is your best bet. You should see a change in 3-4 days if this is at all the culprit so you won't have to deprive yourself for long. And, if it is to blame, I hated giving up the milk products, but after a while it didn't even bother me much. Hope this helps. I used to nurse without a shirt when I was at home and covered myself in a receiving blanket to catch the spit ups (a burp cloth just wasn't big enough!)

Hollen said...

I am so sorry! I hope that you can figure someting out. :) How cute about Ellie's baby talk. LOL
Hollen

LB said...

okay, obviously I have no advice for reflux, though my heart is totally going out to you!! And I am eager to be there in a couple of weeks, so that maybe I can help out a bit. But, I thought it might make you smile to know that Ada was in my lap as I looked at this post, and when she saw Andrew she stood up in my lap so that she could touch his picture, and she said "coot" (as in cute). And then, she pointed to Ellie and said "Ay-ee" (as in, Ellie)!!! That is the first time she has said Ellie with no prompting!! I was excited.

Rachel @ Moments With My Miracles said...

Hi...I'm friends with Sara Boney and she sent me over here when she saw this post. Both my girls have had acid reflux (my oldest having it the worst) which is actually more than just spitting up. Sara thought I might be able to offer some advice since I have been through this before. With my middle child (oldest daughter), I learned a ton about reflux. I tend to agree with your doctor that as long as he is a "happy spitter" then he probably doesn't need medicine. Ellie Kate spit up all the time and my newest who is nearly 4 months also spits up a lot. I had/have puke on me all day. We went through burp cloths like crazy and our carpet was disgusting once Ellie Kate started crawling. At about 5 weeks old Ellie Kate started showing classic signs of reflux in addition to the constant puke. She started arching her back during feedings and refusing to nurse. She became fussy pretty much ALL day. She couldn't sleep and I could not put her down without her screaming. She was not a happy baby. It was awful. Basically the spit up eventually caused the acid to damage her esophagus. We started her on prilosec and it took 2 weeks for us to see a difference. Now, the meds healed her pain, but they DO NO REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF SPIT UP. So as long as your baby is mostly happy during the day, then he probably doesn't have reflux, it's just a laundry issue. Still not fun, but at least you don't have to put him on any medicines. My younger daughter showed mild signs of reflux so we put her on medicine at 3 weeks old before it got too bad and while she still spit up a ton she has not been in any pain associated with it which is totally different from my oldest. We actually don't give her the medicine anymore. My oldest also gained weight slowly until she outgrew the reflux at about 10 months old. So, yes you may have to deal with the spit up for awhile longer. If your son becomes increasingly fussy and acts like he is in pain (arching his back, screaming for no apparent reason, refuses to eat) then I would take him back to the doctor and ask for prilosec or prevacid. Many doctors will try to start you on Zantac which really doesn't work that well and it is weight sensitive so you are always having to change the dose.

So a few things you can do to deal with spit up are to keep him upright for about 15-20 minutes after each feeding and you might want to consider elevating his crib or letting him sleep in a bouncy seat or swing.

Sorry, I wrote so much. I know how frustrating it is to have a child who spits up all the time! I hope he doesn't truly have reflux!

Brandon and Vanessa said...

We don't have much help for your acid reflux problem, but we did want to say Hi and we have been thinking about you guys. That's obvious b/c Brandon tracked your blog site down by searching the web, stocker! Anyway, congratulations on your little addition, he is adorable. I can't believe how big Ellie and Luke our now. Well as for us we are doing good and actually have a little addition of our own. His name is Owen and he is 9 months. Guess our 3 year plan worked as good as yours did. You can check out our blog @ www.brandonandvanessa.blogspot.com
Here is our contact info we would LOVE to hear from you guys:
Home Phone:(505)896-8468
E-Mail: brandonandvanessaburgess@gmail.com

Sarah said...

None of my children have had true acid reflux (as diagnosed by a doctor) but Haley spit up constantly and quite a bit at a time for at least the first 6 months. Then it finally started to subside, and at nine months now, she rarely does it.

I know what you mean about what a mess it is. Burp cloths were a joke--we used big receiving blankets for cover/soak-up cloths (my shirt and pants-- and often whatever I was sitting on--were usually soaked even with a blanket). I wouldn't hand her to anyone without also giving them a blanket to protect their clothes. I felt really bad--people want to hold your baby and then she pukes all over them. Did a lot of apologizing.

Between her drool and her spit-up, I never put her straight on our carpet until she started to scoot off blankets either way. And her "usual" spot in the family room is, let's say, "crunchy." Add thrush for a couple months in there (where you have to sanitize anything that comes into contact with her mouth or its contents) and laundry was totally out of control!

No advice for you, but I agree with whomever that keeping them upright after feedings helps immensely. I feel for you, and remember the tons of laundry and extra work that a spitty baby is. I'd pretty much change her clothes after every feeding. And the smell. . . she'd smell good after a bath for an hour or so, but then it was back to drooly spit-up smell. Almost didn't seem worth it to bathe her at all! (Or is that because she's the third?)

Sorry you're experiencing this. No fun. Thanks for reminding me of what once was and helping me realize it HAS gotten easier. I'm sure Andrew will grow out of it, too. Hang in there.

Mark, Jordan, Spencer and Crosby said...

Have you tried anything like this?

http://www.coliccalm.com/

I haven't used it, but I have heard that it can work wonders.

Rachel @ Moments With My Miracles said...

Hey Ann, it's Sara's friend again! I went back and found something I copied and pasted when I was trying to figure out reflux. I thought this list might be helpful for you as you look out for signs with Andrew (who is adorable by the way!). I hope my earlier post didn't come on too harsh...I know how hard dealing with the spit up can be and I truly hope he doesn't get unhappy with it. Also my 4 month old had a really hard time calming down at night too like you were talking about. Nothing we did seemed to really help but once she hit 8 weeks, it got much better.

Anyway, here is the list of symptoms to look for...

Symptoms of infant reflux

* Spitting up – common among most babies, spitting up does not always warrant a reflux diagnosis or require medication. Your baby’s doctor will consider spitting up along with other symptoms when making a reflux diagnosis and determining if meds are needed for pain management.
* Gagging and choking - during feeds or after
* Vomiting – large amounts of spit-up or projectile in nature
* Frequent or wet hiccups – while many babies get hiccups, it’s especially common in refluxers to have frequent and long-lasting hiccups; “wet” hiccups can be an indication of silent reflux
* Abdominal pain – indicated by arching back, either during or after feeds or both
* Bad breath – can occur any time of day but is often most apparent after waking from sleep
* Poor sleep – inability to sleep soundly, frequent waking, and/or crying in sleep
* Over or under eating – while most refluxers will under eat to avoid pain associated with feedings, many will comfort eat to soothe themselves
* Unexplainable, inconsolable crying and/or fussy temperament – especially during or after feeding, while burping or hiccupping, and/or while arching their backs
* Feeding aversions or refusals – usually related to bottle or breast due to the associating pain with feeding, although is not solely limited to formula or breast feedings
* Swallowing or gulping – after a feeding or burping
* Chronic cough – after a feeding or burps
* Chronic congestion – rattling in the nasal passage or chest that does not appear to be related to illness and that doesn’t seem to clear up over time
* Hoarse voice – especially when not related to illness
* Gurgling sounds – during or after feeding
* Back arching – especially during and after feeding
* Apnea – trouble catching a breath or stops breathing
* Wheezing – especially when not accompanied by illness
* Clawing at breast or bottle or pulling off the nipple
* Sandifer’s Syndrome – twitching, grimacing, arching, stiffening, and seizure-like symptoms
* Poor weight gain or Failure To Thrive (FTT)

Susan said...

Ann! So, I did some looking around...
http://www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns/reflux.html#help
This link shows ways to help minimize the symptoms.
AND my personal fave is...
http://www.babywhisperer.com/babywhisperer.html
You can go to the "boards" section and register then go to the "breastfeeding" section and post your question and lots of mom's who have been there can tell you what worked for them and there are moderator "specialists" that can help you figure it out, too. I use this webiste ALL THE TIME!!
I know you don't have a lot of time to be skimming the internet or posting on boards, but these are my go-to sites so I thought I would share. You're in my thoughts and prayers!
Hope this helps :)
Susan

nurseheather said...

Hey Ann - so i would love to give you MY opinion both from a pediatric nurse and from a mother's side of things. But I have quite a lot to say so I'll facebook you a message. we treat quite frequently at the hospital and of course I treated Paloma. I am quite passionate about this subject because I obviously just went through it and continue to got through it at work. reflux is rough - and it hurts and it can have long term residual effects so with that being said, i'll send off my message and spew my thoughts - since you asked. life does get better though - i know i never thought that but it does! hang in there my friend, my heart hurts for you. during my research i learned there are actual support groups for reflux moms - htought it was crazy at first, but now i can kind of see why....

China Outreach Ministries-CSU-Pueblo said...

Is your doctor sure he doesn't have a pyloric stenosis?

China Outreach Ministries-CSU-Pueblo said...

Is your doctor sure he doesn't have a pyloric stenosis?

beckypassons said...

hey girl! so sorry you are having a hard time with the reflux! you know brock had reflux and constant spitting up. i remember all too well if you moved him hardly at all after her ate, you would be wearing his meal. our families would get so mad at us b/c we wouldn't pass him around for everyone to hold, but it was just too hard, especially if we were out! anyway, the dr. put brock on meds, which i am for. they really helped him! however, i had to absolutely eat no dairy products and he slept in a swing upright for 8 weeks. i remember the dr. saying sit him upright after he ate at least 30 min. and i was thinking 'even at night?'. so the swing was great for us! sorry, i'm sure you've already heard of all this, but wanted to give you my 2 cents. love girl!

beckypassons said...

love ya, girl! that was what it was suppose to say :)