Silent Reflux Mommies, I need your help!

[Summer143]

Hi everyone. I recently posted a few threads on here about how stressed out I was about some symptoms my almost four month old is experiencing. At first I felt like it was a great sounding board, but after posting what I guess was one to many threads, I was diagnosed by numerous people with having post partum depression :/ This really hurt, because I felt like I was being judged, and I know that my stress and depression is due to my baby seeming like she was in pain. Content baby, content mommy. I don't like the labels Anyway, after taking her to her pediatrician (a new one) this past Thursday for congestion and coughing she has had for over a month, he suspected a cow milk protein allergy, as well as silent reflux. I suspected silent reflux all along, but just wanted a dr to confirm it. He started her on rice cereal and nutramigen formula over the weekend ,but she did horribly. The Nutramigen gave her a horrible horrible diaper rash (she has never had one prior).I was advised to switch her to her original formula, Gerber goodstart:Soothe. After four months of resisting, we finally started her on reflux meds . This was due to her chronic cough and congestion that the Dr. said wasn't a good sign and shouldn't be left untreated or could cause worse problems for her. She is currently on Zantac twice a day, and she just started it tonight. Here are a few questions I have:

1. Did Zantac work for any of your reflux (silent or otherwise) babies??

2. How long did it take to notice a difference??

3. Did they eventually grow out of the reflux??? If so, when???

4. What other things seemed to help your baby???

Any encouraging words or stories would be much appreciated. I pray that the medicine finally helps so that my beautiful baby can finally have some much needed relief!!! Thank you all

[wdwmom2]

Did the ped also recommend keeping your baby upright at least an hour after feeding? Some babies with reflux even have to sleep this way. My friend had twins that had to sleep in their carriers at night.

You should pretty much see instant relief when using reflux meds. If it works, and then it seems to be not working as well, you may need a dosage increase.

ETA: I hope the meds help your infant. So hard to see your child uncomfortable.

[luvmy3]

Originally Posted by wdwmom2

Did the ped also recommend keeping your baby upright at least an hour after feeding? Some babies with reflux even have to sleep this way. My friend had twins that had to sleep in their carriers at night.

You should pretty much see instant relief when using reflux meds. If it works, and then it seems to be not working as well, you may need a dosage increase.

ETA: I hope the meds help your infant. So hard to see your child uncomfortable.

I was going to suggest the same thing. My youngest slept in his carrier every night for the first couple months of his life. It didn't cure anything, but he tolerated it so much better than laying in his crib.

[wdwmom0f3]

I can really relate to this. When my son was a tiny infant we went through the same thing. He would eat, stop and scream and then try to eat some more. The whole time he ate he would cry his way through the feeding. He screamed after too and spit up a lot. I was at my wits end. I felt so helpless. We had gone through changing his formula, tons on malacon drops, which are completely worthless IMO, and several doctor visits and nothing helped. I also had him sleeping in a carrier or even in the baby swing to have him sitting up especially after a feeding.

One night i was about to lose it. i called the emergency number for our dr. And begged him for help and finally we were given baby Zantac. It was a miracle because just minutes after giving it to him he was like a new baby. He finally started eating without pain, he didn't spit up as much as he had been doing and he was over all just a happy baby. He was on it for several months and we finally weened him off of it.

Fast forward to now. He just turned 12 and over the years he has continued to have issues with reflux. It has just recently gotten worse so he is now on a prescription medication for it. I know that some children grow out of it but we have not been as lucky. I'm sure his diet plays a roll in it too so we are making changes with that. He just takes it by spells so we never know how he is going to be.

Op, I certainly feel for you. The days until we got the Zantac were some of the most tiring and frustrating days of my life. Hopefully it will also help your sweet baby.

[HM]

I'm so sorry you're having so much trouble. Pixies for you and your baby.

My second child was a reflux baby. She threw up after almost every feeding during the day (but not at night for some reason). I breast fed for 11 months (pumped when I went back to work at 6 weeks). She got over the reflux some time around six months or so. She was continuing to grow properly and was a happy baby most of the time so we never tried any meds.

I also put her to sleep in her car seat inside her crib at night when she was congested. It did help her to sleep better.

[cabanafrau]

Went through this w/ eldest DD, but I'm not sure they even formulated Zantac or other meds for infants back then. Sleeping more upright is a good suggestion. Your little one is growing into the age where she will be upright more frequently during the day as she sits & eventually moves toward walking, so that will be helpful as well.

My DD is now a freshman in college & has not "outgrown" her reflux. She does not need meds however to manage. She doesn't eat late, especially heavily or acidic foods. She cannot tolerate oranges at all & tomato-based foods are aggravating in particular.

I understand your situation well. I responded to your other threads & expressed concern when you posted three nearly identical threads about the topic within 24 hours. Like I said, I've walked the mile in your shoes & understand how challenging it is. Asking for help & then piling chips on your shoulder when you don't like the responses won't help you or your baby, only gives you a bigger burden to carry. It's kind of like taking medicine that doesn't taste great, but you do it anyway because you know it will help you get better. Good luck to you & your little one.

[luvmy3jewels]

My middle child was diagnosed with reflux almost immediately becuase he would projectile vomit after eating while we were still in the hospital. They put him on Zantac and it definitely helped him (can't remember how long it took to kick in).

My oldest child was never diagnosed, but I strongly suspect she had silent reflux and we all suffered for the first six months of her life. She would scream for hours every night and I think the doctor thought we were just inexperienced parents when we commented on how she was acting. In hindsight, I really regret not trusting my instincts and pushing the issue.

My youngest was never diagnosed as a baby, but developed severe reflux around the age of 5 and still has a lot of issues with it. We give her Prevacid when she starts having really bad flare-ups and it usually takes a few days to completely kick in. When their stomachs and espophagus' become inflamed from the acid, it takes a while to heal so the medicine doesn't help immediately. We also found out that Zantac works well with some people and Prevacid works well in others.

[Summer143]

Originally Posted by cabanafrau

Went through this w/ eldest DD, but I'm not sure they even formulated Zantac or other meds for infants back then. Sleeping more upright is a good suggestion. Your little one is growing into the age where she will be upright more frequently during the day as she sits & eventually moves toward walking, so that will be helpful as well.

My DD is now a freshman in college & has not "outgrown" her reflux. She does not need meds however to manage. She doesn't eat late, especially heavily or acidic foods. She cannot tolerate oranges at all & tomato-based foods are aggravating in particular.

I understand your situation well. I responded to your other threads & expressed concern when you posted three nearly identical threads about the topic within 24 hours. Like I said, I've walked the mile in your shoes & understand how challenging it is. Asking for help & then piling chips on your shoulder when you don't like the responses won't help you or your baby, only gives you a bigger burden to carry. It's kind of like taking medicine that doesn't taste great, but you do it anyway because you know it will help you get better. Good luck to you & your little one.

Thank you for your reply!! I am not piling chips on my shoulder, it was just that I couldn't help but feel as though my thread had turned into some kind of intervention lol And it was not as though I didn't like the answers, or didn't appreciate the help, I just wanted the focus on my daughter and not on me, as I am working on my personal situation in other ways and trying to avoid meds if I can. One of the many ways I am dealing with it is posting my concerns. Sorry if I offended you.

[ReneeA]

Originally Posted by Summer143

Hi everyone. I recently posted a few threads on here about how stressed out I was about some symptoms my almost four month old is experiencing. At first I felt like it was a great sounding board, but after posting what I guess was one to many threads, I was diagnosed by numerous people with having post partum depression :/ This really hurt, because I felt like I was being judged, and I know that my stress and depression is due to my baby seeming like she was in pain. Content baby, content mommy. I don't like the labels Anyway, after taking her to her pediatrician (a new one) this past Thursday for congestion and coughing she has had for over a month, he suspected a cow milk protein allergy, as well as silent reflux. I suspected silent reflux all along, but just wanted a dr to confirm it. He started her on rice cereal and nutramigen formula over the weekend ,but she did horribly. The Nutramigen gave her a horrible horrible diaper rash (she has never had one prior).I was advised to switch her to her original formula, Gerber goodstart:Soothe. After four months of resisting, we finally started her on reflux meds . This was due to her chronic cough and congestion that the Dr. said wasn't a good sign and shouldn't be left untreated or could cause worse problems for her. She is currently on Zantac twice a day, and she just started it tonight. Here are a few questions I have:

1. Did Zantac work for any of your reflux (silent or otherwise) babies??

2. How long did it take to notice a difference??

3. Did they eventually grow out of the reflux??? If so, when???

4. What other things seemed to help your baby???

Any encouraging words or stories would be much appreciated. I pray that the medicine finally helps so that my beautiful baby can finally have some much needed relief!!! Thank you all

Oh, I'm so sorry! My reflux baby is now 9, and the first year and a half of her life was a trying time. She was super crabby for about 14 hours a day, and I'm sure it was because she didn't feel good.

1. Zantac worked a bit, but it certainly wasn't life changing. I nursed her for 3 months and she had terrible reflux during that time. I tried every diet known to man to try help. She eventually just refused to nurse and since she was 95% for length and 10% for weight, we started formula. The Gerber good start worked best for her, but she still had obvious pain and projectile vomiting everyday. She didn't tolerate soy or any of the several specialty formulas.

2. Zantac took about a week before we saw any difference, but she still really struggled.

3. She did eventually outgrow it, at about 18 months or so. At 9, she still eats small, frequent meals, still can't eat a lot of super acidic foods, and we really have to be careful if she's not feeling great and we have to drive. Bellyache+carsickness=barf (every time).

4. Keeping her upright, frequent, light burping (which really made her mad when she was hungry to stop to burp), and trying to keep her still after feeding. Naps were in her infant car seat, we stacked books under one end of her mattress to elevate her head a bit. Small frequent feedings helped.

Honestly, it was a couple really rough years - we felt helpless watching her suffer. She normally screamed 14 hours a day, breaking it up with 2 20 minute naps during the day. She did sleep through the night early - but I think because she was exhausted after the long miserable days.

I feel for you. I hope you find something that works right away!

[Mkrop]

Stop worrying about labels. I think it is better for posters to err on the side of caution and ask you about post partum depression than ignore it. They said those things because they care, even about a stranger on the internet.


I wish you luck with your little one and I hope the Zantac works

[Summer143]

Thank you all of your responses! It really helps to hear from people that have been through it, as they are the only people who can understand how truly difficult it can be. It has been a long road, and im just looking forward to moving on from this To respond to some of the posters about keeping the baby upright, yes he did suggest that! My daughter is pretty much upright all the time lol as much as possible at least. I hold her up for at least half an hour after her feedings, and she currently naps in her swing or on my chest, and sleeps all night in her swing. The swing is off all the time while she sleeps, she just seems to be more comfortable in that position for now. I pretty much have everything elevated, from her changing pad, to her playmat and her crib! My next step is buying an upright convertible carseat (since she hates the bucket carseat!) I would love to hear from more of you!

For anyone who got offended about my comments about feeling hurt after being diagnosed with post partum by the other moms, my purpose was not to offend anyone. My point is is that I am feeling down because I want to help my daughter, and it's discouraging when you try so many things that don't work. I feel as though that would be depressing for most to watch their little baby go through a hard time. I was looking for advice on my daughter's situation, not for myself. I have a great relationship with my OBGYN and I have discussed my feelings with him, as well as with other close family, and I just felt as though it was something more personal that I didn't want discussed on these threads. I was just venting. I just got the impression from some posters that they thought I was using this site as my only source of advice, and that is far from true. It's just nice to hear from a wider range of moms who can help with advice about the baby. Thank you all!!

[brmom]

Just skip the pediatrician and go directly to a pediatric gastroenterologist. if you can find one that works in a practice with an allergist so much the better. My reflux baby is now 13 and we are dealing with a combination
of allergies, asthma, anxiety and reflux. Sleeping in the car seat or swing was great when he was a baby. Good Luck!

[wdwmom2]

Originally Posted by brmom

Just skip the pediatrician and go directly to a pediatric gastroenterologist. if you can find one that works in a practice with an allergist so much the better. My reflux baby is now 13 and we are dealing with a combination
of allergies, asthma, anxiety and reflux. Sleeping in the car seat or swing was great when he was a baby. Good Luck!

I would not advise this. Most times primary care CAN handle reflux issues. When they can't, you will be referred to a specialist.

And, some insurance companies will not pay for specialty visits unless you have a referral from your primary.

[shortbun]

Originally Posted by wdwmom2

I would not advise this. Most times primary care CAN handle reflux issues. When they can't, you will be referred to a specialist.

And, some insurance companies will not pay for specialty visits unless you have a referral from your primary.

It takes too long to get referred and wait for that appointment when you know your baby is burning their esophagus every day. I say convince your pediatrician to treat the problem with anti-reflux meds right away. If those don't work-then see a specialist. I took my son in and asked for the meds. The doctor suggested a test...uh, no. She prescribed the meds, my baby was more comfortable in 24 hours. Some people are still satisfied with the 'it's colic and she/he will outgrow it.' diagnosis. Well, it's reflux and they will outgrow it but they are in horrible pain that can be avoided while you wait."
It's hard to believe that pediatricians are still so behind with this issue.

[wdwmom2]

Originally Posted by shortbun

It takes too long to get referred and wait for that appointment when you know your baby is burning their esophagus every day. I say convince your pediatrician to treat the problem with anti-reflux meds right away. If those don't work-then see a specialist. I took my son in and asked for the meds. The doctor suggested a test...uh, no. She prescribed the meds, my baby was more comfortable in 24 hours. Some people are still satisfied with the 'it's colic and she/he will outgrow it.' diagnosis. Well, it's reflux and they will outgrow it but they are in horrible pain that can be avoided while you wait."
It's hard to believe that pediatricians are still so behind with this issue.

The one's that I work for are very up on this issue. We have same day sick calls. If you come in and it is determined that your child has reflux, you get a med immediately.

Now if the situation warrants it, tests may be done. If the PCP appt is early enough in the day, we usually can get an UGI done that day. Occasionally a pH probe is ordered, but that is not common. My peds don't like to order unnecessary tests, but sometimes you need that to rule out more serious issues.