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Sunday, December 5, 2010
Mommas of the world...help!
Alright all you mommas out there, enlighten me! Over the past few weeks Molli's tendency toward reflux symptoms has me convinced, more and more each day, that she is, in fact, experiencing reflux and not just typical baby spit-up. It comes out projectile style and has potential to soak anything in a foot radius. Electronics are not safe, burp rags decorate our house; draped over chairs, on tables and dresser tops, anywhere the baby might be, a burp rag is sure to be found. My baby is a magician. She can consume 4oz of milk, regurgitate 8oz and still grow. It's amazing! She throws up immediately after she eats, off and on up until the next feeding. I can keep her upright the entire time and still it comes flooding out, without warning. She gets the hiccups often, and it's not uncommon for milk to come back up with each hiccup. It doesn't seem to bother her during the day...but by evening, she can turn into a very sad and uncomfortable little girl. She will cry and cry and it's almost impossible to console her. If I hold her with my hand kinda pushing on her tummy, she'll sometimes calm down. These big screams have been almost nightly for the past week and a half and it is just so sad. She will cry SO hard and gulp down a ton of air, which gives her gas and makes everything worse. Gripe water seems to help a little, but usually only temporarily. I'm going to call her doctor tomorrow but I thought I'd check and see if anyone has any thoughts/advice. (Leigha!) She has lots of the symptoms of reflux that I've researched (throwing up, gagging on hands/fingers, sudden crying/irritability, arching back/neck *although not all the time,* wet burps and hiccups). Advice? Thoughts? Magical solutions?
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Hi there! You have probably already been asked this a million times...are you nursing or b.feeding? If you are bottle feeding have you tried non-dairy formula? If you are b.feeding have you yourself cut out dairy, rich spices, onions, cauliflower.....? Ben had bad upchuck issues and I had to stop eating dairy and those other things and that seemed to fix it. He never really got upset by it until the evening, but he would get over it fast. If he stayed upset I would put a warm water bottle on his tummy and put white noise headphones on him...or sitting in the shower with him really helped to.
ReplyDeleteI hope you guys get it all worked out! And I hope maybe just a little of my experience/suggestions help just a little...
-Lacey
I am in ZERO way an expert or qualified to even talk about this stuff (because I don't have kids, not a doctor, and barely know what I'm talking about), BUT... Josh (my hubby) has extremely terrible reflux as a baby-- to the point he was being malnourished because he couldn't keep enough down. He was the first child in his family and the doctor told his parents he had reflux and told them the typical way to deal with it and to go home and relax and enjoy their newborn.
ReplyDeleteThey did at first... but after another day (or something like that) and it didn't get better, and took him back to the doctor and insisted something be done. Turns out he had something pretty major going on to where he had to have surgery.
Now, I'm NOT saying that Molli needs surgery-- but sometimes we're told that new mothers worry too much and stuff and to just relax and enjoy your baby-- but if you feel its something more, don't be afraid to be persistant-- it's what saved Josh's life, and now we know to look for it in our kids (not sure if it's hereditary or whatnot, but his little sister had the same thing as well, so I'll be super vigilant when we have kids).
You're the mommy, and you know your baby the best! I hope everything gets taken care of quickly and it goes away- both for Molli's sake and for your family!
Poor baby and parents! Something similar happened o my nephew and he often had an upset tummy and gas. Someone showed us an easy way to relieve baby gas and tummy aches - I'm not sure if it is called a certain technique but essentially you lay the baby on their back and gently move their legs straight out and then bend back to against their body in a fluid motion until you can hear their gas passing. I'm no mommy but it sure helped my nephew and others I have heard of. If all else fails use your mommy instinct. As a new parent you are allowed a few non-emergency frantic doctor calls/visits ;)
ReplyDeleteOh Erin,
ReplyDeleteI am so so sorry that you all are going through this. I know first hand how much it hurts to watch your baby writhe in pain. Honestly, When you said that she was arching her back (a few posts ago) that's the first thing I thought.."Gosh, It sounds like reflux"
My best advice may not be what you are looking for.. I was looking for something to make my son feel better! Anything! So, the doctor put him on Prevacid and it worked like a charm!!!! When you go to the doctor (you are Molli's Advocate) So you need to write down everything that she is doing (arching her back, spitting projectile, Etc) relay that to the doctor and ASK about prevacid...they may try to put her on zantac and it does NOTHING. Everyone that I have talked to in the reflux world has said well they started my child out on zantac (I think that is what it was called..May have been another Z name) and two weeks later they switched them to prevacid. Prevacid works. Works super well. Don't feel like you don't know as much as the doctor..and don't even worry about saying I would like to try Prevacid first.
That would be my best advice, Prevacid. It is so so so great that she is gaining weight. Leigton gained weight until he was six months and then plateaued. It has been a major struggle since. He is 15mo. and weighs 17lbs. ad gaining! haha
If you get it under control now.. you won't have to go through the struggles we have been through. A friend of mine has a son who has reflux and was put on prevacid (after zantac) and he is doing so so so great!! He is 9 months and weighs 20lbs!!! :)
I love you. If you have any questions please call me. Please don't feel bad or awkward about speaking up to the doctor. That is the biggest thing I have learned through all of this. Tell them what you want and see if it jives with what they are saying.
I am praying. I love you.
*The key to prevacid is that you have to give it 2.5 to 3 hrs after she eats and thirty minutes before she eats..
**Slings, carseats, pants anthing putting pressure on her belly will make her spit up.
***You are right, putting her on her stomach is the best thing you can possibly do!! When they are on their backs it is flat and easy to come up, when they are on their bellies it is like a coke bottle, it doesn't always go up and out. Wow.. sorry.. I will call you and explain that one better.