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kimhg

houston babies with reflux?

kimhg
17 years ago

Hello!

Anyone have/had a baby with acid reflux disease? My 3 month old has it and is on Pepcid, but still having some trouble. I'd like to know any doctors in the Houston area that treat reflux with meds such as Prevacid or Prilosec. Sean's doctor won't prescribe those, but I read that alot of babies take those and it works wonders for them.

thanks for any help!

Kim

Comments (14)

  • jolanaweb
    17 years ago

    Hi Kim, bless your heart, is this your first baby?
    When I was still volunteering at the hospital, there were a lot of babies, more than I ever knew that were being diagnosed with Gerd/Reflux, treated with prevacid some started of on 15mg and if needed upped til it worked.
    This was in Austin, not Houston.
    You should get a second opinion, some babies have to have surgery to correct this problem. I'm sure you already know this.
    There are support groups that you can contact and some babies with Gerd sleep well in a carseat and there are tapes with vacuum sounds that help the sleep and some babies like to be swaddled snuggly.
    Good luck with this and I'm sending you hugs
    jolana

  • pjtexgirl
    17 years ago

    I don't know anything about this but I'll send prayers your way! Poor baby! PJ

  • rick_mcdaniel
    17 years ago

    Have you asked your doctor about aloe vera? Oh yeah.....sorry......I forgot. Doctors only know about drug company remedies!

    If your 3 month old is having problems, you should explore some natural remedies, which, believe it or not, medical doctors know absolutely nothing about. So, you can't even get advice from them, on the suitability of natural remedies.

    Yeah.....we have the best medicine in the world......as long as it includes pharmaceutical drugs.

  • sally2_gw
    17 years ago

    It's called spitting up. Babies have always done that. I wouldn't worry, and I certainly wouldn't push strong, adult medicine on a baby. Those acid inhibitors also inhibit calcium absorption, which I think would be very bad for a baby. Please be careful. Adult meds are not for babies. Okay, sorry to be so blunt, but I'm in a hurry, and am concerned that too many meds are being pushed on too many people these days.

    Sally

  • jolanaweb
    17 years ago

    I'm certainly not condoning the use of adult meds for babies or for adults for that matter.
    That's why I believe you need to talk to another Dr.
    It could just be what we called colic, Sally is right all babies spit up but there are babies that truly have a medical condition where the flap at the bottom of the esophagus(sp?) doesn't close. Sometimes it improves on it's own and sometimes...not

  • Jacquelyn8b
    17 years ago

    I wish I had an answer for you - hope a hug and positive thoughts will do!

    My son projectile vomited, he didn't spit up. (Think 'The Exorcist') Dangerous baby to be around if you were in a rush to get to work!
    He could not tolerate milk at all until he was about 2 years old.
    There was a horrendously expensive formula that he tolerated fairly well although I don't remember the name.
    I assume your pediatrician has tried all the alternative formulas?

    Once he was old enough, he did great with water, vitamin drops and his food was cooked fresh by me.
    No idea why jarred baby food made him so sick.
    Cooking and squishing food for your little angel isn't much of a sacrifice :)

    As Jolana said, get a second or third opinion and become as well informed as possible.
    Hopefully, this may take a few weeks of therapy and then go away!
    I certainly wish you and your little one the very best.

    ~Jac

  • pjtexgirl
    17 years ago

    Jac, you might be on to something. Roe projectile vomited too. It turned out to be Celiac.Food intolerance/allergy might be a key.PJ

  • kimhg
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    Sean is my first baby. I think Sean probably does have a food intolerance or allergy. He is very gassy, and that is on breast milk, which usually causes less gas, being "formulated" just for humans! I have cut out soy and nuts from my diet, but still having lots of gas. Also, on breast milk he poops 1 time per week, where on Enfamil formula he poops every day!
    He doesn't just spit up, actually that has decreased from 15-20 times per day to usually less than 5.
    What my baby does is grunt and wake up crying in his sleep, and cries after alot of feedings, when babies should be happy.
    I know all babies spit up, but all babies do not have pain from reflux. Many times he swallows or I see alittle liquid in his mouth-silent reflux, that causes him pain.
    Medicine can help, because he is better taking the Pepcid, but he could be better. Why should he suffer when there are treatments available to make him a happy baby?

  • Bev__
    17 years ago

    My 37 year old daughter was a projectile vomiter till she was about 14 months. I had to stop nursing her so I could keep track of exactly how much she ate. She cried all the time and scrunched her tiny body up in pain constantly. Her BM's were irregular also.(Still are)
    She was born with a hole in her tummy and in order to prevent her from needing surgery at one year, the granny of a friend suggested exercising her and the hole would close on it's own. It did.
    I would lay her in my lap and work her legs up-down-up-down, together & singly. I would hold her out in front of me in my arms and stretch her body backwards a bit. I would hold her in my lap and move her to do sit ups. I would also sit with my knees up and her balanced and make her arms do jumping jacks. Sometimes we would both cry with her pain. This routine also seemed to help her pass gas.
    Her son had similar problems, but with no hole in his tummy and lots of regular vomiting. He was only a few months old and grandpa gave him a few drops of Coors Lite dripped into his mouth thru a straw...I was furious with him, but it helped. Brett pooped and farted and was just fine!

  • pjtexgirl
    17 years ago

    I agree with Jac BTW. I'd get a few opinions before I decided on a course of action! Information is always good.PJ

  • Jacquelyn8b
    17 years ago

    My son didn't tolerate breast milk AT ALL!
    That was a shock since I too thought it would be the easiest, best thing for a baby to digest.

    It is soooo hard to know your baby is hurting.
    Kim, keep searching for answers.

  • sally2_gw
    17 years ago

    Kimhg, I sure don't want your baby to suffer, nor you, cause when baby suffers, Mom suffers! Pooping once a week is not normal for a baby, at least, not in my experience. Of course, my youngest is now 22, so it's been a while. I breast fed, did the baby cereal for a while when the babies got to be 6 months or so, and quickly graduated them into normal food that was smashed. I never gave any of my babies that stuff in a jar. It was way out of my budget, and I figured, why not let them eat food that actually had flavor?

    Since the pharmaceutical (sp?) companies started advertising, the use of Rx medicines has skyrocketed. Their ads work. Just think of all the side effects they list in the ads. Think of all the bad side effects they've discovered after millions of people have taken some of the drugs that have come out recently. There's certainly many good reasons to take medications, many of which are life saving, but most of the medicines out now adays seem more dangerous that beneficial. Do your research, as you are doing by asking this question on this forum, but also look into medical research that's been done for these meds on babies, if there is any. They've definatey determined that acid inhibitors lead to a much greater chance of bone fracture in adults. Who knows what would happen with a baby. I don't even know if Pepcid is one of those acid inhibitors in that study. Talk to your doctor, and as others have said, get another opinion or 2. I'm certainly no expert. I just don't trust the pharmaceutical industry.

    Anyway, I hope all goes well for your baby. There's nothing more precious than your baby.

    Sally

  • grittymitts
    17 years ago

    Oh boy, do I know about that! When DS# 2 was born the oldest was 16 months- EVERY time the wee one got up, so did he and the little one was up every hour screaming to the top of his lungs! I was nursing him but headed to the Dr after a few days where he was put on formula. No change & my baby was hurting!! Back to the doctor! After six different formulas in as many weeks, I was exhausted & at wits end trying to console him & pacify the older one who wanted us to "take that baby back." One morning about 3:00 with the baby crying, the older one crying and MOM crying, I got up & went to the kitchen where I warmed him a bottle of whole milk, added some light Karo syrup and fed him.

    He slept sooo long, I truly feared I'd done something terrible! In fact, was so scared I put my head on his chest to see if his heart was still beating & a mirror by his mouth to be sure he was breathing, finally picked him up & held him for the longest time to be sure he was OK. (Elderly neighbor lady who'd had raised 10 children came over later that morning & I told her what I'd done & how frightened I was. She said, "Girl, that baby was 'wore plumb-out' and he's a-trying to catch up."

    He never had another problem with colic, projectile vomiting, bowels or anything else, thank heaven.

    I guess 'Mother knows best' is no empty adage.

    Suzi

  • beachplant
    17 years ago

    Some docs believe in the drugs, some try conservative treatment first.
    Be VERY careful of OTC, like aloe vera. Some things that are safe for adults are very toxic for kids. Aloe vera is not that safe of a drug, despite all the stuff you hear to the contrary. I wouldn't give an infant anything without talking to the Doctor first.

    Not all health care professionals have a closed mind to alternative medications. As a matter of fact you will find more and more using alternative therapies, treatments and otc products.

    Congratulations on the new baby, it'll get better, really it will. By the next one you'll be a lot more relaxed.
    Tally HO!