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EAT => Feeding Solid Food => Topic started by: Frogzy79 on June 26, 2012, 19:32:57 pm

Title: LO with reflux spits out cereal - should I wait longer?
Post by: Frogzy79 on June 26, 2012, 19:32:57 pm
Wow it seems I have a new question every day these days! 
My 4.5 month LO with reflux (non medicated, spits out a lot) has been showing signs of being ready for some solids (BF every 2.5 hr these days, watching us eat intently).  I gave him some oatmeal cereal with BM this am, 1.5 hour after his feeding, and he seemed to really like it.   He kept opening his mouth for more, and appeared to take quite a bit in (maybe ate a 1/2 tbspn altogether).  However, 3 minutes later, as he often does when burping from BF, he spat most of it out.  Now I thought that reflux babies were less likely to spit out cereal because of the consistency?  The reason I went with oatmeal cereal as opposed to rice cereal is because I was not able to find rice cereal without dairy at our local store. 
Could this be a sign that his little body is not ready for the solids?  Or should I just try again some other time?

Thanks for the input!
Title: Re: LO with reflux spits out cereal - should I wait longer?
Post by: ZacsMumme on June 27, 2012, 01:20:31 am
I would be careful giving cereal as a first food for a refluxer. I can be tough on the gut and digestive system and cause constipation.

Maybe try some puréed pear or sweet potato or pumpkin mixed with some milk? These are very gentle foods on the Tum.

Not all refluxers do better on solids, some do worse :(

Can I ask why he is unmediated? Do you feel he is in discomfort? Is there a reason for the frequent BF? If he is snacking to ease discomfort he will need to feed more frequently so this could be what is happening.


Hugs x
Title: Re: LO with reflux spits out cereal - should I wait longer?
Post by: ENMS on June 27, 2012, 01:26:57 am
was it just like regular spit up or more like vomiting?
Title: Re: LO with reflux spits out cereal - should I wait longer?
Post by: marensmama on June 27, 2012, 01:28:03 am
Meats are also a good first food for refluxers!  We started solids late with my refluxing DD2 as she was in a lot of discomfort and I wasn't in a rush to try new things on her fragile tummy.  At 9 months we gave her rice cereal, which she reacted to, and then tried other cereals which seemed to make her reflux worse.  Our paed suggested shredded chicken breast, and she loved feeding it to herself.  That way she could stop when she got uncomfortable.  It wasn't easy though, she was in a lot of discomfort and mealtimes always ended in one (or both!) of us crying.  Once her reflux was under better control she was able to enjoy the experience of eating much more.  You don't HAVE to give your LO cereal by six months, solids before the age of 1 YO are for the experience and learning more than they are meant to be for nutrition!  Most of your LOs nutrition still needs to come from BM, which is way better for them.  HTH :-*

Title: Re: LO with reflux spits out cereal - should I wait longer?
Post by: ZacsMumme on June 27, 2012, 01:41:59 am
I keep forgetting about meat Nicole. Z actually did very well on salmon
Title: Re: LO with reflux spits out cereal - should I wait longer?
Post by: Frogzy79 on June 27, 2012, 23:27:46 pm
Thanks for the feedbacks - Sara my LO is non medicated because Zantac didn't work and, when I went back to see out doc, he pretty much said that there was nothing else that could be done and that it would pass. He doesnt seem to think much of it since my LO is still putting on weight.  He is definitely in discomfort though. The frequent BF I believe now must have been a growth spurt, as he is back to 3-3.5 hrs today.  I think I will give it a bit more time before I try any kind of food again, since the reflux is not under control :(
Title: Re: LO with reflux spits out cereal - should I wait longer?
Post by: ENMS on June 28, 2012, 01:54:51 am
I'm so sorry you doctor does not want to help him feel better just because he's gaining weight. My LO was gaining weight fine but was still in a lot of pain / discomfort.

There are other meds options available, I guess if you're interested you might want to see if you can find another doctor.

It's probably a good idea to wait and try a little later again and see if it goes better. Introducing solid foods to a refluxer is not easy :(
Title: Re: LO with reflux spits out cereal - should I wait longer?
Post by: ZacsMumme on June 28, 2012, 06:29:27 am
Hugs, everything Elise says really...
If yor dr would consider a PPI this could help him :-\
Title: Re: LO with reflux spits out cereal - should I wait longer?
Post by: ashley10 on June 28, 2012, 06:37:50 am
What about some losec to help manage the reflux? My DD and DS1 both started solids at 4months and they were both refluxers and loved solids - just depends on the baby. To start they did spit a bit out and then as they got used to it took more. I started with apple and pear pureed with them.
Title: Re: LO with reflux spits out cereal - should I wait longer?
Post by: ZacsMumme on June 28, 2012, 08:05:54 am
Losec is a PPI BTW Marie ;)
Title: Re: LO with reflux spits out cereal - should I wait longer?
Post by: Frogzy79 on June 28, 2012, 15:35:16 pm
Sounds like I should indeed try and see another doc.. Now my LO seems to be hungry all the time again, especially at night.. I thought I was pretty good at distinguishing his different cries, but he has started doing this screech and giving me all the feeding cues (climbing up/down to the breast, refusing the paci, not settling down) coupled with the arching back and crunches forward alternatively.  Last night he was up every other hour doing this!  He fed for about 8-10 minutes each time, which is a bit shorte than his usual, but still.  I thought it could be a growth spurt at first, but arent those suppose to last only a couple days? We're on day 5 of this on and off :(

I was considering taking him to see the doc again today, thinking it might be the reflux getting worse, but I also don't want this to just be his new thing, wanting the breast to soothe himself instead of the paci. My LO is a Touchy and a bit of a drama queen, so I wouldn't put it past him either..

Any suggestion??
Title: Re: LO with reflux spits out cereal - should I wait longer?
Post by: ZacsMumme on June 29, 2012, 20:55:56 pm
I does sound like it could be discomfort. Definitely worth writing down the symptoms and maybe going back to discuss a med trial of something like losec.

Are you still offering solids? What ones if you are?
Title: Re: LO with reflux spits out cereal - should I wait longer?
Post by: ashley10 on July 01, 2012, 04:41:14 am
I would definitely try and see another doctor as to me it really sounds like discomfort from reflux. Mine used to feed lots because he was trying to almost comfort and then would fall asleep really quickly and then up again within an hour or so and we would start all over again! He still feeds lots now but that is more from hunger :) I have a big boy.
Title: Re: LO with reflux spits out cereal - should I wait longer?
Post by: Frogzy79 on July 01, 2012, 21:26:27 pm
I tried bananas and apples for solids.  He likes the bananas, not so much the apples yet.  Not sure how much he takes in, but at least he's getting the hang of the whole spoon feeding thing :)  Next will be yams.
As for the discomfort from the reflux, would your LO's arch their backs and turn on their left side a lot?  My LO ends up going around in circles in his bed doing that.. I spoke to the doctor about it, as he has been favoring turning his head to left side like this since birth (not torticolis, he's fine turning it to the right, he just likes turning it to the left better), but again, no real answer :(
Title: Re: LO with reflux spits out cereal - should I wait longer?
Post by: ENMS on July 01, 2012, 21:28:51 pm
I think bananas and apples can trigger reflux flare ups, so if his reflux is not controlled, maybe I would steer clear of them for a little bit and see if things improve? Does the discomfort seem worse since you've started these two?

Yes, that is pretty much what DS does when he is uncomfortable from his reflux :(
Title: Re: LO with reflux spits out cereal - should I wait longer?
Post by: ZacsMumme on July 02, 2012, 00:08:34 am
Same here, lying on your left side is meant to ease reflux discomfort and speed up digestion...why ??? I'm not sure, something about the stomach being more on the left side. Zwould settle to sleep better when in pain on his left side.

Yah bananas were bad here too, apples ok but they are acidic.
Title: Re: LO with reflux spits out cereal - should I wait longer?
Post by: ashley10 on July 02, 2012, 00:39:06 am
Yes the back arching was so bad I had trouble holding them! Sounds like he is moving trying to get comfortable.
Title: Re: LO with reflux spits out cereal - should I wait longer?
Post by: lobster15 on July 13, 2012, 00:56:02 am
my lo was doing the exact same thing, turns out he has silent reflux. the ped gave me a prescription for pecid and i started feeding lo small amount of cereal with formula. Lo seemed to be a side sleeper but than he would turn on his back during the night and wake up. Also, lo had an ear infection which probably caused a lot of discomfort too.
anyway, last night was better from the night before. we'll see how tonight goes.
Title: Re: LO with reflux spits out cereal - should I wait longer?
Post by: MHilton on July 14, 2012, 09:03:20 am
Hi there

Just read this string, and can really relate to what you are going through. Firstly sorry this is a long message, I just hope some of my experience will help you.

All 3 of mine have suffered reflux. All 3 put on weight and  weren't really sicky. Oliver now 7 yrs had it very severely and didn't improve until over a year.  He also had a dairy allergy and really improved his symptoms when I cut out milk from my diet but we didn't find out about this until he was 6mo old. He is still cow's milk allergic.

Darcy now 5yrs had reflux but I cut out milk straight away and her symptoms weren't as severe. She is also still cow's milk allergic.

Phoebe is 5.5 mo and has severe reflux. I cut out milk and it made little effect so my HV suggested cutting out soya as well, this made a big improvement to her windiness and cramping.

I have also identified that when I eat onion and garlic it makes the reflux so much worse so I've cut them out too..... It takes a few days of curting out for a difference but This has also helped improve the symptoms for us. Might be worth keeping a food diary and seeing if you can identify any troublesome foods.

She is on ranitidine which helps a bit, you said that it didn't work for you, have you checked with a doctor that she is on the maximum dose? As the weight increases so does the dose. It also takes a week to take effect. Phoebe would go through spurts of feeding every 2 hours and even now still feeds pretty much every 3 or 3.5 hours, I dream feed at 11 (but she always wakes up) and still wakes at 2 or 3am for a night feed. I put this down to the fact that her tummy just can't take a large amount of milk because it makes her uncomfortable so she needs to feed this way. She is still woken at night by the reflux too, but I don't feed her when this happens I stay with her and resettle her again and again until she is settled (she sucks her thumb and I'm sure the saliva going down makes the reflux worse too)

I have stopped stressing about the fact that she feeds more frequently and still at night and just decided to go with her flow as reflux is such a difficult thing to deal with.

How does your LO sleep, will he take long naps? Phoebe has never taken long naps because the reflux wakes her and she just can't resettle even laying on me. This is another reason why I think she feeds more often as she doesn't get enough milk to keep her going any longer and she's hungry from being awake so much.

Evenings are a nightmare as she's cranky and tired and feeds at 5pm then again at bed time more due to tiredness and for comfort between 6 and 7pm - this is a bit too much for her tummy to cope with (too close together) so it takes her ages to settle to sleep with my help but it's just the way it is at the moment.

I started solids last week, steamed and puréed pear, apple mixed with a bit of organic unsweetened baby rice, also tried carrot and mashed banana. I BF when she wakes 6/6.30am then give new food an hour later. Just a few teaspoons full. She seems in a bit of discomfort as it goes down so I stop as soon as she fusses. I can honestly say though that it has helped lengthen her morning nap. This week she has taken an hour and a half nap in the morning so her next BF is 4 hours after the first one. I have started to give the same tiny amount at lunch but she's not as interested and some days it help and others it doesn't. I think the addition of a bit of baby rice to the purée has helped the reflux as it's thickened the contents of her tummy.

I think it's going to be a long process to get to 3 meals and I have no idea how to cut out the 2am feed but I think when she is on 3 meals it will really help her reflux and help her to nap better. It'll also cut out the 5pm feed so hopefully that will help with the settling at night.

I hope that my really long waffle has some relevance for you. Reflux is such a difficult thing every child is different. Hang in there it will get better before you know it!

Miranda
Title: Re: LO with reflux spits out cereal - should I wait longer?
Post by: ZacsMumme on July 14, 2012, 19:42:14 pm
Hugs Miranda! Thanks for sharing your story.
Your so right when you say every reflux child it different. it's just the way unfortunately making it so hard to make the right decisions sometimes :-*

Please feel free to come over to the CRC board for support and advice if you need to, or to post on others threads :)