EASY with reflux

[SupermansMama]

Hi,

We're investigating the possibility of reflux in our 4.5 month old DS and i would like to try out the "more frequent feedings, less amounts per feeding" advice for dealing with excessive spitting up and other reflux symptoms like fussiness in flat or slouched positions, etc.

However, I am not sure how to implement the increased feeds with our LO since he's also eating 3 solid meals per day.

Does anyone have a routine in mind? I would need to fit in up to 40 oz per day with 3 solid meals and probably 2 naps plus a catnap which would be dependant on how well the first two naps go (sometimes 45min to 2 hrs, very inconsistent, prob due to the reflux)

hope to hear from someone soon!

[Grace's Mom]

Wow, 40oz...my lo never drank more than 26oz per 24 hours.  You have a good eater on your hands.   
Does he have to drink 40oz or is that what he usually drinks on his own?

How much is he eating in regards to solids?

My lo had reflux too but we never did the frequent feeds...we just made sure to elevate her mattress, we kept her upright for a good 30 minutes after each feed (except her bedtime feed and night feed), gave her special formula (for spit up babies) and she was also on meds.  This seems to help and she followed EASY just fine. 
-Have you spoken to your dr. about this yet? 
-My only thought, in regards to feeding that close together, is that your lo is not going to ever be hungry enough to actually take in a good meal.  At 4 months your lo should be getting milk as the main source of nutrition and maybe one solid meal a day...most don't start solids until 6 months and then very gradually move from one feed a day to two and then three closer to 12 months.  We started solids early too due to reflux but only did a few bites of rice cereal or pears once a day in the am.  Too much food could actually upset your los tummy even more.  Of course I am no expert.  I'll let the reflux mod's know about your post and hopefully someone will be able to get on and give you some wonderful advice....they are the experts 

Have you checked out our reflux thread? 

Can you post your current routine? 

Thanks.
Melissa

[ryan's mum]

I agree that at 4 months that's a lot of OZ and solids    to be trying to fit in your day . Is your LO in pain when spitting up ? Is LO on any reflux meds ? . Spitting up is one of the symptoms that meds or even solids doesn't eradicate  , it's more of a laundry problem  if however your LO is in pain when spitting up then meds can neutralise or decrease the amount of acid produced to help ease the pain . 3 meals a day and frequent feeding can lead to more problems as your LO's tummy will be very full and it will cause more spit up and possible tummy upset .
 To help with sleeping , have you tried elevating your LO's matress so he sleeps on an incline ? Feeding in a more upright position helps too and keeping upright for at least half an hour after feeding .
 Has your LO been seen by a pead/DR ? There is a reflux 101 symptoms thread in the reflux  forum that has some helpfull tips and it will give you an idea wether your LO has reflux ,your LO does not have to have all the symptoms .

[SupermansMama]

we have always had his matress slightly elevated and we try to read books or sit him upright for about 30 min after a feed.  we now have cut back on the formula a bit and are offering him it 5 times per day rather than 4.  although he's almost 5 months this 3hr EASY is going well with the spit up. it goes something like this:
7 E milk, 6oz
8 E cereal and applesauce, 6 tbsp
9 S
10 E milk, 6oz
11 E sw potatos, 4-6 tbsp
12 or 1 even S
1 or 2 E milk, 6oz
3 or 4 E milk, 6oz
5 E carrots and pears, 6 tbsp
6.30 E milk, 9oz if he wants, sometimes less (hopefully he's learning to not overeat now)
bath and bed by 7ish
 
i really think the problem was him wanting to suck. we offer the pacifier often and keep the milk no more then 6oz during the day.  he fairs fine on three 45min naps and sleeps 11-12 hrs per night.  when he does wake, lately once per night, i either change him or not and either way he goes back to sleep within 30 min or so on his own (i think this is actually a phase and not because he's hungry or anything).

thanx for ur tips and i'll let u know if this routine fails any time soon.

[Grace's Mom]

I just wanted to post somethings that's posted on the NAP FAQ's in regards to 45 minute naps...just so that you have all the information avaiable to you.   

Glad the spit up is getting better...


1. It can be so tiring for both Mum and baby.  Mum barely has time to herself to shower, take a nap, do laundry, etc. 

2. For baby, a short nap is not very helpful...anything less than 1 hour, and especially less than 45 minutes is really of no use to the baby – it needs to be longer to be restorative.   Babies do most of their learning and processing of they day's activities when they sleep.  So if their naps are short, they don't have ample time to do the processing and developing they need to.

3. Good day sleep begets good nights sleep for many babies (but not all).  Some babies can't sleep well during the night because they didn't get proper rest during the day, so they have a hard time falling asleep and/or staying asleep.  For other babies though, poor short naps never affect night sleep.

In most cases, short naps can be over come. It does take work and commitment, but some LOs have not been able to over come short naps.  You really want your baby to have longer naps. It is best for their development, their routine and for their parents!  Occasionally some parents decide to accept short naps, as the work to extend can become stressful.  In this case you often have to have shorter A times, and offer more short naps.  Most, but not all, find naps do sort out and lengthen some time around 6 months.   

[SupermansMama]

thanx for the quote.  i think i've come across it before and it along with many others like it are the reason why i started the topic:

Bad Napper posthttps://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=107782.msg1095445#msg1095445

i believe that he is developing fine and by reading info that says otherwise is detrimental to parents who have so-called bad nappers. those of us who have happy babies napping 45min during the day but sleeping fine at night should not be pressured to extend their naps. i guess i might be eating my words in a few months if he suddenly turns into an awful baby.  so far he takes at least 3 45min naps per day and sleeps perfectly at night. during his awake times he's pleasant and very mobile and is usually awake for about 2-3 hours max.  if he needed to sleep longer he would and he has on many occasions slept for up to 2 hrs during the day.  i tried to extend his naps about a month ago and i got sooo stressed out about it and he became a very unhappy baby because of it.  the periods of crying we endured, both of us crying, was ridiculous and i cant believe that i worried so much about his short naps. at least he wasnt napping only 20 or 30min in his crib.  45min is acceptable to me and he seems very refreshed afterwards.  i still have plently of time to shower, watch tv, or check email. as for other chores i've managed to get small things done with him playing independantly.

i appreciate the advice and i hope that others read it but that they dont get stressed into forcing longer naps for already happy babies.

[Grace's Mom]

Oh no , I hope you don't think I posted that to make you feel bad.  As a mod, I need to make sure I share with everyone the resources that are available on the site.  I wasn't sure if you had seen this post before, so I thought I would help by sharing it with you and other mom's they may be wondering about 45 minute naps. Again, it was never intended to make you feel bad or that I was not trying to imply that you should force your child to sleep longer. 
*With following the BW techniques respecting your lo's needs and adjusting a routine based on that is the main focus.     and you are doing a wonderful job of that!

Yes, short naps can be a phase for some lo's and they should eventually grow out it as it states in link  ( In this case you often have to have shorter A times, and offer more short naps.  Most, but not all, find naps do sort out and lengthen some time around 6 months. ).    which is great news.

My lo, from about 6-9 months, took only 30-45 minute naps all day long no matter what I did and she did just fine and eventually grew out of it    It was harder on me, iykwim.   

I apologize if the information I posted offended you in anyway, again that was not my intention at all.     

Melissa

**I will send you a PM as well.

[SupermansMama]

Melissa,

No worries about ur post. I mainly didn't want mothers to worry so much about their los short naps.  A couple months ago I found myself very stressed about it after reading posts like that and thought that I should become more strict about them.  However I found my DS becoming more unhappy than he was with the short naps and I decided it didn't suit him at all.  I just want to help those who may be in that boat so that they don't let it get to them. 

Sorry if my post seemed very defensive, I find my typing/writing can do so sometimes. My bad.  I will try to proof everything thoroughly as to not seem so emotional.

Thanks for clearing everything up!

Nice chatting with you and everyone about this topic!

[Grace's Mom]