7 month old still with reflux

[mum of 2]

I have a 7 month old girl who has suffered from severe reflux since she was 1 week old.  We have tried many different milks, thickeners and medications and nothing really seems to stop her being so sick.  Recently I have started weaning her (I was told to delay this incase she had any food allergies that could make the reflux worse) she is on nutramigen (hypoallergenic milk) and domperidone 4 times a day (2.5ml) and also zantac twice a day (1.2ml).  She is still sick on solids, I now give her 3 meals a day and 5 (210ml) bottles.  The zantac seems to stop her being in pain whilst feeding but nothing seems to combat the sickness.  She is under a consultant ped at the hospital but nothing seems to be changing and because she is not "losing weight" but gaining slightly they dont seem to be that concerned!  I am at a loss with what to do next and welcome any advice of a mum thats been through or going through a similar experience. 

My LO is very small for her age and has a bottle in the middle of the night.  So as you can imagine its like having a newborn.[/b]

[Stacie:Emma&Josh Mom]

I'm not sure what the first medication is that you listed, but I don't think most meds help with spitting up.  Most of them just ease the pain and combat damage to the esophogus, but I could be wrong.  I know Prevacid and Prilosec are a different family of drugs than Zantac, but I'm not sure whether they'd help with the being sick or not either.  Hopefully someone else has more technical info.  I know my dd did great on Prilosec...

[Mum to Ella Rose]

How much does your babe weigh? We have a big baby, 20lbs plus, and she is on Zantac 2.3ml 3x/day.  Though as has been pointed out it only helps with the pain not the throw ups.  Is that your main concern? Does she seem like she is still in pain? I know other mums haven't had much success with Zantac... I think if it's just the vomiting but she's otherwise happy you may just have to live with it. Our dd was diagnosed with reflux around 6 weeks and she really didn't stop vomiting A LOT until around 6 1/2 -  7 months. She still does but mainly has learned how to swallow it (sorry for the grossness) now that she can sit up well. Also, when you say wean, do you mean from breast to formula? Or just onto solids? Maybe the formula isn't agreeing with her? We used Enfamil with added rice starch and that seemed to help keep the food down as well...

Just some thoughts... good luck and keep us posted!

Sharon

[Mum to Ella Rose]

woops sorry. confused my meds. dd gets zantac 2x/day, 2.3mls and domperidone 3x/day, 2mls. (long day!   :lol: )

[mum of 2]

thanks for all the replies,

domperidone is the other name for motilium.  Weight wise she weighs 14lbs and is exactlly 7 months.  (she is small framed though), even still my main worries are that her reflux will never go or that she may need surgery in the future to correct her valve.  She had the barium test and this showed her refluxing continuously, and also that there is a problem with her valve not closing to enable the food to stay down.  Although she is developing well ie. rolling over, moving along slightly on her back (using her feet to push), the only thing that she doesnt do yet is sit up unsupported, I think this is due to her being top heavy?  If I dont give her zantac she has screaming fits of pain so its obviously working but my main worry is that ive been told by my ped that she may grow out of it or need key hole surgery "as a last resort" in the future.  My concerns are that she has been through enough already, I am also scared of her adapting a phobia about food because everytime she feeds its painful for her.  I tried breastfeeding her when she was born but it only lasted a few days, she wouldnt latch on properly so I started b/f her.  She has been on solids now for 4 weeks, and has 5 bottles of 7 oz feeds a day sometimes 6 depends if she wakes for one in the night.  I just want to make life easier for her and help her enjoy life rather than suffer through it. x

[Mum to Ella Rose]

It's so hard isn't it?! I feel for you. I know how stressful and scary it is. My dd actually gets excited now when she see's the Zantac bottle. 35+ oz. a day is a lot of milk... do you think maybe she is comfort feeding? My dd did this, a lot of reflux babes do because it soothes the acid (that's what our paed. told us) so maybe that is contributing to all the vomit as well. I do think you will see a difference when she is able to sit up better...

Hang in there, keep us posted and though it's hard try not to be too stressed with her as they pick up on that soooo much!

Sharon

[mum of 2]

thanks for your reply sharon, im alison btw (nice to meet you x).  The last few nights have been a little easier, last night she went down at 7.20pm then woke for a bottle at 3am then slept from 4am till 7.15am although that sounds a nightmare to most mums of 7 months plus babies but to me it was a start!  I actually managed to keep my eyes closed for a good few hours and recharge my batteries.  I know what you mean about not letting my LO see im getting distressed and worried, to be honest I think im doing well in that respect (I go to another room to yell and beat my fists against the wall) haha but seriously, apart from the reflux problems, she is a very good/cheerful baby.  Considering what shes been through I think shes a star.  Her milk seems to be reducing with the more solids she is having, and shes only sick now really after a bottle feed.  She can still bring up sick after her solids but not as often.  I agree, I think there will be a significant change when shes sitting up for herself (all I can do is keep propping her up till she does).  Thanks again for keeping in touch and ill keep you posted.  I also have a 9 year old dd shes very good with the LO and is and has allways been an easy child.  Saying that though she has started to do the "roll the eyes thing up to the ceiling and back" and answer back a bit, but thats all due to growing up im sure haha (hope anyway).  xxx alison

[mum of 2]

oh and yes shes probably comfort feeding because shes so used to being picked up all the time.  I do think shes becoming clingy "but" the main feed she has that stays down is the one in the night so I really dont mind her having that one, even though its a bummer in the middle of the night.  Funnily enough shes very rarely sick in the night, only in the day, this has allways been the case.  xx

[riley claire's mom]

Hang in there!!  My dd #2 is also 14 lbs. at 7 months and has suffered with reflux since 3 weeks old.  At her last check-up the ped. told me to push her to eat more from the spoon.  Until then I was only feeding her solids twice a day, and oatmeal cereal once a day.  Now we are on three meals, all with cereal, and she seems to be better for it.  I usually make her 4-6 tablespoons of cereal with a jar of fruit or veggie.  I use about 2-3 oz. of Alimentum in her cereal and then offer her the remainder of the bottle (6-7 oz.) one hour after her feed.  It took her a week or so to start being hungry for the solids, but now she does great!     And she is still getting about 22-24 oz. of Alimentum a day which my doctor said was totally fine.  She also started sitting up really well a few weeks ago and that seemed to help a bunch too.

BTW, she is on the Prevacid solu-tabs (quickly melt in the mouth) - 1/2 tab in the morning and at night.  The doc is even talking about weaning her off of it in a few weeks.  So........things DO get better!!!

Hugs,
Lisa