Giving medicine to bf baby w/reflux -- any tricks?

[cammynabby]

My 3.5-mo dd has reflux and has to take liquid Zantac 2x/day.  I was wondering if anyone had any tips on giving it to her.  Currently I'm mixing it with about 1oz. bm and giving it in a bottle, but the problem is that she'll only take it if she's really hungry (so right before a feeding) and then once she takes the Zantac from the bottle, she doesn't want to nurse, she wants a bottle (see my other recent post about nursing strike.)

So, anyone else out there with tricks that worked? If I just give it to her straight with a syringe, she either spits it all out, or gags on it and throws up.  I had the medicine flavored once (grape) and it actually seems like that was worse than just the unflavored version (both smell awful, and grape flavoring has worked for other meds like Nystatin.)  The Zantac is working very well for her so I definitely want to continue it.

[GraceKellysmom]

When I did Prevacid with Max, I mixed the powdered version with water and did the syringe thing. Two hints that worked for us: I laid him flat on his back which helped him swallow, and I squirted the fluid into his cheek pocket behind his tongue. I gave it 20 min after meals when he was contentedly full but not sleepy yet. Some say to give it before meals but I didn't find too much difference in effectiveness either way.

It took a while for him to get used to swallowing it but I smiled and talked quietly to him and he grew to love the taste of the medicine. You may try posting on the reflux board to see if anyone has specific experience with Zantac.

[Hilltopgrouphome]

We give our 5 week old baby Reglan for his esophagel reflux. His mother uses a syringe and slowly gives him little swollows of the medicine. It seems to work well.

Wendy

[stasztk]

I havn't personally had this experience but i'm very close to a mommy who recently had a very hard time with it. She told me she had to squirt the medicine slowly into her daughters cheek in the back and she'd swallow most of it. After she didn't need it anymore she would cry for it at night because it was part of her routine.
Hope it gets easier for you.
Teresa

[lisalovesyoga]

Boy do I feel your pain! It took us forever to get our daughter to swallow her Zantac (grape flavored or not). Finally, I have a method that works for us. ( I realize you've got a nursing strike on your hands, but this may work with a bottle also.) I start nursing her. I do it when she's very hungry, first thing in the morning and then right before bed. About 2 min. into the nursing, after my letdown and when she's really gulping, I just stick the small syringe between her cheek & gums and squirt 1/2ml at a time. I make sure to come from an angle so she can't see the syringe coming at all. She notices it and cringes a bit, but keeps swallowing.  Good luck. I hope that helps!