Acid Reflux & Colic; Toddler at Home too!

Help... Many questions...

We have 4 week old twin boys that are severely colicky and have been diagnosed with acid reflux. I have been reading these boards for some time and notice that everyone has suggested that twin babies eat at the same time to make things easier. I understand this - however - what about babies that have acid reflux? I dread feeding time because after they eat they are unbearable. I can't console two screaming babies at the same time. They are also big boys - I think sometimes people suggest different ways to hold them but my boys are 10lbs a piece. I feel it's easier to have them eat at seperate times because I can deal with two seperate meltdowns but as you might imagine this is severely time consuming and feedings are runnning into each other. I am worn out beyond belief. Has anyone had to deal with this and are there any pointers you can give to help me?

Apart from all of this, I have a 17 month old child that is the love of my life. I feel so badly for him because I am constantly with a screaming baby in my arms. The only thing I can offer him is tv and it breaks my heart. This is the most precious age and I can't even enjoy it. It was so bad this morning that I couldn't even feed him breakfast because the babies were screaming. My newborns are never consoled. They are always screaming or wearing themselves out from screaming by sleeping. I can't even enjoy my children because it's such a challenge. I am happiest when they are sleeping and that's so hard to confess.

If any of you have any words of hope I could sure use a dose. And please forgive me if I don't get back to you anytime quickly. I am writing this while they scream.

 

Hello... and welcome. Congrats on your twins... it gets better, I promise. Life with reflux is hard, no doubt. Are your twins on any medicine yet for reflux? If not, talk to your pediatrician about medicine - it makes the screaming and back arching so much better when you find the right medicine. Many children are helped by Zantac, but others need something stronger like Prevacid or Prilosec. Also, reflux can be aggravated by dairy, soy, or other things (one of my daughters seems to react to tomatoes in my diet or tomato based sauces). If you're breastfeeding, you might want to try eliminating dairy to see if that helps. If you're using dairy formula, try a soy based one. If that doesn't work, perhaps a hypoallergenic formula like Nutramigen would help.

Even though both of my girls have reflux, I found that feeding them bottles together was easier for me. I actually propped them in the corners of a comfy chair in our family room when they were the age of yours. They were mostly upright but at a slight angle backwards with their legs sticking out. That position worked for me because I could pick one up to burp while the other stayed where she was.

One other thought... once we started having our twins sleep on an incline (even for naps), a lot of the pain seemed to go away. We use the Tucker sling/wedge, but I know there are other options.

Good luck, and hang in there.

 

Wow those really are big boys! Way to go mommy. I know I had these horrible feelings and I was begging God to just make it let up so I could enjoy my life. Guess what it got better and those first horrible days are barely even a memory now. I know this really might not help you at the present but I hope that it gives you hope! My girls were horrid from 4wks-12wk (it got a lil better at 8wks) the stroller,swings and my mom were our salvation!! Try just going outside with a screaming baby (even when it is chilly and htey are well dressed) it really really seems to help. Have you got them on any meds for reflux? This also really helped us. I felt so bad for my DD #1 because for a stretch there I got her outta bed and she had to make her own pop tart, comb her hair, dress herself and then walk to the bus because I couldnt do it. I know it sucks but it really is a short period of time and things will be so much better!!

Also have you checked with your dr. to see if you may be experiencing Post Partum (sp) Depression?? I did with my 1st and meds were a life saver... even if you really dont want to be medicated remember that this also is not a permanent thing and they may just be the thing to make the turn around.

Good luck.... and feel free to ask me any more questions and although I am not a pro I will try to answer them to the best of my ability .... BTW these are the most helpful people in the world here at TS... you will get tons of great advice!

 

Are they on meds for the reflux?

 

I would definitely see about meds for them if they aren't on them already. Have you tried running the vaccuum, bathroom fan, or dryer while they are crying? That will often sooth a colicky baby. Another thing to try is the colic carry. Put the heel of your hand against their belly button and lay them face down against your arm with their head in the crook of your elbow. Swings will often sooth reflux babies too. You might have to try a combination of many different things to find what works.

I can understand what you mean about not enjoying them like you feel you should. I wore earplugs with Sean because his cries were so piercing.

Good luck, this stage won't last long even though it seems to be taking forever. Just hang in there. :hug99:

 

Thank you for your post and your kind words. I am feeding them the Nutramigen. At first it seemed to help but quite honestly it doesn't seem to be working the way we had hoped. They are also taking Zantac for the acid reflux. I don't think it's working that well unfortunately.

QUOTE(Trishandthegirls @ Oct 2 2007, 10:48 PM) [snapback]433201[/snapback]
Hello... and welcome. Congrats on your twins... it gets better, I promise. Life with reflux is hard, no doubt. Are your twins on any medicine yet for reflux? If not, talk to your pediatrician about medicine - it makes the screaming and back arching so much better when you find the right medicine. Many children are helped by Zantac, but others need something stronger like Prevacid or Prilosec. Also, reflux can be aggravated by dairy, soy, or other things (one of my daughters seems to react to tomatoes in my diet or tomato based sauces). If you're breastfeeding, you might want to try eliminating dairy to see if that helps. If you're using dairy formula, try a soy based one. If that doesn't work, perhaps a hypoallergenic formula like Nutramigen would help.

Even though both of my girls have reflux, I found that feeding them bottles together was easier for me. I actually propped them in the corners of a comfy chair in our family room when they were the age of yours. They were mostly upright but at a slight angle backwards with their legs sticking out. That position worked for me because I could pick one up to burp while the other stayed where she was.

One other thought... once we started having our twins sleep on an incline (even for naps), a lot of the pain seemed to go away. We use the Tucker sling/wedge, but I know there are other options.

Good luck, and hang in there.

 

OMG you sound exactly like me right now!!! I have one with Colic and the other with AR who is just fussy all the time. I have seperated their feeding b/c it takes so long to get them back down. If they ate and went right to sleep, I would do back-to-back feedings. That is not doable for me either.

I understand not liking this at all. It took me 4 years, and I hate how I feel. I told DH this evening that I love them, but I don't like them. I really don't. They are unhappy 80% of the time. This is not fun at all. I also have a 6yr old and I can barely help her get her homework done. I barely get a book in with her at night too. It is just so sad. I am beyond frustrated with them. I am going back to work early so I can stay sane!!

I pray this ends soon and things change.

April

 

Thank you so much. I really needed to hear that it does get better although it's so hard to believe right now! I am actually taking meds for PPD. I definitely feel like it's helping but at the same time the immense stress of all these demands is making it hard.

QUOTE(brianamurnion @ Oct 2 2007, 10:51 PM) [snapback]433208[/snapback]
Wow those really are big boys! Way to go mommy. I know I had these horrible feelings and I was begging God to just make it let up so I could enjoy my life. Guess what it got better and those first horrible days are barely even a memory now. I know this really might not help you at the present but I hope that it gives you hope! My girls were horrid from 4wks-12wk (it got a lil better at 8wks) the stroller,swings and my mom were our salvation!! Try just going outside with a screaming baby (even when it is chilly and htey are well dressed) it really really seems to help. Have you got them on any meds for reflux? This also really helped us. I felt so bad for my DD #1 because for a stretch there I got her outta bed and she had to make her own pop tart, comb her hair, dress herself and then walk to the bus because I couldnt do it. I know it sucks but it really is a short period of time and things will be so much better!!

Also have you checked with your dr. to see if you may be experiencing Post Partum (sp) Depression?? I did with my 1st and meds were a life saver... even if you really dont want to be medicated remember that this also is not a permanent thing and they may just be the thing to make the turn around.

Good luck.... and feel free to ask me any more questions and although I am not a pro I will try to answer them to the best of my ability .... BTW these are the most helpful people in the world here at TS... you will get tons of great advice!

 

The Zantac did not work for my boys. We had them switched to Prevacid and that helped alot. You might consider a change in meds to something else if they have been on the Zantac for over 2 weeks with no change. Have you seen a Pediatric GI? They can really help the little refluxers. Also the Ped GI recommend 2tsp of rice cereal/ounce of formula and that made the biggest difference for my boys.

I have an almost 3 year old at home and she does watch TV too. Not really what I wanted her to be doing, but it is better to keep her occupied with Noggin and deal with the 2 crying babies. Kids are resillient and your toddler will bounce back after this speed bump. Reflux is no fun especially with 2. Hang in there. :hug99:

Rachel

 

Yes, they take Zantac. I think I am going to ask the doctor to switch them to something else though because this can't be helping them.

QUOTE(becky5 @ Oct 2 2007, 11:02 PM) [snapback]433229[/snapback]
Are they on meds for the reflux?

 

They just had an upper GI and it showed no blockages. We tried the rice cereal but we use the Avent bottles and the nipples just weren't big enough to get the cereal through so we gave up. My husband had cut bigger holes but we just couldn't find the right size and just got frustrated. It might be time to re-try that though. I am glad to see you recommend Prevacid. I am going to ask about that tomorrow. So thankful for your post!

QUOTE(DATJMom @ Oct 2 2007, 11:25 PM) [snapback]433252[/snapback]
The Zantac did not work for my boys. We had them switched to Prevacid and that helped alot. You might consider a change in meds to something else if they have been on the Zantac for over 2 weeks with no change. Have you seen a Pediatric GI? They can really help the little refluxers. Also the Ped GI recommend 2tsp of rice cereal/ounce of formula and that made the biggest difference for my boys.

I have an almost 3 year old at home and she does watch TV too. Not really what I wanted her to be doing, but it is better to keep her occupied with Noggin and deal with the 2 crying babies. Kids are resillient and your toddler will bounce back after this speed bump. Reflux is no fun especially with 2. Hang in there. :hug99:

Rachel

 

Big Hug - I feel your pain - it's so hard!

QUOTE(mar66rus2 @ Oct 2 2007, 11:21 PM) [snapback]433247[/snapback]
OMG you sound exactly like me right now!!! I have one with Colic and the other with AR who is just fussy all the time. I have seperated their feeding b/c it takes so long to get them back down. If they ate and went right to sleep, I would do back-to-back feedings. That is not doable for me either.

I understand not liking this at all. It took me 4 years, and I hate how I feel. I told DH this evening that I love them, but I don't like them. I really don't. They are unhappy 80% of the time. This is not fun at all. I also have a 6yr old and I can barely help her get her homework done. I barely get a book in with her at night too. It is just so sad. I am beyond frustrated with them. I am going back to work early so I can stay sane!!

I pray this ends soon and things change.

April

 

Poor you. First of all, would you consider changing meds? I know that the last thing we like to do is medicate our newborn babies but where reflux is concerned it's often the only answer for a few months and it can take a few tries to get the right meds for your baby/babies. Time really helps with reflux but if you don't get it under control in the short term you can end up with two babies with bottle aversion and that's not fun - they won't eat at all. I know how awful reflux can be. I used to break out in a cold sweat and feel terrible before feedings because I knew it was going to be an hour of pure torture.

As for feeding your babies at the same time, I couldn't manage it breastfeeding and I couldn't manage it bottle feeding until they were about 5 months old. They were just too little and floppy and fussy due to reflux. I used to feed them one right after the other (and I used to get anyone and everyone I knew to drop by around feeding time when possible so I could feed them at the same time).

Now I feed James in my arms (he's fussy) and Evan is cozy in a breast feeding pillow with a bottle propped on top of a stuffed animal, with me just a few inches away to stroke his cheek, adjust the bottle, etc. It's not the beautiful feeding experience I imagined when I was pregnant (thinking I would be breast feeding! ha!) but it gets the job done.

Just so you know, the fancy hypoallergenic formulas didn't help us. Time is the best thing, but the meds are helpful in the short term.

Good luck.

 

We got tired of cutting holes in the nipples too and switched to Dr. Browns bottles and used a tri-cut nipple. Worked like a charm for thickened feeds!

Rachel

 

Thank you for your post and kind words. Unfortunately, I have tried all the colic techniques and they are so resistent to them. I have the vacuum hooked up in the nursery at all times. My first had colic that was even worse then these two are! I prayed they wouldn't have it and lo and behold, they do. I am debating who was worse - my first or these two combined!

QUOTE(Her Royal Jennyness @ Oct 2 2007, 11:04 PM) [snapback]433231[/snapback]
I would definitely see about meds for them if they aren't on them already. Have you tried running the vaccuum, bathroom fan, or dryer while they are crying? That will often sooth a colicky baby. Another thing to try is the colic carry. Put the heel of your hand against their belly button and lay them face down against your arm with their head in the crook of your elbow. Swings will often sooth reflux babies too. You might have to try a combination of many different things to find what works.

I can understand what you mean about not enjoying them like you feel you should. I wore earplugs with Sean because his cries were so piercing.

Good luck, this stage won't last long even though it seems to be taking forever. Just hang in there. :hug99:

 

Thank you for your post. I am definitely going to change meds after reading what's worked for everyone. I just want to skip the next 6 months and pray the colic and reflux will be gone by then. It took that long with my first baby.

QUOTE(CHJH @ Oct 2 2007, 11:31 PM) [snapback]433268[/snapback]
Poor you. First of all, would you consider changing meds? I know that the last thing we like to do is medicate our newborn babies but where reflux is concerned it's often the only answer for a few months and it can take a few tries to get the right meds for your baby/babies. Time really helps with reflux but if you don't get it under control in the short term you can end up with two babies with bottle aversion and that's not fun - they won't eat at all. I know how awful reflux can be. I used to break out in a cold sweat and feel terrible before feedings because I knew it was going to be an hour of pure torture.

As for feeding your babies at the same time, I couldn't manage it breastfeeding and I couldn't manage it bottle feeding until they were about 5 months old. They were just too little and floppy and fussy due to reflux. I used to feed them one right after the other (and I used to get anyone and everyone I knew to drop by around feeding time when possible so I could feed them at the same time).

Now I feed James in my arms (he's fussy) and Evan is cozy in a breast feeding pillow with a bottle propped on top of a stuffed animal, with me just a few inches away to stroke his cheek, adjust the bottle, etc. It's not the beautiful feeding experience I imagined when I was pregnant (thinking I would be breast feeding! ha!) but it gets the job done.

Just so you know, the fancy hypoallergenic formulas didn't help us. Time is the best thing, but the meds are helpful in the short term.

Good luck.

 

QUOTE(wootza @ Oct 2 2007, 07:30 PM) [snapback]433261[/snapback]
They just had an upper GI and it showed no blockages. We tried the rice cereal but we use the Avent bottles and the nipples just weren't big enough to get the cereal through so we gave up. My husband had cut bigger holes but we just couldn't find the right size and just got frustrated. It might be time to re-try that though. I am glad to see you recommend Prevacid. I am going to ask about that tomorrow. So thankful for your post!



I would definitely ask for a different reflux med! Zantac did nothing for us either. We were on a combo of Axid/Reglan, and then Prevacid/Reglan. If you are going to start the cereal again, be sure to use the Beechnut brand, it goes through the nipples better. :hug99: Reflux is awful.