Is this reflux?

Hi There,

My DH and I are trying to decide to medicate one of our DD's for possible reflux. What do you think?

I've tried a strict no-milk diet to see if it's possible cow milk protein allergy and have notice zero improvement. I'm doing two more days to be sure but our pedi says we should have seen some improvement by now.

Here are her symptoms:

- difficult breastfeeder (constantly pulls off my breast during a single feeding, tremendous arching away from breast, fussiness, coughing, gasping)
- tremendous gasiness (need to give her gas drops 4x day or else she's in pain)
- vomits about once a week (usually right after a feed or couple hours later, extremely volumous with milk curds)
- chronic nasal congestion
- seems to get frustrated during feeding (whether the breast or bottle)

The doctor called in a script and we need to decide whether to move forward or not. I'm mainly concerned about her eating and discomfort. She is gaining weight accordingly (11lb 4oz - 40th percentile) so the dr. is not terribly concerned about that piece.

It's SOOOOO hard not to compare to her sister. Our other DD is a tremendous eater! She's in the 80th percentile in weight (12lb 11oz) as of this past Monday and still growing.

Appreciate any feedback you have to offer.

Take care,
Lisa

 

Which medicine are you considering? Why are you concerned about it? - and finally... please consult with a pediatric gastroenterologist, it sounds like your little girl needs help.

 

Lisa, you and I have very similar situations!!! I have a great eater and one that fights is with bad reflux as well and is still gaining weight. Yes, it definitely sounds like you need medication. Mine have also had reflux and we started out taking Prevacid, but that didn't help. We've switched to Zantac and that has helped tremendously. My girls also have a cold now, so it's really difficult sometimes to distinguish cold symptoms from reflux!

Meds will really help, good luck!

 

QUOTE(MamaD @ Jan 9 2009, 05:53 PM) [snapback]1140341[/snapback]
Which medicine are you considering? Why are you concerned about it? - and finally... please consult with a pediatric gastroenterologist, it sounds like your little girl needs help.


Sorry, I should have specified. The pedi called in Zantac to try. She said we should notice an immediate difference if that's the culprit.

We're just nervous about medication since we're first time parents.

 

Before going to meds try cutting out

Onions
Garlic
tomato items
orange juice

anything acidic.

also check out Kellymom.com for more suggestions

 

Definitely classic reflux symptoms. Are you considering Zantac? Because it sounds like she's in pain - the arching and "frustration" during feedings. Zantac relieves the acid burning sensation. (It doesn't stop the reflux.) It's a good option b/c it's a very mild medication with no side effects to speak of.

I'd try that - we did. It worked for us.

 

QUOTE(Lisa&Lonnie @ Jan 9 2009, 05:57 PM) [snapback]1140344[/snapback]
The pedi called in Zantac to try. She said we should notice an immediate difference if that's the culprit.


It does sound like reflux. Both of my babies had it and we were prescribed Zantac first, which unfortunately did nothing for them. I think it is definitely worth a try, just wanted to let you know that the Zantac doesn't work for all refluxers.

:hug:

 

Zantac has worked wonders for our DD. I was kind of reluctant to medicate like you are - but we've seen a huge improvement. I came to the realization that if it makes my baby girl more comfortable then it can't be bad, right?

 

Zantac has really helped our DD also.

 

QUOTE(Lisa&Lonnie @ Jan 9 2009, 10:57 PM) [snapback]1140344[/snapback]
The pedi called in Zantac to try. She said we should notice an immediate difference if that's the culprit.


You may not notice an immediate difference. It can be gradual and take up to about 5-7 days for you to see the full-effect. And if Zantac doesnt work then you can try another med. Zantac did not work for our boys, but the Prevacid worked awesome. Totally different babies on medication.

If it were me, I would be inclined to start the meds since you have seen any difference and go from there. Reflux is very painful.

 

Sounds a lot like reflux. We never tried Zantac, but Prevacid worked wonders for us. I was a little skeptical to medicate because I wasn't sure it was reflux at first, too. I insisted on seeing a pediatric GI specialist. We did an upper GI which confirmed in spectacular fashion that we definately had reflux. The medicine made a huge difference Day 1. We just recently stopped the Prevacid. So, take a little comfort in the fact that it won't be forever and lots of us have been in the same boat.