need advice...

one of my boys spits up a lot. sometimes he's fussy when he's spitting up and other times he isnt. right now hes sleeping but in a matter of minutes he'll wake up fussing and NEED his pacifier. when i put it in his mouth it's like i gave him drugs or something, lol. literally. it's crazy.

is this related to something or is it just an 8 week old being an 8 week old.

just making sure something isn't wrong (i.e reflux, gas issue, etc)

 

does he have any issues when eating? arching his back, crying, refusing the bottle? these are classic signs of reflux.. even without these symptoms though he could have silent reflux, which is where the stomach contents wash back up the esophogus and he swallows them back down, that could explain his NEED for the paci. how often is he spitting up and when?

if you are concerned at all about reflux, i would mention it to your pedi. my DD/DS were diagnosed with reflux at 7 weeks, DD had the regular reflux and DS had the silent type.

 

I'd go to the drs and get reflux ruled out. Better safe than sorry.

 

how do they rule reflux out?

 

they will ask you a series of questions and if your answers indicate that your son may have reflux, they will prescribe meds. otherwise they may just decide that he is a spitter and no meds are necessary.

i hope he doesn't have reflux, it is no fun at all!

 

I would talk to your ped about it too. Luke was a spitter, but he was never treated for reflux. He spit tons but gained weight & didn't seem to be in any pain so the doctor just let him outgrow it. But you never know, so I would ask about it.

 

My son used to spit up tons too. I would have to burp him and he'd spit up for up to two hours after a feeding. He would get super fussy during that time. He wasn't refusing the bottle or anything so my pedi didn't feel he had reflux. I switched his formula to Enfamil A.R. which helped TONS! This formula has added rice starch to help keep things down. Good luck!

 

he doesnt refuse the bottle or breast; just super fussy and cries out of no where sometimes; i feel awful.
should i change his formula or consult the pedi first.

 

Personally, I just changed it on my own without consulting my pedi. I figured it couldn't hurt as long as he was eating. It was basically the same thing as the regular Enfamil that we were already using only it had added rice starch. I think I read on here that some other people used it and it worked, so I tried it. It helped immediately! He still spits up a little bit, but nowhere NEAR what he used to. Plus, he is A LOT happier and so are we! I think his tummy must feel better now. If you feel more comfortable, you could always call your pedi first. I think I read on here too that some people added additional rice cereal with the AR, but I think I would definitely ask your pedi before doing that. Luckily for us, just the formula was enough.

If you do decide to use it, here is a tip: it's thicker and clumpier so it tends to clog the nipple. Our solution to that was to premake the formula in a pitcher (we have a Pampered Chef one that stirs the liquid when you move the handle up and down - works great!) that way the formula has time to dissolve better. We don't have problems with the nipple clogging this way.

If you try it, let me know how it goes! Good luck!

 

now here's my question...if i change his formula and that helps, what about my BM? i thought that was supposed to be the most gentle thing for his tummy?

 

I think breast milk is best. I've heard that babies can have a milk allergy though. You might want to talk to your pedi about that. :unknw: You said sometimes he's fussy and other times he isn't. Does he get fussy and spit up after receiving just breast milk? Are you supplementing formula after breastfeeding?

 

he spits up sporadically whether its formula or BM

 

hmmm...not sure if changing formula would help but you could always try. It might be a good idea to talk to pedi and rule out other things like gas and reflux. I know some babies are just spitter uppers but the fussiness indicates there may be something else. I wish I could be more help and I hope you find a solution soon. Until then, hang in there! :hug:

 

My twins did this too. They were prescribed Zantac for reflux but it did little to help them feel better. I decided to switch formulas as well and after researching chose the Enfamil AR. It helped my boys a ton too. They are not endlessly fussy after feedings now. I don't even bother giving the Zantac anymore even though they do have some reflux. According to my pedi, all infants have reflux to a certain extent.