reflux/gas question

i was at the pediatrician's office today and the doctor said one of my peanuts is very gassy. we knew this (LOL) but am a bit concerned because he is ALWAYS spitting up. she said he may have reflux and to watch it that it doesnt get worse.
i BF him and give him isomil (soy) formula as well.

is there anything else i can do to help him?
i burp him constantly and keep him elevated.

 

For reflux, we kept them elevated for at least 40 minutes after each feeding, switched them to Alimentum, started them on Prevacid, and had to thicken their bottles with rice cereal to help weigh the contents down in the stomach. If they are crying and arching and refusing the bottle or breast, I might consider asking your Ped for some meds to help with the pain. :hug:

 

Wow! you are in the exact same situation as I am. Both of mine are very gassy! My DD spits-up terribly. The doctor just switched us to soy formula too. Right now They breastfeed for one feeding and ormula feed for the next (on an alternating schedule). I am interested to see what anyone suggests b/c so far, nothing has really worked. We try to keep them elevated after eating (either in our arms or bouncy seats), burp after every 1/2-1 oz., they even sleep on elevated matresses. Good Luck.

 

i would just keep a close eye out and if they start exhibiting ANY pain symptoms with the spit up, or like rachel mentioned, refusing the bottle/breast, arching, crying after feeding, call your pedi as those are classic symptoms of reflux.

if there are no pain symptoms and they are gaining fine despite the spit up, then, like many doctors say, it is a laundry problem..

with DD, our bad reflux baby, we switched to alimentium, eventually got on prevacid and kept her elevated almost at all times... i also had to make sure that i didn't jostle her or bounce her around after feeding or she would vomit her whole stomach contents.. gross...

good luck and i hope it is just a spit up thing, i wouldn't wish reflux on anyone!

 

Luke was my spitter. He spit after every feeding multiple times even if we kept him elevated. Nothing worked. But he never really seemed to be in pain & he gained weight with no problem, so the doctor said it was fine. If you notice any of the other symptoms, I would take him back in, if not it's unpleasant but they do outgrow it eventually!

 

My sons had a dairy protein intolerance (not an allergy) - it's purely a GI issue that kids mostly outgrow (can affect GI, sleep and temperment) It has to do with babies not having the enzymes/bacteria in their bellies to digest cow's milk or dairy proteins. (shoot, cows have 4 stomachs in which to do this...)

30-40% of Kids who have a dairy protein intolerance also have a soy protein intolerance.

The best thing a mom can do with a kid with a suspected DPI (or FPIES (medical term)) is to remove all dairy from her diet - and it's in lots of things. (casein, whey, dairy, milk, etc.) Avoid formula if possible as all formulas have either dairy or soy even if the proteins are pre-processed.

I went dairy and soy free for 7 mos and stayed dairy free for a total of 9 mos of breastfeeding. My one son was able to eat dairy at 12 mos old and the other one took til 2 yrs old to be able to digest it. My sons started sleeping better, they went off their reflux meds in a few weeks and were much happier kids. The change was demonstrable.

Not all reflux is caused by protein intolerance, but I found through my research that is the MOST common mis-diagnosis out there. DRs would rather have your kids take lots of prescription drugs (that were not originally made for kids) instead of working to solve the root issue.

If you decide to go dairy or soy free, it takes 3 weeks for your body to flush all the dairy protein from its system. So you have to be patient and diligent. MY one son was so sensitive to dairy that I could not have a single drop without him reverting back to bad sleeping and crabbiness.

Good luck, it's easy to solve it if you have the discipline.

Teri D

 

I had to go on a Dairy-Free diet when my little guy started having reflux/gas issues. They are EBF. Within 2 days of going dairy free, I noticed a big difference. My Pedi suggested the Dairy-Free before trying meds or doing an Upper GI. I wanted to avoid all that, so I completely cut out dairy--even whey, casein--the hidden ingredients. You could start with just the basic list---Milk, yogurt, ice cream, cheese--the main staples & see if that works. I also bought the Colic Calm to help in case I accidently ate something that bothered him. Thankfully, Ethan is not as sensitive as some babies because I can have Soy w/out him having any problems. Good luck.

My Pedi also suggested Carnation Good Start Soy formula if I HAD to give him formula for any reason. Apparently, she thought it was more gentle in comparison to the other brands?!?

This is an informative website for reference: http://www.fussybaby.ca/breastfeedingdairy.html