Refluxer did it get better at 4 mos?

My DD Eve will be 4 mos on the 22th; we have 2 peds; one is for her heart and the other one is her reg ped. The specialist told us that it sound;s like reflux and to give her 2 tsp of rice cereal in her formula and change the nipple size to fast flow. This seems to be working but she still screams bloody murder for hours when she is working on a poop We have an appt with her next week to see how the cereal is working because she wasnt gaining weight like before-Our next step would be reflux meds-Did you find that your refluxer was better after they turned 4 mos? does this sound like reflux?? i dont know what else i can do; our reg ped suggest a tsp of sugar in her formula to help soften her stool so now im doing sugar and cereal-whats left? will the meds work the best? Thanks for any help! my other DD is a spit upper but no gas pains/crying like her sister does.

 

What about giving water to help soften the stool. At their 4 month appt we were give the ok to start solids. She said if there were problems with constipation we could give a little juice/water. White grape juice or pear juice - one is for diarrhea and one is for constipation but can't remember which for which. We haven't had to give any yet.

 

Reflux peaked at our house at about 4 months adjusted and was really horrible until about 6months. In my opinion, I would go for the meds.

 

How much does she spit up? What formula is she on? From your post, it seems that she is constipated more than anything - rice cereal would do that.

DD had reflux too. Really bad until we changed her formula, she was spitting up 20+ times a day, then it went much better, and totally stopped at 4 months. The pediatrician told us at the time that we could put cereal in her bottle but we decided against it, the risks not being worth it for us - but again, her reflux went better after switching formula. We were on similac advance, and we switched to soy. In retrospect we should have tried Gentle Ease first, as it's not really recommended anymore to give soy formula unless there are really good reasons to. We switched her to Gentle Ease a month ago without problem anyway.

So, I'd have a look at what formula she is having, and if you want to continue with cereal in the bottle, I'd switch to oatmeal, as it's easier to digest than rice.

 

The symptoms you describe really don't sound like reflux to me. It does sound like she is constipated. PP had good suggestions. We are still battling reflux at nearly 8 months. I am just now starting to see some improvement.

 

It sounds like maybe there is a combination of issues going on-constipation and maybe some reflux. For the reflux we were on meds until they were at least 6 months and we still in the thick of it at 4 months for sure. 2 tsp of cereal added to a whole bottle really isnt that much. If you are battling large amounts of spit up and the cereal works a bit, check and see if you can do like 1 tsp of cereal per ounce of formula. Keep her upright for at least 30 mins after each feeding (even in the middle of the night). If she is crying and arching her back during a feeding this is a sure fire sign of the pain associated with reflux and there are meds like Zantac and Prevacid to help with that. Again, check with your Ped if she is having these issues.

And for the constipation, I would switch to oatmeal cereal instead of adding rice cereal which might be causing the constipation. And for us when the boys would get uncomfortable we were instructed by the Ped to give them 1/2 ounce of pear juice and 1/2 ounce water no more than 3 times a day to help with a BM. Worked pretty much everytime. I hope she feels better soon. :hug99:

 

It doesn't sound like reflux. Reflux causes spitting up, arching backs, refusing to eat, hiccups, etc. I agree with the PPs, it sounds like your daughter has constipation. Rice cereal is a major culprit for constipation, have you thought about cutting it out to see if that helps? I have never heard of adding sugar to help with constipation. Pear juice worked well in my house when my daughters were constipated. We were advised to give the girls 1/2 oz three times a day.

 

The twins are a little over 4 months now and Masons reflux has gotten better, but we also use the cereal in every bottle. When he becomes constipated I use KAro Syrup or Miralax in his bottle. These work wonders

April

 

I would try water for the constipation and see if that helps. As for reflux, at 4 and 5 months it got worse. We still have issues at 9 months old! If it is reflux, go for the meds.

 

QUOTE(LoriD @ Aug 21 2008, 12:52 PM) [snapback]940906[/snapback]
I would try water for the constipation and see if that helps. As for reflux, at 4 and 5 months it got worse. We still have issues at 9 months old! If it is reflux, go for the meds.


I always thought it was bad to give water to babies? At least before 6 months, then only 2oz?

 

We added Karo syrup to my oldest DD's bottles to soften her stools. My twins were on meds for reflux. They were major spitter-uppers. Somewhere around 9-10 months, it stopped - probably around the time they started spending most of their time sitting-up or cruising furniture.

 

thank you everyone for your suggestions!
She screams,arches her back and tightens up
I will ask about the meds next week and the pear juice/water-Her main ped did mention karo syrup or sugar-i will grab some karo- syrup tomorrow and see if that makes the difference with the constipation-This is a daily thing

 

My concern is that if she DOES have reflux then why WOULDN'T you want to give her meds? The meds will help to alleviate the discomfort and pain that is associated with reflux. The meds will not hurt her but help her. The cereal in the bottle will not stop the pain but simply help to weight down the food so she doesn't spit up as much. I had one dd diagnosed at 2 months and was on meds until around 4 months when the reflux cleared up on it's own. However, my other dd was on the meds until 7 months and then was recently back on the meds for 2 months when the reflux resurfaced and was causing her to have coughing fits and discomfort in the middle of the night. She seems to be better now but if comes back, I won't hesitate to put her right back on the meds because they work and make her feel better which makes me feel better. GL

 

QUOTE(2+2more! @ Aug 21 2008, 05:36 PM) [snapback]940992[/snapback]
thank you everyone for your suggestions!
She screams,arches her back and tightens up
I will ask about the meds next week and the pear juice/water-Her main ped did mention karo syrup or sugar-i will grab some karo- syrup tomorrow and see if that makes the difference with the constipation-This is a daily thing


If you can, I would call before next week to see if you can get her some relief over the weekend.