by heather As a pediatric nurse and a mother, I had heard other moms talk about having babies with reflux, but I had no comprehension of the misery until I experienced it myself, or rather watched my baby experience it. I am just now finally getting around to writing about the experience over a year later because it was just that traumatic, and thinking about what we went through makes me depressed. However, it is my hope that someone out there will benefit from my account and their experience will be a little less difficult. Infant acid reflux is a very common problem. There is a valve (the lower esophageal sphincter) between the esophagus and the stomach, during the first three months of life it is immature and often ineffective in holding in the stomach contents, resulting in spit-up. Sometimes it’s just that. Keep a burp rag handy and you’ll be ok. However, sometimes it’s more than that. The reflux usually happens after a feeding, but it can be triggered by coughing, crying or straining.Often my baby would reflux without throwing up. This was the worst. You could hear a churning, gurgling sound from her throat after she ate and then she would just cry and whimper, sometimes for up to an hour after feedings. Non-pharmaceutical interventions: Here are things you can do to help infant reflux without medication. (Most doctors will recommend that you try these before trying medication anyway.) Smaller, more frequent feedings (if your baby is overstuffed, they are more likely to throw up) Interrupt feedings to burp Avoid tight clothing. Hold infant in an upright position for 20 minutes after feeding is finished If bottle feeding, check the nipple. If the holes are too large your baby may be swallowing a lot of air, which can trigger spit up. Thicken formula or breast milk with rice cereal (but you shouldn’t do this before four months old) Giving your infant a warm bath and rubbing them down with lotion can help them to feel relaxed and less likely to cry (and swallow air)and aggravate reflux If breast-feeding eliminate foods from your diet that may aggravate acid reflux Eliminating foods It’s easy to say, oh just don’t eat anything that will irritate their reflux, but the problem is almost EVERYTHING irritates their reflux. Here are things that either my pediatrician or my research suggested be eliminated from my diet. I’m bolding the ones that mostly commonly cause problems. (And for me, I found that most of them caused problems.) apples beans bell peppers cabbage-family vegetables (broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collard greens & kale) caffeine chocolate citrus fruits or juices corn cranberries dairy, in all forms (no milk, no cheese, no ice cream) eggs fried and fatty foods (this includes a lot) garlic grape juice onions peanuts prenatal vitamins radishes shellfish soda soy (soy is in almost everything, start reading labels, you’ll be surprised.) spices (particularly hot peppers, cilantro, mint, curry and fresh ginger) tree nutstomatoes, in all forms (this means no Mexican, Italian food, ketchup, BBQ sauce or pizza) wheat A good rule of thumb is, if it is acidic, fatty or gassy, and you’re trying to make baby happy, you shouldn’t eat it. The problem here is that if you stick to this list, there really isn’t much left. Especially, if you are a vegetarian. You can have rice, oatmeal, sweet potatoes, and bananas. <Great.> I can tell you from experience that gets old fast. There were some days I would rather go hungry than eat one more bowl of oatmeal. I lost forty pounds in 6 weeks without any amount of exercise because I was starving myself trying to feed my baby milk that wouldn’t make her scream. Just about everyone I know told me that I should put her on formula. There are a few problems with this plan. Formula always makes reflux worse, because formula is generally made from milk or soy, both of which can aggravate reflux. There is one variety of formula that is hypoallergenic and amino acid based (meaningno soy or dairy). It’s called . And it’s expensive. When we were looking at this in the midst of issues, I figured that it would cost $450 each month to feed our baby, if I bought it in bulk. Even if I did have the extra cash to buy Nutramagin, I don’t think my baby would take it. I was never able to get her to take any variety of formula. I started trying on day one, no luck for me or anyone else in my family. I’m a pediatric nurse. I’ve worked with Nutramagin before. It’s pretty funky smelling. I can’t imagine that it tastes good. Honestly, the most vile substance I have ever encountered is when Nutramagin is vomited back up. It’s worse than a huge list of other nasty things you find in the hospital, that one would imagine to be pretty disgusting. And what would my baby with reflux do with said expensive formula, provided I was able to get her to drink it? Throw it up on me, I am certain. No, thank you. Medications (Note: this was our experience with medications, yours probably willnot be the same.) Cindy Lou Who first started showing signs of reflux at two weeks old. My pediatrician was suspicious when she had nasal congestion, but no other respiratory symptoms. (Not a sure sign of reflux, but an indicator.) The first thing I tried when it was apparent that my baby had reflux was eliminating foods. That was rather unpleasant, so we tried Axid (nizantidine). My baby went from projectile vomiting 1-2 times a day, to vomiting 5-6 times each day and having explosive diarrhea. I decided to try again without medication. Eliminating foods helped. She wasn’t unhappy all the time, just after feedings. I also tried every other non-medication interventions. But the more I went without food, the more depressed I became and I decided to give reflux medication another try. The next drug we tried was Nexium (esomeprazole). There was a free 7-day trial available and the stuff worked wonders. Nexium reduces the amount of acid as well as heals acid damage. Within a day I had acompletely different baby. For the first time she was happy, cooing and smiling. It made me realize how very miserable she had been. That’s not to say that Nexium was a complete cure. My diet was still very limited and she still threw up occasionally, but it was no longer the constant crying, screaming and vomiting. Baby with Nexium The problem was that my insurance company refused to pay for it. There is no generic and without insurance it’s $212 a month. They did say that they would pay for it, if she failed a few other medications. I was frustrated, but hoped that maybe one of these others might work too. The first medication, Prilosec (omeprazole), we switched her to did not help. She screamed all day and all night. My husband was out of town on business, I was recovering from surgery on my legs and I was alone with my three kids, one of which would not stop screaming. I was literally ready to kill myself and/or my baby. In the morning I called the pharmacy and my pediatrician andmade it clear that this was not going to work. Baby on Prilosec Next we tried Prevacid (lansoprazole). She really liked taking the Prevacid, it comes in strawberry flavor and my insurance company likes that it comes in a generic form. We tried that one for a week and a half. It worked better than nothing or the last medication she was on. I know a lot of people that Prevacid has worked really well for their babies. But my baby wasn’t happy anymore and she was on a much higher dose compared proportionately to the Nexium. She wasn’t screaming or refluxing as much, but she wasn’t happy either. My pediatrician decided that we needed to go back to Nexium. My insurance company had already spent more money trying not to pay for the Nexium than if they had just paid for the medication in the first place. The Nexium and a bland diet for me worked really well for her. I found that after while I was able to eat very small quantities of dairy (like a slice of cheese) and add bell peppers back intomy diet. The problem is that between the period of two to four months, infant acid reflux usually gets worse. It didn’t matter what I ate, she had reflux. We doubled her Nexium dose, which had to be split between two doses per day because a whole dose at once was too much to handle. That helped, for awhile. Then she got worse so we started her giving her 1 ml of Mylanta after feedings, but we could only do that 4 times a day. (Mylanta, or the generic equivalent, is very inexpensive and can be obtained without a prescription.) We started her on a third medication, Eryped (erythromycin) twice a day in conjunction with the Nexium. Eryped helps by increasing intestinal motility and is given with feedings. It makes the food move through faster so it is less likely to come up, and no, it didn’t give her diarrhea. The problem is that it’s an antibiotic, and a bottle is only good for 10 days. So if you replace your bottle every 10 days and you don’t have insurance it will cost about $290 permonth, and it’s not something anyone should be on long-term. The downside of Nexium is that it has to be given on an empty stomach and it has to be given at least an hour before a feeding. Baby was not such a fan of waiting for more than two hours to eat, but her being grumpy and hungry for a little while was nothing compared to her screaming in pain. (You can see how this can get complicated and turn into the only thing you do all day.) Just when we had things under control and we had weaned her off the Eryped, we changed insurance companies. (My maternity leave was over and when I cut my hours way back, we lost my insurance and switched over to my husband’s.) His insurance company was unwilling to pay for Nexium. They wanted her to try something else. There wasn’t much left to try. They insisted that we try Dexilant. The problem with this medication is that it only comes in pill form, and it doesn’t even come in a dose that is small enough for infants. (I have yet to encounter a 5month old who could swallow pills.) My pharmacist refused to even give it to me. After a week of my pharmacy and my pediatrician hassling the insurance company (while we were miserable) they agreed to pay for the Nexium. I was so angry. Just because my baby is just an infant, doesn’t mean that it’s ok for her to physically be in pain to save them money. Baby food Where most infants are eating baby foods by 4-6 months old, she struggled. (As in many foods triggered vomiting.) When we finally got to stage 3 baby foods, we discovered that any food with any amount of texture would trigger her gag reflex and start her vomiting, regardless of the acid content. (Common in babies with reflux.) My pediatrician happens to be a GI specialist. (And I am sooo grateful to the Lord that circumstances happened that he was my pediatrician through this ordeal.) He said that she fell in the top 10% of worst cases of reflux he had ever seen, and if she was still having reflux that bad at seven months, hehad no way of knowing when it was going to stop. Maybe another year of this. I was pretty discouraged. I felt like I was going to have to breast feed my infant for what seemed like forever and if this went on we might even be looking at surgery. Then a couple weeks later she stopped. She was all better, started sleeping consistently through the night, started eating everything in sight, keeping it down and I was also able to eat what I wanted. She still spit-up a couple times after that, but they were just episodes of typical baby spit-up. Reflux and concurrent illnesses If your baby has any other illness, like a cold or stomach virus, it will make his/her reflux worse. Be prepared. So if you have been able to wean down on your medication, you may have to go back. If you have been able to add more variety to your diet, you may have to go back to bland. Be prepared for getting less sleep and doing more laundry too. General Advice If you have an infant with reflux I think the mostimportant thing you can do is make sure that you have a pediatrician who will really listens to you. My pediatrician trusts me because he has worked with me for a few years, and not just as mom to Thing 1, Thing 2 and Cindy Lou Who. He’s worked with me on a professional level and knows that I don’t call him unless its necessary. Not everyone has the opportunity to work with their pediatrician. Regardless you need to have a doctor who is going to listen to you and if there is a problem, help you to find an answer. While I was going through this ordeal I had two other friends with infants with reflux. The first had a doctor who didn’t believe that reflux was a real condition. She was very frustrated, but wouldn’t dream of changing doctors because he was her family doctor who she had been going to for years. The second friend had a great pediatrician (super nice guy, one I would highly recommend), but in the rush of doctor visits I don’t think she was communicating to him how miserableshe and her baby were with the reflux. He did give her medication, and it helped, but it was still really hard. So speak up, and if no one is listening, find someone who will. For your own sanity, you may need to fight to get your baby the help that s/he needs. I have found that Cindy Lou Who is more clingy than my other two kids. She wants to snuggle and cuddle and be held for hours out of the day, even still. This may just be her personality, but then part of me thinks that it may be a coping mechanism she developed with everything that she went through. At a few points everything I tried was not enough to make her feel better and the only thing I could do was hold her. I held her for hours everyday, because I didn’t know what else to do. At one point my doctor asked if it might be a personality thing, if she was just an irritable baby. Perhaps it is for some kids, but when her reflux is under control (or gone) she has been the jolliest baby I have had the pleasure of knowing. Shewas irritable because she was in pain. If I could tell you anything I would say, just do your best for your baby and try not to be upset that your house (and/or life) is a disaster while you are making your baby your priority. Acid reflux in infants is hard for everyone involved. I heard someone refer to it once as ‘intensive care parenting’. Your baby sleeps less, makes more messes and is unhappier than they would be otherwise. This means that you sleep less, are more stressed, and if you are breast-feeding than you may be starving too. And you may be giving them medication eight times a day, and everything seems to be falling apart around in you in a haze of vomit and crying. And it goes on for months like this. The rest of your family may be not be coping the best from sleep loss. Try not to be discouraged. Most experiences are not as bad as mine (and if yours and your baby’s is as bad as mine was, you are in my prayers.) Most infants get over it by 4-6 months old. Yes, that mayseem like a long time while, but you can get through it. It’s a temporary thing. Ask for help and don’t give up. Categories: , , , , , |
55 Responses to “My Baby’s Experience with Acid Reflux”
Rachel says: I just found this post and your blog when looking up Nexium for infants, and I have to say–Thank you, thank you, thank you! Oh my goodness, I feel like someone finally understands! It sounds like my 3 month old son’s acid reflux is not as bad as your daughter’s was, but we have really been struggling, and it has been so hard to communicate it effectively to our doctors, family, and friends. I keep wondering if I just have too high of expectations or if I don’t understand what it is supposed to be like to have a baby (this is my first). As someone who is typically pretty “together,” it is so good to hear your advice, “just do your best for your baby and try not to be upset that your house (and/or life) is a disaster while you are making your baby your priority.” Just two questions (though I could probably ask a dozen): – Any advice on how to find a doctor that really listens? Should we make a visit to GI specialist? – My breast-fed son only goes 2 hours tops betweenfeedings, so it sounds like timing for the Nexium would be hard. What was the timeline like for your daughter? Thank you again! says: Finding a doctor that listens, that can be tricky. I don’t know if seeing a GI specialist is entirely necessary, but it might be if your doctor doesn’t listen. If you’re struggling to find a doctor that meets your needs, I would call your pediatrics unit and ask the nurses. Sometimes there are policies against them recommending one doctor over another, however you can get around that by asking them which doctor they take their own children to. Ahh, the Nexium timing is hard. Babies with reflux want to eat frequently because drinking something soothes the irritation from the reflexing stomach acid. And then you don’t want to feed them too much because if they are too full they are more likely to throw up, or have various other reflux symptoms, meaning they are hungry more often. I found that once (or sometimes twice when her reflux was bad enough that sherequired 2 doses) a day I just made her go longer between feedings. She hated it, the whole family hated it, but her being irritable because she was hungry for an hour was nothing compared to her screaming because she was suffering from reflux symptoms. It was really hard to have a routine. We were kind of in survival mode. Melissa says: Have you ever tried giving your baby the nexium without waiting the 1 hr afterwards? I ask this because our pediatric GI is adamant that it doesn’t matter when we give the nexium…but I keep reading that it does matter. says: It does matter. I tried a couple times and she always vomited within a few minutes. mim says: Hi Heather. Our five-week old has been put on Nexium that on day one seemed like the most amazing cure imaginable. Exactly like you said: you don’t realize how bad it is until you suddenly have a baby that is calm and happy and engaged. We were all so relieved! But we are now on day five and it seems to be getting worse. Instead of painand spasming and crying only after feeds for anything from 15mins-1.5hrs theres now pain and spasming and crying almost all through day/night regardless of feeding, and v runny poo (but happy to put up with this). I know Nexium works wonders for almost everyone. Do you think this is just an adjustment phase and will get better in the next few days again or not? If this side-effect is temporary we should def push through, but if probably not I cant imagine keeping baby on it for another week like the paed suggested to see if it works out. xox. mim says: (I should make clear that we only had that one first good day. The next day and the ones thereafter have been worse. Dose is 7.5mg once a day so not even a whole sachet.) says: First of all reflux kind of comes in waves, even with meds and a bland diet you will have good days and bad days. Diarrhea is a common side effect, although it’s not one we experienced. It’s entirely possible that Nexium is not the best drug for your baby. I don’tknow what you have done, but I would try non-pharm interventions in addition to the Nexium before you give up. I have a friend who is a drug rep. He used to deal with GI drugs (now he’s involved with something else). He said that what he saw from talking to doctors is that most infants with reflux respond well to either Prevacid or Nexium. Of course I’m just a stranger on the internet who hasn’t seen your baby and can’t diagnose or prescribe for you. I just recommend that you advocate for yourself and your baby. Kaycee Pride says: As I read your story I am sitting here in tears. I am here right now. My baby is 3 months old and has been struggling with reflux (mostly silent) for about 2 1/2 months now. I love my pediatrician, but she is just now realizing that I am serious about how bad it is. She prescribed her nexium and we are starting it today. I pray every night that something works to help my little angel. I am beyond tired and becomeing depressed because she is in so much pain.Thank you for sharing your story, it is nice to know I am not alone in this. And aslo gives me lots of hope for the nexium. She has been on 5 different formulas, and three different medications. I sure hope this one works. Thanks for sharing says: I am so sorry. I hear you loud and clear about the reflux making mom tired and depressed. I hope the Nexium works for your baby. You have to remember that from age 2 to 4 months is usually the worst. It will get better. Hang in there. Ask your friends/family for some relief and support. Best wishes.-Heather says: Between the reflux and the gag reflex, had you ever been to an experiences IBCLC to check for tongue and lip ties? My son had them and they caused gas, silent reflux, spitting up, gag and texture issues, and other feeding issues. He is 14 months old now and I am trying to get someone to take me seriously that he has silent reflux that prevents him from sleeping. says: I talked to a lactation consultant and she suggested that myinfant might be tongue-tied, but my pediatrician had already ruled that out. I have heard that it can cause similar problems, but if that was the case it wouldn’t have been as effectively treated by medication and it wouldn’t have resolved so suddenly for my daughter. Have you considered getting a second opinion, maybe seeing a pediatrician/GI specilialist who does take you seriously? Anne says: Hello I’m wondering what dose of nexium your daughter was on before and after the flair up at 2-4 months Thanks! says: She was on 5 mg until it got worse and had to be bumped up to 10 mg. Lisa says: My 2-month old has reflux and I found your blog while searching for more info. He was on zantac but we couldn’t get it down him — even with the flavoring. The doc switched him to Axid, which he swallows but cries the whole time. That worked for 2-3 days and then the symptoms started again. He’s now been prescribed 10mg of nexium once a day (with the packet of powder being dissolved in water). As abreasted baby who refuses a bottle, we have to use a syringe to administer it. He often spits it back out. Any advice on the best way to give this to him? Thanks in advance! says: Dissolve the Nexium in as little water as possible, use a long narrow syringe (1 or 3 mls), squirting small amounts towards the back of one cheek makes it harder to spit it out. Best of luck! Crystal says: This is so encouraging. W be started nexium last night. No improvement yet but I’m hoping and praying. How long until we see improvement? Is there improvement? I’m hoping she will be happier and squirm and cry less. I gate that’s she’s in pain! We are splitting a 10 mg packet twice a day. says: The first time she was put on it, we saw improvement within 24 hours. After she was put on another medication and switched back it took a longer to get her back to a happy routine. Melissa says: My son is now 6 months old and was doing great after being on nexium for a little over 2 months or so. He is now teethingand just got over a virus…which has flared up his reflux I started reading the packet in my nexium box (sad it took me this long to read more info on the medicine I’m giving my child), and it said it is supposed to be used for short term use only (6-8 weeks). We have definitely exceeded that…and I obviously don’t think we need or can stop now since it’s flaring up so bad now. I called my GI and am waiting on him to call back, but he’s the one that told me I can give nexium at anytime…doesn’t have to be on an empty stomach, so I don’t take what he says as fact anymore. How long was Cindy Lou who on nexium? My son is on 5mg once per day and has been on that for months now. says: She was on Nexium until she was seven and a half months old (started at 8 weeks old), so 5 & 1/2 months. I tried weaning her off of it multiple times, but the results were disastrous, until her reflux was cleared up. My daughter never tolerated Nexium with food, but that doesn’t mean that no child ever will. Hernot tolerating it with food made the medication administration more complicated. At her worst she was taking a full packet every day. Hang in there! Alicia Turner says: I am so glad I found this blog!! I have a 5 wk old w/ TERRIBLE silent reflux ! I knew from day one something was wrong. For the entire time she has been alive she crys, fusses, catnaps through the day, eats CONSTANTLY which in my hours on top of hours of research have learned this may be comfort eating. She was put on zantac which has never really helped. Shes formula fed and after 4 formula changes I am the one that decided to put her on gerber soothe. 3 doctor appointments, MANY calls back to the doctor, one ER visit, and now after me going postal last week and breaking down in tears atthe docs office, they decided to try her on nexium and scheduled a GI appointment for next Thursday. After fighting with the insurance company they finally approved the Nexium and she just got her first dose this morning. I feelterrible b/c i KNOW my baby is in pain. She fits just about every symptom I have found on silent reflux and it has been so frustrating to have to jump through hoops trying to get her better. And it wasnt until I broke down in tears that I feel like her doctor finally realized how bad it is. They tried to say shes just an aggressive eater … omg… she may very well be but she is in pain. Sorry to vent but its comforting to know Im not alone. My husband is so stressed out. I have no time to spend with my other 7 yr old now b/c I am constantly trying to soothe my newborn. We cant go anywhere b/c I swear 5mins after walking into a store she starts crying. We even have to limit the amount of time shes in a car. Thank you all for your stories!!! says: Oh Alicia, I am so sorry. I feel you so much. I wish I could be there to rock your baby for awhile so that you can take a NAP! Reflux is soooo hard, on mom and baby and the rest of the family. I’m glad you finally found something that works foryou and her. Hang in there. Alicia Turner says: How long did it take for Nexium to start helping? After giuving her her first dose this morning she seemed to scream more all of this morning. Shes just now taking a good nap. Im anxious to see if and when the nexium helps along with what the GI doctor will say this week. And thank you. says: The first time we tried it was within a day. When the insurance company had me take her off and put her back on it always took longer for her to get back to ‘normal’. Caroline says: Thank you for posting this! Our 11 week old has silent reflux, not nearly as bad as it sounds like your daughter struggled with it. Between the frequent feedings, catnaps and trying to keep her upright it feels all consuming sometimes. She has been on Zantac (ranitidine) with minor success but still coughs, hiccups, sneezes, sounds congested, has foamy drool and goes stiff/arches her back when nursing. Her Pediatrician is switching her to Nexium. It’s encouraging that itworked so well for your daughter, did you notice any negative side effects? Also hers seems to have gotten worse in the past couple weeks, I am thinking we are at the peak maybe, she had been sleeping 11 hours waking once to feed and for two weeks has been up every 1.5 to 2 hours but does not seem to be waking due to hunger. I’m wondering if you experienced this and if it’s perhaps the reflux interrupting her sleep. She does sleep at a 30 degree angle. Do you have any lists of foods that are “reflux-approved”? I am trying to modify my diet but struggling with what I can eat. We are so hopeful that she outgrows this quickly. Thankfully she’s a happy little girl and such a joy but I think you can agree reflux can be exhausting! says: When her reflux was well-controlled (and what that took varied depending on the phase), she usually would wake up once or twice a night to feed. We never had any negative side-effects with Nexium, but that was just her experience. There are not many foodsthat are “reflux-approved”. It is really hard. And what bothers one baby may not bother another. I wrote with items that were safe to eat. Depending on what food items your baby is sensitive to. Some babies can handle you eating eggs, others can’t. Trial small quantities of ‘suspect items’, one at a time, several days apart, like if you suspected allergies. I wish you the best! Debra..FL says: Wow, I don’t feel alone anymore. Since 2 weeks old my daughter has been suffering from bad reflux. She rips her face, pulls her ears, jerks her body, has silent reflux, screams all day long more during and after feedings, extreme gas, arches her back, constant hiccups, and crys the worst at night. She is now 2 months old and on her 7th different formula,… (currently on enfamil soy ).daily she takes : nexium 5ml in the morning and Zantac 1.25ml twice a day, 1 teaspoon of rice cereal to per 1 oz of formula in every bottle and since she is so young to have rice cereal she has to take prune juiceonce a day to prevent constipation and she is on probiotic drops. She is never happy.. Always in severe pain. I have just learned that this is how she is going to be untill she grows out of this . Nothing I have done made any difference at all… Very very stressful that nothing can help her. And when I say I have literally tried everything … I have tried everything . Gripe water, gas drops, nat phos 6x, windi device, meds, different formulas, bed wedge, a swing, karo syrup, Greber probiotic drops. Only advice I have is to wait it out and do everything you can to console them. Make them as comfortable as you can. Spoil them, hold them , rock them And wait for it to be over in a few months. says: I am, so, so sorry. Hang in there. It does get better. Renee Nenninger says: Hi Heather, Thank you sooo much for this post! My husband and I have struggled with our 5 month old since he was born with silent reflux. I would get so discouraged when friends would say, “doesn’t every baby havereflux”… We have been through Zantac, Omeprazole and are now starting Nexium. He did well on a compounded version of Omeprazole and then insurance decided they would no longer cover it and we had to switch to the First brand of Omeprazole. He did not do well on this form at all. He starting spitting up/projectile vomiting/irritable, etc.. Needless to say, we have not been sleeping well and I am hopeful that Nexium will work. Again, thank you for sharing your journey. It helps others like myself realize that there is something better at the end of the “reflux” road. says: I’m glad my experience relieves you a little. I wish you the best. Cameron says: My daughter has been on nutramigen since like 5 weeks old, she is now 7 months old on Nexium 10mg a day, but spits up like crazy 24/7.. The only thing that the nexium changed was that instead of spitting up stomach acid she spits up formula.. She weighs 22 pounds so her pedi isn’t concerned.. But she’s always congested and stuffy nose.. Ican’t find a GI who actually listens to me! Her GI told me if the nexium didn’t work I just had to deal with it until she grew out of it.. I think I might just switch her back to regular formula since it’s not making a difference! Her spit up doesn’t bother her and she sleeps all night! But it bothers us says: If the nutramigen doesn’t help I would switch back to regular. I hope that you can find a doctor who will listen to you! Rachel says: Wow so glad I found this!!! My daughter was born 9 weeks early and is now 6 months (4 corrected) and for almost 2 months now has been suffering from silent reflux We’ve been on Zantac, Prilosec, and now Nexium 10mg in am and 5 pm. She is still too young for solids based on her development and corrected age but I tried to give her the dose just now and it seemed like so much liquid! She drooled out some of it and got most but this is going to be tough to administer and I do want to give this medicine a chance. She struggles so much at times and Imostly have to feed her while she is asleep. When she begins to fuss I rock her with the bottle or walk around and try and distract her to give her more BM but it’s so hard to get her the ounces she needs and with the restricted diet I’m on we can’t really add calories to my milk. I feel like this will never end.. says: Oh, I’m so sorry. Hang in there. Give the Nexium a chance. If it doesn’t get better, try seeing a GI specialist or asking about some of the other medications that my daughter tried. Magdalena says: My baby has been having reflux issues since birth….we recently found out that she has a submucous cleft palate that contributed to her choking which made her reflux worse we have been on nexium since 4 months old because her larynx was swollen and burnt from the acid….it has made a huge difference but she still get very sour burps at night so she gets a dose of pepcid which helps….shes a very clingy baby due to so many issues she is currently 6 months old and still verycrabby…just started belly time around 4 months….im glad to hear there is hope….just wanted to share my experience Magdalena says: Oh and she is nutramigen which isnt doing anything for her if anything causes stomach cramps and excessive gas. Tara says: Am I the only one that can’t get my baby to take the nexium? They want me to dissolve it with 15ml of water. It’s too much for her. Tried to use a syringe and she spit that up. Then tried to mix it with formula in her bottle like they said, and that doesn’t work either. She’s 6 weeks old. I don’t know what else to do says: It’s a struggle, for sure. I would mix it the 15 mls and then squirt it in her mouth using a syring a 1/2 ml at a time. Good luck! Tasha says: My question if your still around this website and article (please be here lol) is when did your baby finally just seem better? My daughter is 7 months and things aren’t better. After battling with insurance companies I can happily say we took our first does of nexium today and Iis most common between 2-6 months. Nexium is usually the best option for silent reflux. I think that the barium swallow study is going to be more helpful as far as giving you information on how to proceed, but if he won’t take a bottle, that’s hard. Do you have anyone to give you a break? If you could take a nap it might make it easier to cope with things. I hear you on it being really hard to take care of other small children when you have an infant with reflux. Good luck and hang in there. Tasha says: I’m back to tell you thanks for your advice and support. So glad I found this page months ago because it gave me hope! Update on my daughter who is almost 10 months now and she’s doing so much better since nexium was added. She does have some flare ups still but nothing as bad as before. She sleeps so much better. Doesn’t wake up all through out the night wanting her paci and seems more content after feedings. Hardly ever spits up anymore unless we don’t do the nexium. She’s a much
