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12-20-2012 at 11:02 AM
cmacoct201...
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Joined on 03-23-2012
1,472 Points
cmacoct2012 is not online. Last active: 05-22-2013, 6:45 PMNewbie

Need advice about reflux...

Hi everyone,

I'm a FTM of a 2 month old. Over the last few weeks, I've had a "gut instinct" that something isn't right with my LO. She is very fussy when breastfeeding. The majority of her feeds end with her crying, arching her back, and being really fussy. She often has a lot of spit-up, but not always. The poor thing has been having a hard time sleeping - she will be completely asleep and will wake up suddenly crying. I feel like she isn't her happy self anymore...

I went to the doctor on Monday and she suspects reflux (Which I do too...). She wanted me to try a few things before trying Zantac (I believe that's the drug she suggested). She told me to try Ovol, and give her gripe water every 2 hours if she is fussy. We've elevated her mattress, and I try to keep her upright after feedings.

So far I'm not convinced the Ovol is working. Gripe water seems to help almost instantly, but again it's a short-term solution and it doesn't really help with her eating. It basically makes her comfortable enough to sleep. Elevating the mattress has helped too...she's now sleeping well at night but I'm not sure if it's because she feels better, or because she's so exhausted from the day...During the day she is sleeping a bit better if I give her the gripe water, but we still struggle with eating (for the record she is gaining weight, so I'm not worried about her not getting enough...it just seems to be really uncomfortable for her...she pulls and pushes my breast and will often refuse to eat, or will cry while she's eating and then pull away).

I'm really worried about her and don't like having to give her the gripe water and Ovol so often. I'd prefer, however, to give her the gripe water rather than the Zantac if possible....but if it is reflux is it harmful to not treat with a medication?  For those of you that have babies with reflux, is there anything you find that helps??

Sorry for the long post...thanks in advance for any advice you have :)  

 
12-20-2012 at 12:04 PM
laurenhank...
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Joined on 05-05-2007
Fayetteville, PA
10,287 Points
laurenhankey is not online. Last active: 05-23-2013, 2:37 PMBronze
My LO has bad reflux since about 10 days old.  We started on the Zantac right away and within 1 day LO was like a new baby.  She has had no side effects or issues with it.  She still spits up a ton but is a "happy spitter" meaning she doesn't cry when she does it.  We did still give her gripe water when she was particularly fussy and it also helped immediately.  I can't imagine it that not giving her Zantac would have any permanent effects on your LO, however, I DO know that allowing yourself as an adult go without reflux meds can cause scarring in your esophagus which can lead to other issues.  If it were me, I'd go w/ the meds.  I didn't want to do meds w/ my LO either but she was in some very obvious pain and was inconsolable.  Zantac is safe and it works wonders.  We all want whats best for our LO's and you did a smart thing by trying other options first but if those aren't working then maybe Zantac is your best bet right now. 

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12-20-2012 at 12:32 PM
CK2MD
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Joined on 11-06-2010
3,978 Points
CK2MD is online. Last active: 05-23-2013, 5:27 PMNewbie

laurenhankey:
=We started on the Zantac right away and within 1 day LO was like a new baby.  She has had no side effects or issues with it.  She still spits up a ton but is a "happy spitter" meaning she doesn't cry when she does it.  

This exactly. My LO was diagnosed last week and after 2-3 doses, she became a much happier baby, in significantly less distress. Gripe water helped immediately but only briefly. Zantac helps for much longer.The only other thing that helped our LO was sleeping semi-upright in her bouncy seat.

It seems that Ovol is simethacone, which helps decrease trapped gas. If so, this will not help reflux, as the main issue in reflux is a sphincter that is not developed enough to keep stomach contents in their proper place, causing burning when the stomach contents (food and stomach acid) rise into the esophagus. Zantac decreases stomach acidity and therefore the burning sensation that causes discomfort.


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