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01-14-2013 at 10:32 AM
MandaElain...
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MandaElaine is not online. Last active: 05-22-2013, 9:14 PMNewbie

Silent reflux

Hey ladies! I usually stay pretty quiet on the boards, but I was hoping for some input from others who may have experienced the same thing.

A little info to start: My son Bryson will be 7 weeks old on Wednesday. He was fed formula and expressed breastmilk until about 3 weeks ago when my (very low) supply started to dry up completely. He is now exclusively formula fed.

 I have been concerned because he has been eating every 2 hours during the day from the beginning. Once or twice a day he will go 3 hours in between feedings, but never more than that. He usually eats 4-5 oz, but sometimes acts like he is still hungry and eats a little more. He sleeps well at night and usually has one 7-8 hour stretch before waking.

 He never spits up, but I have noticed that he has a lot of the symptoms of silent reflux. He has sour breath, wet burps, will suddenly act like he is in pain while eating and arch his back, etc. That, combined with the frequent eating, caused me to call the pediatrician.

A nurse called back and said the the silent reflux sounds like a possibility. She also advised me that we were feeding him too much/too often and told me that I should add rice cereal to every other bottle, give him 5 oz each time, and make him go 4-5 hours between feedings. She suggested that I try soothing him with a pacifier or swaddling him when he acts hungry until it has been at least 4 hours since he last ate.

On one hand, I don't want to feed him too much. On the other hand, what if he really is hungry? I know that it is possible that he wants to eat to sooth his throat or satisfy a sucking reflex, but it is also possible that he really is hungry. He is not going over the recommended 28-32 oz in a 24 hour period. I know rice cereal is basically a filler to trick them into feeling full. What if his body really needs the nutrition from the formula?

I am sorry this is so long. I want to make the right decision for my child, but I am having a hard time dealing with the idea of him crying out of hunger for hours before I feed him. Any experience or input would be greatly appreciated.


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01-14-2013 at 11:21 AM
divajackie...
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divajackie67 is not online. Last active: 05-24-2013, 6:45 PMNewbie

I could have written this myself, minus the 7-8 hour stretch of sleeping, lucky you :) My son is also almost 10 weeks, but this has been going on since about 5 weeks. He does have silent reflux and is on Zantac. It did not change his eating habits. 

My pediatrician also recommended rice cereal to stretch feedings longer, but he doesn't do well on it. He groans and moans and it just seems like his tummy is upset from the rice. I even reduced the amount I gave him from 5oz to 4oz when the bottle has cereal in it. Overall I stopped after 2 feedings.

Additionally my pediatrician did not call him overweight. He is only in the 55th percentile. He was 1 month premature, but is being measure against full term babies. 

I've read many places that the average baby should eat 2.5oz of formula per 1lb of body weight. My son weighs 12lbs 1 oz. So that's about 30 oz per day. Let alone he keeps gaining weight so I feed him 30-32oz per day. I don't know if there is a limit on the 2.5oz per 1lb of body weight, but I would think if he was 15lbs he'd need more than when he was 12lbs. Until we start on solids I'm just going to stick with that calculation. I weight myself and then weight myself holding him to see if he gained the next pound.

Unfortunately he can't go longer than 4 or 5 hours at night so he still has 7 bottles a day. I even tried to give just one big bottle before bed, but he will still get up and then overeat so I just divide the total amount per day by the amount of bottles I give him.  I may give rice cereal a try in a few more weeks, but overall as long as he is healthy, gaining well (not too much or too little), peeing a lot, and pooping I feel I'm doing alright. 

I know people say if they are hungry feed them, others say don't over feed them, add rice, don't add rice. The internet is filled with a bunch of opinions. Each opinion usually has so called "facts" to back what they are saying. You have to do what you feel is right for your baby. 

 
01-14-2013 at 11:38 AM
MandaElain...
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MandaElaine is not online. Last active: 05-22-2013, 9:14 PMNewbie

Thanks for your response! I'm sorry you're going through a similar situation! I feel like I wouldn't question the nurse's instructions so much if he had actually been diagnosed the reflux. From what I have read, they should not be given rice cereal under 4 months unless they have severe reflux. If he does have it, I don't believe it is severe.

He has an appointment on the 29th, so I may wait until he sees the doctor to do anything. The last couple of days he has been going longer between meals, but he has been eating larger amounts. However, he is still consuming about the same amount in a 24 hour period.

 I just really want to make the right decision for my child. This parenting stuff is hard!


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01-14-2013 at 12:06 PM
divajackie...
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divajackie67 is not online. Last active: 05-24-2013, 6:45 PMNewbie
MandaElaine:

Thanks for your response! I'm sorry you're going through a similar situation! I feel like I wouldn't question the nurse's instructions so much if he had actually been diagnosed the reflux. From what I have read, they should not be given rice cereal under 4 months unless they have severe reflux. If he does have it, I don't believe it is severe.

He has an appointment on the 29th, so I may wait until he sees the doctor to do anything. The last couple of days he has been going longer between meals, but he has been eating larger amounts. However, he is still consuming about the same amount in a 24 hour period.

 I just really want to make the right decision for my child. This parenting stuff is hard!

I know we aren't supposed to give cereal until 4 months, but babies with reflux get put on cereal all the time. Additionally, most of us were given cereal early and we're fine. I think babies are a lot harder to break then we give them credit for.

I know one fear of cereal early is childhood obesity, but my husband was a FAT baby and given cereal. His mom was giving him food from 3 months cause he was so hungry. Now, he is the skinniest person I know. He still eats a lot and is very very skinny. 

Another fear of cereal is the potential increased chance of allergies, but in my opinion that is crap. I don't have any food allergies and I was given cereal early so my mom could sleep. Same with my husband and every other person I know. However I am not a medical professional or a scientist. This is just my opinion.

I am not giving my son cereal cause he doesn't do well on it and I saw 0 improvement. I did hold him over longer, but honestly not by much. I forgot that part. He went 3 1/2 hours instead of 3, but the bottle was also 1 oz smaller. 

PS - Sorry for the long replies. Today is my first day back at work and I've been crying all day and just miss my little man so much. I want to talk about him in anyway I can! :)

 
01-14-2013 at 2:21 PM
MandaElain...
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MandaElaine is not online. Last active: 05-22-2013, 9:14 PMNewbie

I don't think I would be questioning it so much if he had actually been diagnosed with reflux. I just don't want to give it to him for no reason. I think I may just call to make an appointment so the doctor can actually see him!

I may try to get him to go a little longer between feedings, but as long as he is eating the amount he should be within a 24 hour period, I don't see the reason. If I make him go further, he will either not get enough food or start waking up to eat at night.

 I feel your pain...I am not looking forward to going back to work! I have about 5 more weeks with my guy and I am already worried about leaving him!


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