Please help, my daughter won't eat.

Hi there.  I'd just like to say that I was an acid reflux baby myself (although my mom calls it a different name), and I pretty much refused the bottle as well.  She was told that I probably associated the taste of the milk with chronic pain and vomiting - so obviously the possibility of it being a psychological thing is there.  But I got over it after a couple of months, and I never really had to deal with acid reflux until I grew older and became abusive with my body :))

I'm not quite sure if this would help, but I think that the best thing you can do right now is figure out if its really just the bottle that she refuses or if it's the milk.  If it's just the bottle, then there are other methods of feeding (apart from breastfeeding) that you may want to consider.  If it's the milk, then perhaps finding another formula (preferably recommended by the doctor) would help.

Dear Natasha,

Thank you for your message. It is such a worry to have a baby with reflux. Especially when the very treatments that are supposed to help just aren't working.

A baby who refused to eat is associating feeding with pain and discomfort. Reflux, milk allergy and constipation are common reasons for bottle refusal. Sometimes the medication needs to be adjusted. A baby may need a higher dose of medication, a split dose (the medicine gets divided into 2 or 3 doses per day rather than one big dose) or a new treatment is recommended. Please do not try any of these things at home unless the doctor has recommended it. I find that it takes parents and doctors some degree of trial and error to find the right combination of treatments. Do not get discouraged and do not give up!

Some babies go on what is called a feeding strike. It is just too darn painful to eat and the baby decided to "fix" the problem once and for all by not eating. Since babies dehydrate rapidly, it is important to call the doctor right away or go to the emergency department if your baby stops eating or shows signs of dehydration.

I would let her guide you to the right amount of food per feeding. She may be drinking a little at each meal because a big meal stresses her stomach. My daughter used to drink every hour and it was sure exhausting. However, she just drank enough to stay hydrated and weathered the stomach pain as best she could. some doctors recommending using high calorie formula so that a small amount of liquid is packed with calories and nutrients.

Keep in touch and let me know if you want to chat some more.

Best wishes,

Jan Gambino

The Reflux Mom

my daughter is the exact same way.  she has had reflux since she was 8 weeks old and she still has it at one year old.  she goes through spells of not eating at all.  please email me with any suggestions  honey22333@verizon.net