my baby is 8 1/2 weeks old and she spits up constantly, all day even 3 hours after feeding. She looses her breath sometimes when burping and gags and gasps for air. She is fussy alot of the time. She throws up when lying flat on her back or belly. She loves to lay on someones shoudler and does not like to be put down. At night she will sleep from 9ish until usually around 4am and then eats. It takes her a good hour to go back to sleep but then wakes up around 8ish. She does not usually sleep during the day very much. She will sleep for 5 minutes sometimes, 10 minutes sometimes and sometimes she will sleep for an hour, and then the next day she will sleep all day. She does toss and turn and fuss in her sleep at night alot of the time, but does not wake up completely. She is gaining weight, but she constantly spits up. She gets the hiccups all the time and I know they are painful for her cause she will cry when she gets them and usually falls asleep from them. She REALLY hates "Tummy Time" and cries constantly and spits up when on belly. She will go from being really happy to really irratable in minutes. It pains me to know something is bothering her and I dont know what it is. She always has a runny nose and cough, which the doctor said was a cold, but she has had it for a week and a half. When she eats and it sound like she has a hard time swallowing sometimes and she gags on the formula. Also when it is time to burp she arches her back and is impossible to bend to burp her. She screams during burp sessions. I feed her 4 ounces every 3-4 hours and burp her after every ounce. SOmetimes the only thing that helps loosen her up are gas drops. Does it sound like she has GERD? and if so, what can I do to help her.
Hello Kelly,
It sounds like you and your baby have been struggling with feedings for 8 and a half long weeks. The symptoms you are describing certainly are suggestive of Gastroesophageal Reflux (GER) or Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease(GERD). The same symptoms may also occur with Milk Soy Protein Intolerance, food allergies and other conditions. The first step is confirming the diagnosis. You might want to make an organized list of symptoms and document your daughters eating, sleeping, fussing, crying, arching, etc for about 3 days. Schedule a visit with the doctor just to discuss this information. I find that sometimes this information gets lost during a "well visit". If the baby is gaining weight, fussing and crying are assumed to be normal and expected. Ask the doctor to assist you in finding out why your baby is in such pain and discomfort.
Let us know what you find out.
Jan Gambino
The Reflux Mom
I am not expert and cannot diagnose such condt. but I have been through a lot of things like you. Read a lot and I know the right set of questions to ask a pedi opr GI.
Many a times you have to guide them in a certain direction so that they get started with the treatment. For this I read tons of research papers and met many parents (online and in person).... here is my best guess:
Sounds like there are at least two or three things going on: mild tracheomalacia (weak windpipe muscles causing her to gasp for brath) gas and reflux. You can read some of the reflux symptoms that match your case here: http://www.llli.org/llleaderweb/LV/LVFebMar03p12.html
These are not the most common ones but looks like you baby qualifies as a mild refluxer at least. My son is now 6.5 mo old and he hates tummy time and will refuse to roll on his tummy (although he can). For mild reflux the drs usually love to start with Zantac, I would suggest give it couple of weeks and give the entire recommended dose (i.e. don't split it in three if two have been recommended). If Zantac has no effect ask your dr to move up to Prilosec right away. Prilosec is a PPI and can start working in 10 days. It has to be compounded properly and you need to get a refill every 14 days (it is slightly unstable if stored for over 15 days). Also make sure all acid medication is administered at least 30 mins before food (30 mins to 1 hr).
According to one of the pedi's I came across, tracheomalacia resolves on it's own and is not as uncommon as you may think, but if your baby continues to lose her breath, gasp or make snoring-like sounds while feeding or burping, do bring it to your drs attention.
Good luck and do keep us posted!
Omg!! Everything u have described with ur little one my boy had, he is now 4 an half months old but had all the same symptoms and it is COLIC ! Im lucky he only suffered with it till 8wks of age but it felt like a lifetime, i sympathise with u but like everyone told me it does get better just hang in there an to my surprise it did and he is now the best baby i could ask for sleeps through the nite and have no other worries with him now , goodluck x
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Thank you for your response. My daughter is now 9 months old (well will be on 9/16/09). She is doing great. She has been on Zantac 3 times a day since she was about 2 1/2 months old for her reflux. We have been seeing a Pediatric GI doctor in Pittsburgh who has really helped control it with medicine. We tried Prilosec, but she did horrible on it. We had her tested for allergies and found out she is allergic to milk, so she is on a milk free diet. She had her formula switched from Nestle Good Start to Neocate. Being 9 month old now she rarely spits up at all and is doing everything she should be plus some. She is a very happy and active baby!! However, we did try to see if she still needed the medicine and after 1 day we knew she did. She also has respitory allergies for which her doctor just prescribed Allegra for, so hopefully that will stop the scratchy voice, runny nose and exzema patches. Hopefully your baby continues to do great!!