Babies with Acid Reflux: Help & Encouragement for Moms
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I survived having a baby with acid reflux. I don’t use the term survived lightly, nor would other moms whose kiddos had reflux.
But we made it. Kicking and screaming, we made it. And now we have a happy, delightful 7 month old who doesn’t even remember the rough days and nights. Her parents do though. 🙂
One of the most helpful things for me was to talk to other moms who had gone through it. I was desperate for hope that this would end some day. It helped so much for someone to simply say, “I know what you’re going through…you aren’t alone…it will get better.” Since hearing about others’ experiences was so helpful to me, I thought maybe sharing my experience just might help a struggling mom out there.
A Baby with Reflux: What It’s Like
I was under the assumption that acid reflux meant your baby spit up all the time. While this is a form of it, its symptoms can manifest in many different ways. In our situation, at around 8 weeks old, my baby just started crying when eating. It started with just 1-2 times a day and progressively got worse.
I thought she was refusing to breastfeed so we tried all types of bottles. Those didn’t work either. No matter what we did, she would just scream and cry any time it was time to eat even if she was hungry. At this point, she was eating every 3 hours so you can imagine how exhausting it was to see your hungry baby struggle that much in a day.
It’s hard. It’s heartbreaking. It’s frustrating. You feel helpless and powerless to make it better. Reflux puts your baby in a bad mood. They can’t easily soothe themselves or settle down. They don’t nap long. They wake up at night frequently. They cry their eyes out when eating. You don’t want to feed them in public because of the crying. They eat less so they want to eat more frequently which only flares up the reflux more.
It’s stressful to leave them with someone else, but it’s absolutely exhausting to be with them 24/7. You feel like you provide no comfort but know that you are all they have. It’s easy to grow apathetic towards the crying. It messes up any type of routine you are trying to establish. It makes you jealous of moms whose babies eat and sleep so well. It just sucks.
Acid Reflux Treatment for Our Baby
(Disclaimer – This was written in 2012. Treatment methods have likely changed so consult your peditrician with any questions!)
We were initially put on Zantac which required us to squirt medicine into my baby’s mouth 3 times a day. Luckily, she didn’t mind the taste, so she usually complied. They told us Zantac could take up to 7-10 days to see results. So we had to buckle down and get through that week in hopes that the medicine would kick in. Her symptoms seemed to get a little better, but she was still very bothered when eating.
After 9 days of Zantac, we moved to Prevacid. We had to split a capsule in half and give it to her in the morning and evening. These expensive little pills are tricky. You have to dissolve in water, suction the water up in a syringe, and then squirt it in the mouth. We were told to give it to her before meals, so we did this for a while seeing little results. After doing some online research, I learned that the medicine is much more effective if given 30+ minutes prior to a meal.
When we started doing this, we saw much better results. I experimented a bit with my diet too. I cut out caffeine, chocolate, and limited my dairy intake. I’m honestly not sure how helpful it was to change my diet, but I was willing to do anything at that point. My little gal started to show some improvement around 5-6 months but every baby is different.
Tips on Coping with Acid Reflux in a Baby
I did tons of research online. Tons. I found lots of contradicting information and eventually came to the conclusion that you just have to learn what works through trial and error. Below I’ve listed some recommended tips that I tried. Take them or leave them.
You are not alone.
First of all, realize you are not alone, sweet mama. If you don’t believe me, just skip to the comments section of this post and grab a kleenex. Please know that there are so many other moms out there walking a similar road that you are. I hope you can find comfort in knowing this.
Elevate head 30 minutes after eating.
This is one of the most common pieces of advice I found. After feeding my gal, I often put her in her bouncy seat or propped her up on a boppy pillow to hang out for a while after she’s chowed down.
Elevate the crib.
We stacked some text books under one end of the crib to give it a tilt. She ended up towards the foot of the crib by the end of a night, but at least her esophagus wasn’t being burned by laying flat.
Bottle Feed (with breast milk).
This actually goes against a lot of online advice, but we found bottles to work better to get more ounces in her. When my baby was upset, it was really difficult to get her to latch on to breastfeed. It is a lot easier to use a bottle in those upset moments. Keep pumping though, because breast milk helps prevent flareups while formula can trigger them.
Use the pacifier.
To get her calmed down during eating, we often gave her the pacifier so she could soothe herself a little. After she calmed down, we’d do a quick switch-a-roo to the bottle and she’d be more likely to take it.
Swaddle while feeding.
For some reason, this really worked with my daughter. She’d be super wound up until we swaddled her up and tried again. She would often take the bottle much better after that.
Distraction is the key!
Again, since we bottle fed a lot, we were able to walk around, go outside, stand under the fan, move room to room, etc. Anything we could find to take her mind off of her pain helped her to gulp down a bit more. I also would make up songs to sing, pray out loud with her, or just talk about anything.
Take a break.
Often times we found that Adelyn would take two ounces or so and then be thrown into her crying fit. At first we tried to push through and continue feeding. What we found more helpful was to stop as soon as she started to get upset and take a 5-10 minute break. She was a lot more likely to finish her bottle after she had time to take a breather. This can be frustrating though because it seems like feeding takes forever!
Have others feed the baby.
This was more for my emotional stability than anything. It helped so much to not have to go through it over and over again. When possible, I’d have my husband feed her or anyone else who was willing.
Hold the schedule/routine loosely (but still hold it!).
My husband and I do much better with structure. We had this gal on a flexible, 3 hour feeding schedule since day one. She adapted to it quite easily, so when the reflux hit and she was wanting to eat every 2-2.5 hours we were thrown off a bit. Her sleeping and naps went all wacky too. We initially resisted the change but eventually realized we needed to adapt to what the little lady was telling us. It was good for us to let go of our expectations and hold everything loosely. At the same time, we didn’t completely quit aiming towards a routine. I think it’s important to not let reflux be an excuse for everything.
Take one feeding at a time.
There would be mornings when I would wake up and dread the day. However, when I took one feeding at a time, it made it seem more doable.
Document
This sounds weird and slightly anal, but it helped me a lot to write down how each feeding went. That way I could remind myself when she did have good feedings as opposed to just remembering the bad ones. I wrote down the time she ate and either put a smiley face next to it or a check mark if it went bad. It’s also good to have objective facts to talk to the doctor about, if needed.
Address your emotional needs
I often prayed out loud or would sing worship songs when feeding her. I also quoted scripture that helped me. Here are some verse suggestions that helped me a lot: Isaiah 43:1-2, Romans 12:11-13, Phil 4:4, Isaiah 40:10-12, 2 Cor 4:17, 2 Cor 9:8, 2 Tim 1:7. We also have a set of verse cards designed for specifically for moms. Learn more about our On the Job Meditations.
Remember the promises of God
You are not alone -God is with you in suffering (Isaiah 43:2)
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.
He will give you what you need to get through trials (Isaiah 40:29-31)
Even youths will become weak and tired,
and young men will fall in exhaustion.
But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.
They will soar high on wings like eagles.
They will run and not grow weary.
They will walk and not faint.
Thanks for this post – it’s nice to know you’re not alone. I just had my second baby – and my second baby with reflux. People who are not familiar with a reflux baby have no idea how hard it can be and it was nice to find this post with all the great verses and support. One thing that I found that has been very helpful (besides the Zantac) is a seat called the “daydreamer”. It has a great angle that is perfect for my little one as she cannot relax enough to get into a deep sleep when flat on her back. I wish I had this seat with my first baby!!! Swaddling while feeding makes a big difference and I always let someone else feed her if they are around and willing. (Which really helps me!). Thanks again for the post as this is the most helpful and encouraging I’ve found!
Thank you for this post. Reassuring to hear it does improve. My fourth child was diagnosed recently at 8 weeks and spends days and nights being uncomfortable. Sad for him and for us – he is our last child and seeing him in pain has ruined these precious early days. Wishing time away to the day he can smile for longer periods and enjoy life with us. Felt desperate to fix this for our little one and bring peace to the household and my other three children at 8, 6 and 2. Seeing their compassion and concern for him as he screams has taught me a thing or two aswell. Life throws at you what you can cope with… I hope!
I just found this and it was very much needed. Our daughter was diagnosed with reflux at 4 weeks. We started with Zantac which helped at first, but then 4 weeks ago we basically hit rock bottom. She screams and cries until she spits up all her food, then she wants more because she’s hungry after spitting up everything. This started being a night thing and now is an all day thing. We just switched her to Prilosec. The doctor said if it doesn’t help then we are being sent to a GI specialist. Like you, I cut out dairy. I cut back caffeine intake, and cut out all carbonated beverages such as soda. Finding this post helped me feel better. We have had maybe 1 good day a week. This post is the story of my life right now. I’m so glad I’m not the only one that has it this bad. Thank you. You’ve given me a glimmer of hope I really needed.
Hang in there, Anna. Praying that God would give you and your doctors wisdom to know what the next step is. I can’t think of a more exhausting season of parenting than the one you are in right now. One day at a time.
Thank you. My son had reflux but my daughter is at a completely different level. The hardest thing is just seeing her in pain and not being able to help her. 🙁 I would take that pain for myself any day over seeing her in pain!
You have no idea how much this touched my heart. My 4 week old boy has reflux and although its been only two weeks since he started struggling with it, I feel awful! He is my first child and I feel like a terrible mom that cannot help her son to feel better. It seems that nothing I do works; it even seems he manages to calm down with everybody else but me! I know, it may only be that I’m exhausted… I feel so guilty that I feel so stressed and frustrated! I feel like I should only be loving and patient and kind but I only feel stress and exhaustion! I know parenting was going to be hard but not like this! I feel like I haven’t even been able to actually enjoy my baby 🙁 and the fact that he is in pain kills me and I can’t do anything about it! Thank you for your post! Even if it seems like I have a long way ahead, it helps me to think that one day it will get better
I have been there….my first baby had terrible reflux and I had no idea what to do. (We did not get it diagnosed until 8 1/2 weeks but it started at 3 weeks old). I spent my entire 8 weeks of maternity leave holding a screaming baby and feeling like a failure as a mom. Anyone who would visit and hold my son and see me struggle would say “you’re baby has colic” and dismiss it as “normal”. But as a mom – you know you’re baby is In pain and you don’t know what to do. It does get better! You are in my prayers. Keep trying new meds and keep praying. (And I just found a great baby seat called “daydreamer” on amazon. My second child is 6 weeks old and I identified reflux right away at 10 days old. This seat (and Zantac – many different doses of trial and error) has made all the difference.)
Good tip on the daydreamer! It’s so hard as a first time mom to know what to do. I hope this post gives moms the extra nudge keep keep moving forwards and to not lose hope.
My 3rd child had acid reflux, poor guy. I breastfed him until I returned to work. He took Zantac for a while. My pediatrician suggested we add a spoonful of rice cereal to his bottles of expressed milk, and this helped tremendously, so much so that we were able to take him off of Zantac.
I’ve heard that rice cereal does help some kiddos. Glad it helped!
I just came across your blog as my exhausted baby finally went down for a nap after 4 sleepless nights in a row. It brought tears to my eyes…and you gave me a bit of hope again. We are on our 4th medication and just had his ENT quit on us…I am floundering and your verses gave me a moment of peace. We all want what is best for our babies, no matter how tired we are, how angry we are, how we think it isn’t fair. It helps to see others who have come out the other side, and it gives me hope that my poor baby will get better some day. Thank you.
I stumbled upon this posting last night while holding my sobbing eight week old daughter Afton in one arm and frantically googling with my other. The beginning section perfectly articulated how I have been feeling the last four weeks; as though I am chained at the house afraid to take her out in public for fear it will fall during a feeding or a puking session.
I am a first time mom and I never dreamed that I would have something like reflux to deal with. After surviving Afton’s broken collar bone and inability to nurse, I thought the nights of hopeless crying and feeling inadequate were behind me. Then the reflux developed and I find myself wishing for those earlier days again that seemed so challenging at the time.
I know this is merely a season that like all seasons will pass in God’s timing, but finding your posting and reading the comments was so encouraging to me. I feel so helpless as I watch her scream and arch her back, frantic for more food that comes hurling out of her mouth moments later. It is so good to know I am not alone. Thank you.
Alexandra- I am so so so sorry! I wish I could swoop in and hold that precious little baby of yours for a while to give you a chance to breath, find perspective and have time to pray to find strength and endurance. Being a first time mom is SO hard and adding a struggling baby to that is a recipe for hardship. Find things to be thankful for and remind yourself that you would want it no other way. This is God’s story he is writing in your life and trust that he knows what he’s doing. You will grow from this, I promise. Hang in there, tell your baby you love her and trust that this will not last forever.
Trust me…you are not alone. I am a first time mom too and my son has done nothing but scream and writhe in pain since he was born. I wish there was a group of moms nearby so we all could feel less alone! I wouldn’t care if your baby screamed or puked…mine would join in : )
Ah, so sorry. I’d encourage you to try to reach out to moms around you. You’d be surprised how many are going through something similar. Hang in there, Molly. God loves that screaming little baby passionately and made no mistake by putting him in your arms. Keep going, sweet mama.
Hi,
My 8 weeks old son is having bad reflux since 2 weeks and now it got so worse, we couldn’t see him cry during each feed and spit up. We tried Zantac, didn’t works, then ex compounded medication from pharmacy.. Worked very well for 2 says and then 3 rd day it returned again. I don’t know what to do now.. I am going to call doc today and see what’s next.. Thanks a lot for your suggestions, those really help.. I find holding straight for 30 min help spit up. Please let me know if they are any new things that helped to reduce this reflux.
So sorry you are going through this. Your doctor will hopefully have the most up to date information. It may end up being just at tough season you have to walk through. It’s so hard to not be in control but trust that we have a heavenly father that is and loves that baby more than you ever could. Hope things will turn a corner for you!
It’s 3am and I am sitting in the bathroom with a running shower and exhaust fan on watching my 8 week old Adelyn sleep soundly in my lap. The noise is the only thing that seems to relax her enough to let the stomach issues pass after a feeding. I have also altered my diet, have tried RX gas drops (which dried her sweet mouth out) and am now giving her an acid reflux medicine compounded by a local pharmacy. We are currently waiting the 2 weeks for results but so far little relief – the spit up is just as frequent and her poor tummy churns constantly. The most heartbreaking though is when she tries clearing her throat over and over again. We have also tried most of the suggestions you listed and have searched the internet numerous times too. However, finding your blog tonight was an answer to my prayers (and even more special that your sweet daughter is also an Adelyn). I needed those verses as a reminder at this exact moment. Thank you for sharing your story, posting the encouragement and for the reminder that God loves my little one as much as I do and we will make it through this.
Another Adelyn! I love it! So glad you stumbled on our site at this time. This tough season is not a surprise to God. He will use this tough season to mold and shape you to depend even more on him. Lean into dependence on God for every moment.
My 8 week old was by all appearances a regular baby. Sure, she had her fussy days now and then, but then she started choking and gagging after feedings. The Dr put her on zantac. While on that medicine, she started to nurse SLOWLY and then finally refusing altogether. I took her off the zantac after only 1 week. Things got SO much worse (didn’t know that was possible). Now we are putting her back on Zantac. She is screaming all the time and not sleeping, and I have 3 other kids. Please pray for me.
Oh no! I’m so sorry to hear that. I can’t imagine having two others running around when you have an inconsolable infant. I’m sure that is SO HARD. I’ve been hanging out in Joshua some so this verse came to mind. “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9. God is WITH YOU. In every moment. Cling to that promise. I pray for you and all of the women who have commented on this post. God bless.
Thank you for this. I relate to every single word. My son is 3 months old and we have been dealing with this since he was 6 weeks. Knowing that other people have been where I am and made it to the other side is one of the things that gets me through, especially on days like today when none of the tricks are working and every feeding is a heartbreaking scream-cry fest.
Gosh. So sorry, Jenn. Just keep in mind that God is using this to shape you and mold you more into his character. We will never grow if we don’t face hardship. Walk faithfully through this hard time and know that it WILL get better. Every day is one day closer to when the fog will lift. Hang in there!
Any tips for getting the little ones with reflux to sleep at night? My guy is 5 weeks old and sufferring from reflux. I have the bed elevated, keep him upright after nursing but when I put him down at night he starts to spit up everywhere and just cries. During the day he can tolerate his crib for naps but not at night. My diet is very limited…no dairy, caffeine, etc. I also have a 4 and 2 year old. Followed babywise for them (no reflux issues) and trying to do so with this one as well but the nights are exhausting. Just curious. Thank you!
I wish I had a magic formula for you. I really do! It’s going to be trial and error. I’ve recently heard that the Rock ‘N Play Sleepers can be really helpful for infants with reflux. Maybe borrow one and see how he does. As far as doing Babywise with a reflux kid: hold it loosely. They are a whole different ball game. It’s good to aim for a routine but a reflux baby has different needs at different times and trying to get on a schedule proved to be stressful for me. That’s up to you. Again, trial and error. Hang in there!
Thanks so much for this post! Especially the scripture. I really needed this. My 2 month old has reflux and it hurts my heart when he’s uncomfortable. I get anxiety everytime it’s time to feed him . Good to hear that it gets better with time 🙂
It felt so much better to know I’m not alone. Thanks for the scriptures and words of wisdom.
And thank you Polly for posting this. It is a blessing to not feel alone and continue to believe things will get better
Thank you for this blog post. I have identical twin boys who are 4 months and have terrible reflux. I feel like I cant cope anymore. On top of that I have a 2 year old girl who is full of energy. I was told it is suppose to get better as they get older but it has got worse. I spend most days crying and I feel unwell. Please pray for me.
Sophia
My heart truly goes out to you, Sophia. I have been thinking about you and praying for you all day. I hope there are people around you who you can call for help. Please reach out and don’t be afraid to ask for help. It WILL get better. My little gal was through it by 6 months but it’s different for every baby. Just know there will be an end to this season. Dig deep into the grace that God has given you to get through every moment that is hard. Pray for God’s presence and perspective on this season of your life. Lastly, check your email because I’m sending some verse cards for moms your way. God bless.
Hi Sophia I was just reading all of these posts, mostly for comfort so that I don’t feel completely alone in this struggle. I have a 4 1/2 month old boy who has been dealing with reflux since he was 2 weeks old. He also had colic the first 3 months. Everyone says it gets better and I’m just holding onto that. I also have a 3 year old son who is incredibly energetic. These have been the hardest 4 months of my life. We’ve tried everything and are now just forced to let time continue to heal this issue. I love hearing that it does get better. Hope it’s gotten better for your boys