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.
Thank you for writing this.
Your post describes what I am going through with my 5 week old son to a tee. You said your child is now 7 months (in the post). Did she stop having reflux issues at 7 months or before that?
I hope it’s not too late to comment on this blog post. I see some are from 2013/2014 and various years. My infant is 5 1/2 weeks old and the doctor “diagnosed” him yesterday (11/8/2017) He is still going weight beautifully and she does. It want to put him on medicine due to it not affecting his weight. But there are times when he is just crying in pain and I don’t know what to do for him. It tears me up inside. AND I am going back to work at the end of the month. He is staying with my sister-in-law who has a 12 month old. Both of these babies are very demanding and I don’t know how to make it easy on her?! It’s already hard for me and I’m his mama. Do i just leave him there and hope for the best?! Could you email me some advice?
Excuse me… he is GAINING weight beautifully and the doctor DOES NOT want to put his on medicine because of this.
I should also add that I can rarely put him down.
I am not sure if this blog is still active but it is currently helping me out a lot. I do know my situation is similar but also different too. My son is 4 weeks old and was diagnosed with reflux this week. His symptoms began at 2 weeks and doctors said it was simply my overactive let down. So I changed positions for nursing and he still spit up after almost every feeding, choked, coughed, hiccuped, and made a gargling noise in the back of his throat during diaper change. So I hesistantly decided to change to formula. The results have been better but he is still spitting up. I’m not sure what to do.
I was so blessed by this today. Thank you for sharing your story and some hope. We are also struggling with this. Thank you for your encouragement through scripture, reminding me that I am not alone and to seek courage through our savior.
Our daughter has acid reflux also. We take her to the chiropractor and it made a big difference!! She was a completely different baby the next day. Once it started getting bad again then we would take her in again. We have only had to take her in twice in 4 months.
I came across this article last year when my daughter was only 4 months old. It help me tremendously when I was about to go crazy. All my friends had babies at the same time, but no one experienced my troubles, so they did not understand.
My LO has had reflux since she was only 2 weeks old but it got worst at month 4. As per her gastrointerologist, the peak of the reflux happens at month 4 but it starts getting better between months 5 and 6. My LO was first put on Zantac, then Prevacid, and finally in Nexium. By the time she was 4 months, she was also taking Karafate every 8 hours in addition to the Nexium twice a day. She was put on Alimentum Ready to Feed, and we were adding rice cereal to every feeding. I had to hold her vertically after every feeding for 30 minutes and her crib was inclined 30 degrees. Needless to say, going out with her was out of the question, and I wasn’t going out anyways, since it was very hard to let someone else struggle to feed her.
My baby just turned 10 months and is officially off all medications. It took a while to get here, but we did. Her reflux still flares up when she is sick, and now that she is teething but I’m able to manage it without meds.
I can’t help to look back at this article from time to time and thank God that it was here when I needed it the most.
To all mom out there, the end of the reflux is near. If you are at it’s peaks (4-5 months), it’s not going to get worst, just better. God bless you all and thank you for this wonderful article.
Wow- thanks for the feedback. This is exactly my hope- that moms would stumble on this post in hopes that it would give them the hope they need in that desperate time. I’m really thankful you took the time to share this, Patricia. So glad your baby is doing better. Hugs!
Thank you for this wonderful bible verse reminder. My daughter is on Gtube and hope and prayed in time that she’ll have strength to feed orally. Acid reflux for babies are not fun.
Its 4 in the night, and was feeling really down, it is like a routine everyday from 3:00am, he doesnt sleep much, the reflux becames worse at this time, and i just googled support for moms with reflux babies….i needed this article and all this comments have made me realise it shall come to pass.
I also use this time to do my prayers, thank you for this.
I have a baby girl who is 6 weeks old and feel as if her reflex has gotten worse. She gags and chokes at times which is terrifying. She does well 75% of the time with eating and sleeping but the other 25% of the time is bad. I’ve cut out dairy and eggs. She is on Zantac but don’t see and relief from her taking that. We’ve tried bottle feeding her with my breastmilk and she will still spit up. You can tell she is uncomfortable a lot of the times. I’m so discouraged and at a loss of what to do.. we’ve tried everything that is recommended with reflex babies but nothing seems to help.. I would like to ask the pediatrician for a GI referral but afraid they will suggest what we’ve already tried doing. Thank you for your article.. we know this is a season and will pass but it’s so hard to see my little one in pain. It makes me cry everything.
We are praying the lord will heal her from this and give us wisdom in the meantime.
So sorry, Lauren. Thanks for sharing your story and your heart. You are not alone!
wow! this is just what i needed. I have a little girl with sever reflux. She is on medication twice a day and nutramigen formula with cereal in each bottle. It has been a constant battle but she is finally my happy spitter, I call her. Her reflux seems to be flared up right now at 4 months old, but Im praying for it to be gone each and everyday. This blog was extremely encouraging…thank you from the bottom of my heart!
Did you notice your little girl feeling better once she started solids? at what age did you begin solids and which worked best for her?
My have a 10 months old girl, who’s suffering from acid reflux the dr put her on Zantac but it a struggle to give it to her she throw it up everytime and screaming. I’m so stress I just wanted my baby to feel better and outgrown it soon. She’s only about 17lbs at 10 months very tiny she have a difficult time put on weight?. She don’t seem to nap no longer than 30 minutes if not lesser. After reading your blog I can’t stop but crying.
thank you for all the posts.
I am struggling with this as well. My sweet baby Nora is 4 1/2 months old and we have been struggling with reflux since she was 4 weeks old. They put her on Zantac at 4 weeks and it did not seem to help much. We recently switched to Prevacid. It worked great for about a week and a half but she has been really fussy at her past 4 feedings. I broke down and cried. It makes me so sad feeding is so painful for her. I get so anxious when it is time to feed her, my stomach hurts and sometimes my hands shake. I too have come up with lots of tricks to feed her. I sing to her a lot, walk her around, talk to her and take lots of breaks. It usually takes an hour to get her to almost finish her bottle. I pray and pray and pray. I have days of hope and days of deep despair. I take comfort in the fact that this will pass and she will not v remember the pain. I pray to God that this passes for us soon and she can become a happy comfortable eater.
Curious to know how you’re doing now. My son is 5 months and I’m struggling. He is on Prevacid which seems to help with the pain but the spitting up is out of control. He spits up with every feed multiple times. There is never a time where he doesn’t spit up. It’s getting hard to be out of the house with him or to let others hold him because I know he will make a mess and people just don’t understand. We have been to the doctor countless times and I keep being told he’s just a spitty baby. I can’t imagine what it will be like if he’s still doing this once he starts rolling and sitting. Not to mention when he starts solids. Every day I pray that it will get better and for strength. But it’s just so hard. It’s nice to read that others have been through it and survived.
So sorry, Joanne. My daughter is now 5 years old and perfectly normal. If anything, when they start solids and sitting up, it actually helps things to stay down. Poor guy (and poor mommy!) to have to deal with that for EVERY meal.
Gracias!! Necesitaba leer esto! Dios te bendiga
Thank you for your post. We’ve been dealing with reflux since our LO was 9 weeks old, she’s now almost 13, so for the past month. My husband can’t take the crying/screaming at the bottle. I finally went to the doctor and demanded a solution, and they gave us zantac. It’s day 2 of the zantac and I’m praying things will improve, but I haven’t seen any change yet. It breaks my heart to hear her in pain. I cried for the first time though today reading your post. All of my frustration and anger and pain finally broke through the surface and your verses that you selected really touched my heart. I know God is sovereign and His plan is perfect. Thank you for the reminder and the hope.
Hello,
This story has brought me to tears! I have a 5 month old that has had the same issues, only sometimes it becomes more sever. Our little princess is struggling so bad with this. She is on Zantac, but she will go a day or two without eating and we land in the hospital. I cry pretty much every day and just ask that something helps. Unfortunately I was in able to breastfeed so we have gone through about 10 different formulas, and we finally found 1 that seems to be helping! Similar Alumentum has been our life saver although it’s not cheep at all it helps a lot. We have good days and we have horrible days. My little peanut only sleeps 30 mins during the day and about 6 during the night with us up about every hour and a half. She has gotten better but I am going to try some of your tips.. I feel horrible for her and just want her feeling better and to out grow this… My heart is breaking! I feel bad leaving her with a babysitter while we work, or for that matter anyone… Thanks for all your stories! I know no one with this issue and it’s been very hard!!