baby reflux symptoms

For more information about baby reflux symptoms check out Acid Reflux Disease – GERD

Q: What are the symptoms of reflux in a baby (7 months)?
Ive taken her to the doc a bunch of times for runny nose, congestion, coughing, sneezing, now we have her on zyrtek an allergy med. But the lady at her day care said it is reflux and that her son had the same symptoms. Before I go running her back to the doctor I want to see if anyone else has any info about this.
Thank You!

A: sounds like it is definately allergies… ive had allergies since i was very small and always dealt with these symptoms.

Home : Digestive Diseases A-Z List of Topics and Titles : Gastroesophageal Reflux in Infants

Gastroesophageal Reflux in Infants
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What is gastroesophageal reflux (GER)?
What are the symptoms of GER?
How is GER diagnosed?
What is the treatment for GER?
Points to Remember
Hope Through Research
For More Information
What is gastroesophageal reflux (GER)?
Gastroesophageal reflux (GER) occurs when stomach contents reflux, or back up, into the esophagus during or after a meal. The esophagus is the tube that connects the mouth to the stomach. A ring of muscle at the bottom of the esophagus opens and closes to allow food to enter the stomach. This ring of muscle is called the lower esophageal sphincter (LES). The LES normally opens to release gas after meals. With infants, when the LES opens, stomach contents often reflux into the esophagus and out the mouth, resulting in regurgitation, or spitting up, and vomiting. GER can also occur when babies cough, cry, or strain.

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What are the symptoms of GER?
GER is common in healthy infants. More than half of all babies experience reflux in the first 3 months of life, but most stop spitting up between the ages of 12 to 24 months. Only a small number of infants have severe symptoms. An infant with GER may experience

spitting up
vomiting
coughing
irritability
poor feeding
blood in the stools
In a small number of babies, GER results in symptoms that cause concern. These symptoms include

poor growth due to an inability to hold down enough food
irritability or refusing to feed due to pain
blood loss from acid burning the esophagus
breathing problems
These problems can be caused by disorders other than GER. Your health care provider will need to determine whether GER is the cause of your child’s symptoms

Q: If you had an older baby with reflux, what symptoms did he/she exhibit?
My nine-month-old is having continued weight loss issues and is being referred out to a GI specialist. My pediatrician is suspecting a couple things, one of which is reflux. I can find ample information about reflux symptoms in younger babies, but not much for older babies because most babies get over their reflux once they start solids. So, if you had an older baby with reflux, what symptoms did they exhibit?

I’m just a worried about my baby girl! She is only 16 lbs 8 oz at 9 months. I found out she was losing again last week, and my husband just left for a deployment AND I just started a new job. It’s been a little stressful!

A: My baby was diagnosed at about 9 months with reflux was put on meds for it and continued to lose weight. She was actually throwing up almost 6 times a day. Finally at a year our pedi sent us to the children’s hospital to a ENT.

At this time our daughter was about 17 months old. He said that it is rare to have reflux with solid foods and that in most of these cases it is the easiest answer. He said that it is similar to if a child has sore throats a lot….most doctors take out their tonsils.

He actually said that there is a condition similar to reflux but happens with solid food (i forget the name) but a major sign of it is coughing while eating. there is a lot more to it and if I find the information he gave me I will pass it on.

My baby ended up getting a scope of her throat to test for this and she had an extra muscle that was wrapped around her voice box that was inhibiting her breathing and swallowing.

She had surgery and is doing awesome. I wish you well and understand your frustration my daughter was 15lbs at a year and didn’t start to gain weight until she was put onto a special formula that was already digested called Neocate. Good Luck!

Q: Is a baby supposed to spit up a lot to have acid reflux?
Well my baby has all reflux symptoms except the frequent spit up. She only spits up once in a while. It can be every day but just a tiny amount. But it doesn’t always happen. So could she have reflux or could it be something else?

A: http://www.askdrsears.com/html/10/T106004.asp
How do I know if my baby has GER?

Clues that your baby suffers from GER enough to need treatment are:

* Frequent spitting up or vomiting (not all babies with GER spit up)
* Baby isn’t outgrowing the “colic” and/or spitting up
* Frequent blasts of crying that are painful cries, not just baby cries
* Your gut feeling tells you that your baby “hurts somewhere”
* Bursts of nightwaking “as if in pain”
* Colicky, abdominal pain after eating, even as long as one hour afterwards
* Poor sleep habits, restless
* Writhing as if in pain: drawing up legs, arching back
* Erratic feeding patterns. Refuses to feed or wants to breast or bottlefeed all the time.
* Frequent “wet burps” or “wet hiccups”
* Throaty noises: swallowing noises, choking, gagging
* Frequent, unexplained colds, wheezing, and chest infections
* Stop-breathing episodes
* Excessive drooling
* Spits up like a “volcano”

Q: what symptoms did your baby have with acid reflux?
are they more fussy…My 2 mo old has never spit up; yet dr believes she has silent reflux. I just hate that she has to take meds daily but im willing to do so, if it will make her feel better. My baby cries all day even if I carry her. I have taken her to 4 diff drs 3 said she was just irritable. But she screams…please help

A: the most common symptom is spitting up a lot.my daughter was on 2 types of medications for 4 months.its very unpleasant for them.its like heartburn.

Q: Baby reflux – how to spot?
My 12 week Daughter has had a fairly colourful life so far in regards to her health but her latest issue seems to be reflux. We have both Gaviscon Infant which goes in the bottle (and constipates her) and Zantac liquid which tastes like licking a rusty nail. Basically, I know it’s reflux but I wondered what other babies symptoms were?

She has always gnawed at her hand and sucked her fingers, she has always dribbled a lot too but aside from the usual reflux symptoms of spit up, gurgling and hiccups she seems to have started to chew her tongue. So much so in fact that yesterday on her play mat I was convinced that she had something in her mouth but nope, it was just her chewing. Is this another sign of reflux?

She is on Neocate by the way for cows milk protein allergy and colitis.

Any advice?

A: My bub cried when I leaned him back, wouldn’t sleep, drank tiny amounts of his bottle or off me but wanted to feed constantly so was obviously hungry. Arched his back and screamed.
Try Zoton sachets. Its a pink powder that tastes like strawberry quick. The doctor said we could put it in his bottles but he doesn’t drink enough so we put it in his cereal of a morning. He loves it. Eats more cereal when the medicine is in it. We tried Zantac as well but he refused to take it. Spat it everywhere.
And yep the chewing can be the reflux. Bad taste in their mouth.
Good Luck

Q: Will not treating mild reflux make it severe? My 11 weeks baby boy has some symptoms of reflux?
He sometimes wont nurse in cradle position (sometimes does). Sometimes wont sleep on flat bed (but mostly does). He spits few times but only few drops. If this is reflux, it was not that bad because most of the times postioning him properly worked
However lately he is very fussy at the breast, keeps gagings and coughing. If i move around when he is on the breast he continues though i feel he is not comfortable but if i am sitting i have to remove him from the breast and hold him until he burps and feels better. Also he is feeding very frequently (he comes off the breast himself and after i burp him and put him on his bed within 10 minutes he is searching for it again. This happened whole of last night and we slept only after 5 AM.
Does this mean the reflux is getting worse? If i continue without medication (he is able to feed better when his back is stright) will it increase? He is happy most of the time but often looks as if in pain. Doesnt cry much but not sleeping. Pls help
BTW he also passes lot of gas and poops only once in 3 days (normal consistency, not constipated). Dont know if this condition is related

A: Your baby boy sounds just like how my baby boy was (he is now 6.5mths). What worked wonders for me (and him) and could work for you is if you take Metamucil once per day. I take it at night before going to bed. The reason is that reflux and constipation can cause major discomfort for bubs. It could account for all of the symptoms you’re describing like fussing at the breast, discomfort lying flat in bed and reflux. If the bowel slows, the stomach can respond by holding food to avoid overloading the bowel. If you keep putting food in, it only has one way to go – back out the way it came. Hence the reflux. Baby will definitely benefit from freeing up his bowel movements which can cause alot of discomfort when they are ’stuck’.

It can’t hurt and it could work wonders so give it a try. It will take about 48hours to get through to breast milk and another 48hours to get through to your bubs bowels so give it four to five days to see if it helps.

Good luck.

Q: baby reflux??
how do i know if my baby has reflux..she is 4 weeks old… what are some symptoms.. iv been looking it up and it kinda seems like she could have it…she cries alot.. and grunts alot while shes eating.. and its like i can hear the milk hit her stomach when she eats.. it gurgles while she swollows.. she tries to eat it so fast she gets mad and spits it out and cries.. shes not puking or anything.. just wondering if shes normal and just cries a bit more than average.. or if it could be something else?.. what does it sound like to you?

A: Symptoms of reflux are spitting up frequently (unless it’s silent reflux), frequent hiccups, arching their back and crying during nursings.

Your problem sounds a bit more like an overactive letdown (if you are nursing), or perhaps a bottle nipple that has a larger hole that she needs at this point.

Q: Mother of reflux babies, what were their symptoms?
What symptoms did your baby had before medications ??

Well my baby has lots of weird symptoms.. She has lots of reflux symptoms, but I am scared that it could be something more serious such as a birth defect of the digestive tract. She looks like she is always in belly pain soon after feedings (not always).. Also, she doesn’t really spit up. She does throw lots of milk sometimes not always, maybe once a week. Help? What could be wrong with my baby??? (im seeing a gastro pediatric doctor on Monday) I’M Just extremely nervous she could have something worse!!!!!!!!!!!!
may i ask which test did they use to diagnose acid reflux?

A: My son had lots of spit up, crying, and the look as if he was in pain. The doc gave us the meds on a Monday and by Wednesday he was fine. We had to make sure to give him the meds before every feeding or he would have the same symptoms. He grew out of it after he turned 8 months old. Hope this helps.

Q: what are the symptoms of reflux?? my baby dont spit up but screams with his bottles?? could this be it??

A: Spitting up is only one of the symptoms of reflux, and in fact isn’t present in all cases of reflux (look up “silent reflux”).

Other symptoms: arching his back while he eats, wide eyes during feeds, consistent piercing screams during and after feeds, eating smaller amounts more frequently….

Suggestions: Try bouncing your baby on its left side in your arms, that should help if your baby has reflux. Also, keep him elevated for at least 30 minutes after eating, and consider elevating his crib. Absolutely discuss all this with your pediatrician, but most will not prescribe medicine if the baby is gaining weight well.

Q: What formula is best when you have a gassy baby with possible acid reflux?
My little girl is 5 weeks old and is gassy. She is a pretty good baby otherwise but sometimes when she spits up it comes out of her nose. Sometimes she regurgatates the bottle but very unfreqently. She also sometimes sounds like she is gurgling? She is such a good trooper though, she rarely cries at all and easts about every 3 hours. I have tried the mylicon drops and they seem to work only for a short period of time. My baby’’s doctor has put her on medicaine for acid reflux and told me to switch the formula to Nutramingin. When I did this after 2 days she seemed worse than ever. I put her back on Good start but have keep her on meds. I dont know what to do with her now. Is there a better formula anyone has tried with a baby with these symptoms. Can you really go by what the formula says it is for on the label. Why wouldnt Soy be recommended for gas/fussiness by doctors instead of putting them on meds and saying its acid reflux. Help!!

A: I would suggest Enfamil Gentlease. My daughter was very gassy and this formula helped a lot. It is no more expensive than the other brands either. The pediatrician put her on soy for a while but I wasn’t crazy about that (it stinks plus I read some controversial articles on soy formula being linked to ADD… don’t take my word for that though… research it if you think Soy would be best of your baby). After we tried the soy I put her back on regular formula and the gas and spitting up only came back. That’s when my mom happened upon the Enfamil Gentlease. We were traveling and ran out of formula. The first store we could find didn’t have the regular Enfamil so we gave that a try. It worked wonders for her! I kept her on that until she was 11 months then I switched to the Next Step Lipil for a month or so and now she’s on whole milk with no problems.

Q: How do you know for sure your baby has reflux?
My 7 week old spits up clear fluid a lot. He does get the hiccups often. Around 4 in the morning he always screams something painful- but he does have gas. He always sounds like he needs to cough. I know these can be symptoms. He does not vomit and he is a very content baby. For some reason I think it might be reflux though. How would you know? I don’t want him taking meds for nothing. Thanks in advance.
I know the obvious about asking a doctor. They base there decision mostly on what you describe. So- thats why I ask how you would know for sure. Thanks all that are sharing your experience.
thanks bow2…

A: My son had reflux and trust me there would be ALOT of spit up. He would literally soak up 10 cloth diapers/ burb cloths a day. You could ring them out! And he cried constantly. He was gaining weight just fine so that wasn’t an issue but the doctor put him on 2 medicines to try to ease his pain. They didn’t work so we took him off of them and he eventually grew out of it when he started eating more solids at about 6 months. The only way to really know is ask his pediatrician. But if he’s a happy baby and gaining weight at a normal weight I wouldn’t recommend any meds and that’s what the doctor would give him.

Good Luck & God Bless!

Q: Has anyone’s baby had SILENT REFLUX and if so, what symptoms did they have?
My grandson has periods of irritability and is always very, very gassy. He spits up on occasion, but not very often. He’s on a third type of formula now and the gas doesn’t seem nearly as bad, as atleast he is finally able to get some sleep without constantly having to wake himself up while grunting a lot and then passing gas.

He’s a grunter and get hiccups, although the hiccups don’t seem near as bad with this new formula either.

Anyway, I’m not really sure what silent reflux is, or what the symptoms are. Anyone out there know about it?

A: My daughter had silent reflux from when she was 2 weeks old to just before she turned 3 months old. she had the following symptoms (which are pretty much all the symptoms):
Frequent spitting up or vomiting
Irritability when feeding
Refusing food or eating only small amounts
Sudden or constant crying
Arching the back while feeding
“Wet” burps
Frequent hiccups (more then twice a day)
Frequent coughing
Poor sleep habits with frequent waking

If your grandson does have reflux switching his formula will not help. He needs to be diagnosed with it and then be put on meds and possibly switched to Enfamil AR. My daughter was first on Zantac but that didn’t help for more then a week. She was then on prevacid but that didn’t really help either. What really helped was a chiropractor. If you have any other questions my email is aschne0202@yahoo.com

Q: When did you take your reflux baby off Alimentum?
For those mother’s who have had reflux babies on Alimentum, when did you decide to try going back to regular formula? How did it go? What were the results?
My little guy is almost 7 months old and has been on Alimentum for over 3 months. He has been on solids for the last month with no difficulty. I am wondering if I should try putting him back on normal formula, but am afraid his horrible reflux symptoms may return.
Alimentum is what made all the difference for my baby. Even on meds he was having a horrible time until we switched him to alimentum.
Our ped told us we could try regular formula any time, but I was wondering what the experiences were of others out there whose babies had the same condition.

A: I took my son off of the reflux meds at 6 months and he did fine. I kept him of the Alimentum until he turned one because I didn’t want his poor little belly getting messed up again. Talk to his doctor.

Q: Is my baby’s reflux returning?
Hello,
My son is now about to turn 4 months and has had reflux symptoms since 2 weeks, although he was not properly diagnosed and medicated until about 2 months old. We started with Zantac, but that didn’t work, and then were eventually given Prevacid 15 mg solutabs. Our doctor told us to give him only half a pill a day. The first week was still rough, but slowly things started to get better and he seemed like a different baby. Lately though it seems as though his symptoms may be reappearing. The last two weeks I’ve noticed an increase in “reflux” type behavior. He had been able to sleep soundly for 1-2 hour naps during the day, and now only sleeps 30 minutes at a time, waking crabby and unrested. He has the hiccups nearly every day, and they are not just regular hiccups, they are “wet” hiccups, it almost sounds like he is bringing something up each time and then swallowing it. He has also began to have bouts of inconsolable crying, much the same as he had in the beginning before the medication. Two days in a row now he has actually woken up crying, something that hasn’t happened in weeks. He is very restless all night long too. I suspect that during his light sleep phases he is awakened by some kind of discomfort – does this sound possible?

Our ped said that as baby gets older either we will notice that he is better every day, or we will notice GERD symptoms returning as the med is no longer substantial enough. This is what appears to be happening. Unfortunately our doctor is not at the office today, and she is the only one that really knows our situation that I feel comfortable talking to.

I am really at my wits end. I’ve known something is wrong with my baby from the beginning and I thought that our battle with this awful disease was under control, but now I feel like a new mom again with no idea what’s wrong with her baby. I just want him to feel better, but I don’t know what to do.

Oh, he is also having severe problems BFing today. He will start to drink and then pull off and start screaming… a behavior that has also reappeared in the past couple days. I wish this would just get easier. I’m not sure what to do.

A: Have you noticed blood in his stools? Some babies, like mine, had a milk allergy as well, Reflux and milk allergies seem to go hand in hand. Talk to you md about and try to cut back on your dairy intake and see if that helps. It does sound like the reflux is acting up.

For my daughter we fed her upright, then held her upright for 30 Min’s after every feeding, her mattress is at an angle so she didn’t sleep flat. I burped her alot as well, almost up to a year old. Her reflux got very bad but with prevacid was under control. Def talk to the MD about this. I know how hard it is, you have to stink in there and be strong, you are the world to this baby and he needs you. It will get easier, trust me.

My daughter is now 16 months, and eats pizza and spaghetti, I didn’t ever think that would happen and she is completely medicine free.

Check out these great sites.

http://reflux-rebels.blogspot.com/
http://www.pollywogbaby.com/refluxandcolic/refluxsymptoms.html

http://infantrefluxdisease.com/infant_acid_reflux/

There are a lot of good resources out there now. I wish you all the best, I remember those rough days and nights, my heart goes out to you and your baby boy.

Q: What are the symptoms of acid reflux in babies?
Is spitting up always symptom? I had heard that acid reflux babies have projectile vomitting and spitting up.
My 3 mth old son is very fussy much of the day and will spit up, but no more than your average baby does. I’ve always just been assuming its colic, but I’ve tried all the popular colic remedies and nothing seems to help. So I’ve just been wondering if he could be having some reflux.
He was also born 6 weeks early…

A: Spitting up is not always reflux, and reflux does not always produce (visible) spit up. Projectile vomiting is not reflux. A baby born premature is more prone to have episodes of reflux. Symptoms vary but can include screaming when laying down, spitting up, irritability when eating, refusing to eat (usually in older children), arching of the back with crying, frequent hiccups, and “wet” burps.

My boys were also six weeks early and suffer from reflux. They each started out taking 3 different medications and sleeping on an incline. At 7 months of age we are finally down to just Prevacid and that seems to have helped the most. Call your doctor and see what he/she thinks- the sooner you get your baby in, the more comfortable you can both be.

Good luck

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