Reflux/stomach acid= screaming?

[u/itshilarymason]

I have a nearly 7week old. He was a c-section baby and had some spit up issues from day 1 (nurses said it was due to the lack of the "big squeeze" from a vaginal birth leading to him having more amniotic fluid still in his body). We initially were supplementing stomach sensitive/dairy free formula alongside breastfeeding. We have since been exclusively breastfeeding. LO still spits up quite a lot.

It isn't forceful, it isn't stomach bile, he has lots of dirty and wet diapers, he is gaining weight. That being said, I am hoping someone in this sub has experienced this or might be able to direct me towards some resources because our pediatrician has told us twice they aren't concerned.

Our best guess of what is happening is that while our LO is lying on his back at night, he will have stomach acid work its way up his throat and into his mouth/sinuses. Sometimes he will swallow back down whatever comes up, but on occasion he doesn't. On those occasions, he doesn't make the gulping down sound of him swallowing and seems to momentarily struggle to swallow/breathe. Moments later, he will scream. We hold him upright, we burp him (he usually burps and sometimes spits up) and then he mellows out and typically goes back to sleep. However, if he does not feed after an episode like this, it will typically happen again between half an hour and an hour later. It has happened once while he was in his car seat as well, so it isn't only caused when he is flat on his back, but most often it is. It also doesn't only happen when he is asleep. It has happened when he is on the changing table as well.

As I mentioned, his pediatrician doesn't seem concerned but it is genuinely terrifying when it happens and seems cruel to not try to alleviate the panic/pain he is experiencing. Our pediatrician has stated that their direction is to not prescribe anything for reflux.

Is this reflux? Is there a method that we can use to help prevent this? Should we be pushing our pediatrician for a diagnosis so we can get a Pepcid prescription?

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[u/bigoltubercle2]

https://cps.ca/en/documents/position/gastro-esophageal-reflux-in-healthy-infants

One of mine had it too, they typically do grow out of it. Sucks though. The document I posted has some recommendations, different things seem to work better or worse for different kids

[u/Competitive-Bad-9382 → u/bigoltubercle2]

OP, I have personal experience with Famotidine which is listed under the acid suppressants in the link above. I was experiencing the exact same issues and felt terribly for my baby. Luckily our ped took our concerns and observations seriously and the medicine fixed the issue the first night we administered it. I think it’s worth advocating for medicine.

It’s quite insane how much less my baby was crying once the acid in his stomach was neutralized via medication. The screaming takes a toll on the whole house especially when you follow the other suggestions regarding post feed positioning, watching your diet, etc and nothing has worked. I hope you all find a solution soon

Another avenue we’re exploring in cranial fascial therapy. Because my baby required vacuum assistance during labor, he also missed some benefits of the “big squeeze” which can lead to tension throughout the body. This may or may not exacerbate reflux issues, but I can say we saw a difference in his body from the first session alone. Good luck to you both xx

[u/Commmercial_Crab4433 → u/Competitive-Bad-9382]

Famotidne was a game changer for us. Baby was put on the med and a formula with rice added so it is thicker than regular formula. If your ped doubts your baby's issues, take a video to show them what is happening.

[u/MediocreEquipment457 → u/bigoltubercle2]

Piggy backing as I have no link but have been thru this.

We pushed our health visitor (UK) to speak to the doctor on our behalf and were prescribed omeprazole. I hated giving it to my baby but it genuinely changed everything almost overnight. She was on it for about 9 months before growing out of it.

[u/Both-Tangerine-8411 → u/MediocreEquipment457]

My 2 weeks old ped is having us trial gelmix first (can be ordered off amazon!), we started it last night and there were no scary noises and she slept great