Remember when Solomon was first trying to breastfeed and he would just clench his fists and SCREAM? It all makes so much sense now! With his AR he just isn't comfortable on his back... ever. I may have a window of opportunity to change his diaper on his back for about 30 seconds before he starts to cry, but I've become very fast at it.

solboppy.jpg

Here are some things that I've adapted for Sol that I now know are what he prefers...

- He sleeps on his belly only (he loves to sleep on my chest at night and while I wasn't planning on co-sleeping at all, it really works for him and we both get so much more sleep! We haven't tried putting him in his crib during the night shift just yet, I'm sure we will once he gets more adjusted to taking his naps in it during the day)

- His favorite way to nap is where I put his boppy against something hard, lay his super plush blanket in it and then put his belly forward draped over it (like he would be on someone's chest sleeping). He stays asleep for 2 hours this way!

- He always needs something to suck on while he's awake to keep him calm (I first thought that I was giving in by giving him a pacifier, but then I read that AR babies need one to help them stay calm so that they don't get into a fuss and upset their AR even more by screaming)

- To cope with the night shift I put a basket with all of his diaper needs in it along with a portable changing pad, a glass of water, my pumping station and a lamp laying down in the bed with me so I can turn it on easily. It's all about efficiency with me:). All I have to do when he wakes up is sit up to feed and change him and then we just go back to sleep! It's a wonderful system!

- I've found that really loud "shhhing" in his ears when he gets fussy works like a charm. He calms immediately now when I start to shhhhh.

- Instead of buying an expensive mattress wedge, I just put an old photo album under one side of Sol's crib so that it's slightly inclined. 

- The bouncer is no use to him, he despises being in the sitting up position. I hope he will like it when he gets older.

- I can't overfeed Sol or he will loose his lunch... all of it. Since I'm pumping and bottle feeding, we are giving him about 2 1/2-3 ounces at each feeding. We thought that he was just hungrier for a day or two and were giving him 4 ounces, but it really upset his AR.

- When he starts flailing his fists around, I just force my fingers into them and he grips them and starts to calm down.

- Although we aren't to excited about putting a 2 week old on Zantac, we know that he needs it to help him not be in pain until he can outgrow his AR. It has worked wonderfully for him and I don't regret our decision at all.

- He spits out his medicine if we just put it straight in his mouth and so I just mix it in with one of his bottles and he seems to like it even more than normal! It's like a minty milkshake.

- He does very well on the eat, play for 45 minutes and then sleep for 90 minutes schedule. It is very predictable and he goes down at night and for naps with ease. 

- He loves to cuddle and always wants someone to be holding him upright. When we can't do this for him, we put him in the boppy belly forward and he just lays there content.

- Instead of burping him rough, we have to do it very gently and what I've found is that after each ounce if I just do a few half way reverse crunches with him over my shoulder that he burps naturally without me patting him (which I've read that the patting can upset his AR)

I love that now that I know him so much better (you know, we have spent 432 hours together so far) and I understand that he doesn't fit into the normal newborn "rules" that I feel like I have a plan on why I'm doing the things that I do and that he responds so well to them!

Here were the symptoms that Sol had that sent us into the Doctor's office: 

Always wants to be held, pushes up with legs while crying, pulls legs into stomach while crying after feeding, frequent hiccups, cries every time he is put on his back, choking during feedings, congested, wheezing, cries while breastfeeding, curds in spit up, swallowing noises, fights to suck on fists, fists always clenched very tight, and spit up several times a day.

If your newborn or baby has any of the same symptoms or you feel like he or she is "colicky" then I would research AR and see if that is what is going on, I learned that 60% of babies experience some degree of reflux. It's funny because I never thought I would have a baby with AR or colic and so I skipped over every chapter in the 20 books that I read about the topic. 

Sol will most likely outgrow his AR as soon as he gets started on solid foods. 

I love my baby and love that it hasn't been a textbook newborn experience for us, we had to try a little harder and think a little longer to figure it all out.

He is asleep in his bed after a warm bath (where he peed all over dad's hand), a lavender lotion massage and a nice bedtime story. I love my little boy. 

Things I've learned about having an Acid Reflux baby

July 16, 2011

Remember when Solomon was first trying to breastfeed and he would just clench his fists and SCREAM? It all makes so much sense now! With his AR he just isn't comfortable on his back... ever. I may have a window of opportunity to change his diaper on his back for about 30 seconds before he starts to cry, but I've become very fast at it.

solboppy.jpg

Here are some things that I've adapted for Sol that I now know are what he prefers...

- He sleeps on his belly only (he loves to sleep on my chest at night and while I wasn't planning on co-sleeping at all, it really works for him and we both get so much more sleep! We haven't tried putting him in his crib during the night shift just yet, I'm sure we will once he gets more adjusted to taking his naps in it during the day)

- His favorite way to nap is where I put his boppy against something hard, lay his super plush blanket in it and then put his belly forward draped over it (like he would be on someone's chest sleeping). He stays asleep for 2 hours this way!

- He always needs something to suck on while he's awake to keep him calm (I first thought that I was giving in by giving him a pacifier, but then I read that AR babies need one to help them stay calm so that they don't get into a fuss and upset their AR even more by screaming)

- To cope with the night shift I put a basket with all of his diaper needs in it along with a portable changing pad, a glass of water, my pumping station and a lamp laying down in the bed with me so I can turn it on easily. It's all about efficiency with me:). All I have to do when he wakes up is sit up to feed and change him and then we just go back to sleep! It's a wonderful system!

- I've found that really loud "shhhing" in his ears when he gets fussy works like a charm. He calms immediately now when I start to shhhhh.

- Instead of buying an expensive mattress wedge, I just put an old photo album under one side of Sol's crib so that it's slightly inclined. 

- The bouncer is no use to him, he despises being in the sitting up position. I hope he will like it when he gets older.

- I can't overfeed Sol or he will loose his lunch... all of it. Since I'm pumping and bottle feeding, we are giving him about 2 1/2-3 ounces at each feeding. We thought that he was just hungrier for a day or two and were giving him 4 ounces, but it really upset his AR.

- When he starts flailing his fists around, I just force my fingers into them and he grips them and starts to calm down.

- Although we aren't to excited about putting a 2 week old on Zantac, we know that he needs it to help him not be in pain until he can outgrow his AR. It has worked wonderfully for him and I don't regret our decision at all.

- He spits out his medicine if we just put it straight in his mouth and so I just mix it in with one of his bottles and he seems to like it even more than normal! It's like a minty milkshake.

- He does very well on the eat, play for 45 minutes and then sleep for 90 minutes schedule. It is very predictable and he goes down at night and for naps with ease. 

- He loves to cuddle and always wants someone to be holding him upright. When we can't do this for him, we put him in the boppy belly forward and he just lays there content.

- Instead of burping him rough, we have to do it very gently and what I've found is that after each ounce if I just do a few half way reverse crunches with him over my shoulder that he burps naturally without me patting him (which I've read that the patting can upset his AR)

I love that now that I know him so much better (you know, we have spent 432 hours together so far) and I understand that he doesn't fit into the normal newborn "rules" that I feel like I have a plan on why I'm doing the things that I do and that he responds so well to them!

Here were the symptoms that Sol had that sent us into the Doctor's office: 

Always wants to be held, pushes up with legs while crying, pulls legs into stomach while crying after feeding, frequent hiccups, cries every time he is put on his back, choking during feedings, congested, wheezing, cries while breastfeeding, curds in spit up, swallowing noises, fights to suck on fists, fists always clenched very tight, and spit up several times a day.

If your newborn or baby has any of the same symptoms or you feel like he or she is "colicky" then I would research AR and see if that is what is going on, I learned that 60% of babies experience some degree of reflux. It's funny because I never thought I would have a baby with AR or colic and so I skipped over every chapter in the 20 books that I read about the topic. 

Sol will most likely outgrow his AR as soon as he gets started on solid foods. 

I love my baby and love that it hasn't been a textbook newborn experience for us, we had to try a little harder and think a little longer to figure it all out.

He is asleep in his bed after a warm bath (where he peed all over dad's hand), a lavender lotion massage and a nice bedtime story. I love my little boy. 



Comments
October:

This was my DD#2! After about 2 weeks...she would just fuss and we could not figure out what was wrong. The only time she was content was was when she was upright. Feeding her was a nightmare. She seemed to just want to suckle ALL.THE.TIME but would fuss. After about 6 weeks we figured out that she would sleep on her stomach. I know it is a no-no now...but we needed to sleep and so did she! We were also given stuff for reflux but I hated giving such a little person medicine...so we opted to do our best to remedy it as much as we could naturally (like all the things you described above). She is a vibrant 6yo now!

 (07.16.11 @ 11:14 PM)
Rhonda:

i soo feel you! My oldest had the worst reflux. It meant little sleep for me or him. He grew out of his about 8-9 mos.

 (07.17.11 @ 03:50 PM)
ashley :

Hi Lauren- I have been blog stalking you forever! I have a 6 month old with AR, and I feel your pain. One thing that he LOVED was when I would hold him and bounce with him on my excersise ball in the kitchen with the microwave fan on. He also loved the dryer. It is very exhausting but gets much better, he is now on prevacid and pulmcord breathing treatments.
.

(07.17.11 @ 08:13 PM)
Amanda McNeely:

My daughter had severe reflux and outgrew it around 9 months. Just a little tip...once you put the Zantac in their mouth, if you blow in their face it causes them to swallow and they wont' spit it out. That came out of my pre-photographer RN closet..ha! He is a handsome little guy!

 (07.17.11 @ 08:21 PM)
Kim:

Lauren, Has his doctor put him on any meds for this? My son had AR very badly when he was a baby. It was tough. I would offer this advice if Solomon is on medicine - wipe his gums after each time you give him the medicine and when he starts getting teeth - brush them after each dose of medicine. The reason is the pharmacy will suspend the acid reflux medicine in a liquid that is all but pure sugar and can do a lot of damage to little teeth. You'll spend a fortune later fixing the damage. Just a heads up.

(07.18.11 @ 10:28 AM)
Lindsay Nicholls:

I co slept with my son for months because of his reflux. He literally slept on me while in the recliner. I thought i was horrible and not doing things the way i "should", BUT we both did get sleep. I am pleased to say that he is two and has been sleeping in his crib for years now and he sleeps great! : )

Sounds like you have a great system and you are a great mom!!!

 (07.19.11 @ 08:28 AM)
TANIKA:

OMG...READING THIS POST...IM WONDERING IF MY BABY GIRL HAS AR....SHE JUST STARTED SPITTING UP (EVEN OUT THE NOSE) BUT I THOUGHT I WAS OVERFEEDING HER...BUT ALL OF WHAT YOU ARE GOING THROUGH, IM GOING THROUGH

 (07.19.11 @ 12:54 PM)