Well, it turns out Lilah has reflux, which explains the vomiting and constant crying. I’d cry too if eating hurt. I took her in to get tested on Monday. She was pretty pissed about getting strapped down and being forced to drink barium, but since it ultimately got her some relief, I’m betting she’ll forgive me.
The doctor called yesterday and told me there were three possible treatments. The first is putting her in a car seat after eating so she is upright. Now, I don’t know about other parents, but I usually do not lay my kids on their backs immediately after eating. I hold them upright. From which position Lilah proceeded to vomit. Clearly, the car seat was not a viable solution, especially since she hollers the entire time she is in it.
Then, there was the next treatment. The doctor said we could thicken my breast milk with rice cereal. To be clear, this solution would involve me pumping all the feedings and then putting them in a bottle with some cereal added. Need I even explain why that one made no sense? I won’t get into all the reasons, but let’s just start with the fact that the best thing about breastfeeding is that it is far more convenient than bottles. And the bonding.
So, on to the last treatment, which is medication. I know a lot of people don’t like to medicate their babies, and normally I am in that same boat. However, let’s review the other options: vomiting in the car seat, pumping and using bottles until she forgets all about the breast, vomiting all over her mother. We’re going with the medication.
Praise the Lord and pass the pharmaceuticals.
Wheels on the bus 
I’m so glad you have an answer. Yes, the car seat does not always work. I think some babies tend to sit a bit squished and then that pushes on the stomach and increases the reflux instead of better. The meds DO work. The twins are on reglan and previcid and it makes a difference. If you do any bottles at all (like one with dad at night) you might consider Lip.il AR, which is a thickened formula that is supposed to be better nutritionally than formula with rice cereal. We were just given it by the pediatrician since we vomit even with meds. No verdict yet on effectiveness.
Good luck!
Given those choices? I’d be right there with you. YUCK!
I hope the meds work fast and that Lilah is feeling fantastic in no time. Poor girl!
I’m glad you found an answer. I would definitely go for meds in your shoes as well. I had been hearing about how most cases of “colic” are actually undiagnosed reflux, so I’m glad to hear that your ped is on the ball. Good luck!
My nine year old spent a lot of time of previcid. I wished I had known about that when he was a baby. I hope it helps your little one.
Praise Prevacid! Screw Reflux.
Sorry, Em. Hope your ears heal soon.
Glad you have an answer. Good luck. HUGS!
Medication sounds like a good choice, for her comfort and your sanity. I hope that it works well.
In retrospect, I think my daughter’s colic was due to milk protein sensitivity. She was never tedted for reflux, though.
Glad to hear you figured it out! Hope she’s feeling better very soon.
oh the drugs, the wonderful drugs
mine was on drugs as an infant for the same thing…the whole sitting up after? Duh.
the meds worked and he outgrew it, so wasn’t on them very long.
yes, Henry had reflux. To me the medication was a no-brainer. He was crying all the time & losing weight. Not only did it work, but it worked fast.
A friend has found a lot of relief for her son by using the reflux medication (she is nursing, too). I hope it works as well for Lilah as it has for my friend.
Just whatever works, right? It’s got to be a good thing if she enjoys her feeds and keeps them down. Good luck!
Sorry, but glad you’ve got something to try. Hoping it works perfectly. Kiss her head from me.
From experience, I can tell you that the rice cereal (although we used Thick-It instead) won’t make her throw up less, it will just make her throw up thicker.
You won’t regret your decision. My Diminutive One was like an entirely different baby once he began taking reflux meds.
I’m glad you have an answer and that the solution was a relatively easy one.
Hope both of you can get some rest and start enjoying that special Mommy/baby time!
I’m about to pump now so that we have milk to mix in for our rice cereal feeds. I have a good (read expensive) pump, so it’s only a minor pain. But it isn’t the most enjoyable thing. And I cannot even imagine pumping for _every_ feed and mixing in the baby rice and giving a bottle! Yikes.
So glad that you have found a reasonable solution for Lilah and hope that she begins to feel more comfortable soon. Poor little baby.
I was always under the impression that you were never supposed to put ‘food’ in baby bottles. Go figure.
Hope the medicine helps the wee one find relief quickly.
you’re damn right. Pass that pill. Relief for ALL involved.
congrats.
Just so you know, I know of two other moms who first tried the other solutions and then ended up with meds anyway. So I’m happy to hear you’re skipping the ones that don’t work. Hope you’re all feeling better soon.
i’m a day late here but delighted you got medication for Lilah. Posey’s been on Zantac since the day after we brought her home. given the pain she was clearly in the night before she started on it, i think it’s a gift of the gods.
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