Hello. So, I am wondering if anyone on here has a baby who had acid reflux or GERD. I don't actually know what either one is for sure, but am wondering what the symptoms are? Ely keeps making gasping noises, like he is choking for air, but it only happens shortly after eating. I have a hard time getting him to burp, and when he does it sometimes seems like it is very painful for him, and he gasps, but then the problem seems to reside. I am getting sort of freaked out; he has been doing this all along, but it seems like he is not breathing when it happens, and I kept thinking it was a really new baby thing and would get better. Any advice??? Oh, and while I am asking, anyone have any great advice to get those stubborn burps out?

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Krissy

Krissy~ Brady was diagnosed with acid reflux when he was about a month and a half old. He would arch his back and fight me to eat and cry all the time. They put him on Zantac, which ended up not working for him so he was switched to Prevacid and he is a completely different baby now. It's amazing the change it made. As for the burping, Dylan was a stubborn burper. We would have to hold him up in the air with our hands under his armpits and let his legs dangle so that the air would work it's way up. You can try that and see if it helps, or maybe lay him on his belly across your lap and pat his back. Hope you figure everything out. I would also say that if the gasping worries you that much, it NEVER hurts to call the doctor. That's what they are there for!

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Thanks; I am going to call the doctor on Monday morning. Ely wants to eat all the time, so that is not a problem, but he does constantly arch his back. He has been getting fussy after eating, also. I am hoping that it is not a big deal, but it is just so scary--I wish he could tell me what is going on.
As far as the SIDS guidelines; I know you can't have anything IN the crib with them, but do you think it would be ok to prop one side of the crip mattress up so that his head is a little elevated? I just keep thinking that if I ate a big meal and then lay on my back I probably wouldn't feel so good, either.

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Krissy

Krissy, yes that is perfectly safe. They sell a crib wedge that goes under the mattress for that purpose. Also, try keeping him upright for at least 30 minutes after he eats and that should help with the reflux. Reflux babies tend to nurse more because it helps with the pain. Jack had reflux and he ate all the time. It is hard to watch but medicine can help and they do outgrow it. It is very common. Good luck!

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Krissy - Since Ely was on antibiotics when he was born, I would suggest finding a probiotic to give him. The antibiotics are extremely harmful to the digestive tract and the flora needs to be replenished. If you have a pedi who is not open to any type of 'alternative' thinking, you may have a hard time getting something there, but they are available everywhere otc and perfectly safe.

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http://rchiprean.abmp.com/index.html

Thanks everyone. Rac--I will talk to my pedi about it; I am sure he will be open to it. I chose him because we have some similar views on things, and he is not from the US, so he is a bit more open to non western medicine
I ended up taking him to the doctor this morning, really nice of them to see me on a Sunday. They told me that I should let him sleep in his car seat for a few days, so that he is at a 45 degree angle, and see if that helps. If I don't see improvement, they may consider putting him on prevecid or prilosec or something. Anybody have a baby on those medications? I am so scared of putting him on anything. He also told me to go ahead and order this monitor that goes underneath your mattress and alarms whenever your baby quits breathing for 15 seconds. I found it online and just ordered it. Seems like everyone should have one, anyways.

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Krissy

Ben also had reflux and is still taking his Prevacid. To help with him we let him nap elevated on the boppy pillow during the day when we were with him. Our pedi also had us give him Gripe water if he seemed in pain. In addition we also did chamomile tea we made a glass put one ounce of tea and two ounces of water in a bottle to mix and then seperated that into three servings and did that once a day. That combination of things really seemed to helped Ben but he also had gas issues. Towards the end of my breastfeeding I had to avoid seafood, dairy, soy, and spicy foods to help combat his symptoms. Our pedi also recommended sleeping in the car seat or bouncer. Another cheaper way to raise one side of the crib is to put some books under two legs or put some blankets under the mattress. I hope your little guy gets to feeling better soon!!

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