Name: EthansMom0213 Title: Breastmilk and Acid Reflux

This is just a question of curiosity. I am 11 weeks pregnant and thinking of possibly breastfeeding. Still unsure about the who thing but planning on taken a course to hopefully help me understand why I am uncomfortable.

When my son was born I had alot of problems with him and acid reflux. And there is a good chance that my next one might end up having acid reflux as well since it one of those wonderful things you inherit. I was just curious as to whether or not anyone had an issue with there baby spitting up (due to acid reflux) most of what he/she ate when you breastfeed.

My son was changed to soy formula which help somewhat.  ?

Your Name

Your Reply

 

Name: firewife • Date: 06/27/2006 08:48:54

My son has acid reflux and in the beginning it was a nightmare he would spit up 3-4 times with every feeding and we both would go through several outfits a day. He was put on zantac, then levsin drops and finally prilosec. The prilosec isn't made for babies so we had to go to the Childrens Hospital (1 hour away) where they take the adult form and break it down from children. The prilosec helped but he was still spitting up so with my doctors help we started eliminating different things from my diet, and turns out he also has a milk allergy. Now he is doing much better, (I really miss ice cream and pizza and mashed potatoes, I could go on and on and on). Acid reflux is very common in babies but supposedly not as common in breastfeed babies, good luck.  =

Name: EthansMom0213 • Date: 06/27/2006 11:32:44

I myself have acid reflex and so does my son. In the beginning I was actually taken him to our family doctor not a peditrician and I kept telling him that I thought he had acid reflux, because he would constantly spit up and was real fussy. He kept telling me No that he had colic. Now what I read up on for colic and what I read for acid reflex I knew my son did not have colic. So I tried again, and still he insisted that he had colic, but should he acid reflex we wouldn't know until he was much older. I then took him to a pediatrician who agreed with me. We changed his formula to soy at first. I didn't want to put my son on any sort of medication because I also read up on that and alot of people said that their kids were worse. Infact, my friend's son currantly is on zantac he she also says that he seems worse. Switching his formula help some, he still spit up but not as much. So she had us add a teaspoon of cereal to his bottle (NOT ALL, we just did it at night) which help.

I would assume then that alot of the things that I would eat that would cause my acid reflex to act up would most likely affect my babies through my breastmilk. Or no?  =

Name: firewife • Date: 06/27/2006 21:33:44

Yes, breastmilk takes on the flavor of the food you eat therefore for example if you eat spicy food and it aggravates your reflux I would assume it would aggravate your baby, assuming of course your baby has reflux, which he may not. I wouldn't base my decision to nurse on the possiblity that baby MAY have reflux. As for your decision not to medicate, I would certainly give it a try and if it doesn't help then I would discontinue it but I would not refuse to medicate simply because I think it may not help. All babies are different what works for one may not work for another.  =

Name: EthansMom0213 • Date: 06/27/2006 23:37:32

I'm not completely against using medication nothing else works. I did find just changing a few things in his diet help with his acid reflex. I guess I was curious as to whether or those who breastfeed their babies who had acid reflex had as many problem with spitting up as I did with my son being on formula and whether or not the same thing that cause my acid reflex to act up would cause my childs to do the same should he/she had it.

I'm just trying to get as much information I can on the subject. I've been thinking about breastfeeding but at the same time not really 100% sure that I want to. If I don't I still plan on pumping like I did for a while with my son. I just couldn't remember if he spit up alot when I gave him breastmilk instead of formula.  =

Name: noelia01 • Date: 01/18/2008 20:40:08

my son was preemie and had sever acid reflux and lurengeo malasia he was in the hospital for 2 1/2 months since birth transferd to 3 diffrent hospitals under went 4 surgerys it was only supose to be 1 but he had complications he got a g-tube but we didnt really use it much bcuz if u add rice cereal to breast milk or formula its thicker and they can hold it down alot better trust me it works my son only had that g-tube since september and got it removed in december when doctors where planing to keep it on alot longer well try that n i promise u better ...  =