Reflux and Solids... When do I become concerned???

[MadCatR]

When do I become concerned???

DD is 8 months this week and we're still having trouble introducing solids. She seems to like it and hasn't refused anything, but....

she only manages about 3 mouthfuls before she starts squirming around, starting to grizzle turn her head away and then eventually vomit. This happens anywhere up to 4 times during a feed and we give up. On a good day we may get 2 tablespoons of food in, but that's very rare.

At 6 1/2 months the paed told us to just persist, clean her up and keep going, upping to 20mg Losec, which didn't make much difference, and since then has started looking pale with red and black rings under her eyes.

On a average day she would throw up about 30 times still. At what point do we pursue more answers. I don't think the medication is contolling the pain completely, the paed said the next step would be a different med (I thinkit started with a Z) and then surgery to tighten that muscle thing (sorry can't remember the correct terms).

Everyone says its just reflux and she'll grow out of it (everyday I think at least we're one day closer), but is there a point where other things should be considered or investigated??? I just hate to think there was something else we could do now.. I just feel so useless to help her.

[La Que Sabe]

sorry, i'm no expert on reflux, but wanted to say this.
if you think the solids aren't helping, stop. at 8 months she doesn't need them if she is coping fine on the breast or formula.
DDs dad is a twin, his mum started them around 7 months i think on human food, his twin loved it, he didn't. he threw it up all the time.
she let it go and started again at 12 months, and he loved it.

does this help at all? :o

[WorkingClassMum]

Has your paed. considered food intolerences?

Reflux may be physical/mechanical - ie the esophageal sphincter not working or a motility disorder when the throat and esophageal muscles are unco-ordinated and undigested food stays in the throat.

Reflux may also occur when food that the body believes that it cannot tolerate, is eaten and the tummy senses it and whoops - rejects it (you should see my ceiling - it's still got avocado on it - DD could projectile vomit several feet). My DD's other trick was if it didn't come up - it came out the other end- very quickly and usually with a whole lot of stomach acid to make life miserable.

I'd be getting a second opinion on the cause of your bub's reflux.

It may be the esophageal sphincter, it may not be intolerence - and it just may be both...

Most babes do eventually grow out of reflux - DD only rarely has a good :barf: chuck these days - and she's nearly 5. In fact she'd probably stopped chucking on a regular basis around 18 months.

There's a few mummies on here with babes just like yours - check out this section as well http://www.bubhub.com.au/community/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=73

[MadCatR]

Thanks for those replies.

DD is on Neocate due to Cow milk protein and soy intolerance. She projectiled and very unsettled on the first and constipated on the other. I dismissed intolerance because the paed asked about rashes so said it wasn't because of allergy. 2 weeks ago I started from scratch adding one food at a time, but still haven't come across any that don't result in no vomitting, just some that appear less painful :rolleyes:. So far all I can give her are green beans, zucchini and rice cereal although she still struggles with those.

I considered holding off the solids again for awhile but the paed had said not to (although both paeds I've seen seem to think solids is the answer) plus she doesn't seem satisfied with her bottles alone. We tried the less more frequently but she became more unsettled and seems happiest on 4 hourly. I'm thinking if the next couple of foods I try don't sit well I may try it though, to give her stomach a rest.

[WorkingClassMum]

Rice can still upset bubs and beans can cause bloating.


Maybe let bubs settle for as long as you can, and then try pear, or golden delicious apple puree or nashi pears.

Both my kids also tolerated sago quite well, cooked with water with fruit puree mixed through.

Sago doesn't have much nutrional value, but it's a good tummy filler.

If bubs has a food protein intolerence, wheat *may* be a problem as well later on

[MadCatR]

Yeah the wheat I want to hold off on until she is at least a couple of years old because I really don't tolerate it well and feel there are plenty of other grains she can have any way. Funnily pears seemed to be one of her worst foods. I even made sure they were ripe and stuff as suggested in Failsafe.

The more I think about it maybe a little time with out solids to start a fresh, may not be such a bad idea, although I don't know if DD will be so happy about that, she gets excited when the food is coming, only lasts a mouthful or two though. And everything I'm eating she wants (but doesn't get) she knows what food is and wants it even though it comes straight back out. She is a comort feeder with her reflux though so even though it causes her pain she likes it too much (thank goodness).

[MadCatR]

Oh yeah meant to say that my mum suggested Sago, I can't stand the texture of it myself, but DD might like it. Did you serve it lumpy, I haven't given her anything too lumpy yet. So could I puree it if she didn't take it lumpy?

[reAllytee]

I wouldnt stress too much at this point it isnt worth it.

My DS2 is 14mths & im lucky for him to have 2 meals per day !

Today was one morning bottle 180mls, around 2tblspn of rice pudding, 100mls water, half a piece of bread, 2 carrot sticks, half a rice cake & a tiny piece of pear then his 180ml nite bottle ... Thats it !

We have loads of issues still with him gagging & coughing his way through meals which often leads to vomitting depending on the day but the vomitting has settled a lot to what it was like !

Keep trying but dont stress yourself or bubs because you will get there it will just take that little bit longer etc.

[WorkingClassMum]

Oh yeah meant to say that my mum suggested Sago, I can't stand the texture of it myself, but DD might like it. Did you serve it lumpy, I haven't given her anything too lumpy yet. So could I puree it if she didn't take it lumpy?

cook it thin, serve warmish.

I also don't like sago or tapioca

[MadCatR]

Thanks for the chat everyone. Its comorting to know that we aren't the only ones going through it.

I was just saying to DH that I'm glad DD is happier now between feed times.

They say you have children that pay you back for what you did to your parents:devil6:, DD is definaitely one of those... all I can say is she is definately my daughter!!!

[kotakai]

Don't forget she was prem (& I think 7 weeks like my DS?)

A lot of babies on the prem forum I belong too weren't really interested in eating till around 10-12 months (sometimes corrected) & even now some that are around 1 1/2 don't eat a lot.

I really wouldn't worry about the not eating, but I'd def get a second opinion to check if anything else is wrong.

We've been put up to 20mg losec a week ago & I finally think I'm starting to notice a change. He's on Elecare for intolerances too. It's so good when things finally seem to start working.

[mim1]

My ds was a nightmare when we introduced solids. He had bad silent reflux (didn't come off meds til 15 months) and so vomiting hadn't been too much of an issue. But, then I tried solids. Until about 10 months, maybe closer to 11 months he could only tolerate thin pureed food. I tried to make my own mashes/purees and failed dismally. He would take it ok, choke and turn blue before vomiting it all up. SO distressing! There were a number of times I was about to turn the highchair upsidedown to get the food out and then he'd vomit it up.

My main suggestion is to try canned pureed food. Try the pumpkin, sweetcorn, sweet potato mash varieties and the pureed fruit - pear (if you're game given what you've said), apple, apricot. The advantage of canned pureed food is that the consistency is the same each time you offer the food. If it still happens with the thin pureed food, then the thickness of the food is not an issue. It's worth a try. I don't know how you're offering zuchinni, but I guess it would be much thicker than these purees.

And I'd suggest stopping the rice cereal. I know that it definitely made my ds's reflux SO much worse and it makes constipation worse (as does banana and baby custard) and that in turn makes reflux worse.

It does get easier. That's the take home message. I struggled because I was still giving the canned purees at 10 or 11 months (they say for 6 month olds) and I felt like a bad mum because of that, especially as other children the same age were eating pieces of fruit & everything. But, now my ds is 21 months, he eats nearly everything we offer him and has no problems with swallowing or vomiting at all!