How should I give acid reflux medication(Ranitidine) properly to a 11 weeks old baby?
My 11 weeks old baby boy has just been diagnosed with acid reflux. Our doctor prescribed him with Ranitidine (RT), he not only spits out the medicine every time I gave him but also vomits out the milk. I’m thinking to mix the medication with milk ( I breastfeed), I’m wondering if the medication would work the same. I’m also looking for good advice on how to care for a baby with acid reflux. It hurts me to see him throwing up but nothing comes out, I’m afraid to even feed him knowing he’ll vomit later on. Thank you for your input.
Tagged with: Acid • Baby • give • medicationRanitidine • properly • Reflux • should • weeks
Filed under: Acid Reflux Medication
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try adjusting your diet & giving him probiotics first. follow up with a GI doctor. meds for babes are given in the corner of the mouth using a dropper -the pharmacist can supply one.
My daughter is on Prevacid and I mix it with a small amount of formula…like just an ounce so I can be sure she will take it all then give her more formula if she wants it. So if you pump you can mix it with that. As long as he takes it all then mixing it shouldnt make a difference. If I dont mix it my daughter holds it in her mouth then spits it out.
I just squirted it to the back of his throat fast but a little at a time. Then he couldn’t spit it out
does your baby have a soother if so give it then put the soother in there mouth thats what i do with my son! and he on reflex meds also
the pharmacy told me to give it to my 5 week old an hour before eating and so she wouldnt spit up, and also to put it on the inside of her cheek near the back so its harder to spit. but after 3 weeks of that AND her still throwing up I found out she not only has reflux she also has a milk protein allergy and has to use Neocate formula (sold at the pharmacy but no prescription is needed) its an amino acid based formula. she cant have any type of milk based formula, soy, or breast milk. So if he still is throwing up I would try that. Its kinda expensive but its made a HUGE difference in my baby. She isnt gassy anymore and she doesnt throw up at all….she doesnt cry after eating and is like a whole new happy baby!
I’ll give you my overall advice on reflux before addressing the meds specifically:
Technically, the only way to officially diagnose reflux is a GI probe test, which is extremely invasive, especially for an infant, so most doctors make a unofficial diagnosis based on symptoms. Here’s a list of reflux symptoms in infants: http://heartburn.about.com/od/infantschildrenandreflux/qt/infantgerdsympt.htm
What symptoms does your baby have that made your doctor diagnose reflux? Did your baby lose weight or have trouble gaining? Was he not wetting adequate diapers?
Be aware that excessive spitting up, or spitting up in general, is *not* the same as reflux. All babies spit up at some point or another, and some spit up a lot, but reflux is not always the cause. Reflux, or GERD, occurs when the valve that separates the stomach from the esophagus doesn’t close completely after a feeding, causing stomach acids and food (or, in a baby’s case, milk) to come back up. This often causes damage to the esophageal wall as well, as stomach acids are extremely corrosive. This is why true reflux or GERD can only truly be diagnosed by a GI probe test. The probe searches the esophagus for damage and checks to see if the valve doesn’t close properly.
Spitting up is sometimes a symptom of reflux, obviously, since milk will come back up if the valve doesn’t close completely, but there are many other possible causes of spitting up: oversupply or overactive letdown, excessive swallowing of air during feeding, pyloric stenosis, allergies (sometimes food allergies or sensitivities, such as a dairy allergy), or sometimes overeating/overfeeding. Many of these issues are mistakenly diagnosed as reflux, when they’re not reflux at all. Often, they’re easily fixable with dietary changes, altering feeding methods or positions, or, in the case of pyloric stenosis, surgery would be required. Babies can also have what’s known as silent reflux – reflux without the obvious symptom of frequent spitting up. So, spitting up isn’t always an accurate indicator of reflux. They’re two completely different things.
Personally, I think it’s best to try solutions for some of the problems listed above before resorting to prescription medications for reflux. If the baby is breastfed, block feeding, eliminating dairy, and altering feeding positions can help eliminate the issues. If the baby is formula fed, sometimes changing formulas can help, specifically if it’s suspected that the baby has a dairy allergy or sensitivity. You might consider talking to your doctor about testing for allergies as well, before trying any reflux medications.
Chiropractic care is also shown to help reflux, or other issues that mimic reflux. Chiropractic adjustments help body stay in proper alignment, which can aid in proper digestion and help reduce the symptoms of reflux, colic, allergies, and other issues. Here’s more info on chiropractic care for reflux: http://www.infantrefluxdisease.com/forums/showthread.php?t=46045 This is a very detailed report on how chiropractic care helped infants with reflux and similar issues: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2597889/
Be aware that many doctors still recommend adding rice cereal to an infant’s diet in order to help reflux. This is actually not proven to lower reflux index scores or heal esophageal damage. It’s basically a bandage that can occasionally help a symptom of a problem, but the underlying issue (silent reflux) will still persist. Here’s a link to an article that references a study on thickening feeds with cereal to treat reflux: http://www.hini.org/HINI/pdfs/InTouchVol18_2.pdf and another: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3806288?dopt=Abstract In some cases, the rice cereal made the reflux worse.
In other words, treating reflux with rice cereal is like treating a broken bone with Vicodin. The Vicodin will help the pain – a symptom of the broken bone – but the bone will still be broken. Personally, I would avoid thickened feeds, given that there are no known benefits, and actually some risks. Introducing solids before an infant is developmentally and biologically ready (which is around 6 months of age, based on the medical evidence we have now), can lead to digestive issues, allergies, iron deficiency anemia later in life, and other issues: http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/delay-solids.html
Overall, if your baby is wetting adequate diapers and gaining weight, it is likely more of a laundry issue than anything else. Did your baby lose weight or have trouble gaining? Was he not wetting adequate diapers?
Here’s a good page on reflux. A lot of the information is directed toward breastfed babies, but most of it will apply to formula fed babies as well: http://www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns/reflux.html
My son had acid reflux from time he was born till 1 1/2. He was perscribed liquid zantac. We found the best way was, give him the medicine, wait 1 hour, then try to feed him. The reflux progressively lessened the longer he was on it. Now he’s fine. It is very hard to deal with,all the crying and throwing up about makes you crazy. Most get over it within a year. Bouncing really helped mine, makes their tummy feel better than rocking. Bounce him in your lap or try a Bouncy seat ,really helps. Lessons alot after they’re eating baby food, stays down better. Also if you mix the milk with a little baby cereal in a bottle, it stays down better.
My baby has acid reflux also and he used to spit up the medicine all the time. We use a really small med dropper (got it from the pharmacy) and squirt a tiny bit at a time in the back side of his mouth, that way he really can’t spit it out. It might take a little longer, but it’s been way worth it for us. We also make sure to keep him sat upright for a while after he eats, and that helps so much! You can give the meds however you want, they will work the same, so you can try it in your milk. Just remember that when they spit up, it looks like alot more than how much it really is, and even if it seems like he’s spitting it all up, he’s still getting plenty of nutrients from it and as long as he’s growing well, then he’s alright. Good luck!
This post really helped my family and I out a lot. Thanks for the info because you made our decision making process much easier.