Family: Happy 1 month, Penelope
It’s hard to believe this little lady has only been out of my belly for 1 month (+ some change) when it feels like she’s been in our family forever.
It’s been one of the most challenging months, but also one of the most fulfilling. Even though it’s a bit of a blur right now, I’m thankful to be these babies’ mama, and excited that our little family is complete. I keep telling myself that it’s temporary; not only the hard parts that make you want to pull your hair out (like when both kiddos are screaming at the same time), and the beautiful parts that you want to bottle up and save for later, like when Liv puts her cheek up to P’s and says, “It’s me, your big sister.” Babies truly don’t keep, and I take every chance I get to smell P’s sweet baby hair, quietly observe the way Liv sweetly talks to her, let her snore on my chest, talk to her in my best “goo goo ga ga” voice (guilty of totally baby-talking ALL babies. And dogs), and just soak up these moments. The reflux has been a tough situation to deal with, especially because I’m exhausted and worried sick that she’ll start choking again, but as you guys said, one day it will be something we look back on and relate to other parents going through the same thing. “Remember when P had reflux? Yeah that was horrible. I’m glad it’s over.” We’re definitely ready to find medicine that works for her and for the reflux to be a memory, because it breaks my heart to see her in pain.
Some thoughts from the first month:
-I can’t help but wonder what it would have been like if I did let the doctors induce me. I think P stayed in my belly for so long for a reason; she really wasn’t ready to come out. We’ve had such a laundry list of (small, thank goodness) situations, it makes me thankful that we waited until she was ready to make it into the world.
-I never thought I would say it, but breastfeeding is awesome. With Liv, I had a really hard time with breastfeeding because we had to introduce a bottle so early. She refused to breastfeed, so I had to exclusively pump, which I really disliked, but I wanted to give her breastmilk as long as possible. Every time I turned on the pump, my toes would curl. This time around, I told myself that I would try it out, add formula as needed, and not beat myself up if we needed to switch to only formula. I’m so thankful that P will go from breast to bottle no prob (for now- this could always change), so I’ve been able to actually breastfeed from the left side and then top her off with formula. During the night feeds, it’s pretty convenient to feed her without having to wait for a bottle to warm up. I’m also glad that I stuck it out through the initial parts: pain from the tongue tie, feeding with SNS tubes, and just getting the hang of things. Having awesome lactation consultants made a world of difference. (If you are in SD and expecting, go see Robin at San Diego Breastfeeding Center. She doesn’t know I have a blog or anything like that, but I wanted to spread the word because she is incredible. They do private consultations and free bi-weekly group meetings.)
-I wanted to ask my fellow reflux mamas what you used for baby wearing. If it’s been a while since P’s last meal, I can wear her in the K’Tan for a little while. I can’t do it right after a meal because it squeezes her stomach too much. Is a sling better? Or maybe the Ergo? I’m going to try the Babyhawk once she has better head control. Also, if anyone is interested in an unused Solly Baby wrap, let me know. I think P will likely outgrow it before we can use it.
-Reflux update: currently, she’s on Zantac and we have some ok nights, and some terrible nights. She’ll arch her back and cry until she spits up multiple times. We’ve elevated the head of the bassinet, hold her upright after feedings (about 20 minutes), I’ve given up dairy (which has been harder than expected, but I’m willing to do anything to see if it can help her), she’s on hypoallergenic formula for top-off, we’ve switched to Ventair bottles, and she’s seen the chiropractor a couple of times. We have a referral to the GI specialist, but the wait is about two months to get in. Our next visit to the pediatrician is today, and I’m hoping she has some ideas for the next steps. We’ll likely be changing meds, and I’m going to request an ultrasound and blood allergy test. Her doctor didn’t think it was Pyloric Stenosis but I want to make sure that it isn’t something structural.
Penelope likes:
Her big sis. Her face lights up when Liv talks to her, and you can already tell that these two have a special bond. Liv calls her “Cutie girl” and “Smiley girl”
Having her hair brushed
Bathtime
“This little piggy”
When I sing kirtan songs to her before nap – she closes her eyes and it’s adorable
Dad’s funny faces
She hates:
Being cold
The carseat
Being wet
Refluxing 🙁
When she feels well, she’s the sweetest, calmest baby and will coo and smile.
I’m excited to see more of her little personality as time goes on and what the next month has in store. Fingers crossed it involves feeling better for this little lady. Thank you again to all of you who have sent emails and comments with love, and to those of you who have offered your tips and suggestions. It’s one of the many reasons I’m thankful for this little space on the internets.
We love you, Miss P. <3
xoxo
Gina
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Happy 1 month to Penelope! You can see the resemblance to her big sister in those first pics 🙂
Happy birthday P!
Since her reflux is so extreme, have they suggested an upper GI? Sometimes that little muscle at the base of the esophagus doesn’t form properly and this can also cause extreme reflux. They will just take an image while she is drinking a bottle to see how it works. Just an idea you might advocate for. Good luck! I pray she gets better soon!
That first picture is the cutest thing, so what I needed after an obnoxious day. God Bless!
I think the allergy test is a good idea. As a momma of three anaphylactic kiddos (peanut, tree nuts and egg) that was the first thing that came to mind. I hope you guys find a solution for her. It’s hard to watch our babies in pain. My oldest had colic for the first 3 months. We switched to neutramigen and it worked wonders. We later found out he was allergic to milk, wheat, soy, egg, peanut and tree nuts. Luckily he had outgrown everything but the nuts. Prayers for your sweet girl and your sanity. I know it’s tough! Your girls are absolutely beautiful!
thank you <3 we can have her tested when she's a year, and i think that will help a LOT
xoxo
Love this update! She is a beautiful baby girl!!! Prayers for healing and a tired momma and daddy!
Thanks so much for this post, I love reading your updates!
I’m in the market for a solly wrap, please let me know if you would like to sell it? Expecting Baby 2 in June and would love to do more babywearing the 2nd time around.
Happy 1 month birthday pretty girl!! Hope you are feeling much better this time next month :)! And that goes for your mommy too :)!!
man, i hope so! xoxo
Gina, I have been reading your blog for YEARS. I mean years, I remember when you were pregnant with Liv, and I never comment. I just wanted to let you know that I’ve been thinking of you. I had my first in September, a daughter we named Daphne Marigold, and I combed through your archives to get ready for her arrival. She was a big girl just like yours! I just want you to know that I think you are a wonderful mama. And Penelope looks just gorgeous. So big and healthy! And that’s all because of your hard work to carrying her on the inside and now nurturing her on the outside. I know this is a challenging time, but I think you are doing so well despite it all. I will continue to keep you all in my prayers. Thanks for all the advice you didn’t know you gave me 😀 <3 Amanda
thank you so much, and thank you for reading for so long!
sending lots of love to you, and thank you for the sweet comment- brightened my morning
xoxo
Oh good, I’m glad 😀 Happy Holidays!
She’s such a cutie! I’m sorry I don’t have any advice for reflux! My son had colic the first few months and he was a lazy nurser and I had to pump. That time was so difficult and seemed forever but things got better. Best of luck! She’s a beauty:)
OK WHAT!? 1 month already!?!?! HOWWWWWW
I know this past month has been a huge struggle, but you have been in my thoughts and prayers, love <3
And ok I just need to say that YES Liv ALWAYS looks like you, but in this picture in particular….. WOW!!!!!!!!!!! Mini you!
thank you friend- i appreciate it so much <3
Oh I’m interested to hear how the doctor goes as far as the reflux. My little guy is 3.5 months and been dealing with reflux since birth. We are doing most of the same steps.. Zantac, alimentum formula, sitting up after feeding. We had a choking scare and now I won’t let him sleep in crib. We’ve been mostly just holding him at night which obviously is not ideal but I never want to see him choke like that again.
Recently his doctor said we could thicken bottles with rice cereal to help hold it down, but I found he started to get very gassy and fussy from it so we stopped. I feel like now it’s just a waiting game of when he will outgrow it. I can’t wait for him to be big enough to roll around because I think sleeping on his tummy might help although I am petrified of it. Ah the worries of mommyhood.
i’m the same way. i hardly sleep because i’m so afraid about it happening again 🙁
hang in there and hope it gets better for you soon!
Wow, I cannot believe it has already been a month! I love that first picture of her. She’s already got a booming personality! Thank you for posting so honestly about the struggles of this first month. It’s nice to see the authenticity. <3
That smile!!! xoxo
My five month old daughter has bad reflux, but is starting to outgrow it a little. She is currently on Nexium, which is a pain to give her (have to mix powder with water and give it two hours after a feeding and one hour before the next feeding, which is hard to time), but seems to be working.
As for babywearing, in the early days, I loved my Wildbird ring sling. once we got the hang of it, it was so easy to get her in and out and you’re able to adjust the tension a bit. We also love the Fidella flytai.
i will check those out- thank you!
Yay for getting through the reflux! I have a ring sling that I used from the begining and a moby worked after many hours of watching YouTube. We still love the ring sling 16 months later.
Oh man the reflux. My second had it horribly. I think she cried continuously for 6 straight months and two Er trips due to choking. Zantac never worked
great for her either. They actually put her on Prevacid I believe and Zantac which helped some but really we just had to wait it out. She never really started eating well until 18 months Bc if her severe gag reflex due to all the vomitting. She had to sleep
Upright and not be moved for 45 min after each feed, no bottles ever and lots of cuddles I. The middle of the night. Phew! Let’s hope #3 doesn’t have reflux. My friends baby had it and thickening his formula helped him tremendously. My baby never took a bottle so that never was tried but thought I’d let you know:)
She’s an absolute doll. I hope that she continues to feel better and better! <3 <3 <3
I’m so sorry little P has reflux! It sounds like stronger meds are definitely in order. My little guy had reflux too, and we ended up switching him to Prevacid. We also started with Zantac, but realized quickly we needed to change. The Zantac is mostly used as a pain reducer, but it doesn’t actually stop the acid from forming….prevacid prevents the acid from forming, and takes about a week to get into their systems and start working. Hopefully you get things figured out soon! You’re doing so well and advocating for that sweet babe of yours! She’ll feel better soon! Good luck!
Hi! I just wanted to clarify something – Zantac, also known as ranitidine, is not a pain medication. It actually does reduce the amount of acid produced. It belongs to a group of drugs called histamine -2 blockers. Prevacid, or lansoprazole, also works by reducing the acid in your stomach, albeit by a different mechanism – it blocks little channels in your stomach that let acid in, called proton pumps. 🙂
Great explanation! We were on both and I didn’t know this.
How did one month already go by! She is absolutely adorable-stay strong through these hard parts, you are doing great! I’m expecting my first and would love a solly baby wrap!
She looks so much like the Pilot in these pics. I found doing lots of tummy time helped my babes get stronger faster and grow out of reflux more quickly. And by tummy time not just putting them on the ground for tummy time, but rocking them holding them face down, letting them lie on me face down etc. You are doh g a great job and she is beautiful!
she looks SO much like tom, it’s crazy.
glad to hear that helped! that’s pretty much how we always hold her- she seems to like it 🙂
xoxo
I’m curious because you have mentioned a few times that two kids completes your family. I really love reading posts that share how families come to this decision. I know it is personal, but I’m having such a hard time with knowing if we are done adding to our family and would love to know how you made a decision. Thanks and good luck with everything, sisters are the best!
initially tom wanted a lot of babies, and then he saw how much work it is, and he was like “i’m good with two” hah
i’ve always wanted two kids. friends for each other, but feels manageable to go out to eat and take vacations. i think 3 would overwhelm me. 😉
Reflux is the worst and I my boy choked a few times – sounds a lot like P. Also, I’m expecting my 3rd in January and I’ll buy your Solly off you. Love your blog! Hang in there.
thank you <3 i will email you about the solly!
My sister had a baby shortly before you and she is suffering from reflux as well. It’s so hard to see. She has to take pain medication and I believe she is also on Zantac. When she was born she dropped weight super fast so they had to put her on a super high calorie formula and my sister tried pumping but her milk supply just never really came in and by the time Keeley had gained enough weight back, my sister’s milk had all but dried up. Keeley is lactose and soy intolerant so now she’s on Alimentum which is apparently very expensive but it sits well in her stomach and makes her happy so that’s all that matters!! She comes from a long line of GI issues, unfortunately, but, like you said about Penelope, when she is calm, she is just the sweetest thing you’ve ever seen…smiling and cooing and so curious! Keeping P in our thoughts 🙂
A 2 month wait for a GI doc? Omg how frustrating!! Poor little thing. I hope she feels better soon.
I also had a reflux guy. Slight tongue tie we corrected, chirp visits, and upright everything.
… Same baby was Also had a MSPI . You mentioned you cut out dairy. 50% of babies who have dairy issues also have soy. I would suggest giving up soy. Also– be patient on the dairy, it takes 3 weeks to fully get the proteins out of your system, and around another 2-3 for the residuals from your system to pass through hers. You should see improvement in 4-6 weeks. I noticed improvement after 4 weeks off dairy and soy (be vigilant about labels– I had to switch from my raw prenatals due to them containing fermented soy. Soy and dairy are in SOOOO many things.
Also– MSPI babies notoriously hate car seats…. It puts them in the exact most painful reflux position and they can’t arch or do anything about it…
i’ve definitely been watching the soy intake, but i’ll be more vigilant about it. thank you!
xoxo
Oh man, I feel like I’m reading about my own first month home with baby number 2. He’s four months now and happily eating while sleeping on the boob, but everything you’re going through? Been there.
Our little guy has reflux and we do Zantac twice a day. Breast feeding was terrible at first, I didn’t understand why my baby wa Sao unhappy all of the time and would arch and scream just like P does. Zantac seems to have helped but it took a few weeks.
He also had tongue and lip ties that we needed revisions on (we found an amazing ENT here in Tucson to do them) but I cried while nursing every single time up until that point.
We also saw an amazing woman here to do cranial sacral therapy, have you looked into that all? It seemed to help us. If you’re in Tucson soon I can send her contact info.
Anyway good luck! It gets better!!
thank you! i’m so ready to hit that turning point
she has a cranial sacral appointment on monday! hopefully it helps. i’d love your info for the tucson therapist, too, for when we’re in town. if you’re interested in chiropractic, dr michelle switzer is AMAZING
hope you have a wonderful weekend <3
I’d be interested in the solly baby wrap if it’s still available 🙂 Your daughters are so adorable! It’s so fun watching big sisters be big sisters. I love it when my daughter tries to comfort our baby by saying “It’s okay honey, your sister is here.” Melt my heart. But yes, when they’re both crying I want to run out the door! ha! I’m trying to enjoy every part of it (even the sleep deprivation) because this is our last one. I’ve had Isla sleep on her side and on a slight incline in her bassinet and that seems to be helping us. I’ve also cut out all dairy. I ordered starbucks yesterday and forgot to ask for soy…paid for that later in the evening. As far as slings go, we use the Mayan Ring Sling and love it. She definitely has a lot of room in there and it’s as squished as she is when we put her in the K’tan.
What a cutie!!
My daughter is now 21 months and still on Prevacid and it helps so much! We did a combo of Zantac and PrevacId when she was an incan’t, used Dr. Browns bottles and she was on Nutramigen formula. We did the 20 minutes upright as well. It took time and we are weaning her from the meds now but it does get better, especially once we started cereal (at 4.5 Months to help per Drs suggestion). Also they tested her stool at 2 months for blood and saw some (microscopically), which is why she was on Nutramigen (I didn’t BF). She now has no signs of a dairy allergy or intolerance and I’m so glad since she’s a big yogurt and cheese eater. It gets better!!
that’s very reassuring to hear! we’re doing a stool test too to see what the find out
xoxo
I’m keeping my fingers crossed that Penelope’s reflux is under control soon. My son Rhys is two weeks old, and I would do anything to make sure he’s happy and comfortable. I wanted to comment on the ventaire bottles (if they are the Playtex bottles?). We started with those, but eventually had issues with the vents not working properly, which caused a lot of gas issues for Rhys. We don’t have a dishwasher and hand wash everything, so that might be part of the issue. We switched to Tommee Tippee bottles (vent is on the nipple) and had much better results. I hope you don’t mind the recommendation, and hopefully the ventaires work great for P (who has the greatest smile!!)
i will try those out, too! thank you!
Hi! I’m a pediatrician, and a long time reader – I was just going to offer some tidbits :
1- allergy testing in this age group is pretty useless. They have a lot of false positives – and their immunity comes from moms Immunoglobulins – their own G.I. tract hasn’t been exposed to many things so until the age of about eight months to one year, allergy testing isn’t really recommended
2- A lot of moms thing to cut out dairy first. But from an allergic perspective if you ask an allergist, eggs are usually the things to cut out if you’re concerned about an allergy – sorry about that, Gina!
3- Reflux is actually a pretty common thing – we don’t really put babies on Zantac unless they’re losing weight. So if her weight gain is still great (about 15 to 30 g per day since she was last weighed), she doesn’t necessarily need to be on Zantac. However of course it makes us feel better so it’s OK to continue it but we don’t usually go for in credibly stronger medications like Prevacid unless theyre still gasping or having an alte (like you described that she once had)
4- is she spitting up every feed? And is it so forceful that it could literally spray onto the wall she’s facing? Bc that’s pyloric stenosis. It’s def not very common in girls and more often in firstborns statistically so her having it would be very red herring and of course I hope she doesn’t!
I hope these were helpful!
hi amna,
thank you so much for chiming in- i really appreciate you sharing your expertise!
our ped said something similar. she said they won’t do allergy testing until she’s at least a year.
she also recommended cutting out eggs last time we were there, so i haven’t had them since thanksgiving day :/ my favorite food! worth it to see if it helps, though
she’s gaining weight, but very slowly because she spits up so much. she’s still been gasping, coughing and occasional times when she stops breathing before spitting up. she did it 4 times a couple of days ago, and while nothing has been as bad as the first incident (thank goodness), it’s still really scary. we’re trying prilosec this week, so hopefully that will help a bit
she’s not spitting up every feed. it’s a few during the day, and then everything comes out at night and she screams in pain. she’s only had a couple of projectile spit ups.
thank you again- i really appreciate your help <3
Just want to echo what so many other of the reflux mamas have said: Prevacid! Both of my girlies had severe reflux as infants and that is the only medication that seemed to help them. Hang in there, mama. YOU’RE DOING A GREAT JOB! THIS TOO SHALL PASS! Like so many struggles, unless you’ve walked it, it’s so hard to understand just how challenging/exhausting infant reflux can be. My youngest is about to turn one and it’s amazing to think back on how much we’ve endured!
that’s good to hear! we’re switching to prilosec, and if that doesn’t work, prevacid is the next step.
you’re totally right. i had no idea reflux was this exhausting and scary.
sending love to you
Good luck, mama! Just a heads up (in case you weren’t already informed): those proton pump inhibitor meds (Prilosec, Prevacid) can take up to two full weeks of consistent dosage before you start to see a huge difference. Don’t want to discourage you here, but rather encourage in case you don’t see immediate results.
good to know- thank you! i read online that you should keep them on the zantac until the prilosec can kick in, so i’m going to check with the pharmacist and make sure that’s ok
xoxo
Look at that big smile!!!!! She’s beautiful!!!
thank you!
My first born had surgery for pyloric stenosis at around 6weeks. Not fun for first time parents. My second son had reflux. Also not fun. But our first born didnt seem in pain during his vomiting. And it was like projectile vomiting after each feeding. So there was definitely a difference between the two. I hope you get it all figured out soon. My oldest are now 7 and 6 so is all a distant memory now. It will be for you one day as well. By the way she a cutie!
yeah, hers isn’t projectile but it is painful 🙁
happy to hear it’s behind you! i’m excited for that day
xoxo
Oh my goodness she’s such an angel, look at that smile! She looks sooooo much like big sis 🙂 Happy one month to P! Sending love to you as you continue to find the right path to help P. You’re doing amazing mama, never forget that!
thank you, friend
What a beautiful girl! She’s just precious! Sorry again about all the reflux stuff. I hope your pedi will prescribe a PPI medication for her. IMO, Zantac is not helpful for reflux this bad. I had always heard that allergy tests aren’t accurate in young babies and we had to wait til over a year. But maybe research has changed as my kids are 8 & 5. An upper GI test showed my daughter’s structural defect (not pyloric stenosis) and both kids had this done at one point. I used an ergo with the infant attachment and it worked well for us. I’d also suggest making sure you are on the GI doctor’s cancellation list. My oldest is waiting to he his GI Doctor and we had a 2 plus month wait. I called today to get on cancellation list and they had an opening tomorrow! Never hurts to keep calling. Thinking of you and hope things improve. You are an awesome mom!
we are switching to prilosec, so hopefully that will help! the ped said we can’t do allergy testing until she’s a year, and is hoping she grows out of it. i had to give up eggs, too, which is a bummer, but worth it to see if it makes her feel better
i’ll try putting her in the ergo and see how it goes!
happy to hear you were able to get an earlier appointment <3
xoxo
Oh sweet little P your smile can certainly light up a rom! Wishing you the best with P’s reflux Gina and I hope you will soon put this behind you! Lots of love!
thank you <3 her smile is one of my favorite things ever 🙂
xoxo
Robin is so great! I’m so glad you found her. She really helped me.
Have you looked into Babywearing International of San Diego? They have an enormous lending library, and for something like $40/yr, you can borrow a new carrier each month. The volunteers are very knowledgeable and could probably find you a good fit for your situation. They have a facebook page where they post their monthly events.
I hope you find a way to help that little cutie pie soon! So hard to see them in pain and then not know how to fix it. Take care of yourself. <3
she is beyond wonderful.
thank you for the tip about the babywearing group! i will check it out now
Does she grunt and groan when she goes #2? (Gross, I know, but we’re all mommas here ;)) if so, have the ped check for anal stenosis. It can cause the same kind of committing as reflux and pyloric stenosis and can be treated with probiotics if not too serious.
i’m glad you suggested that- i picked up some klaire probiotics for her this morning
Hi there, I’ve had two reflux babies with meds too. By 6 months, reflux just goes away and we quit the meds. I think the meds work a little but not great. We had lots of spit up for months, with or without medicine. We are also on Neocate formula after dairy and or soy problems while bfing. I would not do extra appointments with specialists or testing because it will likely just go away.
that’s good to hear. our doctor is being very conservative about testing, so we’re doing a stool test but that’s it for now + switching to prilosec
I just wanted to send you and baby P lots of love and well wishes. It is the worst feeling in the world to not know how to help your child when he/she is in pain. You seem to be doing everything you can, so take comfort in that.
thank you- i appreciate it <3
She is adorable!!! I cannot get over the sweetness of her smile! I really hope the Dr. can help. My oldest had reflux really bad when he was a baby. He would projectile vomit straight out, it was crazy! But just like you said we look back now and are grateful to have it behind us!
How hard was it to resist the doctor’s suggestion of induction? I sure couldn’t do it. My little one’s reflux was never as bad as P’s, but she did have serious tummy trouble. Have you considered cutting soy out of your diet – hypoallergenic formula shouldn’t have it? I read something like 60% of babies with dairy issues have soy issues too.
I carried with the Boba, but little one loved a little pressure on her belly as she was super gassy and crampy and only had some spit up issues.
Good luck, mama. Hope things turn around soon.
She is just so cute! Hope she gets better soon!
My little guy had terrible reflux, and his GI put him on ranitidine. It worked really well. It won’t stop the reflux or spitting up, but it eases the pain. Also, he slept in a rock n’ play for the first few months of his life. It was a lifesaver. As far as a baby carrier, I used (and still use) the Boba 4G carrier. Not so squishy for the little guy.
Congratulations on your sweet girl!
I just want to say that I was induced and it was fine. I had my baby in hours. It was natural, uncomplicated and my baby came out healthy and is thriving. I don’t know if you realize it, but you write about induction as if it’s this shameful thing and I don’t understand why and to be honest, am a little offended. It’s great that you didn’t have to be induced, but some of us did and it’d be nice not to have to read about it in a way that makes it sound so dramatic and shameful because it’s not.
Oh my gosh, that wasn’t my intention at all, and want to apologize if it came off like that. My needle phobia was what made induction seem the scariest, and I ended up getting an epi anyway, which totally saved me. I just wanted to minimize interventions if they weren’t medically necessary, or if I still had time to wait. To me, “big baby” meant that I could wait it out, even though the doctor ended up being totally right about size.
Having a little one with reflux is so scary and heartbreaking! She’s so lucky to have wonderful parents who are advocating for her and doing everything to make her comfortable! My little one ended up having pyloric stenosis and had surgery at 3 weeks. Definitly request the ultrasound because they can’t always feel it during a physical exam. They didn’t think our little guy had it but sent us for an ultrasound to double check and sure enough it was clear as day on ultrasound. It was a hard time but we made it through and so will you!!!
they’re doing a stool test, and we’ll probably do an ultrasound if that shows any inflammation. thank you for the tips and sorry to hear your little guy had PS, but happy they were able to fix it quickly.
xoxo
Happy 1 month baby P!!
That smile! 🙂 She sure looks like Tom!!
It’s evident that you’re such a good mom! Enjoy those adorable girls! All the cliches are too true. It goes by way too quickly!! <3
thank you so much <3
and yes! baby tom 🙂
xoxo
Hi — with my little ones the zantac didn’t work but the tagament did. My second was a choker and it scared me to death but it stopped by the time she was a month old. I always thought the formula, even hypoallergenic, made it worse. So, rather than supplementing at each feeding with formula, I would pump and finish off those evening feedings with breast milk and only use the formula to supplement during the day so at least we could get some rest at night.
Remember: this too shall pass!!!!
i feel like the formula was making it worse, too. the ped gave me a new one, so we’ll see if a switch helps!
thank you for the reminder that it’s temporary. so ready to be over this hump
xoxo
Reflux is so hard. My daughter had it for the first 6 months. It is scary and hard and exhausting. Hugs to you.
If they believe dairy is a problem, I would also recommend cutting out soy. 50% of children who have a dairy intolerance are also unable to tolerate soy. Soy was HUGE issue for us (she still can’t have it at 18 months!). Also remember it takes 4-6 weeks to get dairy out of your system, then another 4-6 weeks to get out the babies system. So patience is key.
We ended up on Prilosec (another type of medication similar to Zantac). We also found probiotics to be SO helpful – The best brand we found was Seeking Health Infant probiotic (you can buy on amazon) and put it into the bottle. It is allergen free and all that is in it is the probiotic. That was LIFE changing for us.
Keep your chin up and know you are doing everything right for your baby.
thank you, friend- i really appreciate it.
i found some probiotics at the co-op (klaire brand), so hopefully they will help! i cut out eggs last friday, and don’t eat a ton of soy. if the no dairy and no eggs aren’t improving anything, i’ll definitely try it. at this point, i’m wiling to try anything that could make her feel better. we have an RX for prilosec, so fingers crossed it helps! sorry to hear you went through this too
xoxo
We also did the elimination thing. I was off of Dairy, Soy, Egg, Wheat, and Corn for 5 months. I was able to add back wheat at 6 months and she did fine. Egg took until 12 months, corn at 18. Still no dairy or soy. They have been a nightmare when we reintroduced them. My food intake affected her pretty strongly. Ironically, we did blood allergy testing and they were all negative but she still had a rash and GI problems with soy and corn and gets bloody stool with dairy. So they deemed it “a severe intolerance.” Not super helpful.
But again, the prilosec, the probiotics and my diet are what helped. I just eliminated until I had a happy kiddo.
There are support groups online and lots of information. I looked on KellyMom.com and just did a lot of google searches. Feel free to email me if you have any questions or if you just need support,
awesome- thank you. i’m off eggs now, too, and it’s rough but worth it to see if it will help
we started the klaire probiotics this am! fingers crossed
xoxo
I don’t know if anyone mentioned it yet but I wanted to recommend the Boba 4G for a carrier! It comes with an infant seat (and it’s not one that wraps around the body like the ergo one you buy, which makes them super hot) and can be used starting at 7lbs. It keeps them sitting upright so is perfect for reflux, and it grows with them (it comes with toddler foot straps as well to keep hips in the proper position). I can’t recommend it enough to reflux moms!
i haven’t even seen this one! will definitely check it out. thank you!