When Remy was five weeks old, she had developed a congested sound at the back of her throat. It mostly flared up at night and after feedings, but it was definitely always there. I took her in to see the doctor like any concerned parent would do. After her checkup, I was reassured that she was healthy. The doctor thought that the sound might have been due to burps that did not make their way up, and told me to not breastfeed her while laying next to her anymore. That was the only way that we were getting any sleep at night, but if it meant that those horrible sounds would go away, I agreed to do it.
Less than a week later we were back at the doctor’s office. Even though I did what I was told, the sound had worsened. Now Remy was coughing and sneezing every half hour, and she had thrown up the previous night. I thought for sure that she had a cold, or worse. Again our regular doctor was away, so we were sent to yet another physician. This time I was given a proper diagnosis. Infant acid reflux.
This new doctor prescribed Ranitidine and said to come back within a week if I didn’t see improvements. Remy started to sound better within days. However, she was still crying and fighting the breast whenever I tried to feed her. By the end of the day, she flat out refused to eat. Crying and extremely worried myself, my husband and I spent hours looking up natural remedies for acid reflux. We immediately adopted most of the suggestions that we could find. Now, at 11 weeks old, Remy is doing much better. She rarely cries when she eats, her coughing and congestion sounds went away completely, she sneezes much less, and her appetite has returned. Although these natural tips mean us being much more concerned and watchful parents, she’s a much happier baby in general. For that, I would do them for the rest of her life.
– dry cough
– congested throat sounds
– sneezing
– frequent hiccuping
– crying/fighting the breast/bottle
– vomiting
Here is a list of natural remedies that we used in order to alleviate her acid reflux:
– make her wear a Hazelwood Necklace at all times
– keep her upright during feeding (I prop her up against a pillow and have her face me)
– feed her more often and for shorter periods of time
– keep her upright for 20-30 minutes after feeding
– ensure that her head is higher than her body while sleeping (we swaddle her and put her in her glider at night)
– rub coconut oil on her belly in a clockwise direction several times a day
– do bicycle legs on her often throughout the day (this relieves much gas)
– eliminate all caffeine and dairy from my diet
– put her on a daily probiotic (this had the most positive results)
There are still a few more remedies that we haven’t yet tried, such as visiting a newborn chiropractor. So far, these natural implementations in addition to her medicine, seem to have worked wonders. Thank goodness!
<3
Emory
findinghealth2016
/ 10/09/2016Hi Scarlett Blog,
It’s true that this is a little known problem for parents. I was very frightened at first with the symptoms that my son had. He was throwing his head back, and his arms out in pain but without any sounds. He would cry after the episode had finished. The reactions looked almost like seizures so when I researched it I found it looked like Sandifer’s syndrome. When I went to the pediatrician she said it might be neurological, but I really new it was a digestive disorder. She prescribed PPI and he was on them for 4-5 months until I found slippery elm and (of course) no milk products.
It worked all the way until he grew out of it.
Thank goodness!
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Trishawna
/ 05/17/2016Very helpful tips ill try them with my little one.
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Hello, Scarlett Blog
/ 05/17/2016Good! I wish that I knew the signs for infant reflux before I had our daughter. I feel as if I left her in pain for longer than she needed to be …
I hope these help (I know that they will)!
xx
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