Please help! My one-month-old has extremely bad acid reflux to the point where he spits up out his mouth and nose and chokes. The dr has him on medicine, but it doesn’t seem to help much. You can tell it hurts him. He doesn’t sleep during the day, usually longer than 40-minute naps. Sometimes less. And at night nothing longer than 2 hours mostly. I keep him elevated as much as possible. Even propped up the crib mattress while he sleeps. A friend suggested a Chiropractor. And I’m going to take him to a gastro dr. But has anyone else been through this? Does anyone know of anything that can help?
7 Likes
Are they best or bottle fed. If breast check what you are eating if formula checkout different types
2 Likes
I would go with an elemental formula (it’s soy and dairy free) and get a referral to a pediatric Gastroenterologist. Meanwhile, elevate the crib mattress and do less, but more frequent bottles.
A Chiro helped my daughter a ton and I loved these we still use them now and she’s 17 months old they are amazing
1 Like
My daughter had that problem. She threw up every single time she ate and even when she didn’t. We changed her formula to Similac sensitive with a fit of cereal in it not a lot and it slowed it down a lot.
I can’t really help with the reflux but I do know that sleeping propped up is not recommended as it can lead to positional asphyxiation
Son had the same issue. Switched to similac alimentum and inclined him as he slept.
My son was like this we had to elevate him while he slept he would either be in his swing or we had to hold him. He was breast fed for 1 week then I didnt produce enough so we switched to bottles he was put on medicine. After he turned a year old he went on whole milk n has been fine since. Good luck momma
1 Like
Similac gentle ease I think is what we used. She still spit up but not nearly as much as she did before we got her on the similac.
We had this. Find a formula that helps (oddly, carnation worked for him). I put him in swing next to my bed until outgrew it.
Take him back to the doctor. If he’s spitting up so much he’s choking and medicine isn’t working, then there may be something wrong and his doctor needs to be more thorough. He definitely needs to see a gastro doctor, so good that he’s going there.
My son had this problem as a baby. His milk got switched so many times, but finally it stopped once he started a formula called nutrimagen (I think I spelled it rite) this was 20yrs ago so I hope they still make it
Hold him up right for 20 mins after feeding then slowly lay him down
1 Like
You need to be referred to a pediatric gi. You need to figure out what is causing it to be that bad. Acid reflux can cause all kinds of damage if not treated properly.
When he spits up does it project outward or is it just like running down his chin. Is he still gaining properly? Im just wondering because my son was the same and it turned out he had pyloric stinosis
1 Like
My son had reflux when he was a baby and would spit up a lot. We switched him to enfamil ar and had him sleep in a rock n play to keep him elevated. I know they don’t sell those anymore. Eventually he grew out of it.
1 Like
Happened with my 2nd I was BF and he was also on medicine. I was told to change my diet, it was awful for me because it made me cut alot of stuff. Few weeks later it still didnt solve anything therefore we tried stopping BF and did only formula, it worked! Sadly he stayed on formula I really wanted to BF but I hated seeing him suffer so we kept formula for him. My 3rd baby was also having the same problem but luckily cutting dairy for me worked.
If your breastfeeding see a lactation consultant as you may have an oversupply or fast letdown.
From personal experience with a baby with gerd. Use a gentle/sensitive formula if possible . Mattress wedge, don’t lay the baby flat on his back for an hour after he eats. Slow flow nipples, and make sure you get all his gas up. It took about a month, but all of this helped my little one
Do you give meds before he eats?
My son had to be put on a special prescription formula. We had to feed him sitting upright. They make curved bottles for that. And we had to sleep him propped up on his left side. He did finally out grow it.
He needs to be seen by a specialist he may have something wrong. He may require special formula or additives to his formula to make it thicker
5 Likes
You might need to switch his formula. My baby did this and she was breastfed. The only thing that helped was keeping her propped up and making sure to burp very well. Once she was done breastfeeding we had to try a few different formulas. As for the sleep that is normal for a one month old. They won’t sleep much and eat every two hours.
Mine did that when I was breastfeeding and I had to cut out soy, which helped but didn’t solve it. The more I think about it, I think it had a lot to do with oversupply as well. If it happens with the next one I’ve planned to manually expel some before feeding so there isn’t any forcefulness during feedings.
My heart goes out to you Mama 
I went through this with my daughter for her first 7 months. Getting no sleep and seeing your baby suffer is a living nightmare. Please continue to advocate for your child as you are, and work with the GI doctor and pediatrician to come up with a plan best for your child. We went through 4 different formulas before she finally did well. My daughter was prescribed hypoallergenic formula by Similac called Alimentum, and ranitidine acid reflux medicine in a syrup formula administered 3x a day by syringe orally (we later found out this acid reflux brand was recalled for possibly causing cancer 
). You’re doing a great job mama! Hope your baby feels better:heart:
2 Likes
We did chiropractor and also had to change our sons formula a bazillion times until we found one that helped. All of our kids so far have had to either be on nutramagin or soy/plant based formulas and on reflux meds (that also didn’t really seem to help and were expensive because our insurance wouldn’t pay for them at all)
1 Like
My son had it really bad when he was a baby to the point he would choke all the time and go blue. He was silent reflux and he wouldn’t spit up much just acid and he would scream from the pain he was still gaining weight so they wouldn’t prescribe any meds for it anyway a nurse recommended soy milk and infants gaviscon. He still spat up a little bit but didn’t choke and wasn’t in pain anymore and actually slept. That God by the time he was 12 weeks old he had grown out of it and life was bliss
Gas drops helped my son
Also want to mention that with going to the chiropractor for two months, our son is now able to be on regular sensitive formula instead of nutramagin or soy!
My son had it bad. It turned out it was a mix of reflux and a milk protein allergy. He had to be put on an amino acid based formula because even the hypoallergenic (alimentum) had too much in it for him. We had to see a GI to be diagnosed with it.
Oatmeal in the bottle to thicken the milk
We did Nexium and he slept in the mamaroo. It’s AWFUL Mama. Awful. I feel you.
1 Like
I have ! So , he’s a normal baby as far as getting up at night . Great that you elevate the bed . While I am a huge advocate of chiropractic care , I do NOT recommend for a baby at all . Definitely see a a pediatric gastroenterologist. Make sure it’s a pediatric one . I had to switch to a different formula for my son . This was 28 years ago so can’t tell you which one . He projectile vomited as a newborn and did so for years . When in kindergarten, we finally took him to a pediatric gastroenterologist ( make sure you find the best of the best ) . They did exploratory surgery and found my son had a tumor on his small intestine . Medication over a long period of time solved that . Certain things made him vomit : red dye in food / liquids , if he bumped his head , if he got upset and on and on . Your baby should be napping much longer than he is . See the dr ASAP and they will figure all of this out . My heart goes out to you . It’s hard to watch your baby suffer . This will pass so hang in there !
Oh ! The formula we switched to was nutramagin !
I’m going threw the same thing with my (almost) one month old 
I had same issue w my daughter. Call her dr.
I have been through this, my daughter had terrible feeding problems and gastrointestinal issues for 9 whole months. My doctor tried so many medications and formulas, we went to specialist after specialist and finally my daughter was put on nutramigen formula and 3 days later there was a total transformation, less crying due to discomfort, less reflux issues and within 3 months she was over ALL of the prior issues. I highly recommend this formula, please ask your pediatrician about it. I can almost promise your baby and you will be feeling much better.
Both of my lo had it at 1month they wanted to do medication but I felt they were too young. Their DR. suggested putting cereal just a thimble full in the bottle and it worked. May have to use gripe water the first few times as they may develop gad due to the adjustment of the cereal.
My son had BAD reflux issues when he was little. It started out of nowhere in the middle of the night when he was a couple months old and freaked me out so bad that I rushed an hour to the closest childrens hospital. They prescribed medicine for him, I switched his formula, I refused to let almost anyone feed or burp him (I wanted to be thorough because if he drank weirdly or didn’t get out all the burps, his acid flared up horribly), and I had hand-sewed a pillow wedge to fit in his bassinet/wherever so that he was consistently elevated. The first little bit was horrible, but the issues eased off with time and once he was eating cereals and foods, it went away altogether. Keep your head up, momma! I hope you find something that works for your little one! 
Breastfeeding or formula?
My little one had the same problem to the point where the doctors were worried that she would aspirate in the middle of the night. We got her a daydreamer to sleep in and at 3 1/2 months we started spoon feeding oatmeal. Went away super quick afterwards! Wasn’t a fan of the daydreamer to sleep but the dr said the risk of sids from being elevated was lower than the risk of her choking.
Could be lactose intolerant
Try Similac alimentum, it’s for babies with a milk protein allergy.
2 Likes
For one kid. Elevating, ranitidine, switching to similac sensitive, and making sure she was elevated after feedings helped. For the next kid elevating after feedings, nexium, and switching to similac alimentum is what helped. And for my third switching to similac total comfort helped.
All babies are different. Talk to babies pediatrician and see what they can do. They can try another medication or a different formula.
If you switch to a different formula make sure you give the baby a few days or even a week to get used to the new formula. They have to adjust sometimes.
My almost 6 month old daughter had the same problem from the time she was born to about 4 months. Her doctor told me to sit her up while I feed her. I now have my daughter on Enfamil A.R. which is meant for spitting up. Also, like people have mentioned, keep little one proped up after feeding
My daughter went through this as well her first year after she was born. She went below her birth weight at one point and I ended up taking her to a gastro dr and he put her on ranitidine and told me to add cereal to her bottle to make it thick like oatmeal. Also kept her In a bassinet too. Did this for a month or so and noticed she eventually stopped completely.
Try different meds. It took a few med adjustments before we found what worked.
I also added cereal to her bottle & without that it was awful.
My son was the same way when he was a baby. The dr had us switch him to elecare and added rice to all of his bottles. That helped a lot with the projectile vomiting.
For now try putting him to sleep in a baby swing was a life Saver with my baby who had gerd acid reflux
I dealt with this when my little girl was first born. She had severe acid reflux & we tried all the options possible, I didn’t find the medication to work for us either!
The only thing that seemed to help after trying different kinds of formula was the Similac Alimentum, it truly worked wonders.
Try thickner my granddaughter was the same now she is all good thickner from chemist
2 of my kids had acid reflux I put them both on Enfamil AR, I fed them upright and both slept in the bouncy seat , It is so awful for those poor babies. It does get better when they can finally eat baby food but getting through the first 5 months is touch and go.
Are you nursing him or is he bottle fed? I suspect allergies. My granddaughter had the same problem. Her mom was nursing her. Mom went on a very strict diet while nursing and it stopped. I think it was called the aip diet.
When my baby was born she had acid reflux the pediatric gastroenterologist told me to sit her up while giving her a bottle, never lay her down for bottle feedings, also let her sit up 30 minutes after she finished bottle. Babies with reflux have more drainage and are prone to more sinus and ear infections. We also had to tilt the head of her bed because laying flat caused drainage to choke her. As she got older, we had to limit acidic foods or she would throw up and have a horrible cough
1 Like
My son would vomit after every feeding. Dr said it was reflux because that was the easy answer. Spoke to a different dr who listened and it turned out he was allergic to the formula.
Melt a candy cane in hot water then let it cool down to room temperature then give just a little of it by syringe or bottle. Trust me it works. My oldest grandson had acid reflux at that age and my husband said it worked on his girls and to try it.
1 Like
Does he take formula? We had this issue with my oldest twins and they had her on easy tummy formula that was soy and she turned out to not only be lactose intolerant but also soy intolerant at the time
My son had bad reflux as a baby. He had prescribed meds (can’t remember the name, 13 years ago, Lol) and slept on his belly in a wedge pillow. It had straps like a car seat to keep him in place.
1 Like
It would be better to speak with the pediatrician.
My pediatrician recommended adding rice cereal to the formula to thicken it. Not alot just a tablespoon per 8oz bottle. You’ll need a high flow nipple
Two of my grandchildren had acid reflux. One of them was on meds and grew out of it. The other actually ended up having to have surgery. His esophagus flap was not closing so everything he ate came back up. No problems after surgery.
1 Like
They gave my baby gaviscon. It stopped as soon as he started solid food
My son’s pediatrician thought he had acid reflux but when I changed his formula to a hypoallergenic one he didnt have any problems again.
I would take him to a chiropractor. That doctor help my daughter. Unfortunately the doctor retire. My daughter went to a chiropractor when she was 4 months old it was that or a operation. To this day she is very healthy 29 year old and no operation.
1 Like
Try burping bub every ounce or so. I used enfamil with my daughter who is now 50 years old. So it must be a good product to still be available.
My baby had acid reflux really bad too and I went through the same exact thing your going through. I tried 3 different types of formula and then Enfamil AR saved my life. Definitely helped!! The only thing that’s sucks is it’s pretty pricey but I didnt care I was just happy I found something that helped. Hope this helps 
1 Like
My niece had it so bad we had to put formula in all her bottles. Sit her up while feeding and afterwards. She slept on a board at 45 degree angle.
1 Like
My grandson was in the hospital for a few days…they recommended silk milk
Idk if he is on formula but try enfamil a.r or similac spit up it is supposed to help with acid reflex
Chiropractors AREN’T doctors and are NOT qualified to assess or treat an infant.
My daughter had acid reflux. We elevated her mattress and after she ate we set her up, not completely flat, at least 30-60 minutes after. She also had to take liquid Zantac
Chiropractor really helped with both my girls acid reflux issues
Formula problem. Try a soy or something. 2 of my 4 and my grandbaby had the same issue. My oldest looked like the exorcist before we figured it out.
Chiropractic is a great choice
Will he sleep in his car seat or swing?
Carseat upright…rice in bottle… Uprights the way to go-
My twins had acid reflux really bad i got these bottles ( if you bottle feed) but I swear by these things I’m so glad there dr recommend them
You can get infant gaviscon. I had it for my 12 week premature son. Or grype water works. Also if your child gets colic these might work.
1 Like
had same problem go to dr get some anti acid meds and also get recommendation/prescription (if you need it) for wic or health care card to switch formula to soy took care of it for my little guy
1 Like
We changed my daughters formula to the Similac Alimentum and it helped so much! Its really expensive but maybe you could get your insurance to cover it or WIC if you get a prescription. It was amazing at the difference.
My daughter had acid reflux when she was a baby. The doctor told me she’d have to be on medicine for it for as long as God only knows. I decided myself to change her formula. I used similac for spit up. It has rice cereal already mixed in so it’s thicker. It helped her.
Yes talk to Dr. My son did not gain weight first month, would throw up several times a day…changed his formula & he quit & gained 6oz in the next week, that was almost 45 yrs ago!
My 7 month old had similar issues. Turned out to be a dairy protein intolerance. I was breast feeding and taking out all my dairy intake made it go away and he started gaining weight finally.
They also have dairy free formula. But I have no idea about it as I breast feed.
I ended up finding it out on my own as his Dr kept insisting it was reflux.
So I stopped eating dairy and within two weeks he stopped crying non stop and only had normal amounts of baby spit up
3 Likes
Chiropractor! Seriously, it works miracles. One of my sisters, who is a chiropractor, specializes in digestive issues. It can help a lot. Also see about switching formula, my first son has actually allergic to breast milk, and the first few formulas we tried. It cause very similar symptoms.
4 Likes
Ranitidine my middle was on. He only spity up once. His never cane up but help traveling up and down constant. He did best when belly against my chest and him up on my shoulder. Sitting up majority of time helped him. Burped more than often. Like inbetween every ounce and half. Mine switched iur formula. Hes 19 in March. So long ago. But you never forget
Both my sons had/have this but my 4 month old twin son had it severely though we don’t do meds because they don’t always work. I feed my son half his bottle, then burp him and then feed him the rest. He’s on Enfamil A.R. that I was mixing half and half with breast milk at that age. I kept him upright constantly holding him upright in my chest for at least 30-45 minutes. At one month he slept elevated on his left side. Not inclined but very elevated on pillows. I know its not recommended but during the day when he was about 2 months or so he started sleeping elevated on his stomach and can sleep very good like that. Feel free to message me
Both of my children had to go on Nutramigen with a little bit of cereal. We still had some issues but not as bad.
Same with my oldest. Did take him to the chiropractor who recommended acidophilus in his bottles. Life changer
Also, let him sleep in a car seat… at least until you get him some relief.
A chiro may be helpful. If you bottlefeed pacefeeding may be a helpful place to start. Pacefeeding prevents overfeeding. If you breastfeed you may want to consult an IBCLC who might have some great resources for referrals.
That sounds exactly like how my daughter was. A simple fix was to add a little bit of baby cereal to the bottle to thicken it up. You need to talk to your pediatrician first before doing that. My girl was 2 months old when we tried it and we made sure to monitor in the doctors office in case she choked the first couple of feeds. Every baby is different, though. Hang in there, you’re doing great!
just do not mix in cereal, it makes it thicker and will choke him if it comes up. Feed him then keep him upright for 15 mins after feeds… he can NOT lie flat on his back. always on his sides and with a wedge.
My daughter had it bad like this for almost 7 months. They DO grow out of it.
See the chiro, it can only help. Nexium helps alot. Also formula formula for reflux.
All of my babies have it. Definitely prescription for acid reflux and switch to soy based formula. Soy is the biggest and only thing that has worked for our daughter. She isn’t on reflux medication thankfully. Rice cereal can help, but if it’s a dairy intolerance, it’ll make the reflux thicker too. Walmart also sells the parents choice soy based formula that is $12.86 per container. This would be my first recommendation before trying the other high dollar formulas that may not help. I wish you the best of luck. Please switch sooner than later. Also, if you switch to soy, don’t mix it with your current formula. Just switch completely. It won’t hurt their stomach. Soy can cause constipation. It did with our little girl. When they start solid foods, that’ll get better too.
I went through this with both of my children. I recommend going to a pediatric gastrointestinal specialist. When I took my both of my newborns there, they prescribed antacid medication, change of formula ( alimentum) and oatmeal cereal in the bottles. It is a horrible thing to watch your child being uncomfortable. It took about a week or so to see an improvement so don’t give up. As your little grows it will get better. Don’t wait, make the appointment with the specialist if you can. Best of luck!
i dealt with reflux so bad with my daughter she was losing weight and didn’t start putting on decent weight until she was almost 5 months. if he’s a formula baby, change the formula. she was on similac and was on advanced for a few weeks before reflux stared up again, to sensitive which was the same as advanced, then tried alimentum, total comfort, soy, and spit up. spit up is what worked best for us and after that reflux was gone. her first pediatrician said keep her elevated as long as possible too (before the formula changes) and i can tell you right now elevating them doesn’t do shit, my daughter would still throw up whole bottles even with elevating as long as possible and the medicine is more than likely useless too. she improved drastically on similac spit up, although i personally don’t like similac much, but it’s what wic offered.
Try goats milk. It is easier on the stomach. All three of my grandchildren had it. The middle one had it so bad he ended up on goats milk and it really helped
We also propped up everything so he wasn’t laying flat! Could he have a allergy to his milk??? Perhaps change what he is drinking?
We did chiropractor and probiotics with the drs ok for both children…brand new baby
1 Like
My grandson was on zantac and previcid for reflux his was like that also. He finally out grew it at around 9 months. It was miserable hang in there