help... could this be GER?

Ok ladies, I really need your help. I’m sitting here in tears because I just don’t know what to do for my son anymore, and I really feel like something just isn’t right. I’m curious about GER (Reflux)….. anybody have any experience and can help me out?

I guess I should start by saying my son, is 5 months old today. He was extremely colicky and still is. Although he has happy moments, he still is very unhappy many times during the day.

He now has a cold, and has been coughing quite a bit. He spit up a bit more than usual yesterday and today, I can’t believe what has been coming out of him. He is happy, no fever, but after the 2 feedings this morning, he threw it ALL up, sorry TMI. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I know it may just be from his cold (the doc last week said it was just that, a cold). Now I’m wondering, if his colic symptoms could be more and something is bothering him. They told me he would grow out of it, by 4 months or so, but it is still going strong.

He usually eats, is happy for 1 to 1 ½ hours, then starts with little whimpers which turn into cries. He doesn't usually spit up... maybe a bit, but nothing unusual. He has been sleeping better at night, but still wakes up and needs coaxing back to sleep. When he does cry, sometimes all that helps is if we stand up with him. Once we sit, even though he is still upright, he cries.

Can you ladies please tell me, if you experienced reflux with your baby, what the signs/symptoms were? I don’t want to bring me baby for any unnecessary testing, but I wonder if he could have something like this that bothers him and this is why he is so unhappy. He is on Lactose Free formula.

Please help… any suggestions? Should I call the doc and explain he is still extremely unhappy many times during the day, or will they laugh? I just want my son to be happy and enjoy him…. We love him to death, but it does get trying when he seems so unhappy all the time. THANKS!!!!!!!!!!

I am going thru the same thing now, but I'm not sure if it's reflux. I actually have an appt in 3wks w/ a GI. My son is 4weeks and his sypmtoms are fussing, arching his back in pain and crying while he eats. Sometimes he spits up, but nothing like what your describing.

This website helped me alot.
http://talk.sheknows.com/forumdisplay.php?f=239

Hope this helps.

My son is just a few days younger than yours. He didn't have a lot of fussiness but he definately had the vomiting after eating. It would happen at least once every-other day, sometimes every day. Its very disconcerting to see so much fluid come out of someone so small. I felt so bad for him! Since he was gaining weight and wasn't refusing to eat the doctors weren't worried. The muscles in his esophagus got strong enough to keep everything down once we hit the 3 month mark.

I'd say see your doctor if you are really worried about your son. Don't feel like you're being silly. You know your baby best and if he's not feeling good take him to the doctor, if it turns out to be nothing at least you'll have some peace of mind. Hang in there and I hope your little one feels better soon!!!

I'm sure you've done a bunch of research on GER already but here are two useful articles that describe the symptoms and some treatments for infants.

article #1

article #2

I am sorry sweetie - I don't really have any insight - but I wanted to wish you luck, I am sure it is hard on you.

I am a believer that if your gut tells you something is up - you are best off seeing a dr. - I bet you will be glad you did.

Well, it could be reflux. But what is happening with us is kind of similar. Nick has been really congested lately, and has been spitting up more too. What we were told is that it all stems from his teething...the excess saliva and mucus cause all of that congestion, cough, etc. It also causes him to gag sometimes when he eats, therefore causing more spit up. However, unlike your son, my son is still really happy all of the time......
You could ask the dr. if he may be teething....he is at the right age for it.

My daughter had reflux and it was horrible. She would spit up after every meal, sometimes two or three times. She ruined a lot of my clothes because she would always get it on me. She would spit up two to three hours after she ate. We tried everything. We switched her formula three times (under drs orders, of course). She FINALLY started getting better once she was able to sit up on her own. Then it would only happen once in a while. Now THANKFULLY she doesn't have it anymore but I KNOW how frustrating it is to have a baby who is constantly puking and spitting up. Sometimes it was projectile and sometimes she would puke in her sleep so I kept her nearby at all times because I was afraid she would choke during the night. She was also always smiling but the spit ups would be very upsetting to us. The drs weren't concerned because she was continuuing to gain weight.
We finally took her to a pediatric gastroenterologist but by that point she started sitting up and it had gotten so much better. The only reason we didn't take her sooner is because her drs would always tell us that she was ok as long as her weight was fine and it took a month or so to get an appt with the gastroenterologist. I was afraid that dr would want to stick tubes in her and stuff so I was a little leary but all he did was ask a bunch of questions and did a routine checkup.If you have any questions, feel free to pm me.
We had her sleep on an incline, we kept her sitting up for half an hour after every bottle, we made sure to NOT have her too active after a bottle so she wouldn't spit up but it didn't matter. Her dr had us put some rice cereal in her bottle.Nothing worked.I KNOW YOUR FRUSTRATION.

The first formula my daughter was on, she couldn't burp at all. She would kick up her legs in pain at night and she would cry and scream at times. I kept telling the dr and finally recorded her to prove to the dr that she was in pain and something was wrong. I think they sometimes don't believe us because its our first child. Well, the tape served its purpose and he switched her formula. The second formula was soy and she would spit up projectile and that was obviously not good. Then she was put on the very expensive hypo allergenic predigested formula and she was much better except that she still had reflux. Thankfully she is older now and has finally outgrown the reflux.
If you feel that something is WRONG, insist that your dr hear you even if it means going back there every week. Believe me, we DID that. YOU KNOW YOUR BABY better than anyone else.

samantha has a mild case of reflux, the GI said its normally in most babies and they do outgrow it. SHe is on similac alimentum and he (GI) Had me put rice cereal in her bottles at 3 months old before she started solids.

After having rice or oatmeal in every bottle she had she would spit up less, sometimes she would projectile vomit her whole bottle! and I would want to cry but right after she did it she would be all smiles and happy so I know it did not hurt her she just could not hold it down, the dr. told me that the fact she would do this sometimes once or twice a day and sometimes once every two weeks was very mild and normal b/c a lot of babies throw up every bottle that they have, she did it very infrequently.

Ask the GI about rice in the bottle when you go, what dr. are you seeing?

are you sure he has reflux
could he be collicky at all from his formula? I know Nutramigen and ALimentum help w/ fussiness as well