Stepniowski Family

Fowling in Aidan’s steps, it has become clear that Skye is having reflux issues.  At first, the signs were subtle.  I noticed she was starting to spit up quite a bit.  By quite a bit, I mean she was spitting up puddles anytime you laid her down and some of the time when you were just holding her.  It seemed excessive.  Then, I noticed she was whining a little when I fed her and then also started arching her back during feedings as well.  It was all too familiar… Aidan went through the exact same thing, except he was a little more “verbal” about the whole thing.

I took her to see Dr. Hoyos, and he has started her on 1ml of Zantac three times per day.  I’ve decided twice a day is better, so I’m going with that for a while to make sure she’s handling it OK.  You just hate to give an infant any kind of medication unless it’s totally necessary.  We don’t expect the Zantac to reduce the amount of spit-up, but it should reduce the amount of acid she is producing and make her a little more comfortable.  I’m giving her a little bit of cereal or fruit after each feeding to try and “weigh down” the breast milk.  I haven’t actually done any weaning to bottles yet, but I’m working on it.  They actually have bottles that feel more like boobs now, so I’m going to try one of those and see if she’ll cooperate any better.  I wanted to give her a little break and make sure things were going OK with the reflux relief plan.

Interestingly, there’s a link between lactose sensitivity and reflux which I’m somewhat concerned with.  She did exhibit signs of eczema when I was eating dairy in the early days.  I’ve since stopped and have seen the eczema disappear.  But, all formulas except for the Earth’s Best Organic milk-based have corn syrup solids and sugar as the primary ingredients.  So, I’m not comfortable feeding her sugar water either.  It’s no wonder kids grow up addicted to sugar… we start them out on it and get them hooked!  If I don’t see the reflux improve in the next few days, I’ll consider switching to a more “sensitive” formula.  I’m not interested in going the soy route yet.

As for Aidan, that poor kid got his cough back.  He’s had it for about a month but didn’t seem that affected by it.  Hoyos prescribed some more Albuterol, which is what relieved it last time.  He also came home from school last Friday after puking up his lunch and then later followed that up with a regurgitation of his crackers.  On Sunday, he puked all over papa at the pool.  Hoyos says it’s probably related to the drainage since there are no other signs of infection, like a fever or runny nose.

It’s been such a fun week… all I can hope for is that the meds work quickly enough for Aidan to stop coughing and Skye to stop being in so much pain.  With her feeling better, maybe she’ll start sleeping better, which will also result in me sleeping better.  Ah… now, that’s a nice thought!

Aidan holds Skye
Skye's 4 Month Check-Up
Skye Eats Cereal – Aidan is a Rock Star
Skye’s 9 Month Check-Up
Skye's 6 Month Check-Up
Skye’s tummy troubles