# Co-sleeping and GERD/acid reflux



## LeAnnie (Mar 3, 2004)

My 7 week old has acid reflux and I'm trying to figure out a way to elevate his head. That seems to help quite a bit, but the only way I have been able to do so is holding him next to me on 2 pillows, which I worry is not safe.
Any ideas? What about sleeping with young infant and pillows? How does everyone deal with that?


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## RootBeerFloat (Nov 22, 2005)

what a nightmare for you. Ally had severe reflux as a young infant and we were unable to bedshare until she was 4 mo old because of it. Remember that cosleeping includes anything sleeping in the same room. We used a swing then an Amby bed until she was ready to move into bed with us. The swing didn't fit in our room, so we all moved into the living room for a while!

Sleeping elevated is really important for gerd babies, and i agree sleeping with pillows feels unsafe. Have you looked into a Tucker sling/wedge combo? If your bed is big enough, that might work for bedsharing.

To make up for the lack of skin to skin contact at night, I did (and still do) a TON of babywearing (which came in helpful at that age because of dd's need for elevation--I wore her upright in a stretchy wrap sling) and also baby massage. And bathing together.


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## USAmma (Nov 29, 2001)

You can elevate the feet of your bed with bricks. This is the safest for your baby. You can all get the benefits of bed elevation!









While your baby is too little to roll over, make a nest. Take a thin adult-sized bedsheet and roll it tightly. Make it into a U shape. Then cover it with another sheet and tuck in the edges. Place your baby's buttom in the curve of the U to keep him from sliding down. The nurses in the hospital showed me that trick with my refluxer and it was great!

If he gets bigger and still needs to be elevated, a tucker sling works great. You can set up a crib and put 1-2 adult sized pillows under the crib mattress and use the sling to hold him in place. Keep the crib in your room so you can be close to the baby (especially important with refluxers, b/c they can choke on their vomit). If you don't have a crib, you can buy the wedge. Sometimes insurance will cover it if you can make a strong enough case.


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## lisac77 (May 27, 2005)

My son also had trouble sleeping on flat surfaces until he was 2 or 3 months old. I was so disappointed - I love cosleeping and I had wanted to do it right from birth. When he was a little older, he was able to nurse lying down comfortably - probably because of the medication he was on to reduce the acid.

We did elevate his crib but he never slept more than a couple of feet from us because I was terrified of him choking on his own vomit. We always put him on his side to help with keeping his airway clear.

Now at 2.5 he is fine. No more reflux. But the first year of his life was pure hell.


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## rachvj (Dec 12, 2004)

My DD is nearing 10 mo and for her first 5 months at home (after 2 mo in the NICU) she had severe GERD. We raised the head of her crib, tried a few medications, homeopath, and even went to a chiropractor, but none of those worked. We just gave it time and now she is doing beautifully.

The Drs. all said 'give it time'. I believe that was our answer for her. Good luck!! Eventually your babe will get over the reflux.


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## addax (Jul 29, 2005)

There is some research that suggests tummy sleeping is helpful for young refluxers. Don't take my word for it, check with your ped and do the research. When my ds was really small, after he finally got out of hospital, he started off sleeping in an arms reach cosleeper in one of those reclined baby seats (a great one that he still uses for breathing treatments: the Jeep). But sleeping with his head elevated and his legs bent was not the full solution. Soon we moved him into our bed where he slept on his side. He was also medicated (prilosec plus reglan, then just prilosec). Whenever he was having trouble sleeping I would prop myself up at about a 40 degree angle (there's some research to suggest that the angle of elevation needs to be high enough for it to help, tho I have blotted out the exact angle required!). And he would sleep on his tummy on MY tummy at an angle. This was really helpful and I felt really secure that he was safe with my breathing helping to regulate his -- I of course did not sleep much! Do get medical approval and or research this of course. We did order a tucker sling and wedge but sent it back when we found it was made of inflammable foam!

Good luck with what ever solution is best for your family. this is a tough phase. It may be a short haul or it may be a long haul, but you will get through this....


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## USAmma (Nov 29, 2001)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *addax*
There is some research that suggests tummy sleeping is helpful for young refluxers.

Sounds like you've had quite a time with reflux, too!

I agree with the tummy sleeping. I was going to suggest it but I saw that the baby is only 7 weeks old. I would wait until he's old enough to hold his head up while on his tummy so he can turn his head from side to side if his nose gets blocked, or until he's old enough to roll over on his own from back to front.

My dd's Ped GI suggested we put our dd on her tummy and it really did help a lot, but she was 3 mos old at that time and the ped said to wait until she was 4-5 mos old to reduce the risk of SIDS or smothering.


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## redwolf2 (Jan 3, 2006)

I have 7 week old twins and one of them has reflux too. He is on Zantac which seemd to help alot. I am usually sleeping on my back and he sleeps next to me. I put my arm around him and his head is on my shoulder and arm (he's on his back as well) This allows him to be elevated slightly and seems to help.
good luck finding what works for you.

namaste


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## LeAnnie (Mar 3, 2004)

Thanks for all the great suggestions. I've been doing what Redwolf 2 described-having him sleep on his back with my arm around him while I'm on the pillows so his head is only touching my arm. I've been holding off on trying medication, but maybe I will give it a try if it seems to help so many little ones.


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## redwolf2 (Jan 3, 2006)

I amglad that is working for you!








I had the same debate in my head over the medication thing too. But when it comes daown to it...they feel better. I cant count how many times I have woke up in a panic thinking he was choking, which he was, on his puke. It comes out his nose so afterwards he is breathing it in with every breath. It is alot less scary now.

Though, if anyone has any other suggestions for reflux (homeopathy, etc.) let me know I am debating whether to bring him to a homeopath since the zantac is expensive.

namaste


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## beaches1098 (Jun 17, 2004)

DS#1 had reflux until 1. He ended up sleeping in his car seat (bucket) next to me in bed. We did this for few months maybe. It helped him until of course he got to big then we attached the crib to the bed and elevated the head of the crib. But then I found he slid down. I never knew about some of the other things posted here to stop them from sliding but it's nice to know for the future.


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## USAmma (Nov 29, 2001)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *redwolf2*
I amglad that is working for you!








I had the same debate in my head over the medication thing too. But when it comes daown to it...they feel better. I cant count how many times I have woke up in a panic thinking he was choking, which he was, on his puke. It comes out his nose so afterwards he is breathing it in with every breath. It is alot less scary now.

Though, if anyone has any other suggestions for reflux (homeopathy, etc.) let me know I am debating whether to bring him to a homeopath since the zantac is expensive.

namaste

Dana, just to let you know, Zantac won't stop the vomiting/spit up. It just reduces the acid content to make the babies more comfortable so it's not giving hearburn when it only comes up a little. It sounds like your baby is outgrowing it.







My dd still vomited forcefully for most of her first 18 mos of life and was on full strength Prilosec. I wish there was a med that stopped reflux. Maybe someday.

How much do you pay for Zantac? It should be covered under insurance. You can talk to your doctor about crushing OTC pills like Tagment if that's less expensive for you. You can add it to 1 teaspoon water and suck it up into a syringe.


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## LeAnnie (Mar 3, 2004)

The reason I've held off on the Zantac is exactly what USAmma said, I figured it would not stop the physiologic process, only reduce the acid content. My boy sneezes, snorts, coughs from it a lot at night. One non-drug remedy which has helped me was going to one-breast feedings vs two because I have a milk oversupply and he was getting too much foremik. A hindmilk richer diet does seem to lessen the reflux for him, but then I came down with a nasty case of painful plugged ducts that I'm working on. There's always a challenge! Well, that's totally off the topic of GERD now....I wouldn't be a mom if I didn't get sidetracked-LOL!


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## USAmma (Nov 29, 2001)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *LeAnnie*
The reason I've held off on the Zantac is exactly what USAmma said, I figured it would not stop the physiologic process, only reduce the acid content. My boy sneezes, snorts, coughs from it a lot at night. One non-drug remedy which has helped me was going to one-breast feedings vs two because I have a milk oversupply and he was getting too much foremik. A hindmilk richer diet does seem to lessen the reflux for him, but then I came down with a nasty case of painful plugged ducts that I'm working on. There's always a challenge! Well, that's totally off the topic of GERD now....I wouldn't be a mom if I didn't get sidetracked-LOL!

If you notice that he's unhappy though, you might consider meds. Most kids don't get that bad, but some like my dd can experience severe pain that leads to feeding problems and sensory processing problems. My dd didn't get the attention she deserved until she had blood spots in her spit up and stopped eating. All from silent acid damage to her esophagus. So just keep and eye on it. Otherwise, if he's eating well and happy, he will probably just need time to outgrow it.


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## LeAnnie (Mar 3, 2004)

USAmma, just wanted to say I appreciated your informative page on GERD. I'm so sorry your daughter struggled with it and am glad she is thriving now. She's adorable in the photo. Just curious, did your peds GI have an opinion on why the condition seems so common? Perhaps it is just diagnosed more accurately now and not written off as colic, but it seems like it happens quite a bit.
I got lots of good suggestions here. Thanks all. When big boy gets a little bigger I'll put him on his tummy.


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## all boys (Jan 5, 2006)

As a mom who has had 2 kids with GERD I can totally relate to your situation. Both my son's took Zantac and it did help with the pain..not the spit up. With Iain his problems with GERD were much worse. I was not able to bf and as a result he was on formula...Similac Alimentum was the only thing he could tolerate. He was also on Zantac. We tried some other med (I think Prevacid) but the side effects for him were not great. I took him to see a GI specialist who was incredible and also my chiropractor who really helped (she is actually the one who figured out what formula he could tolerate).

I slept with Iain the whole time. I slept with my arm around him just like described above. I know alot of people who have gotten the amby sling and say it really helps. Stomach sleeping (although a reported SIDS concern) is also good for reflux babies as is sleeping on a 30 degree angle.

Hope you find a solution that works well for you and your little one. I am happy to say by 1 yrs old the boys both outgrew their reflux.


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## redwolf2 (Jan 3, 2006)

Thank you USAmma for all the info.
I didn't know that about Zantac. My DS seems to do better with the spit up. (at least not as much) when he takes the Zantac. I defintiely notice when we miss a dose.
thank you again

namaste


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## Treasuremapper (Jul 4, 2004)

Darshani has some great advice. Both of our daughters, born 22 months apart, had reflux. Both used apnea monitors for a while because of their reflux. BTW, front snapping sleepers work best in my experience for those monitors.

We used the bricks to elevate the top of our king sized bed and then added one of those inexpensive Dex wedges under the sheet. We did not use the giant wedges given to us by the pediatricians.

In our daughters' cases, neither of them could tolerate any of the medications we tried. So we just used mechanical methods. Basically, what that meant for us was treating them like full glasses of water. We held them upright after meals, even though that meant we were up all night long (dh did a lot of the holding). We didn't play those games where you jiggle baby around and all rocking was very gentle.

We elevated one end of the changing table, and my dh got a big sheet of plywood and put bricks under one end. We put a thick comforter over that and had tummy time and playing with mobile, etc, time there until she was able to roll. We used our crib for some games and diaper changes by elevating the mattress there. We cosleep, so we didn't use the crib for sleep.

Just think in terms of keeping the baby's head higher than the baby's feet and let gravity help.

In our daughters' case, it seems that at least the vomiting part of the reflux gradually decreased and eventually stopped.

ETA: Avoid the car after meals, too.


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