# Co-sleeping and Reflux??



## mom2mimi (May 26, 2004)

Hi all, I'm new to these boards but I know you MDC mamas always have great advice so here goes...I currently co-sleep with my breastfed 5 month old son who was just diagnosed with acid reflux. The pedi doesn't think it's severe enough to require medication (yeah!) but his advice was to put my sons bed on an incline and don't let him nurse lying down. Well, I told the pedi he sleeps with us so that wouldn't work too well. He also wakes up every two hours or less sometimes to nurse back to sleep, it's his only form of comfort. And I'm so exhausted that I don't really wake up, he just latches on for a bit and we both continue on with our sleep. I think part of the reason he wakes so frequently is the reflux because some nights I am awake already and can hear his tummy gurgling and then he kind of spits up but swallows it before it comes out of his mouth. I have no idea how to help him and feel like it's torturing him sometimes. Anybody had any experience with this? I don't want to quit sleeping with him yet!


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## alegna (Jan 14, 2003)

I'd try propping up the head of the bed for you and babe and see if it helps. I know that there is some kind of wedge out there for that purpose... or you can just put something under the two feet at the head of the bed.

good luck!

-Angela


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## Clarity (Nov 19, 2001)

My sis and I did a combo - my dd was not as bad, and earlier, when we weren't night nursing easily yet, so she sleep in the bedside co-sleeper, inside her car seat bucket or bouncy seat. I also used a flat, firm, tempurpedic (memory foam) pillow when she was in the big bed. Now, my niece was refluxy for much longer. Books under the bedstead, or wedge under the mattress were both things they did. With the weight, the wedge they had worked better when she was sidecar in the crib. They used books under the wheels, too, in addition. Both of us had them stomach sleeping with them more often than we planned, since it seemed to decrease the amount of vomiting and discomfort.


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## Paxetbonum (Jul 16, 2003)

My dd had horrid reflux until she was a year old. We still co sleep now and she is two. I know the frustration you are going thru right now and the baby will eventually sleep more at night! If you have a king you can try propping with a boppy pillow or something very firm.
Angelica used to get the horrid gurgling noises in her tummy too and we tried almost everything. We did notice that she slept happily in the sling because it kept her more upright but I was not about to walk around with the sling on all night.

I think in the end if you still want to co-sleep you may want to resign yourself to a lot of night-time nursing. (incidentally we tried a tilted surface for a while not in our bed and she woke up just as frequently.) It is not uncommon for reflux babies to nurse alot at night because often the drowsiness makes them more willing to eat. I found that Angelica reverse cycled and nursed much more during the night than during the day to make up.

For us the magical time was when she turned a year old and the reflux totally dissapeared. Suddenley I had a normal kid who would sleep two to three hours at a time at night again!!!!

I know there are alot of elimination diets you can do to figure out if there is something in your milk which is irritating the baby. You may want to ask your doctor about one or look one up online.

Best of luck! You sound like such a good mama!


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## ajsgirl (Mar 31, 2004)

My ds had reflux BAD when he was young, younger than your babe. It got much better as he got older. I slept semi-reclined with my ds laying chest/belly down on my chest. He was pretty upright and it was definitely more comfortable for him. I had to prop pillows all around me for my arms and head and back, which is probably not the *safest* thing to do if you're a heavy sleeper (baby gets caught or wedged in the pillows), but I am SUCH a light sleeper that this was never a problem for us. The other thing you could try is sleeping in one of those lazy-boy chair thingies if you've got one. It would mimic the sleeping arrangement we had, without all the pillows. Good luck...and it will get better. My ds's GI doc said that it would get better then worse as he bacame more upright... like when he started sitting up or crawling. His body was just getting used to new positions.









ps...I'm so glad you've found us here! You could have done what MOST moms do and just switch to formula immediately and let your baby cry themselves to sleep down the hall... but you didn't and your babe will be better off for it!


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## mom2mimi (May 26, 2004)

Thanks for all the great ideas and suggestions, mamas! I think I'm going to try propping him on his boppy tonight, I don't know why I didn't think of that because that's the way he naps!







(well, power naps anyways! he won't sleep for more than a few minutes without me!) And if that doesn't help, than maybe try one of the wedges or firm pillows suggested. I don't mind the night nursing anymore, I am resigned to the fact that I won't get more than 2 hours sleep in a row for awhile. In fact, when I get two hours I feel pretty rested! And I could never ever let him CIO, there is just no way. I worked hard at having this guy, and tried to give him the best birth possible by having him here at home and to then just stick him in his room to scream for me would literally contradict everything I have done so far! Plus, he's got me wrapped around his little finger!







I'm so glad I found this forum!


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## Satori (Jan 30, 2003)

My dd still has pretty bad reflux and she's now 4.5 years old. What we did when she was a baby was I would put pillows against my back and lay sorta sideways then she would sleep in a sitting/laying position against me with her butt/leggs on the bed and her head up by the upper boob and we were tummy to tummy if that makes sense. You could also try a little liquid Mylanta







The pharmacist can give you the proper dosing.


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## srmina (Sep 10, 2004)

My dd's reflux is in a category all its own (she projectile vomited 20x a day, 3-4oz at a time, her whole first year and that doesn't even count the spitting up!)...so my suggestions may not be necessary for you. But on really bad days, these things may help. Also, my dd was never able to nurse (no suck), so she has a feeding tube, which makes things different...instead of night nursing, she gets overnight pump feeds.

Anyway, when she was little she slept next to our bed in a cradle elevated to about 30 degrees. To really make a difference, the angle has to be 30 degrees or more. A few books under the legs usually won't help unless the reflux is really mild. Now she sleeps in an elevated crib or on a wedge right next to our bed. The wedge (made by Pedicraft) is 45 degrees and really makes a huge difference. She is harnessed into it in a diaper-like sling. The middle of it is the same height as our bed, so I can reach over and pat or hug her whenever or unsnap her and roll her onto the bed. These wedges are really expensive (ours was paid 100% by insurance, so I am not sure exactly how much), but Tucker Sling makes a less expensive one. You can also buy foam and make your own or get an inexpensive maternity wedge and fashion a sling to it. I can also lie on her wedge with her. When her belly is empty and she is not refluxy, she sleeps in the bed on her side cuddled with me.

During her early months, I often slept with her in a recliner-type chair with her on her belly lying over my shoulder. She still naps this way. This really helped her alot.

I would really pursue getting him meds or consulting a ped GI doctor. There is no reason for him to be in pain when it can be treated.


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## rileysmommy (Dec 11, 2004)

i haven't read all the posts, forgive me if i repeat, my 7 year old had horrible reflux from thet ime he was small, and i just bought a wedge at bed bath and beyond for MY bed and we all slept elevated, its not by a whole lot, just enough. it was actually quite lovely, and made my husband breathe better(no more snoring! yeah!). i liked it so much i actually had to buy another one when riley went to his won full sized bed. no reason to stop co-sleeping. IMO, bed sharing is better, there were many times when i fear ry would have chokded had i not been right next to him.


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## Marsupialmom (Sep 28, 2003)

My middle child had reflux. I would nurse her and she did fine nursing back to sleep. If she would have problems she ended up sleeping in the crock/armpit of my husband. He would prop her up.

I also would prop her up on me and pat her back to sleep.

I actually found letter her nurse for long times conter productive because it would upset her tummy more.


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