Breastfeeding mama's

Some little advice to breastfeeding mama's of babies with severe reflux. Those that want to keep breastfeeding.  Depending on how difficult the case is.   Here is my advice for ages 0-3.

0 to 6-8 months

They have part of their anatomy that can help contribute tremendously to their reflux. This area "fixes" itself around 6-8 months. I don't remember if it was the esophagus or some stomach issue honestly. So you may have it bad for this entire amount of time. Crying fits, wet burps, bad breath,  gagging, constant congestion; especially when laying down, teeth decay, vomiting to projectile proportions sometimes,  etc, etc.

Best remedy for this is for you to go on the elimination diet:  for two weeks you eat only organic turkey breast or organic grass fed beef, rice, pears, oatmeal*, apples, zucchini, potatoes and then add one thing in every 5 days. One single thing or one type of food group; but just know if you add a food group and they start to react then you have to narrow down item by item which thing it is specifically or give up that entire food group.

After 2 weeks your child should have less than 1/2 the symptoms they experience. So it will be a welcome relief you won't want to go back to. The worst and last food groups to try should be dairy, soy, gluten, sugar (although pure organic maple syrup should be fine), eggs/chicken.

**Keep away from all alcohol, sparkling drinks, caffeine, citrus, tomatoes, spicey and greasy food; as much as humanly possible.

They will want to subsist primarily on milk as it soothes their stomach so much; especially if you are following the protocol.

Make sure you lay them propped at a 30% angle. Even if you have to raise the bed itself to do so. It helps tremendously.

6 months and up

Make sure you have their diet rich in low acidic food staying away from the ** list above

Then make sure they also aren't allergic or reactive to the top 8-10 common allergens.  (Milk/soy/gluten/corn/sugar; especially processed/etc etc).

They will still want your milk. I have a 3 year old who I have not been able to control her severe reflux for. Which I did not realize until recently was a problem she has not outgrown; as I had thought.  She has constipation, which may help induce the reflux.  Though she may have the constipation from milk allergies. It's a vicious cycle. I'm going to put her on an elimination diet soon to check her for it. In 2 weeks and 5 days I will know for sure. Have difinitive scientific proof of my own.

Something else to do. First thing in the morning down a 1/2 tablespoon or I just use a large soup spoon of organic apple cider vinagar. I have a chaser. That stuff is potent. Then I still don't drink alcohol because it seems to aggravate her reflux, even one tiny glass. My diet still affects her but obviously not as much as her diet. So absolutely no carbonated beverages. Ever.  Limited to no citrus. Limited to no tomatoes. Obviously no caffeine. Lol. But that means no chocolate too. It's not a constant; some are like soda and some are once in a while or a little a day only treats.

I hope she outgrows it soon. My middle seemed to outgrow it completely by this age; but she didn't have it as bad.

Another thing that helps is slippery elm bark. Just mix it with equal parts water and give to them before it starts to coagulate. It makes the liquid in her stomach thicker and neutralizes it somewhat so it doesn't come up and if it does it doesn't burn so much. A real life saver for us when she was a baby. Thank God for natural products with no side effects. And dirt cheap too.

Doctors aren't the only brains in town. I've learned a lot more from mom's than I ever have from other doctors. Mostly.

*Dr. Sears suggests millet, but I personally did great with oatmeal instead.