Most parents have never heard of silent reflux in babies, and infants might not get the help they need. This mom’s story of discovering silent reflux in her baby and overcoming it will inspire and encourage you!
Sarah from Frugal Fun for Boys is here to share her powerful story about silent reflux in babies. She is a homeschooling mom to five and a violin teacher. Two of her little guys experienced acid reflux as babies. She is sharing their journey in discovering silent reflux, diagnosis, and treatment of the symptoms. Reflux affects many babies and children, which can have a huge impact on how and what they eat. Sarah has more posts about reflux over on her blog.
In the spring of 2009, I was expecting my third son, Owen. As a veteran mom, I figured that I pretty much knew what to expect. My first two boys were terrible at nursing at first, but we worked through those challenges, and they both went on to be chubby babies who were good eaters and grew well. I expected that my third son would follow the same path.
Well, that wasn’t what happened.
Discovering the Big Secret: Acid Reflux in Babies!
I first suspected that something was wrong at about six weeks of age when Owen would begin nursing only to pull off, arch his back, and scream just a few minutes into the feeding. If I stopped the feeding and put him down, he was content and happy. If I tried to get him to finish nursing, he became very upset. I had no idea what could be wrong with Owen, and I assumed it must be a problem with nursing. We put off going to the pediatrician because my husband was out of work and we were uninsured at the time.
When Owen was 3 months old, my husband had a great new job and insurance coverage. We went to the doctor the first week that we had insurance! By this point, I was exclusively pumping and bottle feeding because it was very difficult to manage Owen’s “snacking” approach to eating with two other boys to care for as well. With the bottle, I could see better what was going on. I explained to our pediatrician that Owen would drink 1-2 oz. and then begin arching and crying. The pediatrician suspected silent reflux (meaning that the refluxed material does not come all the way up as spit-up), and sent us home with a prescription for Axid. He said that we should see a difference after a few days on the medicine if reflux was truly the cause of Owen’s feeding troubles.
We tried Axid, and it initially seemed to work, but a couple days later, Owen was back to arching and refusing his bottle. The doctor had us try Prevacid. It was very difficult to give, and Owen came down with a cold as soon as we started it, so that made us wonder if the Axid really had been helping and the poor eating was simply the result of the cold coming on. At four months, Owen began teething, and his eating was really affected. He rarely drank more than 1.5- 2 oz. at a time. At five months, Owen had an upper GI test done (normal results – did not show any reflux) and he spent a month on Axid with inconclusive results. At 6 months, we stopped the Axid, because according to our doctor, Owen was probably close to outgrowing his reflux.
Actually, he wasn’t close to outgrowing it at all!
When will the Silent Reflux in my baby End?
At 7 months, Owen was crying when we approached the chair where we fed him. Teething seemed to make his eating much worse, and he was constantly teething! Much of the time, he would not allow us to hold him while we fed him his bottle – he preferred to be in his bouncy seat. If anything remotely more interesting was going on, he would not eat. He would not eat solid foods, and honestly, getting him started on solids was the least of our concerns! Also, most of his milk intake was in a sleepy state before his naps. If either of his brothers interrupted us, the feeding was over! He stopped nursing completely at 4 months, so I was pumping full time while also teaching part-time at a private school, and homeschooling a 6-year-old and a 3-year-old. When I look back at the stress of that time in our lives, I realize that it was only God’s grace that got us through! Even now, I am amazed at the strong feelings of stress that wash over me when I think about that stage. There’s nothing quite like wondering if your child is starving himself.
One night, I posted my desperation on facebook, and a friend put us in touch with a feeding specialist that she knew. (Read more about how to begin feeding therapy.) She was an incredible source of encouragement and information! First of all, she assured us that this sounded like classic reflux. She gave us some tips for dealing with the reflux, such as elevating the end of his crib mattress and moving him out of his infant car seat and into a convertible seat. Because we could not “see” any of Owen’s symptoms, it was helpful to have someone assure us that reflux was his problem and that simple positioning tricks would help reduce the reflux. Owen was hoarse from the acid by this time, so we started him on Axid again at a higher dose, and Owen seemed more comfortable drinking his bottles within 48 hours! The feeding specialist also recommended that Owen see a dietician, and we eventually saw a GI specialist as well.
Owen’s reflux was ugly. And he didn’t outgrow it at 6 months, or a year, or even 18 months. But he DID outgrow it!
Where are we now? Well, Owen is 3.5 years old and enjoys eating and snacking! Because of the feeding aversions that he developed, he did not begin to eat solid foods in any sort of reasonable quantity until he was 18 months old. He drank high calorie formula for most of his nutrition until 18 months, and didn’t give up formula completely until 2 and a half. But we made it! The formula and bottles are finally a thing of the past, and Owen loves to eat fruits, veggies (he loves carrots and broccoli), most meats, peanut butter on crackers or apples, and cheese. He had a dairy sensitivity, which he has outgrown. He has been off his medicine since age 2.
Sanity Saving Tips For Acid Reflux in Babies
- Silent reflux is hard to diagnose because the baby is not spitting up! We did not know for sure that Owen had reflux until he had a pH probe test at 10 months old. Some signs to watch for are crying and arching during feedings, screaming after feedings, frequent sour burps, and hoarseness from the acid.
- Choking during feedings can also be a sign of silent reflux. When our fourth son was born in January 2012, I noticed that he was sure choking a lot during his feedings! I called our feeding specialist, and she said that getting choked up more than once a day is not normal. We had a swallow study done at 6 weeks of age, and Jonathan’s swallowing was just fine. But guess what the test revealed… reflux! He was having a “traffic jam” in his esophagus. Milk was trying to come back up while he was still eating. (However, Jonathan’s reflux journey was much less severe! He is 10 months old, and has always been a good eater.) Find more silent reflux symptoms here.
- Reflux medicine does not stop the reflux. It does, however, make the reflux less acidic so that it will not burn and cause damage. If you’re interested in other holistic alternatives click here for more info.
- Many breastfed babies with reflux also have a food sensitivity to dairy or soy, so it may be worth it to eliminate those from your diet. Owen responded really well to a hypoallergenic formula (Alimentum) at 10 months of age. I wish that I had tried a dairy elimination diet for me when he was still nursing because it obviously would have helped.
- If you feel that something is wrong, don’t be afraid to keep pursuing it, even if your pediatrician thinks there is not a problem! Our pediatrician was not concerned because Owen’s weight was in the 10th percentile at birth, and he hovered between the 3rd and 10th after that. He was growing along on his own growth curve. However, I saw what was happening at home – the refusing bottles, the never crying for a bottle, and the refusing to eat solid food. We saw a GI specialist on our own, and Owen had an EGD test done. The scope of his esophagus and stomach revealed gastritis – an inflammation of the stomach lining. A 6 week course of Nexium helped Owen quite a bit, and we would never have found that if we hadn’t gone to the GI doctor!
- On the other hand, do your best to resolve any pain issues so that they aren’t afraid to eat, but then relax about your child’s growth. We were concerned about Owen’s slow growth, but he now eats relatively well, and is still very small for his age! Our fourth son, Jonathan, grew like a weed despite his reflux. He choked during feedings until he was 5 months old, and yet managed to hold his own at the 50-60th percentile for weight. I think that genetic differences, not reflux, has been the bigger factor in the different growth patterns of my two sons with reflux.
Infant reflux can really affect life for both baby and parents! If you need more help, consider contacting a feeding therapist that specializes is silent reflux in babies. You can find one through early intervention, free if you live in the states, or privately.
Have something that helped your baby with silent reflux? Share it in the comments below!
Sarah Dees is a homeschooling mom to four boys ages 9, 6, 3, and 10 months. She blogs about inexpensive and easy activities to keep boys busy and learning new things at Frugal Fun for Boys.
More on Acid Reflux in Babies
What to Do When Baby Won’t Eat Solids: 7 Simple Steps
5 Reasons Kids (and Babies) Refuse to Eat
A Hidden Cause of Picky Eating: Acid Reflux
The Ultimate Guide to Feeding Milestones for Babies and Toddlers
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Alisha Grogan is a licensed occupational therapist and founder of Your Kid’s Table. She has over 15 years experience with expertise in sensory processing and feeding development in babies, toddlers, and children. Alisha also has 3 boys of her own at home. Learn more about her here.
I am dealing with this same problem with my six month old. Is there anyway that I could possibly talk to you other than. This site? I could really use the help.
Hi Cassie, I’m not a doctor and this was a guest post her on my site… I understand how upset you are, truly. I would call and schedule an appointment with a pediatric GI specialist ASAP, tell them your situation and insist on being seen soon. I would also see other doctors in your practice and tell them what you said here. It sounds like reflux to me. I am available for consults- see the menu bar.
Thank you for this great post. How to know is milk allergy or just silent reflux？
Thank you for this great post. I have a 1.5 yr old daughter. She was eating almost fine till she grew one year old. But then she had a mucus problem in throat because of which she would often vomit. I am wondering if the constant throwing up could trigger or strengthen reflux. Because after turning 1 yr old, she has been mostly a fussy eater. She doesn’t feel hungry, doesn’t demand food or milk ever. If she is not fed by the clock, she gets bloated with gas and her hunger dies. And she chokes and throws up a lot, even on tiny bytes of food. On top of that, we persistently try to feed her because of the worry that she might lag behind if she doesn’t have enough solid food, which is in turn increasing her resistance. It has become like a vicious cycle for us, I am too stressed right now. Sometimes, I just feel fade up due to the constant futile efforts to make her eat. I guess I will now stop forcing or persuading her to eat, discuss it with her ped and visit a GI specialist on my own even if the ped doesn’t suggest for it.
The negative experience of throwing up can cause food aversions. However, it does sound like reflux could be at play here too. I would definitely see a GI, and see the eating basics tab in the menu bar, start to follow those tips. I know it is hard to watch her not eat, but I would not force feed under any circumstances, it will only make matters worse in the long run. If you have questions let me know, I understand how overwhelming and stressful this must be.
Hi thank u so much for sharing your story.I have 26 months old daughter.She just like to drink milk.She doesnt like to eat anything.we went to c Dr so many time but dr said its common.I think its not common.i am really worried about my daughter.pls pls help me what should I do.
Hi Renu,
I think that you are right. There is a ton of information here. I would first recommend starting her on a schedule and having her sit at the table regularly. Look in my menu bar and read “eating basics” follow all of those steps to start laying a good foundation. Let me know if you need more help after reading that.
i don’t know how to say this except to say that i am so comforted to read this. my daughter (now 2.5 yrs) was diagnosed with reflux. but not until i finally recorded video of her arching and screaming during a feeding. until seeing the video, the pediatrician didn’t seem concerned and said she didn’t know what to tell me. she was on prevacid until 7 months, we took her off, and she relapsed. but it wasn’t until 10 months that we figured that out and got her back on prevacid. and i feel like both times we had to FIGHT and CONVINCE the doctors to treat her. we were watching our baby girl suffer and they would just shrug. ARGH!!
btw if anyone is prescribed liquid zantac for their little one, get it from a compound pharmacy and make sure you call them first. they, and only they, can make it flavorless. otherwise, if you get it from CVS or Walgreens (or any other regular pharmacy) it will come premixed with peppermint, is very strong, tastes terrible, and adding flavorings will only make it worse! then keep it in the fridge (don’t worry if it freezes over, just thaw, it’s still good) which will help with taste as well.
Thank you so much for sharing your story! I know it will help other parents!
Thank u! My 1month old is on this liquid Zantac peppermint mess & it is sooo hard to get her to take it. She spits it out every time! I’ve been spiking her bottle with it when she’s right at the last few mls of formula. I am on this awful roller coaster ride again. My other daughter had acid reflux also.. it’s such a frustrating process! I will definitely seek out a compound pharmacy though! Thanks so much for the post!!
T.W.
Hi,
NEED ADVICE,!!! I have the same problem with my 11 month old now, refusing to eat, gags and vomits on solids. Dropped from 50% tile to barely hanging on to 5% tile. He was diagnosed with reflux at around 4 months when I started noticing his refusal to eat around 2 months. He would only take 2-2.5 oz of formula at the time, then he began turning away from the bottle. Started him on Pepcid when he was 4 month and started to see slight improvement. At 6 six months, we changed his formula to alimentum and thought that was the answer to his problem. He would take 6 oz bottle without a problem. Right after a month, he started teething, everything went out the window. Refused to eat again but he eventually came back eating a month later. Then again, teething started at 9 months and this time was worse. He refused the bottle completely. It went for 2 months, got his top 4 teeth. We ended up doing an endoscopy at 9 months, found he had gastritis correlating to chronic reflux, we changed med to omeprazole 2.5ml twice a day. Gave it a good 2 weeks and no sign of improvement. Currently my baby is 11 months, had to give him high calorie formula with rice cereal and can only offer purée 2x a day but he still cant get enoug food in him to gain weight. He has very sensitive gag reflex that I can’t seem to find anything right to feed him without him vomiting the milk I fed hours again. Help! Very disappointed with nothing seems to work! Can only spoon feed him the milk. Please I need any advice!
My 1 month old is currently on ranitidine (1ml 2 times a day) for reflux. At about 2 weeks old, she was spitting up formula when it was supplemented. Since being on it, she rarely spits up. However, she is crying throughout her bottle and only able to take 1/2 to 1 oz at a time. I can get her to drink 2 oz within an hour If we take breaks. She took breastmilk great for the first 4 weeks, but then started to struggle through her bottles. I had major issues with clogged ducts and the. Got mastitis, so I stopped pumping (she didn’t latch well and the pain was unbearable so we didn’t nurse long at all). Anyway, we tried to wean her off breastmilk by only doing 1 oz formula and 2 oz breastmilk, but things started going south. Went back to just breastmilk, but didn’t seem to help much at all. As of Thursday, the doctor had us try soy, but by Saturday, the screaming fits through her feedings became unbearable for the whole family, so we switched to allimentum. She seems to be able to pass gas better and poop easier and more, but feedings at still horrible. I can hear her tummy gurgling, which is when she starts screaming. I’m concerned it may be silent reflux since she doesn’t actually spit up. She will suck and swallow and then scream. I feed her at an angle so her head is elevated. I have been through reflux with my last child, but her’s was much worse. My 1 month old is gaining weight well (50%) but went from a solid 3 oz at each feeding to 1-1 1/2 oz. I’m not sure what to do from here except asking for a barium swallow study….any suggestions?
Thank you for this post I stumbled across today! My son, also Owen, is 10-months-old. We have battled reflux & constipation since about 6 weeks old. He no longer refluxes that I can tell but he is not a good eater. He typically won’t drink more than 2-4 oz at a time & frequently refuses baby food. The doctor hasn’t been concerned since he is growing steadily (25% weight & 95% height) but I feel like there is an underlying issue. He still wakes up typically twice in night to nurse which I’m afraid is due to his lack of intake during the day. He has also started some PT due to gross motor developmental delays that the therapist believes is due to a weak abdomen! Can you offer any suggestions or advice? Thank you!
Yes, I agree, he should be eating by now. Is he still on reflux medication?
Sarah,
Its so nice to read your post and know there is someone out there who understands you. My pediatrician is only focused on weight gain and does not understand the trouble a parent faces when babies stays hungry, refuses to eat and sucks their fingers all day long. I suspect my daughter has milk intolerance though my Dr thinks its reflux and he prescribed her Zantac. I don’t see any major improved after giving her Zantac 3 times a day for the past 3 month. She is 4.5 month old
My questions
1) Is there any test to determine milk intolerance? Does Milk intolerance develop from birth or babies gradually develop it?
2) I am trying to give my daughter alimentum but she hates the taste. Any advice on how to get your kid to drink it?
My 4 month old baby girl has just started showing signs of silent reflux it’s getting worse every day I have to rock her to sleep before I can feed her at all no matter what. Other than that she us a generally happy baby. WWhen she was 5 weeks old she did projectile vomit quite often but my midwife told me it was her increasing my milk supply so we gave her a dummy so she wouldn’t comfort such so much and drench our bed and clothes etc. She has always arched her back when waking in the morning but I’m pretty sure that is just her stretching. .. now she arches her back every time I try to feed her in waking hours. We are going to the doctor today but I was wondering if there is anyway to get her to forget feeding hurts and get back to breastfeeding before this gets worse!?!?! I think I ruined it by trying to force her when it started I feel so bad and am now paying for it 🙁 I don’t want her to develop an eating aversion… and it’s only been present 7 days now is it already too late?
It is not too late, look through the other comments here, as there is a lot of great advice from other parents. Also, she will likely need to be on medication which could change everything or you may need to change your diet as well. Good luck, the doc should have some answers for you!
Thank you very much for your information! You have given us hope in knowing that there is light at the end of the tunnel, my wife and I are struggling with a 9 month old baby that has Acid Reflux, feeding aversion, low weight for his height, dairy intolerant, will not eat solids and then only to be told by the “professionals” that he does not have Acid Reflux but then later to be told that he does in fact have Acid Reflux! Thank you and best wishes from me and my family!
Thank you so much and best of luck! It will get better!
Thanks for the post! Our toddler 1 year 5 months, has been diagnosed with silent reflux:( he has lost some weight and he refuses to eat. I’m so worried about him. My questions are: will this slow growth due to reflux affect him in the long run? And, will he have more digestive problems in the future? I don’t want him to be a short guy because of reflux:(
Hopefully, the medications will kick in and start to be effective which will turn his eating around. I’m not sure if it will affect his growth in the long run, but it shouldn’t if he starts eating more. If his meds and diet are handled well then he shouldn’t have any other digestive complications. Keep meals positive and keep introducing foods. If you are in the states you qualify for a free in home nutrition and feeding eval. See the article index in the menu bar for: Help for infants and toddlers.
I am lost. I have been dream feeding for 6 months now, my son is 9 months old now. Nobody believes me.
He is on Omeprazole for reflux. It doesn`t make a difference.
We are seeing a feeding specialist, im sad to say that hasn`t helped either. There are no ped gi in our land of enchantment state either.. we live in Albuquerque, NM.
I am frequently told a baby who is hungry will eat, umm no.. he doesnt
Kathi, I am so sorry- I can only imagine how stressful this is. I would consider new doctors and a new therapist if that is an option. If you can’t change the press the feeding therapist for more, let her know exactly how stressed you are. Ask to talk to their boss if they aren’t being helpful. You are right that some kids won’t eat. You may need another combination of meds- see some of the comments above for examples. Please let me know if I can help in a more specific way!
Kathi, I believe you. My DC 1 was exactly the same. Went from 75th to 5th percentile. Zantac did not work. Lansoprazole 30 mg daily on an empty stomach helped a bit. What’s your dose of Omeprazole ? I am an MD and no-one believed me either. Dream feeding and food refusing went on till age 18 months. But at 1 year – 18 months eventually DC 1 started to eat a bit of solids. We gave the highest calorie stuff we could – cheese, hot dogs, egg yolks, toast laden in butter, avocado, Beechnut fruit purees that are high calorie and Greek Gods and Libertee Mediteranee Yoghurts which are also high calorie., ice cream, and clam chowder and other creamy soiups. Good news is, we regained the 50th percentile by age 18 months and stopped the Lansoprazole age 2. Now DC is 3.5 and 60th percentile height and weight. So you can claw it back. Mind you he is not a great eater still… but he does eat, and can READ. A great trick when feeding him solids was to let him watch “Your Baby Can Read”. Normally I do not show kids any TV whatsoever, but this distracted him and we could shovel gfood in. And because he watched it religiously for 6 months 2xa day (lunch and dinner) he learned all the words. Then we read simple books like “first Early Readers” and now he can read Beatrix Potter by himself. Unfortunately DC 2 is now here, she’s 3 months and just the same. I want to eat my head. But every day I say to myself – she will be OK, and thank God it is not leukemia. You can do it girl !! It WILL go away. I know it is hard to believe, and it does take 2 frickin years, but it will go away. Just make sure your Omeprazole dose is good enough – at least 20 mg total, or better, 40 mg, That’s equivalent to what we had.
And don’t worry. We have seen 4 different pediatric GIs in the best hospitals in New York City. They helped only marginally with the Lansoprazole ! And yes, they say a baby who is hungry will eat to gain weight….WRONG !! They totally starve themselves. Luckily, when they eat solids, which may be VERY delayed, but does happen eventually, they can be given high calorie food, and they can catch up. We should all form a support group !!
But yes, there is very little else to do. We could pump our kids full of even more medicine – Lansoprazole 60 mg, or adding Zantac, but I am too scared. I do not want tests either. I know this is what is going on. And yes, “no kid will starve themselves on purpose”…. WRONG !!! They do ! But the good news is, they can be tricked into making it back with high calorie solids. Don’t worry, you still need to keep feeding now, as much as possible, and often, and you may well watch the weight go down and down and down. But eventually they outgrow it. And don’t wean from the bottle. Often that is the only way they will eat later ! My kid was weaned from bottle at 3. So what. Who cares ? Good luck.
thank god i am able to see your post.. its just like reading things that i am undergoing everyday with my little one.. wanted to see if by any chance did he have any symptoms of milk allergy, my little one have silent reflux and do not show any symptoms of milk allergy like rashes or itching. so just want to know the reason why you have tried alimentum.
Sarah guest posted here and you can find her in the links in the post and message her directly if you like. But, most docs move to alimentum to try because constant throwing up can be allergy/food intolerance even without rashes or itching. For some kids it makes a big difference.
My boy is 3.5months old. When he was 1 month old he started vomiting after every feed. And after a month he was diagnosed with GER.We had a barium swallow test done and also a sonogram done. He was exclusively breastfed till then.
Now when he completed 3 months, my paed here suggested to start rice cereal in milk to thicken the milk, in liquid form so that he keeps it down. Initially I did it with breast milk..but as I could not do it any further I started it with normal cows milk..amul taza..this was done for 3 days..Later my paed suggested not to use cow milk instead I should use Nan Pro 1 which is more nutritious.
I have given my baby rice cereal in milk (breast+amul taza ) for a week and rice cereal with nan pro for a week. Now the baby is on nan pro more and less on breast milk. He takes breast milk only at night time.
The major concern is when I started rice cereal, immediately after 3 days the baby had blood spots in his vomit. For this we have been to a paed surgeon and he said if this continues we will have to operate.
But fortunately it dint. Again when I started nan pro he did it but very small spot of blood. After a few days, yesterday he did had many strands of blood in his vomit.
My point in contacting you is, I need ur advice. Is this because of the rice cereal. Or because of the nan pro.
What could be the reason for the blood spotted vomit ??
Please advice. After the incident yesterday he hasn’t had any blood spot in his vomit. He looks stable and active. All other things are normal.
Currently the doc has advised we get a EGD done. .is that really necessary ??
Please advise
Hello, this is Alisha here, see the above comment if you were looking for advice from Sarah. As an OT, I have seen many kids that have their bottles thickened with rice cereal, it often causes constipation. I have never heard of it causing blood in vomit. I’m not familiar with nan pro, but doubt it would be caused by that also. It is fairly serious that there is blood in his vomit, I would recommend following the doctors instructions and getting a second opinion if something doesn’t seem right to you. Hope this gets worked out soon for you!
Thanks for replying. I have found out that the medicine that he is been given lansoperazole when comes out with vomit looks like dark purple color. .I have stopped it and as suggested by the doc waiting for a week..