This post may contain affiliate links. This means, I may receive a small commission if you choose to purchase something from a link I post.
When I brought my son home from the hospital, he was happy and healthy. The first two weeks were incredible. Starting the third week, he slowly became fussier and was spitting up a lot.
I knew something was wrong but I was a first-time mom and couldn’t exactly explain how I knew. Maybe he was just a fussy baby. There were moments though, where he would quit fussing for just a minute to start laughing. I knew he was uncomfortable or in pain but I didn’t know what was wrong.
Around week four, I woke up one night to the sound of him gargling. It sounded like he couldn't catch his breath. My husband and I rushed him to the quick care.
The doctor diagnosed him with heartburn. He gave us a prescription. We found an all-night pharmacy. Finally, he was asleep in the back of the truck, we had a prescription and I felt relieved to finally know he was going to be okay. I would give him the medicine and he would be my happy and healthy baby again.
At least that’s what I thought.
Over the next few weeks, he got worse. His fussiness turned into crying for hours. He threw up everything he ate. At two months, he had not gained a full pound. The doctors ran more tests and determined that it was indeed just heartburn.
The gastroenterologist prescribed him prescription formula. She also suggested that we start putting cereal in his bottle. I also started putting him in his swing to sleep at night so he would be at an angle.
Nothing worked.
I was scared. If he wasn't eating, was he getting the nutrients he needed? Was his brain developing properly? All the doctors said I had nothing to worry about but I always got the feeling the were just saying what I wanted to hear. I didn’t think they really knew for sure.
Then one day, I got a box in the mail. It was Dr. Brown's bottles. It had a note attached from a friend of ours, that is a nanny, that simply read, "I have a client that swears by these bottles so I hope they help you." At this point, we were ready to try anything.
I honestly didn’t think they would help much. They were the third bottle we had tried all promising the same thing. These were different though. He was keeping more food down.
The bottles have an internal vent system that reduce spit up, burping and gas. They actually worked!
He was not 100% but he was finally keeping food down! For the first time in weeks, I thought he might be okay.
We were still giving him his medication. The doctors said it would not make his heartburn go away but it should make him feel better. It wasn’t. He was still crying.
I called the nurse to ask her if there was anything else I could give him. She suggested I give him gas drops that contain Simethicone, which is an anti-gas. She said it would make him burp and fart.
I remembered that during my baby shower I received some Little Remedies medications and wondered if I already had some. Figured I should check before I sent my husband to the store. I did. I gave my son some and it did make him burp, fart and smile!
He was still crying. Eventually, my husband and I decided to try to see what would happen if we took him off the prescription medication for 24 hours.
We were already using the Dr. Brown bottles, the Little Remedies gas drops, thickening his milk with cereal and I had him sleeping in his swing.
He was a different baby off his medication. He was giggly and happy. He still got a little fussy but with the drops I could get him to burp. He quit crying constantly. He still has heartburn and some nights are better than others but at six months old, I can say I finally have a happy baby!
This is based on my personal experience and for informational purposes only. I am not a doctor nor am I offering medical advice. Always check with your doctor before putting your baby on new medication or taking your baby off any medication.
What are your thoughts and experiences?