You are here:

Breastfeeding/Breastfeeding and Spitting up

Advertisement

Expert: - 8/17/2007


Question
My son is 8 months old.  We breastfed exclusivly until recently.  He now refuses the breast during the day.  He continues to nurse at night though.  I pump during the day while I'm at work to still give him the proper nutrition I goal for.  Now, the past couple weeks, we has been increasing in spitting up.  I thought this should decrease with age?  Two nights ago I woke up to him coughing.  When I checked on him, him and his bed was covered in spit up.  Sometimes its spit up and other times it projectle vomiting.  Sometimes a lot and sometimes very little.  The pediatrician is saying acid reflux and prescribing Zantrac.  Are there any other solutions?  Any advice is helpful and appreciated.  Thank you so much.

Answer
Dear Katie,

Here is the response that I received from the pediatrician I consulted, who sees many babies with acid reflux.

>>This also sounds an awful lot like reflux to me. Zantac may work, but there are other ways to treat reflux, such as using thickened feeds, or medications like Prevacid. This is usually a problem that a child's own pediatrician needs to manage.<<

So I suggest that if your son's problem does not improve very soon that you go back to your pediatrician and ask for some other measures you can take. If your own doctor cannot give you further help, find a doctor who specializes in this problem. You can either get a referral from your own doctor or from the local medical society.

Good luck!

Sally

Sally Wendkos Olds
Author, THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING: Eiger & Olds, 3rd edition 1999, published by Workman Publishing & Bantam Books, and available in most public libraries, bookstores & La Leche League chapters.  

Breastfeeding

All Answers

Answers by Expert:

Ask Experts

Volunteer

Sally Wendkos Olds

Expertise

What do you want to know about breastfeeding? I can tell you what`s good for the baby, what`s good for the mother -- and the father, how it`s related to a woman`s sexuality, how working moms can nurse, how to overcome obstacles, and lots more. As the author of THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING and author or coauthor of 8 other books and more than 200 articles about child and adult development, I can offer sound, sensible advice on breastfeeding, child care and family issues.

Experience

I nursed my 3 daughters and am the grandmother of 5 breastfed children. My book THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING (written in consultation with pediatrician Marvin S. Eiger, M.D.) was first published in 1972, and in 1999 came out in an updated 3rd Edition by Workman Publishing & Bantam Books. It is now a classic, with over 2 million copies in print. I am now revising this book for a fourth edition, consulting with pediatrician Laura M. Marks, M.D. This new edition will be published September 2009. I welcome any and all suggestions for the new edition. I coauthored college textbooks A CHILD'S WORLD: INFANCY THROUGH ADOLESCENCE, and HUMAN DEVELOPMENT; both are leading texts in their fields and have been read by 2 million students. I am the coauthor of HELPING YOUR CHILD FIND VALUES TO LIVE BY and RAISING A HYPERACTIVE CHILD, and author of THE WORKING PARENTS' SURVIVAL GUIDE & THE ETERNAL GARDEN: SEASONS OF OUR SEXUALITY. My newest book, A BALCONY IN NEPAL: GLIMPSES OF A HIMALAYAN VILLAGE, published in 2002, tells the story of the way of life in a remote village in Nepal, where all the women breastfeed! My book, SUPER GRANNY: COOL PROJECTS, ACTIVITIES, AND OTHER GREAT STUFF TO DO WITH YOUR GRANDKIDS, will be published March 2009. I speak often to professional, parent and general audiences and make many radio and TV appearances.

Credentials I received my B.A. in English Literature from the University of Pennsylvania, where I minored in Psychology, was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and graduated summa cum laude.

Other points of interest I have received national awards for my writing, and am a former president of the American Society of Journalists & Authors. I am listed in the World Who's Who of Women, International Authors & Writers Who's Who, and Contemporary Authors, and am a member of several professional and civic organizations. I believe: that all parents are working parents; that parents employed outside the home need special support; that mothers' well-being is crucial to their children's welfare; and that the family is the best institution in the world and the one for which we are least prepared. My thrills come when parents or kids tell me they were helped by my writing or speaking or just understanding. To find out more about me, go to

©2012 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.