So here is the scenario:

My son is 9 weeks old and has been screaming while breastfeeding since about 4 weeks. He arches his back and cries after 2 mins of feeding. You can hear what sounds like a bubble after he swallows after latching on. If I take my son and burp him after he begins crying, I can usually get a huge burp. Because of this, I have been feeding him and burping him every two minutes which is exhausting and he is clearly in pain. He also had a few bought with projectile vomiting. At his 2 month visit, the pediatrician prescribed Zantac for his diagnosis of acid reflux.

After trying it out for a week. I do not see an improvement. And my son has actually been throwing up more than before. He hates the flavor. I have to dispense the 0.8ml little by little over the course of 20 mins. That’s the only way he will keep it down and he still gags. I have to distract him. 🙄 My nurse practitioner friend told me to give the Zantac more time to work.

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So I have a theory that I have tested out today and will continue to test for the rest of the week since I think I am on to something. Here goes:

I think my let down comes out too forcefully and is causing him to suck in air which is causing painful gas. He is throwing up because he is getting almost a pressure hose of milk coming into his mouth. I do not want to pump because it will just cause me to become more engorged. I also do not take any milk supplements or pump at all since Baby Samuel will not take the bottle.

The reason I believe this is the culprit and not “acid reflux” is because at night, he NEVER screams or cries while feeding. He is relaxed and is therefore sucking gently and not in a crazy frantic frenzy. So today I have been feeding him while laying down next to him and offering my breast. He has not cried and unlatched once! He has even been drinking for a bit longer. Going from 4 mins per session to 15-20 mins per session. He has also been sleeping like I have never seen during the day! I’m thinking of testing this until the end of the week(basically have no life all week lol) to see if it works on a consistent basis. And if it does, I’ll call the pediatrician to ask her if it’s okay to stop the Zantac.

Has anyone ever experienced this same scenario? Any recommendations or experiences that you care to share? I’m a first time mom trying my best. Thank you everyone 😘