Tricky infant reflux

Hi everyone,

I am hoping someone might be able to help with a tricky case of infant reflux. Baby boy (BB) is just about 1 year old. He is thankfully in excellent health, minus recurrent episodes of reflux which began immediately after birth. He almost never spits up when refluxing, but often itches his nose and seems uncomfortable (so his is the “silent” variety). The most accurate way to describe his reflux is as a wet bubble that gets stuck in his throat. He does also pass gas or have gas bubble up more audibly. But mostly it is as if he has a single, wet hiccup. He has also moaned in his sleep a fair bit since he was maybe 6 weeks old. This usually precedes or coincides with reflux.

Unfortunately, BB refluxes regardless of position, both during feeds and after. He is upright for all of his naps, and sometimes at night, as well, but still refluxing regularly. Time since last feed also doesn’t make a big difference in frequency of reflux, nor does meal frequency, my diet, his diet (with some obvious exceptions, like cruciferous vegetables), etc.

We can soothe him with firm pats or clockwise rubs on his back and motion. He is most soothed by constant motion while in arms or in the carrier (squatting and rocking, spinning, etc.). He has a preference for dramatic movements, much more extreme than you would expect, and has had this preference since birth.

We previously did a 10 day course of nat phos 6x cell salts (1/2 tablet after feeds, not to exceed five tablets in 24 hours) with temporary success. Unfortunately, his reflux has always come back after periods of remission. We gave him nat phos whenever it would flare, but the remedy seemed less successful subsequent to the first course. With his recent viral illness (the second of two in his first year), we attempted a day of nat phos 6x, but it made his symptoms worse, so we stopped. He is still refluxing quite a bit. It is especially interrupting his sleep (whether upright on our chests or laying down in bed). He refluxes himself awake multiple times an hour. The virus hasn’t run its full course yet, and post-nasal drip likely plays a role in his discomfort. But the problem is not just his illness.

He has always had a robust appetite, though when he nurses he constantly switches sides. He does not take kindly to any attempt to encourage him to feed on one side only, or even switch sides less frequently :) Also, as a younger infant he seemed quite stiff…he never arched his back, but rather his shoulders and his overall alignment and posture seemed off. He often had trapped gas and his joints would frequently pop. We wish we could have taken him to a pediatric chiropractor who knew their stuff, but there are none anywhere near where we are located. He and I were handled quite roughly by the doctors and nurses during labor and delivery, which we think has something to do with all of this, though we could be wrong.

simone717 and zady101, especially, we would be curious for your thoughts on the appropriate remedy, given BB’s poor response to nat phos 6x this most recent episode.

Thank you,

Faith