When Baby Won't Sleep

"I see you're trying to get some sleep. Allow me to sing you the song of my people." - Wee Lass

   Captain's Log. Stardate 12/12/12. Day 134, and we're still at war. Baby sleep is an elusive beast, like unto the unicorn or snipe. Morale is low and spirits are sinking. Mom and dad are near tears and have a zombie-like demeanor. 

Haven't all parents gone through something like that? The Wife and I are there. I thought in the spirit of sharing, I'd also pass on what we've used to help with the Wee Lass. It was determined that she's experiencing a bit of acid reflux. As any of you know who have experience this with an infant,.....good times. ALL that adorable screaming,....and at such fun times of the night!

   Some of the natural remedies have been to keep her upright for at least 30 minutes after feedings, or what we were told in our case, "as much as possible throughout the day". Goodbye shoulder muscles. Aside from allergies, there is good reason for a nursing mother to stay away from things like caffeine and dairy. Follow the pediatricians advice on those, and typically the mother is more on top of that than us dads (crap!). When those aren't the problem and you baby is still experiencing colic, gas, stomach pain, irritability, homicidal tendencies, and the like,...here's what we've tried:

 Little Tummys Gripe Water: We tried it and Wee Lass griped anyway, so it wasn't for us.

 Little Tummies Gas Relief: this worked about half of the time to calm her little tummy.

 The generic Up & Up from Target was a cheaper alternative and seemed to work about the same for our family.

   If you suspect acid reflux in your baby (ours is currently 3 months old as of this post), the options are limited. We found out that the long and hard way on the phone between doctors office, insurance company, and the pharmacy. The two medications we've experienced:
 

Ranitidine (generic Zantac): It seemed to help some with the symptoms, but not enough to prevent the 3 hour bedtime routine, more than normal spit-ups, etc. Our health plan pharmacist said that ranitidine has a different mechanism of action than Prevacid, so some don't do well on the former. Some babies don't do well on it at all. Besides, our Wee Lass hated taking it and more was spit out than taken. We were moved onto...
Prevacid: (lansoprazole): Our little one enjoyed the mild strawberry flavor, and the solutab went down with no argument. The bedtime routine was not as intense and she slept for longer than she had for some weeks.

   I'm by no means a doctor, so do what's best for your child, consult your pediatrician and pharmacist, and be patient. I welcome any other ideas that may help. Good luck,

J.