Silent Reflux is ruining my baby’s sleep
Venting a bit, but also looking for some advice/reassurance.
My 6-week-old has had what seems like silent reflux since around week 4. He rarely cries from it, but he constantly makes this sad sour face and I can hear him swallowing things back down. It’s especially bad at night — he’ll only sleep in my arms, and the moment I put him down he starts clearing his throat, coughing, gagging, and sounding uncomfortable. I’m constantly anxious about whether he could choke.
I keep him upright for 30+ minutes after feeds, but I can still hear him swallowing things back up even hours later.
He also gets frequent hiccups, sounds very congested, and his little voice has become so hoarse. During feeds he makes loud wheezing noises too, though I’m not sure if that’s reflux-related or something else.
He was prescribed ranitidine about a week ago, but we haven’t seen any improvement yet. The pharmacist suggested following up with our doctor and possibly discussing a PPI, but I’ve read so many conflicting things online about long-term effects that I’m feeling really overwhelmed.
Has anyone had positive experiences with PPIs or found something that helped their baby? Seeing my LO so uncomfortable is honestly heartbreaking.