So our (new) ped made referrals for us to have an upper gi series done yesterday and meet with a pediatric gi doctor today.

The GI series went really well yesterday-- she did great and didn't even cry! I was so happy it wasn't traumatic for her at all. The doctor that performed the X-rays (they had an actual doc in addition to a tech) said her anatomy looked normal but she definitely could see that she had reflux. So I was encouraged that we might be closing in on a definitive diagnosis for her feeding refusal.

Then we saw the pediatric GI today and... ugh. Basically he said that because she isn't spitting up and vomiting MORE than she is (she does but not enough apparently) and because she's a happy baby it isn't reflux. Or if it is, it is mild. Despite what the doctor yesterday said. He was like "oh well the babies scream during that test and they always reflux." And I told him she didn't scream, didn't even whimper! And he was like "well regardless I don't consider that diagnostic.

He was also unconvinced that it was an allergy. He didn't say why though.

He said that he thinks this is behavioral and that she is just traumatized about feeding and I'm so anxious about her eating that she's feeding off of my energy and refusing to eat. Or something. I mean he didn't come out and say it was my fault-- but the gist of it is that this is a parental behavior problem and not a medical problem.

Despite the fact that there was no event that precipitated her refusing to eat. And the fact that I had 0 anxiety about her refusing to eat before she refused to eat (duh). He just kept making all these "pat you on the head" comments about me being a first time mom and being anxious and how it's not "my fault" but that these "feeding behaviors you're using" (i.e. trying to feed her because she has to eat bc babies need food...) are the issue. But he also admitted he'd "hardly ever seen this before" and that there just isn't really a clear answer. Ugh.

The good news is I pushed him on the reflux and he did prescribe prevacid for us to try (since the zantac doesn't seem to be doing much). And he said I can go ahead and keep her on the nutramigen and stay on my dairy/soy free diet for now to see if there is improvement. And I have seem some improvement in the last week since we went dairy/soy free (which he dismissed as irrelevant..?).

So I'm really hopeful that with new meds and staying on this diet we'll have fixed the problem (which I feel in my gut is reflux + maybe an allergy) regardless of whether he believes there is a problem beyond her crazy neurotic mother.

But just-- ugh. I feel like Ive heard people here talk about, and read other articles online, with similar behavior in babies and it is always reflux and/or allergies. And yes it is uncommon for those things to present as feeding refusal. But that doesn't mean it is impossible and it doesn't mean that those babies just wake up one day and decide not to eat for no good reason. And I'm frustrated that he totally just brushed me off like I"m just a crazy neurotic first time mom who spends too much time googling. Especially because our new pediatrician is so wonderful and tried herself to feed Fiona (which he didn't want to do) and she-- a trained pediatrician-- said she is certain this is not normal and she truly believed that Fiona was in pain while eating she just wasn't quite sure why.

So there is my update/rant. Again, I do feel we've had some improvement in the last week since I went off dairy/soy-- and we're also getting some stronger reflux meds. So I feel like there is a good chance we'll see continued improvements and a solution to our problem here in the next week or two. I'm just grateful for HB and the women here for pushing me to check these things out and sharing their experiences because I think otherwise I'd just believe these doctors who admit they haven't really seen this before but are just sure this isn't reflux or an allergy. Harumph.