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Infant feeding

Reflux help

1 reply

LittlePink · 17/04/2015 07:28

ds is 13 weeks and has just been diagnosed with reflux and put on ranitidine. The reason he's not on gaviscon is because he won't take a bottle and is ebf.
I think he's what's known as a happy spitter as it doesn't bother him at all. He doesn't cry or arch his back and seems totally unphased by the vomiting. He's putting on lots of weight. He's on 91st centile and following his line. It's more of a nuisance for me than it is him because of all the bibs, changes of clothes, wiping up sick off carpets, furniture etc.
I've just been getting through it for weeks but what made me take him to the doctors was the choking, coughing, spluttering and congestion at night.
I wrote a thread about it recently and was advised to get a humidifier, use snuffle babe and eucalyptus oil. I'm using all three and it has made a difference to the congestion.
My question is really about the ranitidine. I don't want to be giving him medicine unnecessarily and have read that ranitidine is of no benefit to a happy spitter. So I'm getting confused as to whether he needs to be on it at all and wondering if it's a thickener he needs instead.
He projectile vomits most feeds but some days are better than others. Some days he's sick a lot and others it's more like posset. Sometimes it's up to 2 hours after a feed and like curdled cottage cheese.
I don't think it's really severe as ive seen friends babies with bad reflux throwing back torrents of feed and it's not as bad as that but frequent enough to start to get me down with all the changes and cleaning up.
Main thing is it's not upsetting him and I can easily clean it all up but is it more of a laundry problem than a medical problem?
Will the ranitidine help with the choking at night rather than stopping the vomiting? Should I keep him on it for the choking? He's only been on it 3 days and he's already gone from1-2 hrly wake ups coughing and spluttering to 7-4am. I don't know if it's the ranitidine that's kicked in or just coincidence.
Any advice or experience would be great. Thanks.

OP posts:
Sonics · 18/04/2015 08:00

We have had a slightly similar experience although our LO hasn't been sick as much. We took him to docs at around 7 weeks old as he sounded like he was struggling to breathe at night and was all congested. I was advised it was reflux but I was unconvinced at the time as he showed no other symptoms. Count yourself lucky you haven't been prescribed gaviscon! they gave us that first (I am EBF as well) so we had to mix the sachet with cooked boiled water and give it to him with a calpol syringe. He screamed!!! It made him constipated and now he's off it I actually think it made him worse not better as the horrible breathing at night was replaced by him thrashing around which I now think was because his tummy was uncomfortable.

He's now on a daily tablet called emeprozol (not sure about spelling) and he is such a happier more content baby. However I don't know if that's a coincidence with him now reaching 12 weeks or the tablet taking effect but we've decided to carry on with it anyway. I was also reluctant to give medication unnecessarily but the Dr assured me that it is well researched for children with minimal side effects (so better than nasty gaviscon) so we don't want to stop it and risk him getting worse.
Sorry I don't have any experience with the medication you have been given but just wanted to share the similar night time symptoms with you. Hope things improve

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