Sleeping with reflux

[Sukhino24]

Hi

My baby is 11 weeks old and has reflux (mostly the acid pain and less of the sick).
He is on ranitidine and has just been proscribed liquid omeprizol.

So far he has been sleeping at night either in a rock and play (which is angled) or in a sleepyhead pod in an elevated cosleeper crib.

For the last few weeks he has been sleeping during the day in a sling - this is the only place in whoch he will sleep for long stretches (up to 3 hours if i let him) and during the day he will not go down in the cot/R&P for more than 20-30 mins and mostly i have to hold him to sleep first.

He also uses a dummy as i find this helps with the reflux and soothes him.

My issues are this:

1. At night he wakes up every 1.5 - 2 hours or so (i might get 1 3 hours stretch if i am lucky) i have to feed him, burp him, hold him upright for 30 mins and put him back down whch means i am only sleeping for 30 minute slots.
   

Sometimes he is waking for hunger and sometimes it is becuase of reflux or very violent wind whoch seems to upset him. He gets so upset i either have to put him in thw sling or feed him to calm him again (then the cycle goes again) . I can hear the acid gaging in his throat and he grunts and shakes his arms about. I am so exhausted am beginning to feel very depressed. I just need him to sleep more and i dont know what to do.

1. He will only sleep for long periods in the day in the sling - on the one hand it is great (he gets sleep and i get to move around with him) on the other hand i just want to put him down as i cant do anything fir myself with him always attached to me. This is heightened by the fact that i cant lay him down during play time becuase he gets violent hiccups and starts crying.
   

So, how do i help him/train him to go to sleep by himself in some sort of cot when he has acid reflux?
Is there a good routine to follow? (Im currently follwing loosly baby whisperer)
Will he get dependant on the sling if i have him nap there during the day all the time?

I am now despairing as i feel like my life is at a total stand still and i am beging tortured with sleep deprevation!

Anyone, Any help at all?

Thanks

[Onthedowns]

My son has silent reflux and cmpi. He's now 23 weeks old and only just getting better sleep because he is starting to sit up more and tummy matures. We were having 3/4 hours sleep a night in seoerate shifts for 3 months it was terrible with a 4 year old too. He would only sleep uptight on us. He's in his sleepyhead in the middle of our bed currently but still has episodes of being uncomfortable even wedged. He's been on rantidine, tried omprezole gaviscon and he's on neocate. It's hard work and we have only just been able to start some sort of routine. Your baby is still very young do no sleep train until reflux is under control. Have you thought about milk intolerance?

[Sukhino24]

Yes, they say he has that too. I EBF so i have cut out diary. Things have improved over the last few weeks but the sleeps seems to have deterioriated. Do you think its ok to just get him to sleep any way i can at the mo and worry about routine and sleep training later when reflux settles?
Im just desperate for some sleep its starting to become a real problem! Thanks

[Onthedowns]

I would try and get what sleep you can at the moment when his reflux settles you can train more! We used to let him sleep when he could! It's hard we aren't 100% there but much better! Although weaning is throwing up issues!

[Sukhino24]

Thanks. Oh no I was told weaning would help! sleep deprivation is awful. We will be teying omeprizol as well as ranitidine next week so hoping that makes a difference. I keep getting told it gets better with time but i dont know how to cope with no sleep in the meantime!

[Onthedowns]

It's hard I was on verge of PND, omprezole works for A lot if babies. My son was premature so I think tummy even more sensitive than usual he has improved but slowly. Weaning is slow he's very hungry but sick all the time so starting domperidone. My daughter had silent reflux 4 years ago to but was a dream in comparison!!! Hang in there and don't be afraid to pester GP! He might also be having some sort of sleep regression!

[celeryeater]

Sounds a very similar situation to what I'm in. My DD is 3 months and getting her to sleep for more than 2 hours is a miracle. What's worse is my sleep pattern is so disturbed even when she eventually goes to sleep I sometimes just lay there wide awake unable to drift off! Sleep deprivation is the worst - i feel like I'm actually going insane! She has had reflux too and cutting out dairy has helped a lot but she still has a lot of trapped wind that keeps her awake. I can also hear her being sick in her mouth and swallowing it. I don't have any advice just wanted to say your not the only one!

[Sukhino24]

Thank you! We were up every 2 hour this night. Im starting to loose my mind. Constant headache has kicked in and frustration overwhelming! X

[ScarletBegonia1234]

Definitely don't worry about sleep training or bad habits. There is plenty of time for that later. I had a sidecar crib with a pillow and basically slept sitting up with ds upright in the cruck of my arm (my arm at a right angle on the pillow). I did this for weeks and my shoulder is still stiff I think! Ds is 16 months now and things are infinitely better. Still dairy free but refluxes got better once he started sitting up.

[seven201]

My daughter has reflux too but not as bad. She's generally quite good at night but not in the day. I think you mainly need to hope the omprezole works and continue doing what you're doing. I just think there's no point in trying routines with young reflux babies.

[Sukhino24]

The EASY routine seems to really help us both. My problem is that he just wont sleep anywhere apart from the sling in the day and is so fretful in the night in the cot. He only goes for a number 2 once a week so i think this really affects him too and he is always passing wind which wakes him up. Big sigh!

[Onthedowns]

Have you tried lactulose for toilet? Our paed said really babies should be going every day or every other day. It really disturbs our DS at night when he hasn't been for a number too!!

[Caper86]

My 10 week old baby has reflux too - ive been using the weleda chamomilla granules (can get them in boots). I give them to her when she's having a reflux episode and they seem to soothe her and send her straight to sleep for a good while. Worth a go as they're quite cheap. Good luck!

[seven201]

My daughter also wasn't pooing so we were advised to do lots of baby massage. We've got into an odd but effective routine at night of: bath, massage, dressed for bed in sleeping bag, bottle, explosive poo contained by nappy and sleeping bag, another bath, new sleeping clothes/bag, breastfeed, sleep in bedside cot.

[kimmy726]

My DD had reflux too, the only way she sleeps is on me then I put her down in her next to me crib. From 11 weeks (she is now 24 weeks) we put her to sleep on her tummy and it dramatically improved her sleeping. She slept longer and deeper. She is ff after 12 weeks BF. We were on ranitidine too but it's a lot better now and we don't need to use it.
I put her down for naps on her tummy first to see how she did, and she had v good head control from the start, so once she was good with the naps on her tummy I put her to bed that way(along with the ANGELCARE sensor Mat and monitor). Best thing I ever did, even tho it's against guidelines. The sleep deprivation was so bad I was hearing things
Best of luck OP, it's rubbish that they have reflux and can't sleep :( X