Reflux - how long?

[alitesneeze]

My ds of 11 weeks has reflux and when he was around 6 weeks an hv told me it usually starts to ease off around 12 weeks. Today, however, another hv today told me to expect him to have reflux until he can walk.

I wondered if anyone could tell me their experience?

[mistressploppy]

Loads of advice on here, but I remember frantically searching for info on this, so here's my experience;

DS was a happy chucker ie would throw up but didn't really have pain/screaming with his reflux - we controlled it quite well with infant gaviscon. As soon as he started solids (6m) we were able to stop the gaviscon and he stopped being sick.

I've been told that it's partly to do with the heavy food helping to keep things down and partly due to better core muscle tone once they can sit up.

Do search on here for more info, reflux can be very tough if it's severe, and getting support is really helpful

[alitesneeze]

Thanks mistress. Will def have a browse and see what I can find.

Ds is the same, not uncomfortable just messy. I had kind of resigned myself to just living with it until he was on solids anyway (although gaviscon does help a bit)

[Frankie000]

my ds had reflux, was told lots of different things by doc and various hv etc, but in my experience it didnt improve significantly until he was upright most of the time. He's 13 months now, walking and it seems to have gone thank goodness. Have you tried the doctor brown bottles if your bottlefeeding? Before I used them I rarely left the house as ds was pretty much constantly sick, they helped a little.

[ladygogo]

My DS2 is now 6 months old and on solids all day (breast milk first thing in morning and at night). He is still sick although not as much as when his diet was entirely milk but the sick now smells of food and is much harder to clean off clothes so I'm still waiting for the day when I don't smell of sick!!

Sorry to not be giving any useful advice... I guess each baby is different. It bothers me more than it bothers him though!

I hope your DS's reflux settles down soon

[Latootle]

try a different milk reflux in all these children cant be normal but sensitivity tothe the milk can be my grand son refluxed until put on soya>>....

[Owlingate]

It is colic that usually stops at 12 weeks. DC1 reflux almost gone at 8 months, completely gone at 1 year. DC2 massively better at 14 months, almost gone at18 months. However DC2 was noticeably worse from the start.

Sorry you are going through this.

[alitesneeze]

Thanks everyone. It' a bit of a nighmare as he also had pyloric stenosis and needed an op on his tummy so he's been unlucky, the poor wee lad.

Frankie, I gave away my dr browns to my sil. I had them for dd and I hadnt even though that they might have helped :(

I wouldnt use soya milk unless a doc told me to I dont think. The docs at kids hospital precribed renitidine and gaviscon and were confident it is reflux :)

So it seems there is not much point in weaning him early. I was planning to just get started at 17 weeks in the hope that it would improve (not thinking it just meant actual puke - not just baby puke!!)

[brandnewme]

Sorry but DS had it until he was 1....just became a way of life, then one day i realised I hadn't cleaned up any sick that day ! Gaviscon didn't help him so we just lived through it....weaning made no difference - he just puked food as well as milk..

Hope your little man is gets better soon

[Frankie000]

I agree that weaning made no difference, just loads more mess as it wasnt milky sick but proper smelly sick :(
Maybe get just one dr brown bottle and see if it helps a little? Another bit of advice I was given was to stir the milk rather than shaking it when youre making abottle. Hope it improves a little x

[pinksunset]

My son massively improved at 9 months, which is when he walked, the crawling stage was particularly tricky, he would leave a constant trail. He is 3.5 now and there must still be some weakness as if he really has a screaming fit or uncontrollable giggles he quite often throws up. We did wean early, the only way to get enough of anything to stay in to help his weight gain, was born on the 91st centile and dropped to the 9th and certainly seemed more settled after he started solids. Hang on in there!

[legoqueen]

I was advised not to wean early, on the basis that it could put him off solids if the reflux persisted. The key is getting the right medication - Gaviscon didn't work for us but Ranitadine did help manage it. There are other meds available - go back to the hospital if you feel that it isn't helping. Hope that helps, it's a horrible thing for you & your baby to go through.

[Deliaskis]

DD has silent reflux and when I was reading up, I didn't see anything about it getting better at 12 weeks, in fact lots of babies are only just being diagnosed by then.

I had also read it gets better in increments at a number of milestones: sitting up, solid food, and walking. I guess for sitting and walking it's a combination of being upright and also muscle development.

Ranitidine helps us as it's an acid supressant and it's the acid that causes DD problems. Gaviscon is just a thickener so only works on its own for the less severe cases and did nothing for us.

D

[Chundle]

My dd still has reflux at 22 months! On ranitidine and domperidone

[cottonreels]

It seemed to last forever but actually stopped around the time she spent more time sitting up, so around 6 months. My dd is 19 months now and its a very distant memory though I remember it was awful at the time.

[alitesneeze]

I am really glad Iasked this question so I wont have my hopes up of it stopping any time soon.

I am back at the Dr next week and I think I am goingto discuss possible other drugs. The ranitidine doesnt stop him being sick but it stops the 'coffee ground' sick. The main problem is that it tastes so foul he quite often pukes it up right away!

[mistressploppy]

Oh goodness, alite, doesn't coffee ground sick mean gastro bleeding?. Your poor DS

I hope the Dr can help more. Best of luck and keep coming back on MN for support

[kelmal]

alite, your doctor may give you domperidone as it aids motility, empties the stomach quicker which reduces sickness.

[alitesneeze]

mistress I have wandered over here from the 'other' site for mums (read that it was bitchy, had a proper look and actually prefer it) but my understanding is strictly no hugs and definitely no use of the word 'hun'!

Ds is actually quite chilled. He was nil by mouth for 3 whole days and didn't complain! The only thing that has bothered him is the rinitidine

[alitesneeze]

Kelmal will ask dr about that. I noticed someone else mention it too

[mistressploppy]

yes, quite right - don't tell anyone!!

[purplearmadillo]

Not sure if I should post this or not as I am not sure how typical it is. DS had the happy sputter kind of reflux as a baby. We thought he had grown out of it but at one he started to get lots of chest problems. It turned out he still had reflux but stopped being sick and instead was aspirating the sick. He is now 3 and a quarter and still on domperidone and omeprazole (although we are hoping he will come off it soon). I think DS was unlucky but I wouldn't assume it has gone after you wean.

One thing I would say is be wary of chairs lilke bumbo. They put lots of stress on the stomach and made DS really sick.

[mistressploppy]

That sounds horrible, Purple, your poor DS (and you). Was he very poorly with the chest infections?

[Fizzylemonade]

Both my dcs had reflux, one happy chucker, no meds, stopped around the time when he walked, so about 12 months.

Ds2 much worse, in agony, screamed place down every time he fed and threw up lots.

He was on Enfamil AR, prescription formula as paed consultant wanted to try that first rather than meds. Worked well, but he still chucked just didn't scream in agony. He stopped the throwing up part around 15 months. He walked at 11 months.

We had to prop his cot, and then his bed. He would reflux in his sleep and wake up with it. In the end it was just sick in his mouth rather than everywhere so just a mouthful at a time.

He finally stopped at about 4 years old. I really hope yours doesn't go on that long.

[inthesticks]

Both mine had reflux although this was 13 / 15 years ago and no one put a label on it then. They never had any ill effects or drugs. It was just a major laundry problem. As tiny babies I used to lay them on layers of bedding so I could peel away layers during the night as they got wet rather than doing a full bedding change.
We had Lots Of Bibs.
They both threw up 24/7 until 10 months. As others have said, solids made no difference. It was a bit like having a puppy as they would do piles of sick as they crawled around. The house smelled permanently of floor cleaner.

[alitesneeze]

That's ok mistress, I forgive you hun :o

purpleand fizzy your poor wee boys.

It seems that reflux is something to be lived with until they grow out of it. The meds and milk thickners can only help so much