Infant Gaviscon - any experts?!

[DontShootTheDog]

How do you actually administer it? Any tips? I am using less water than it says and syringing it in back of cheek but it takes ages, wakes him up and gets dribbled out a lot. Can it be mixed with breast milk instead and would that help?

[NeverKnowinglyUnderDoug]

You can mix it with breastmilk, but when I was using it with my bf daughter, I found she took it beautifully off a medicine spoon.

Mixed up a pot of the stuff, put spoon to her lips and it gently went in, then would bf her.

If you are syringing it in, use right about of water and just gently put in a bit at a time - e.g. one bit, breast one, next bit, breast two and then last bit at the end. It may go in better.

[DontShootTheDog]

Thats really helpful, thanks. Is it ok to feed after administering it then? That would be great as I feed him to sleep then wake him up again with the Gavsicon torture, as thought it had to be given after feed. Perhaps it makes no difference

[NeverKnowinglyUnderDoug]

It took me ages to work out a good way of doing it. If I gave it after a feed, she wasn't interested as she was full - and by then was generally throwing it up.

By giving a little just before feeding it settled her stomach and she took it easily as she wasn't full. She then was bf straight away.

I had a sterile pot, which I made up a few doses in for the day and a sterile medicine spoon. Used warm boiled water to make it up and let it cool. That way it was ready in the fridge whenever I needed it during the day.

[DontShootTheDog]

I appreciate your advice. I have been faffing around with cooled, boiled water etc in the night. Tonight I am going to express some milk and mix it in and see if he'll take it in a bottle (never tried a bottle so probably not at 10 weeks but you never know) or failing that, spoon it in. And will do it pre-feed so he actually has space for it too!

[mistressploppy]

I used to make up several bottles with it in (teeny quantities though) for the day/night ahead, and give it before a breastfeed. Worked wonderfully

[DontShootTheDog]

Is it ok to do that then? It says use it immediately, but it would be great if I could reduce my night time work load! Did you do that with milk or water? Does it need to be kept in the fridge then heated? I have only ever breast fed without expressing so am a bit ignorant when it comes to milk storage/use.

[NeverKnowinglyUnderDoug]

When I made it up in a little sealed pot, at the start I kept it in the fridge but didn't bother to heat it up. As she got a bit older, I just made it up last thing at night and then kept it by the bed. Any left in the morning got thrown out.

I never expressed and just used water. You may find it works really well with a syringe if you give it just before a feed as your baby will be awake and not full and that saves you from spilling at night.

[mistressploppy]

I asked a GP mate and she said (and I quote) 'it's pretty benign stuff, it'll be fine'

I mixed it with water though. I'd say bringing milk into the equation changes things a fair bit with regards bugs and stuff, perhaps be wary there.

I did keep the ready-mixed bottle doses in the fridge, but would take a couple to bed with me to keep on the bedside table for before night feeds. I never heated it.