Silent Reflux - advice needed

[Nicshev]

My little girl is 8 weeks old and I feel so helpless! I am certain she has silent reflux and doc has prescribed medicine to treat this as they agreed the symptoms sounded like she had it.

the worst symptoms are sometimes it sounds like she can't breath and takes huge gasps, she now has a horrible cough and has done for around 2 weeks, I hear her swallowing all the time but there's nothing in her mouth, she fusses through some of her bottle and tonight I could actually hear everything rattling around her tummy and coming up to her throat! Constant hiccups also.. She isn't a sicky baby at all and 99% of bottles stay down.

She is currently on baby gaviagon (2 sachets) and ranitidine (0.5mls) but I genuinely feel like it isn't helping!! Does anyone have any advice or tips on past experiences dealing with silent reflux? I have tried not lying her down too soon, feeding little and often, proped up mattress etc

I feel like I am good crazy trying to find ways to make her better 😩😩

[slightlyinsane]

My god it's tough, you have my sympathy. Apart from all you've mentioned are there any other symptoms, like rashes, eczema, explosive nappies??

[Nicshev]

She has around 5 dirty nappies in a day I would say, they are hard but I think that's the gavisgon. She has had a rash on her head and face that comes and goes from about 2 weeks old. Very dry and rough skin around her face too!

It's just horrible to see her in pain and upset! She is a perfect little baby apart from this nightmare reflux..

[slightlyinsane]

The gaviscon will definitely be having that effect.
There's a few directions you can take this in, ask for an alternative to the ranitidine, it doesn't work for all babies. The next one to try is usually omeprazole, often hard to get prescribed.
Or and my thoughts are this is your best course of action,
Is to get your dr to trial a dairy free milk and treat as an allergy to milk proteins.

[Nicshev]

When I was a baby I had to be taken off formula as I had an allergy to milk proteins. And when I tried my first little girl with cows milk at a year she developed a rash all over her face and the docs advised me to wait another few months to try it again as her system wasn't ready for it.

Can this be passed on, a milk type allergy?

[slightlyinsane]

There's no real evidence that it can be but more often than not if you've had an allergy yourself or one of your children have then there's a good chance the next will. Just don't think they've done enough research.
4 out of 5 of my kids have or have had it.
Go to gp and explain the history, the reflux type symptoms and the rash and ask for a dairy free milk. You'll most likely get nutramigen first, which isn't completely dairy free but the proteins are extensively broken down that a good percent of babies can tolerate it. It can take a couple of weeks to make a difference, as the body takes a while to get rid of the proteins it already has.
If the first milk doesn't work there are others to try x

[Nicshev]

Ok thank you so much for your advice! Will speak to docs and keep my fingers crossed my baby gets a break x

[angelicjen]

You have my sympathy, silent reflux is so miserable. How long has she been on the ranitidine and what does she weigh? It took about 5 days to really start working for us and he has to have the max dose. It's very weigh sensitive.

[slightlyinsane]

Good luck with the drs, hopefully they'll agree to try something else quickly x

[AJ279]

My DD was the same, fussing through bottles, squirming, screaming and grunting while on her back, bringing up feeds, rashes, tummy rumbling and generally being unsettled, she wouldn't sleep for more than 30 minutes on her back. We were put on gaviscon and omeprazole which helped but didn't clear symptoms so took her back and we were prescribed milk for a dairy allergy and no lie from that night on the symptoms vanished she slept through (until we hit the sleep regression but that's a whole other thread). Not saying that's what it is but trust your instinct and if you think it's more keep pestering your gp. Good luck

[SingingMyOwnSpecialSong]

Nothing much to add to advice from others, but wanted to add my sympathy.
I found the attitude of many friends to be 'oh reflux, you must hate all the washing' not many people seemed to realise it can be without vomiting and horribly distressing. I remember waking up hearing her spluttering in the night and never being able to put her down during the day. It did get better as she became more mobile.

Things really improved for us once DD could roll and be left to sleep on her tummy when she chose to (usually with her bottom in the air). She is 13 months now and still on full dose of ranitidine but generally happy. We also tried domperidone, prescribed by paediatric consultant, but it made her very agitated so came off after a couple of days. I also felt gaviscon made her constipated which made her even more upset, so we just stuck with the ranitidine. It does sound like diet/allergies could be playing a part for you though.