6w old baby reflux driving me mad, pls help.

[Aw12345]

Has had mild reflux for a few weeks but now has got a lot worse, I feel so sorry for DS and it's driving me crazy.

24/7 he feeds for a couple of minutes then scrunches up, bright red face, grunting etc then 5 minutes later he wants to feed again. I'm literally struggling so much now because I never even get a full hour to sleep or wash or do anything. We've tried car journey, walk in pram, walk in carrier, vibrating baby bouncer, DH taking him so he can't smell milk, bath, baby massage... ... ... Nothing has helped. He is getting worse by the day 😪😥

He's on gaviscon, exclusively bf on demand.

Please any help or words of wisdom needed as I am absolutely going insane and I'm desperate to help my poor baby :-(

[ShovingLeopard]

Poor you and poor him. It's awful. He is likely feeding frequently to soothe his throat. Unfortunately this can create a vicious cycle, as the reflux will only worsen if his tummy gets too full.

I don't know of a single baby who was helped solely with Gaviscon. Next step would be to go back to GP for the next treatment up, which would be Ranitidine. This reduces the acid, so the reflux still happens, but is less painful/painfree. It can be taken alongside the Gaviscon. If he is constipated from the Gaviscon, the GP can prescribe Lactulose.

Lots of babies find their symptoms ease with Ranitidine. However, if this is not the case for your DS, next steps would be a PPI like Lansoprazole or Omeprazole. Some GPs will not prescribe this, and you may need to see a paediatrician or a paediatric gastroenterologist to get it.

Intolerance or allergy to food, especially cow's milk protein, can be a cause of reflux for some babies. Does your DS have any other symptoms, e.g. rashes, eczema, constipation or diarrhoea?

[ShovingLeopard]

Oh, and one thing that would help is to hold him upright after feeds. I was advised 30 minutes by the GP, but had to do 45 for my DD.

Some babies like sitting in a bouncer or baby swing. My DD particularly found relief in a bath in a tummy tub, but they are really only suitable for very young babies.

[ShovingLeopard]

Sorry, I see you have tried the bouncer etc.

[miketv]

I agree with pp. we were put on renitadine, domperidone then omeprazole. We also had cows milk protein intolerance/allergy too.

Go back to gp - if they won't help ask to be referred to a paediatrician

[Aw12345]

Thank you so much for your replies. He does have diarrhoea now you come to mention it, and also spotty skin... Maybe it is an intolerance like you mentioned.

Does that mean we have to switch to a special formula or do I have to cut put dairy to continue breastfeeding?

Thanks again!

[miketv]

If you're breastfeeding it's worth cutting out dairy to see if that helps.

It's easier than you think - there's oat milk, vegan cheese etc that you can have. But definitely worth a try if it means things are more settled.

[TheGateauIsInTheChateau]

Also if you can put his cot at an angle that helps, prop up with books

[KTD27]

Just wanted to say you aren’t alone! My 9 week old Just started on ranatidine yesterday I’m so hopeful it works for her. I am wondering if there’s an allergy to milk also she is exclusively breast fed but the paediatrician said not to go dairy free yet and see how she responded to the meds. Go back to your GP and ask for something different. Gaviscon did NOTNING for us other than constipation.

[ShovingLeopard]

You don't need the special formula to cut out dairy, but you will need to stop eating it yourself if you want to try it. As a pp said, it's not too hard these days as there are lots of alternative. You will need to read labels carefully, as food manufacturers sneak dairy into all sorts of unlikely products. Be sure to supplement your calcium intake to the correct level with either fortified substitutes, or supplements.

It can take up to two weeks for all traces of dairy to leave your system, but when dairy is a problem there is often a noticeable improvement within just a few days.

Definitely back to the GP, though.

[Holymosquito]

This sounds familiar. For us the combination of ranitidine and me cutting out dairy worked a treat. Please try to make an appointment with your GP. I pointed out to them the difficulty in giving an EBF baby gaviscom and they offered rantidine ( which was far more effective!)

[MoMandaS]

It might be caused by Transient Lactase Deficiency. Lactase is the enzyme that processes the lactose in milk and lots of babies don't produce enough because their digestive systems aren't mature enough. Colief is the answer for that. You can get it in the chemist - it's expensive but if you try it for a few days and it seems to work you can ask for it to be prescribed. IME you have to work out yourself what the problem is then tell the gp what you want them to do about it.

[QueenofmyPrinces]

My son was BF and had reflux, diagnosed at 4 weeks because he was always screaming after feeds. He was put on ranitidine but it didn’t do much. By 8 weeks of age he was barely feeding because he’d latch, suck for a few minutes and then start screaming in pain and this went on and on and on.

I went back to the GP who felt that considering my son’s symptoms and the fact he had bad cradle crap and had dry/spotty skin on his face it was likely he had a dairy allergy.

I went dairy free and in about 3-4 days his feeding improved, his pain and crying after feeds pretty much stopped and a few weeks later his cradle cap and skin cleared up too.

[PasstheStarmix]

Ranitidine helped ds so much, gaviscon did nothing but constipate him and make everything worse.

[Aw12345]

Thanks so much for your help. I've booked in with the GP and will ask for ranitidine. I just feel so sorry for him. it's nice to hear we're not alone, I really hope everyone's baby gets more comfortable asap.

Does anyone know with dairy intolerance if it when he's older?

[QueenofmyPrinces]

Does anyone know with dairy intolerance if it when he's older?

I can’t quite tell what you mean?

But if you’re asking about them having a dairy intolerance when they’re older, a huge amount of babies grow out of the allergy by the time they’re one. My son is 13 months old and I started re-introducing dairy back into my diet when he was 11 months - I can eat anything I want now and he doesn’t have any reaction. Over the last month he’s been having small amounts of dairy himself and he’s been fine with that too.

[ISeeTheLight]

Sounds like CMPA to me. There's an extremely helpful Facebook group for CMPA (main group - CMPA support, and also a BF specific one: CMPA support for breastfeeding). Ask to be added, lots of people in the same boat.

As PP mentioned, you need to cut out all dairy from your diet +check ingredients in everything, also eg whey powder and casein are dairy derivatives and contain milk proteins. Also, quite a large proportion of CMPA babies have soya allergy so you might need to cut that out too.

For the reflux ask for ranitidine or omeprazole - they're much more effective than Gaviscon.

I've been in your position, it took 5 months to get diagnosed - DD wouldn't sleep more than 40min at a time and it nearly killed me. She's so an only child as I don't know I could cope with it a second time.

[miketv]

By 2yo we were back on dairy completely, so don't worry, it doesn't have to be a permanent thing.

[PasstheStarmix]

Cutting diary from your diet is usually the last resort I wouldn’t jump ahead and I’d see if ranitidine helps first. The gp will prob want to explore that and all options first too.

[Aw12345]

Sorry previous post wasn't clear... Combination of sleep deprivation and baby in 1 arm! Yer I was just wondering if he is dairy intolerant, will it last for his whole life?

Went to GP this morning, apparently in Oxfordshire GPs aren't allowed to dispense ranitidine or omeprazole for babies so we've been referred to paediatrics... It's good they're thorough but what are we meant to do I'm the meantime 😰

GP tried to dispense it, has her own kids and was very understanding, but the computer system blocks it from being dispensed 😭

[Joyce1956]

Hi I'm an sorry to hear what your going through but I feel there same way. It has been 5 weeks since my gallbladder surgery and I feel exhausted! I still cannot eat alot of my favorite foods without running to the bathroom and I mean running. I am so very sad... lonely. There is no one I can talk to. I cry all the time. I just want to know will this go away?

[QueenofmyPrinces]

In the meantime try removing dairy - you may get an idea within 4-5 days then if it’s a problem. There’s no harm in removing dairy whilst waiting to see the doctor because it will may help rule out/confirm an allergy before you see him/her.

[Holymosquito]

Both of mine were ok with dairy from weaning at about 8 months (we introduced it slowly).

[Heather041985]

if its reflux then ranitidine should help, the combination of that and gaviscon makes ours better although from reading tour comments i would say also cmpa, i have 4 with it and it can cause severe reflux. if breast fed cut out dairy for 6 weeks, make sure you take calcium tablets tho and if formula fed ask to be referred to a dietician and trial milk free formula. firstly you would be given a formula that has broken down proteins then if that didnt work then secondly you would get a completely dairy free version. all i would say is trust your instincts and push your gps and paed if your not happy as it is a battle but one worth fighting to get a happy baby. its woth mentioning my 1st grew out if it aged 18mo but my 2 year old has no milk still but can tollerate soya now (similar proteins to milk)

[Mollywobbles82]

My son is 9 weeks and for the first 3-4 was exactly as you describe. We got a prescription for ranitidine probably against the GPs wishes on account of my refusal to leave the room until she did something to help with his screaming. If I was in that much pain, I wouldn't be fobbed off, after all.

Anyway, it was a real struggle to get him to take the prescribed dose (6ml) and in the meantime the HV suggested giving up dairy. I'm both sad and happy to say the change was almost instantaneous, within 24hr a huge improvement and now 4 weeks on he is a different baby. I'm not going to lie, it is properly tedious reading every label and having such a restricted choice of foods as milk is in absolutely everything but it's so worth it to have solved his problems and have a happy baby.

Ranitidine or the next line treatment might well help with his symptoms but the way I see it is it's surely better to treat the cause of those symptoms if possible? If you decide to try, if it's going to work, I imagine you would know pretty quickly.

p.s the computer says no - that is a cost thing rather than an attempt at being thorough. It was the same thing at our appointment and the GP explained why. A way around it was eventually found.

[HappyPumpkin81]

Hi,

I would ask my gp or hv if they could contact the paediatrician and ask him/her to prescribe ranitidine for your baby while you wait for an appointment.My little girl had terrible reflux and is still on ranitidine now at 10 months, I am exclusively breastfeeding and gaviscon did nothing to help us (not to mention being a nightmare to give when you are breastfeeding). Video your baby in distress so you can show what is happening and make sure the paediatrician understands how much you are struggling. If you can find out who the secretary is for your paediatrician keep contact her daily and say you can come in for any cancelled appointments. Also get someone else to cuddle the baby for a few hours so you can sleep. My mum wasn't as bothered by the screaming as I was so would take my daughter out for a couple of hours so I could rest.

The wee small hours of the morning was the worst time for me. I watched a lot of Homes under the Hammer and Location, location, location at 3 am reading the subtitles while my baby screamed in my ear.

Sadly the current advice to gp's is not to prescribe ranitidine as there is not enough evidence it works and there is concern babies are being over medicated. I am all for making sure babies are appropriately treated however I could not have waited the 6 months it takes to be seen by a paediatrician in my area. My daughter was prescribed ranitidine after I phoned the health visitor in incoherent floods of tears after 6 weeks of my daughter screaming 24/7. If we hadn't received help then I think things would have gone very badly for us.

Before I had my baby I thought reflux was just a bit of spitting up but that definitely isn't the case. My little girl is a lot better now, she only throws up 4 or 5 times a day (instead of 60) and I can see she is growing out of it. However I have decided not to have any more children as I couldn't cope if another one had reflux.

It will get better but it is awful when you are in the thick of it. I hope you get the help you need soon.