5 week old continually disturbed with being sick/reflux

[Jojo13]

I've posted on the feeding page but thought I'd try here for advice also!
DS is 5 weeks and really suffering with reflux. Doc has given gaviscon but it doesn't seem to be helping.
He is just continually sick between feeds so even once I get him to sleep he is waking up in great discomfort and then is sick. Even 2 hours after feeding. I just don't know what else to do, and I have a two year old to contend with in the day too so it's not a happy household at the moment.
It's a constant vicious cycle of - feed, wind/settle, sleep for about 30 mins/1hr, wake up, be sick, settle and by then it's time for another feed. He's just so uncomfortable all the time.
Exhausted.

[NotAUserNumberSoNotATroll]

Have you spoken to your HV or GP about possible intolerance?

[AssassinatedBeauty]

I'd go back to the GP and explain how the Gaviscon isn't working. There are a couple of other medicines they can give I think, which might be worth a try.

[Jojo13]

Thank you. I have an appointment next week with doctor (who did mention intolerance but said very unlikely as other than reflux he doesn't have any other symptoms) so will ask for something else.
The doctor and hv just seem to fob it off as just being a baby but i don't know any other babies (and I've had two) who are sick between feeds to the extent they can't sleep?
Thanks. Trying to sound-out other mums experiences as just not sure what's normal?! I know some babies are not difficult/sick etc than others.
Maybe will ring doctor tomorrow and get appointment sooner.

[Bue]

It may just be straight reflux but he also doesn't need any other symptoms, reflux in and of itself could indicate cows milk allergy. Have you had a look online for a more extensive list of symptoms? There might be more that you have missed.

Is he sleeping on his back? Although it's obviously against guidance a lot of reflux babies will only sleep on their tummies. For us it was the only way to get any sleep at all so it was a conscious choice we made.

[FATEdestiny]

I can't comment on reflux, but this:

It's a constant vicious cycle of - feed, wind/settle, sleep for about 30 mins/1hr, wake up, be sick, settle and by then it's time for another feed

Why "vicious cycle"? That cycle is normal for most young babies. There's even a published, well known parenting structure based around it. It's by The Baby Whispered and is called EASY

The EASY routine is based around repeating cycle of Eat > Activity > Sleep > Eat > Activity > Sleep... (Y is You time while baby sleeps).

You change sleep time / activity time according to baby's she and development. So 30 minute naps and then short activity time (consisting of mostly just a feed and nappy check) then straight back to sleep- all very normal.

OK, so i see that being sick isn't normal. Possetting is, as in bringing up a little milk in between feeds, but not projectile vomiting most feeds.

But aside from the being sick, the rest of your "vicious cycle" isn't vicious. It's absolutely great.

[Jojo13]

I meant vicious cycle as in - at night he wakes himself being sick after 30 mins. He would be sleeping longer if he wasn't being continually sick.
I know eat, play, sleep, eat, play, sleep is generally a great cycle, as I said, I do have other children, it's just that the sleep is continually disturbed by being sick so that by the time he is over being sick and re-settled it is time for another feed. This means I am only getting 30 mins to an hour sleep at a time, if I'm lucky. It's not something I've experienced before and so seems odd to me that he should be continually bringing up milk 24/7 and generally being uncomfortable and disturbed as a result.

[Jojo13]

Ps - I do put him to sleep on his side as he seems more comfortable. He was on anti-reflux milk which seemed to help the sickness a little bit (so he was sleeping better) but also gave him bad diarrhoea and other symptoms which is why doc suggested normal milk with gaviscon.

[FastWindow]

It's been a few years but there was some talk about tongue tie. Not sure if this helps in this case but basically there would be a cut in the base of the tongue (I don't think it was a big operation) and it helped the child feed more effectively. Hth

[ShovingLeopard]

That sounds really tough. As a pp said, it is not necessarily the case that babies with intolerances will have other symptoms. My DD has only ever had reflux, but has many food intolerances and also food allergies.

Go back to your GP and ask to try different treatment. The next step will be to try Ranitidine, which works very well for my DD (she is still on it at 21 months). If that is not effective, next steps would be either a proton pump inhibitor like Omeprazole or Lansoprazole and/or a trial of dairy-free formula. I would personally rather trial the dairy-free formula rather than the PPIs, due to the potential side-effects of PPIs, but be warned that they are expensive, so GPs can be reluctant to try them. Trying the dairy-free formula (and going dairy-free yourself if your DS is partially breastfed) is the only way to see if there is a dairy intolerance.

You may need to push all this along, as GPs, IME, usually do not know much about food intolerances or how to discover/manage them.

[FastWindow]

How old is your ds? You said he had diarrhoea along with the sickness. Apols for not reading back.

[FastWindow]

Sorry I've seen he's 5 weeks. You can't ignore diarrhoea and vomiting in a child of that age, are you sure? If you are, then make sure that you get to the gp and make a nuisance of yourself. They won't mind.

[user1234566]

For my DD gaviscon did nothing. We had to go back to the doctor and get prescription reflux meds which helped heaps

[BigBlockofCheese]

Definitely go back to Dr sooner. My dc2 has reflux. It's very common and I know several people who have all said gaviscon didn't help for their baby but omprenazole (sp?) sorted them out. Different doctors will no doubt have different attitudes to prescribing and you may need a referral if your dr isn't keen but it sounds like gaviscon isn't working for you which isn't unusual so keep pushing for something else.

[plimsolls]

Keep an eye on the amount of wet and dirty nappies. If they start to decrease, push the doctor to investigate more.

It's rare but my daughter had a condition called pyloric stenosis which presents as large amounts of projectile vomit after/between feeds. No other symptoms until the condition worsens/causes dehydration etc.

[plimsolls]

Keep an eye on the amount of wet and dirty nappies. If they start to decrease, push the doctor to investigate more.

It's rare but my daughter had a condition called pyloric stenosis which presents as large amounts of projectile vomit after/between feeds. No other symptoms until the condition worsens/causes dehydration etc.

[plimsolls]

Keep an eye on the amount of wet and dirty nappies. If they start to decrease, push the doctor to investigate more.

It's rare but my daughter had a condition called pyloric stenosis which presents as large amounts of projectile vomit after/between feeds. No other symptoms until the condition worsens/causes dehydration etc.

[Jojo13]

Thanks all/
Went back to gp today and suggested a different brand of anti reflux milk and if that doesn't work upping the dose of gaviscon.
Still obviously thinking it's just baby being a baby and being a bit refluxy..

[Bue]

If it is a true intolerance the anti-reflux milk won't cut it. He'll need a specialist formula. And a higher dose of gaviscon isn't the answer, he'll just become terribly constipated! If things don't improve if push for a paed referral, they know far more about these issues.

[ozymandiusking]

Have you or your GP considered Pyloric Stenosis? When the baby has been sick, is does he want to feed pretty soon afterwards.
After he has fed, have you seen wave like movements across his abdomen. These can be symptoms of Pyloric Stenosis.

[ShovingLeopard]

Hhmm, seems your GP isn't very clued up about this. All the GPS at our surgery seem to know the protocol for what to try, in which order. Upping the Gaviscon (which as pp says, will just cause constipation, and will necessitate lactulose) will not do very much. Did they say why they didn't want to try Ranitidine?

[Oly5]

My son had awful reflux but nothing helped - gaviscon, ranitidine, omeprozole. I hated my GP as he said we'd have to ride it out - but in fact he was right. By six months it was gone. I barely slept that whole time as he too could not settle.
I know it's not what you want to hear but hang in there.
Don't assume he's intolerant to milk etc. He may not be and other formulas aren't as nutritious as regular milk. If he has no other signs then your GP and HV are possibly advising you correctly.
Good luck, it will pass.

[ShovingLeopard]

Oly the non-dairy formulas such as Alfamino have all the nutrients required by the baby. While you are correct to say don't assume it's a dairy intolerance, it would very much not be a good idea to assume it wasn't.

If OP's DS does have an intolerance to dairy, continuing to feed him it will not only lead to continued unnecessary suffering, but it can also cause ongoing health problems due to the inflammation in the gut (and the knock-on effects elsewhere in the body), and make other intolerances and allergies more likely later on. Believe me, OP does not want the journey through weaning that we have had with my DD, who has multiple intolerances and allergies to the most innocuous, low-risk foods.

It is very simple to check whether dairy is causing the problem - you simply remove it from the diet for a set period (at least three weeks). No harm will be caused to the baby by doing this, as their nutritional needs will be fully met by the hypoallergenic formula.

[Jojo13]

Thanks. I bought the same about the gaviscon and don't really want to up the dose as know it will probably cause constipation.
Going to the gp about this seems about as effective as going to the doc for a bad back.. they don't really have the answers (or want to find them!)
I'm not assuming it's an intolerance of any kind, but as said above, I don't want to rule it out. It may well just be one of those things to ride out.
Still mulling over with PH which action to try next.. thank you all for your advice and thoughts. Appreciated.

[Jojo13]

*Thought the same about the gaviscon

[ShovingLeopard]

OP have you had a look at the NICE guidelines for infant reflux? From memory, they explain that reflux should be treated if it is causing distress/the baby appears to be in pain. They set out the order in which treatments should be tried. It might help you to have a look at them before going back to the GP, so you can tactfully explain you want to try the next treatment.