Do any anti reflux/colic bottles/gimmicks work?

[bloodywhitecat]

I am fostering a very young drug withdrawing baby. Over the last few days the baby has become more and more distressed at every feed and for an hour or so afterwards, it doesn't help that baby is only opening their bowels every 72 hours or so, we have seen the GP today who has prescribed lactulose but that is going to take a while to kick in. I am feeding as upright as possible and keeping upright after feeds but still the gulping and possets are happening. Is there anything else I can try?

If they have reflux a bottle isn't going to fix the pain I am afraid. You are doing the right thing to hold up after feeds, also raise one end if the cot. Mam bottles slowed DD down which made her less windy and less screamy as a result but didn't stop the reflux

Do you wind during a feed or just after it?
With my eldest I found I had to stop a couple of times during a feed to wind him.
I found infacol helped a lot too

I had the pleasure of two kids with intense reflux!

Medicine really does help but also -

Feeding upright and leaving the baby to sleep on my shoulder for 20 minutes (exact length of a friends episode!)
Raise the feet of the Moses basket so it's on a slope. Or use a cot wedge
Double sheet the cot/bed (sheet,disposable bed mat, sheet, bed mat) and Muslin under babies head (assuming they can't roll yet). To. Catch midnight puke and make changing easier
Dummy
Gaviscon mixed with milk (but can make constipation worse so I'd check with gp on this).
Always have baby in a blanket/muslin for catching it
Car seats were always bad, pushchair was always sat up slightly

Have you considered milk allergy - reflux and constipation are both known triggers

There is a baby book which has a great chapter on reflux and I can't remember which one it is (I want to say Alison someone - I'll go and look it up)

Join the group living with reflux on fb - loads of amazing help on there

Oh and MAM bottles really do help compared to the others! Don't know why but they just do

Alison Scott Wright - sensational baby sleep plan
There is a chapter about the signs of reflux (and you'll probably suddenly realise more signs are apparent)

Anti-colic bottles and prescribed baby gavisgon powder helped my baby with his reflux. You could also try anti-reflux milk but I think it could make the constipation worse.

Cranial osteopathy (find one that specialises in babies). I’ve no idea how or why it works, but it was a miracle for one of mine in the midst of reflux hell

I found the Dr brown bottles really helped, you just have to remember to stir and swish them around rather than shake them as you get covered in milk.

I wind during and after each feed. Thank you for the other suggestions I am at the stage I will try anything. They are reluctant to treat for reflux as there is a theory it could be gut motility which has been affected by the drug dependency at birth and anti reflux meds would make that worse.

Gaviscon often causes constipation, so probably a bad idea for a baby already going 72 hours. We had ranatidine and now omeprazole - the real game changer - still using it at 11 months old, as well as amnio acid milk for cows milk protein allergy. My baby went 10 days between poops until we moved away from into reflux formula. We winded after every ounce.

For coping strategies - my baby essentially lived in a sling for the first 6 months, at night he slept in a tilted co sleeper and later on my chest with me propped up semi awake :/ Not ideal or safe, but I mainly slept for the first 4 hours at night while DP stayed up with him.

Reflux babies tend to be clingy and dissatisfied until they can sit themselves upright IME. Mine did love his bouncer, which we used from a very early age, and often napped in that.

Your case is more complex than I'm familiar with - how long until baby is through withdrawal?

You most keep head above stomach at all times. Usually the muscle at the top of the stomach hasn’t closed, this happens naturally when they sit up more. So every time you lie them down they get acid burn.

Prop the cot up and anything else, use a cushion for nappy changes etc never lie flat.