To want to wean DD earlier than 6 months due to reflux/spit up?

[Tjsmumma]

I know this is a sensitive topic but, i want to know, if you weaned earlier due to spit up/reflux and what you gave first, when, why please.

My DD is nearly 4 months, recently she is spitting up a lot more, like nearly after every feed.

She's EBF and seems like she's so hungry she's taking more in that she needs due to this and then just spitting it up again so i really think she is ready for more than just my milk.

She shows all the signs for readiness, looks at food, put things in her mouth, sits really well with support, over double her birth weight, grabs out for anything we eat and doesn't have the tongue thrust.

I know other DM who have weaned way earlier and their babies are fine and really enjoy it and showed the same signs.

I know i should contact HV but, i cant gwt through at the moment, ive left multiple messages to no reply.

i have looked into every option, researched a lot and i know its advised from 6 months but, a lot of people i know have from 3/4 months and all the pouches etc say from 4

I'm just confused and know they advise weaning early if reflux is an issue, she goes very squirmy and irritable and then spits up but, isnt crying or upset.

You don't need to worry about the gut stuff, infants guts close by the age of one month so there definitely isn't an issue at 4 months or older, it's just a very persistent belief that their guts are open until 6 months because some people just believe everything they read on kellymom.

@LaurieMarlow thank you, ive had some very disappointing things from the nhs and know instances that their guidance isnt always up to date. Seems whatever i do or say is wrong to someone really!

@stopfundinghate as i stated, i follow everything you'd do for a reflux baby, i feed her semi upright in a cradle hold. And, it's only just started up again. I dont think the hold makes any odds anyway, as you can feed laying down both on sides as well.

@Pinkblueberry FTM who is a bit anxious about everything is all, very niave and confused :)

@Peapod29 yes it doesnt state it has tk be 6 months, and, more so about signs of readiness not an actual date. Babies arent supposed to do many things until a certain month, but, would you tell a baby to stop crawling, walking or anything else because it was too early? Don't think ill win either way in this situation if im honest! I sought out advice from a professional i know and even thats now wrong! Oh well, now i know 4-6 months is prime time and it may or may mot help! No harm in trying!

@Natsku definitely and believe out of date information like its gospel ans things dont ever change. 30+ years ago you were told to smoke while pregnant! Im sure many wouldnt advise that now.

Hi OP, my dc was weaned at 4 months and recommended to me to do so by a specialist from the NHS who we had been seeing due to Silent Reflux (undiagnosed until an A&E visit. My dc was bottle fed and was having carabel put in their bottle during observation and also giving lanzaprozal (sp?) by the specialist due to the said reflux.
Every baby is different, I had no idea my child had reflux (pp have been telling you what is and isn't reflux but the clue is in the name of silent reflux) until they had episodes of losing their breath which was frightening. The specialist said that giving them baby gaviscon was not recommended anymore and to try the medication above as a very last resort if weaning did not help. Luckily weaning did help and dc has been let go by the specialist and has had no more episodes or discomfort.

I meant just before 4 months not 3!

I weaned DS at 17 weeks, 2 nurses and the paedetrician recommended it but I would have done it anyway based on everything I had read.

Best thing we could have done for the reflux. It meant it was easier to give his omeprazole too (mixed into the purées). He just adored food and grabbed the spoon off me the very first time he tasted it (puréed pear).

Within a few weeks he was having purées 3 times a day and it made a massive difference to his reflux. From that point on everything got much easier. At 6 months we moved to finger foods / baby led weaning.

He still has reflux at 14 months but he has no symptoms. We only know because symptoms return when we reduce his omeprazole dose.

@SharonMitchell thank you so much for your reply! Im sorry to hear you and DC had such issues with reflux! I initially was reading about silent reflux as she made this face like something was tasting awful in her mouth and like chewed a little, hot always bringing up sicj and occasionally when she did was coughing/gasping for air after! Never so bad we have had go to hospital though. Im glad things got better after you started weaning! Looks like that's the right thing for us! We bed share due to ebf and she wont sleep elsewhere (follow safe 7 etc) and she side feeds in the night and recently been spitting up in night and its making me anxious she's going to choke on spit up and if im asleep i wont notice! Strange, i know a friend who was recently prescribed gaviscon for her six week old DS due to severe reflux. Seems not only is everg parent/baby different but every doc too!

@firsttimemum30 to be honest, i know a DM who's been feeding her 3 month old yoghurts, pouches n powders for a few weeks and hes younger than my DD so wouldn't be totally abnormal!

@PippinStar thank you! Seems like from a lot of people ive spoken to its helped alot and alleviated symptoms for their DC's symptoms regarding it which is brilliant and if no harm in it, why wouldn't anyone want to help their DC feel better after/during feeds and generally during the day! Seems to be a lot of one sided opinions and a lot of strong feelings regarding it, based on out of date information. Im glad your DS found relief and enjoyed it! My DD seems as tho she'll be the same

@tjsmumma cmpa in my Dd was dozens of green frothy stenching diarrhoea nappies laced with mucus ( Sorry if tmi) daily, horrible nappy rash, would reflux up every feed at times projectile, strange ‘curdled’ smell in her breath, when not on the breast she’d scream literally non stop until she exhausted herself to sleep, then feed immediately on waking, she writhed she was in so much pain, really didn’t sleep much at all. Eczema, constant runny nose ( was the acid irritating her throat!). Had low grade fevers on and off, dehydrated, lost more weight than she gained, not even 3rd centile when first seen at 5 weeks by pead gastroenterologist. As a premmie she didn’t have any to lose.. I didn’t know it at the time but The professor in pead gastroenterology who cared for my Dd told me it was the skimmed milk in the tea I was drinking that passed into my breast milk and caused that reaction in her.

I took all dairy & all allergens out of diet but inflammation was out of control by that stage & dehydration a constant issue so a week later I had to stop breast feeding & she went into hypoallergenic formula 2 hourly round the clock, plus various drugs. Took a good 12 months with the gastroenterologist plus several hospital admissions to turn a corner. We weaned least allergenic foods first to avoid triggering another wave of reaction. We discovered allergies to egg & soya when Dd was about 18 months as that was first exposure. Only thing I used out of a packet was baby rice rest I prepared / cooked myself so as to avoid allergens. CMPA causes reflux and it’s based on my DD it’s pretty nasty !

Speak to hv. My sister had reflux and was weaned early, she still has terrible gerd as an adult.

My dd had terrible milk allergy - I weened early and she was so much more comfortable. I think you listen to your baby rather than anyone else.

DS1 had reflux and would vomit after every feed. It wasn't what i'd call spit up, he'd sit up and all the milk would gush straight out. I could hear the sound of it crackling in his throat and we could smell the acid. We'd have days where all our clothes and sofa/cushion covers were in the wash and we'd be sitting in our underwear. We tried a thickener for a while but at 4 months I was advised by the HV to start weaning. I mixed my breast milk with stuff like potato, just something to make it much thicker really so he could hold it down.

He was born at 42+3 so was a very late baby and was big too. It was really hard to breast feed, as I can only from one side, and then see it all chucked up over the floor and him be starving again for more.

Weaning didn't make a blind bit of difference to my DD's reflux! She was the sickiest baby I've ever come across until it randomly just stopped when she was about 1. Weaning did nothing, Gaviscon did nothing, switching from EBF to formula (for other reasons) did nothing. HVs also usually recommend a baby can sit unaided before weaning. We did baby-led so no purées or anything and DD loved it. She's still a good, I fussy eater five years later.

I think I replied to your thread yesterday asking about wanting to wean early due to your DD's weight/watching you eat/sitting up etc. You didn't mention anything about reflux then but it was either you or somebody with a very similar name and an identical baby.

Did you have a look at the books/ideas suggested to you yesterday?

My dd has silent reflux. Her paediatrician and dietician told me to wean at 16 weeks so I did, very little difference.

@user1471462428

Please don’t give porridge there is link between that and developing coeliac disease. My gastroenterologist told me that early weaning of rusks caused my coeliac disease.

I weaned both my older DC (now in their 20's) starting with rusk pushed in baby milk, DS at 4mo and DD 3.5mo. Both fit, healthy, no allergies, no illnesses or conditions, both love their food.

DD has reflux. Weaning her (At 6m) didn't help especially. It's made more difference now at nearly 8m that she can sit up more herself.

How developed you think your child is in terms of other milestones is not all that relevant, you can't see how developed her gut is and whether its ready to digest food.

How developed you think your child is in terms of other milestones is not all that relevant, you can't see how developed her gut is and whether its ready to digest food.

You might find this interesting

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/scienceofmom.com/2016/05/03/whats-up-with-the-virgin-gut-do-babies-really-have-an-open-gut-until-6-months-of-age/amp/

My 10 month old has reflux. It’s been extremely bad at times (& really disheartening to cope with). We’ve been through different medications but that only addresses the discomfort (which is great) not the vomiting. We weaned from 5.5 months but - from our experience at least - it’s not brought an end to the reflux. She is still a very sickie baby. Have had medical advice throughout and tbh the notion that a reflux baby will always just magically stop being refluxy when weaned is definitely not the case for all. The medical advice we had was v against weaning too early. Plus, purées are not all that much heavier so if your baby has reflux it may make little to no difference anyway.

@NoIDontWatchLoveIsland i have since spoken to medical professional and that advice is completely out dated as she agreed that they are all signs of readiness but thanks anyway! Ive done up to date research and that's bogus :)

Six months is the guideline anyway, I’m not sure why anyone weans before then anymore. It was normal to wean at 4 months in the 90s, it’s not now.

I find it fascinating that Mumsnetters, who usually show a healthy skepticism for obeying guidelines to the letter (see co-sleeping for example) often treat the six month guidelines like its an edict handed down by God himself.

Never mind the fact that it's just a guide, that other western countries recommend before 6 months, that there's significant evidence to question it, that these guidelines change regularly and almost certainly will again.

I'm just confused why anyone would be keen to start earlier unless medically advised. The mess, the additional effort, the food poop and vom rather than milky ones. Eurgh.

I really enjoyed weaning. It’s not unheard of.

Did it on consultant’s advice at 4 months, worked brilliantly and she was on three meals a day plus two snacks at 6 months and a much happier baby overall. People were astounded at the difference in her.

She’s now a healthy, happy 16 month old and the only lasting effect of the pre-weaning reflux is that she never crawled because tummy time resulted in instant vomiting and upset. She cruised at 10 months and walked by a year though, and doesn’t seem especially uncoordinated for her age.

Oh, and I forgot to say - our paed said that the 6 month guidelines come from the WHO, which keeps it at 6 months due to issues with food hygiene in developing countries. He said that in this country it’s about readiness, rather than a line being drawn on the day they turn 6 months.