Colic, silent reflux or CMPA?!?!

[Pepper93]

Daughter is 6 weeks old and is really unsettled and uncomfortable. She has been on comfort milk since 2 weeks, which helped a little especially the constipation. She was still screaming and arching after feeds, like she was in pain. After speaking to HV she suggested to contact GP as it sounded like silent reflux as well as colic. GP said it wasn't but after me pushing he said I could try infant gavison. Again this has helped a bit but she is still screaming after and during feeds, she's very windy especially from the bottom end. She also gets a red spotty rash on her cheeks and belly which comes and goes. Im now wondering if it could be CMPA, but reluctant to speak to GP after he made me feel like I was stupid last time regarding the reflux. Has anyone else experienced this? I'm really struggling with her as ita impossible to do anything as she just screams constantly when awake and I have another 3 year old.

I also use anti reflux bottles, have propped the cot up, feed her as up right as I can.

Same issues and I went long with the reflux treatments until at a year old I stopped milk myself and he was a different child. Don't wait as long as I did, ask for a trail of nutrimigen or you can buy it yourself (v expensive but worth it to trial). Speak again to the go but say how you feel. You know something's wrong just keep going back xx

Very similar to my son. I swore he had a lactose intolerance and I was dismissed by everyone and used Baby Gaviscon which helped.

He was impossible to wind, would bring up entire feeds regularly and burped like an 80year old man - you’d hear him upstairs if you were downstairs.

When he was 2 I tried him on lactose free milk. Sorted overnight. I feel awful about it 😔

This is exactly how my babies were and I had Enfamil AR formula prescribed by my GP. You can also buy it. It was a life changer for us. One thing to note though is it is thicker than normal formula (so it settles in their tummy) so you might need a bigger teat. We ended up with the variflow type. Good luck

Thank you, I will go back to GP then and try a different milk. Hopefully it helps! Xx

Hello 6 week old baby here too! I changed my babys bottles to the cheapy £2.50 boots own brand bottles and they have solved all the wind problems we had. Obviously wont help if it's the milk but it may be worth a try. Hope you get sorted soon x

GP thinks it does sound like CMPA but isn't sure of the guidelines of prescribing milk or if I need to be referred to paediatrician. So told me to buy some in the mean time to try. I've bought aptamil pepti which already seems to have improved her skin but it's so thin and is making her reflux worse 🤷🏼‍♀️xxx

Could it be normal posetting? Also so long as she's not distressed, gaining weight etc then some regurgitation is fine. It might take a few more days to see the full benefit but really positive its helping. Normal for GP's not to know these things. We had to go through leads but my sister just got prescribed the milk to trial.

Dd was like this and it was cma.

Your heath visitor can speak to gp and ask for a milk challenge.

The GP needs to look them up not tell you to buy them! There are NICE guidelines and they need to look at the imap algorithm. It suggests a minimum 2 week trial. 1 tin is not enough to trial.
GPS dont like prescribing it because it’s so expensive but many gps were confused by the rulings brought in around 2016/17. The guidelines stopped comfort milk and reflux milk being prescribed as they are a similar price to normal milk. CMPA milk has continued to be ok to prescribe.

Gaviscon or carobel can be added to milk to help with the reflux. Both usually prescribed by the gp too. I preferred carobel to gaviscon as we got less constipation with it.

Your wee one needs assessed for a CMA.

Not convinced myself as it sounds like classic silent reflux. I would ask for a prescription of ranitidine, gaviscon causes constipation. Also when we my baby had silent reflux he was very windy from the bottom. I used to lie him on his back and move his legs like he was cycling a bike. The amount of gas for a young one was shocking. I also got reflux mattresses for cot, pram and moses basket. Gaviscon made it worse and he would scream and scream. Ranitidine was a life saver......was like having a new baby.

My dd was put onto lactose free formula and infant gaviscon added to her milk every feed. My dd was being sick and it was like curdled milk and the amount of sick after a feed was horrendous. She had the rash and was very sleepy , the doctor's felt her tummy and said she will need infant gaviscon it did improve but the rash was still there so we tried lactose free and the rash went so continued with it till she was on solids and could get about a bit more.
She is 8 now and still has tummy troubles , and now takes the normal gaviscon prescribed by the doctor.

Your baby sounds very similar to mine (thought mine was BF) and after weeks of reflux and colic treatments the GP finally suggested it could be CMPA - my son was 9 weeks old at the time.

His main symptoms were constantly being unsettled with lots and lots of screaming, and a constant red rash across his face.

My GP talked to me about switching to dairy free formula and then prescribed me 10 tubs!! 10!

I decided not to switch in the end and donated the ten tins to someone else who would have benefitted from them

yes she has Gaviscon as well. I wondered about ranitidine but when I looked it up on the NHS it says its not available at the moment 🤷🏼‍♀️ GP got back to me today and said they prefer not to describe it until I've been referred to paediatrician so waiting on an appointment to see them. In the mean time I've got to buy it which is going to cost over 50 pounds a week 😩 hopefully appointment will come through quickly xx

I think your gp is having you on.

Its expensive thats why they wont prescribe. I certainly didn't see a a paediatrician..its a complete formula so shouldn't do any harm...

Disclaimer dd2 is 9 now so it's been a while but milk is milk you feed it the same way there's no special regime really

GP got back to me today and said thry prefer not to describe it until I've been referred to paediatrician so waiting on an appointment to see them. In the mean time I've got to buy it which is going to cost over 50 pounds a week

Sorry OP but that’s bollocks. If they suspect an allergy then they shouldn’t be leaving a baby to be exposed to the allergen by not providing the correct formula.

Ring your HV about this because she will also tell you it’s bollocks and get it sorted for you.

When my son was referred it took over 6 months to see a paediatrician and 7 months to see a dietician.

Please refer your gp to the nice guidelines That they are expected to follow. cks.nice.org.uk/topics/cows-milk-allergy-in-children/management/suspected-cows-milk-allergy/ and follow the gipfn algorithm for diagnosis of cmpa. You should have 2 weeks trial of milk followed by a reintroduction of cows milk formula to confirm diagnosis of cmpa. Please don’t let them fob you off a pead referral could be months.

I agree with others. Ask for a different GPs opinion. I had gaviscon, ranitidine, nutramagin and then neocate all prescribed by my GP. My paediatrician referral didn't come through until DC was 6 months old. Milk was first changed at 8 weeks old. I couldn't imagine waiting all that time with a distressed baby. I hope you get it sorted. It was such a tough time and affected me more than I admitted at the time look after yourself

I can’t believe the gp says to the buy the milk yourself!! Outrageous and they are definitely not following nice guidelines! I echo the pp who said ring your HV and do it ASAP to get them to sort it.
To add to the other good advice you’ve had, it’s omeprazole that is prescribed instead of ranitidine nowadays. Hope you get sorted soon.

Thank you I see the HV Monday for 6/8 week check so I'll talk to her about it xx

I visited my GP 17 times with DD as I was concerned something wasn't right. She screamed in pain all day / night, brought up most of all her feeds, arched, bloated, rashes etc. I was told I was an ''anxious'' mother and repeatedly dismissed - GP used to shake his head at me..

My Mum looked after DD for me to have my stitches removed and witnessed the projectile vomiting.... she was a nurse who'd worked in a baby ward and was horrified.

I then paid to see a private gastroenterologist who we saw within days. DD was diagnosed with GORD and CMPA along with various other things. She was very dehydrated the day we saw the consultant and he was livid my GP had allowed a premature baby to get into such a state. DD was on 8 different drugs a day for 18 months, including steroids. She couldn't eat dairy and various other things until she was 9. I will never forgive myself for leaving it till she was 5 weeks old and the inflammation so out of control it took nearly 2 years to get her to a good place.

Trust your gut. You know if something isn't right.

If your GP isn't sure of the guidelines - print this out and give it to him: www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng1

It's what they are meant to follow....

Oh bless her. They're just so dismissive of it being anything other than colic but there's definitely something not right. Im going to ask to try ranitidine or omoperazole as the gsviscon helps slightly but has made her really constipated. X