Infant Gaviscon and breastfeeding

[Peaplant20]

Hi all

we have just been prescribed Gaviscon. It says you can use it up to 6 times a day, either using a bottle or a teaspoon.

so am I supposed to be sterilising a bottle 6 times a day, or a teaspoon, or am I missing something? Seems quite a lot of work to either sterilise 6 bottles a day just to administer 20ml of liquid. If I use a teaspoon what’s the best way to sterillise it? We have a steam steriliser for bottles.it doesn’t mention sterilising at all on the Gaviscon instructions so maybe I don’t need to sterilise if using a teaspoon?

thanks

But also if I used a teaspoon id still need something to mix it up in before pouring onto the teaspoon anyway so may as well do it all in the bottle?

You don’t need to use a bottle. Sterilise a small container (like the size of a shot glass) and mix 1 sachet with 5mls of sterile water or breast milk, mix with a syringe and then draw up and give to baby. The easiest way to sterilise is with Milton cold water steriliser.

You don’t need to use sterilised items unless you are using milk formula. You do however need to use cool boiled water if not mixing with breast milk.

I used to use the little breast milk pots that came with my breast pump, and squirt it in with a calpol syringe.

Have cooled boiled water ready and a shot glass as pp suggested.
I found the total of 15 ml quite a lot for baby to take so I made it up as 5 ml (well mixed) and gave it half way through a feed using a calpol syringe.
Bit of a faff though. Keeping baby upright for a good while post feed works well too, until they desperately need a change then puke!

Mixed ours with breastmilk because it was quicker/easier than cooling boiled water.

thanks so much everyone, so would I need to sterilise the Calpol syringes too? Sorry I’m probably overthinking!

Most people do but it’s not necessary.
If you wanted to sterilise but didn’t want to do it 6 times a day you could do them all at once then store them in a clean Tupperware with a lid.

Oh yes, I used to do one boob, gaviscon, second boob.

You don't need to sterilise anything, that's only for formula. Especially if you have a dishwasher!

Also, as someone who dealt with breastfeeding and reflux, well done, it's tough and it sounds like you're doing great. Reflux is hard! It gets better, honestly, it doesn't last forever.

You don't need to sterilise anything to give Gaviscon. Giving it is an utter faff though. We found it pretty useless, and cutting dairy out of my diet turned out to be much more effective (this is depending on the cause of the reflux of course).

I also mixed up with a little expressed milk in a wee cup and gave with a syringe, mid-feed. I don't think I sterilised, just a very hot wash, but DD2 didn't tolerate gaviscon so we were quite quickly onto omeprazole.

Yes, with hindsight I might have tried more things - limiting my diet, doing his nappy a bit looser, giving him a dummy. I was so deep in it that I couldn't possibly consider anything else at the time! The baby stage is so intense and reflux makes it even harder, it's hard to see the wood for the trees. The gaviscon helped regardless but it's all so hard to navigate.

My refluxy, tiny, didn't grow and didn't sleep and could be put down baby morphed into a gorgeous toddler, still wouldn't sit still but could be stopped with a good book, then turned into a super sporty superstar 12 year old who vomits something like once every five years.

I used a calpol syringe too. I bought enough fron the pharmacy to last the day, so I didn't have to wash one each time. I didn't sterilise it. I washed it about as well as I washed my boobs 🤣
Watch out for constipation as your baby drops BF and moves onto solids. Gaviscon has a firming effect!