DD with reflux - weight gain slowed right down but doctor won't prescribe anything!

[BudapestMummy]

DD2 (10 weeks) has reflux but it what is known as a "happy chucker" so not in pain when she vomits. She is EBF and feeds 7 times a day normally and usually throws up the whole of at least 2 of the feeds (the floor/muslins are swimming in vomit) and less of some other feeds. The pediatrician is reluctant to prescribe any medication since she's not in any pain when she vomits and is otherwise fine but her weight gain has slowed right down. She has gone from putting on around 8 oz a week to barely 3 oz a week over the past 2 weeks. I am now worrying that the constant sicks mean she is not going to grow as she should so wonder whether she ought to start taking something to reduce the sickness. Does anyone else have experience of a similar situation and, if so, were you prescribed anything to try and limit the sick? Which medications actually reduce the sickness as opposed to reducing the acid (which I don't think is a problem for her)?

Have you tried infant Gaviscon?

I'm no medical professional but I know you can get it over the counter and my friend used it for her little boy for the same problem. It thickens the feed and if ff you mix with the bottle. If bf it is a little trickier but can be ade up and syringed in before feeding.

My DD is a screaming refluxer and has Domperidone and Ranitidine. The R stops the acid production and therefore pain but I understand the D makes the stomach process the food faster, thus there is less to vomit up.

Are you also winding mid-feed? This can sometimes help reduce the amount brought up, as can propping after feeds, propping the cot, changing nappy by moving side to side rather than crunching tummy etc

Hope the weight gain improves, I know its stressful...

we had infant gaviscon and lanszoprole? lanzaprole? sp. But thats to stop the acid.

Thanks for the reply. I haven't tried infant Gaviscon but mentioned it to the pediatrician who said she thought it had the same active ingredients as Infacol. I don't think this is right. I'm based in Hungary though so it's possible that it's not called the same thing over here. I will find out what the active ingredients are and ask her if there's an equivalent. I exclusively breast feed so not sure how DD will take to it but will give anything a try to minimise the sick. Pediatrician is not keen to prescribe a motility med (I think domperidone is one?) as she said they can have nasty side effects.

I hope your little one improves too. Have the meds helped her (both pain and sick wise)?

hiya BM,
it's worth noting that breastfed babies have a tendency to gain very quickly and then plateau, so it may just be that, although admittedly the plateauing does tend to happen a bit later.

also there is generally no need to weigh a baby weekly. monthly is just fine, and this is one of the reasons why! you really need to look at weight gain over a longer period. her weight gain (and it's still gain, that's good!) has slowed, but that may be for other reasons. perhaps she has grown in height and used up lots of energy on that, or maybe she has been under the weather?
generally I would imagine that a baby not getting enough food would just ask more frequently. so, if she had puked most of a feed up and was then hungry again she would just feed again? are you feeding on demand?

I would be reluctant to ask for medication unless she was clearly unwell/in pain/losing weight or dropping through the centiles

personally I would give her another 2-3 weeks. without weighing. and see what has happened after that and if you're still concerned then go back to the GP again.

thisisyesterday - thanks very much for the reply. Yes I feed on demand but she hardly ever demands to be fed so if she hasn't demanded earlier then I feed her every 3 hours. If she's sicked up a whole feed then she'll start grizzling after maybe 2 hours, so I feed her then. She's dropped the middle of the night feed so will go from 11 til 6 ish and I generally wake her for this feed. She was only 2.8 kg (6lb 2) at birth and is now around 5.6 kg so she has been gaining really well until recently, and she started sicking up at around 3 weeks old. I don't think she's unwell or in pain. The slow down in weight gain has just worried me as DD1 was also a happy chucker (although nowhere near as bad as DD2) and piled on the weight for months.

ok... maybe try feeding every 2 hours and see if that helps first?

do you have any local breastfeeding groups where you are?

I've tried that but she's not one for nursing unless she's hungry!

I live in Budapest so English speaking groups are in short supply but was thinking about seeing a lactation consultant in case she could suggest any more upright positions. At the moment I do cross cradle and lying down only as I have huge breasts and struggle to get DD latched on any other way.

Also have huge splendid norkage. What about rugby hold?