Reflux support please

[Queazy]

My 2 week old baby has silent reflux. She's on Gaviscon but it doesn't seem to be having any effect. I gave her a dummy today, which gave me only 10min respite. I'm absolutely shattered after hard 3rd trimester, going 2 wks late and being induced...she screams for hours and hours and I don't know how I can do 5 months of this (or however long) until she weans, if it doesn't stop before. I'm starting to feel really low. Has anyone been through this before or know of any support groups? It's only 2 weeks and I'm already losing the plot. I love her so much but it's really hard to bond with a baby that wakes only to feed and scream for hours I feel really sad about it all xx

You poor thing. My ds is 11 weeks and also has silent reflux. The only thing I can say is that at least they have figured out what it is so quickly. I was fobbed off by everyone telling me it was colic. When he more or less stopped feeding all together a couple of weeks ago I knew it wasn't colic. We have now been prescribed ranitidine along with gaviscon and touch wood it does seem to be helping things. He doesn't seem to be in as much pain in general and I'm hopeful that we can keep it under control. I can totally understand how you are feeling and I have only just started taking anti depressants as its had such an effect on me. You feel like you can't relax at all as you are bracing yourself for the next bout of screaming! I've ended up totally anxious but have felt a lot better the last couple of days now that he seems a little more settled.

If the gaviscon doesn't seem to be helping get back to the doctors and don't leave until they give you something else. I ended up videoing a feed on my phone to let them see how horrendous it was.

Have you got plenty of support? Even just and hour away to clear your head and get a bit of a rest makes all the difference.

Hi. DD has silent reflux. It is hell but it will get better.

Go back to the GP and ask for Ranitidine. You will be given the lowest dose for weight. Give it a week and, if no improvement, ask to try a higher dose. Give it another week and, if no improvement, ask for the max dose. Give it a week and, if no improvement, ask for a paediatric referral and Omeprazole.

Are you using a sling? A sleeping wedge? Is the cot tilted? Does your LO sleep in the car seat? If so, use that for one nap a day. Have you been on littlerefluxers.co.uk? Have you joined the High Needs Baby thread on MN?

DD slept if moving so I took to riding the bus. She was in the pram and I took a pillow. We both got some sleep. Do you have support? DH and I had one night a week in the spare room drugged on Night Nurse. It meant we got one night's sleep a week. We also had one night each a month away at friends/family. A babysitter for 2 hours on a Wed evening so we could cuddle & cry. We got a cleaner.

Is your HV useful? Chat with her about Home Start support. If your LO refuses to feed and becomes very distressed please head to an A&E with a paediatric consultant.

Reflux can mask other things. Has your LO been checked for tongue tie? CMPI?

Oh you poor thing, it's hard, really hard but it will get better

DD had reflux, and like the poster above was not picked up until she was projectile vomiting every feed and in hospital with suspected pyloric stenosis!

It took about a week for the gaviscon to have a noticeable affect on DD

She is 7mo now and absolutely fine

Things that helped are ..... Keep baby upright for at least 30 mins after a feed
I slept DD on her tummy, obviously depends on your views on this, but was the only way we got any sleep.
Dd would sleep in her Carseat so I would go for a drive until she fell asleep then park up on my drive, and have a sleep in my car!

If the gaviscon doesn't help then go back to GP, do what you can to get past this stage until it gets better x

Oh you poor thing, it is really really hard, but do be happy that your LO was diagnosed so early on!

I was given medication for my LO around 15 weeks because I insisted, the HV and peadetrician both shrugged it off as colic, but my LO is so much happier now. She was put on lansoparazole by the paediatrician.

Gaviscon wouldn't have worked for us anyways as LO was refusing to feed awake. If gaviscon isn't working or you are finding it difficult to administer, ask for rantidine or anything else stronger. I would push for a referral to peadetrician. I went to A&E one evening and they did a rapid referral to a peadetrician (within 10 days) and that was great. I'm told the best time to go is around 7 in the morning, as it is quiet then and the drs have had good sleep too. All the best, it is horrible but it's worthwhile trying stronger medication.

Btw it took two weeks on lansoparazole for us to see the difference.

I also new it wasn't colic when feed refusals started, she would only sleep feed.

Thank you so much for your replies. It's been an awful day and she's already fed twice in 2hrs, and still wailing from constipation. I've got a doctors appointment for Monday afternoon but wondering if we should just go to A&E this weekend. She just refused Gaviscon with water but won't stop crying long enough for me to express milk as an alternative 'mixer'. DH out all evening and has the car, otherwise I'd go to pharmacy for infacol (and anything else I can lay my hands on). I'm really lucky they've agreed its reflux - I was a bit cheeky though and told the out of hours doc that's def what it is according to all the symptoms, then told my own Dr exactly the same. I normally find self-diagnosers irritating but I've had so much research time throughout the night!!!!

Thanks again - your messages have really helped. My DH goes back to work next week and already crying at the thought, so need to do something constructive to help the little one. Thanks again

Don't go to A&E - ring your out-of-hours GP if you're struggling over the weekend. At 2 weeks old many GPs will be reluctant to prescribe ranitidine so if that is the case ask for an urgent Paediatric referral from your own GP, ideally to your nearest big centre which will likely have a specialist Gastroenterology Paediatrician. Ranitidine helps many babies but if that isn't enough then they can prescribe omeprazole or lansoprazole. There is also often an overlap between reflux and cow's milk protein allergy - you could consider having a dairy-free diet yourself for a couple of weeks to see if that helps. Both my two had reflux, and I'm also a GP with a special interest in babies with feeding problems. Ds1 was diagnosed with silent reflux late - fobbed off with colic remedies and I was trying not to be the nightmare medical patient - and didn't get treated properly until he point blank refused to drink milk, after weeks of screaming over feeds. So I am very much of the opinion not to delay treatment if things aren't improving. Gaviscon can help in mild reflux but many babies don't benefit from it and it can be constipating. If you have a bad weekend I would see your own GP on monday and ask for a Paeds referral and discuss ranitidine. All the best.

Ps. It feels like it will never get better, and you won't manage to get through it, but it will pass - ds1 is now a happy healthy 4.9yo.

If your GP doesn't give you a rapid referral to a peadetrician (within two weeks), then I would recommend you do go to A&E. has gaviscon helped a bit?

I always found the tiger in tree position good for DD (think that's what it's called!?) google it.

Hope you manage to get some help soon, it's awful for baby but very distressing for you too

Huge amounts of sympathy, reflux is absolute hell.

Would second going to A and E if you can't get a rapid referral to a paediatrician, if you're in the London area it can be difficult to be seen quickly even to a rapid access clinic.

Oh poor you. Totally agree about getting better meds and about trying dairy free/soy free diet.

Little refluxers is a website that may help you, it's an online support group.

But.... It may not be as bad as you think. our dd went through a few episodes of silent reflux, including a bad one at about 2 weeks. Just like you I was panicking about getting through 6 months of hell, but actually she only had it very rarely (i can remember about 4 or 5 episodes of a few days each) and outgrew it by about 12 weeks. in fact I now think it was being caused by her tongue tie which wasn't diagnosed till 15 weeks. So, try not to get too anxious about 6 months of hell as it may not happen for you ... I really hope.

Thank you so much, and it's a relief yo hear that some outgrow it relatively quickly. When I'm in the midst of an episode, every minute feels so long, but I know it's still really early days. I was just so relieved that she was born healthy, and feel bad for her that she's in so much pain. I really appreciate all your messages. I have doctors on Monday and cranial osteopathy lined up on Wednesday xx

DS had silent reflux for close to a year, but most cases clear up well before that.

We:

Wore him in a Beco carrier for thirty minutes after each feed
Wheeled him in a stroller for longer naps (babies with reflux are often motion-addicts and settle easier that way)
Used Zantac when the silent reflux was at its worst.
Weaned at six months, as I had read mixed things about early weaning.

The most important thing: get help. This was the most important thing ever. We roped in mother-in-law, sister-in-law, a university nursing student...whomever could do a "shift" and take the baby to the park for a couple of hours while my husband and I slept.

DS is now 2.1, no food allergies, no reflux, and a lovely, easygoing toddler to boot :)