Reflux - awful night

[Queazy]

Hi, my 3-4 week old baby has silent reflux. She's now on ranitidine and full dose of Gaviscon. She won't take the Gaviscon mixed with water so I was expressing milk to mix it with. Now she's on the full dose of Gaviscon, I've had issues expressing enough and just mixed it 50:50 with Aptimil First milk (just 15ml of each). She had a big reflux 'episode ' afterwards and I'm worried it's the fotmula. It's been a nightmare evening. DH is in bed next to me with his earplugs and eye mask on and even though he's helped all night, I want to kill him. I'm also angry with the LO, even though it's clearly not her fault. I'm just shattered and don't feel well and so sick of this reflux already. I feel at the end of my tether this evening. I want to leave her in another room and run away. I wish I wasn't here at all right now.

Oh dear. hand holding.
i think maybe you need to talk to the HV.
My dt2 had silent reflux. it is extremely hard work. the gaviscon did very little to help.
She did not tolerate formula well at all (she is whey protein intolerant) this may or may not be the case with your little one.

Is there a sick kids hospital near you? If she really bawls at tea time sometimes it is best just to take them to the A&E of sick kids. if you see a consultant they can prescribe things that a gp cannot such as losec and/or hypoallergenic formula.

The good news is it does get better but I do know absolutely how desperate it is when you are in the thick of it.

We did used to leave our LO to cry herself out sometimes, sitting up in a chair or vibrating chair. as she want to sleep.quicker that way than if she was being fussed over but I do not know if i would recommend that and i am sure there are plenty of others who would be
Don't think there is an easy way.

Will she sleep in the car or buggy? if do you could just bring her in in the car seat once she is asleep. whatever works really.

We also found a dummy helped.

Also i got help from the post natal depression centre. just to get two hours break for a week made a massive difference.

Sorry just bombarding you with suggestions as i know how tough this is.

I've been there it is horrible. If your baby is on ranitidine, I wouldn't bother with gaviscon. I ditched it quite quickly as too difficult to get in and no way would I give formula as the same reaction.

Some of it will be the fact that she's only a few weeks old - not reflux related. So she needs cuddles and feeds and cuddles all day and night.

I found a sling and getting out every day, whatever the weather, saved my sanity. I also made sure baby got plenty of sleep and did not, I repeat did not, compare ds or dd to other babies because that way lies madness.

Take each day as it comes, give baby to DH in the morning while you get showered and ready, give baby to DH in the sling at the weekend for a walk while you take some time to yourself.

Have you seen a bf counsellor? It's worth ruling out tongue tie as can produce similar symptoms to silent reflux (been there!)

You can also manage the reflux by:

• keeping baby upright after feeds for 20 mins
• wind gently by rubbing not patting
• have loose waistbands so no trousers, don't do nappies too tightly and just keep them in all in ones. I was told the analogy of imagining their tummies like a cup of water that you don't want to spill
• consider a dummy
• make sure baby gets plenty of naps
• early bedtime for baby if possible (6pm was DD's and with hindsight DS's too but I left it too late)

And keep posting here. MN was a real life saver for me.

Yy to getting out every day if you can. preferably in the morning to get her into a routine that this is daylight. that saved my sanity too.
Hope you got some rest and are feeling better this morning.

This too shall pass. it is hard at the time and seems endless but cling to that thought, it does not go on forever.

Oh and if you are holding her on her side for feeding etc. try to avoid right shoulder down. your stomach regurgitates more easily on your right (i have reflux and have to sleep on my left.)

And bf tea may also help- i had stuff that helped reduce colic which also soothed the reflux.

Oh yes lying on the left hand side not the right. I used to prop dd and ds onto their lefts from a young age (we coslept). Then they slept on their tummies from 5/6 months.

Oh bless you, I have been where you are very recently. My DD is now 20 weeks and the first 13 weeks of her life were reflux hell.

My sanity was saved by a Moby wrap, you can pick one up for 20 quid on eBay. The material looks daunting at first but there are some great YouTube tutorials that will show you how to tie it on. My baby still takes all her daytime naps in the wrap.

Being upright almost all the time was really the only thing that helped ease her suffering. So sling all day, or car seat or bouncy chair. If she wasn't too refluxy then she could sometimes sleep on a steeply angled mattress, but I often resorted to letting her sleep overnight in her bouncy chair.

Now she can manoeuvre herself about she chooses to sleep on her left hand side. I still put her down on her back but she rolls over herself and seems to sleep a little better for it.

I second getting checked out for tongue tie - DD's was revised at 8 weeks and it helped reduce the actual vomiting, if not the silent reflux. Ranitidine is OK but didn't prove a magic bullet for us. Cranial osteopathy did nothing. Keep feeding little and often, breast milk is much kinder on the stomach too. Dummies can help, although DD prefers to suck her thumb.Only time helped her stomach to mature and stop leaking,and by 13 weeks she was so much happier.

She's now lying next to me, laughing and squeaking to herself - a couple of months ago I didn't think I'd ever see her smile. It does get better, honestly. Good luck.

((HUGS)) Queazy been there, it is awful. We ditched the gaviscon very quickly, very difficult to give to a BF baby and did nothing except make him constipated. Ranitidine helped us from 3wks-4m old then we went on to omeprazole which was much better. A significant proportion of reflux (50% of babies where it persists beyond 12 weeks) has an underlying cows milk protein intolerance, so it may well be that the formula caused the worse episode. CMP can be passed via breastmilk so it is worth considering a trial of you going dairy free to see if it makes a difference. I strongly recommend you get the book "Colic Solved" (despite stupid title) by gastropaediatrician Dr Bryan Vartebedian which is a brilliant guide to reflux and CMPI and all the medications/tests etc. The support site Little Refluxers is also invaluable.
I also agree with the others that seeing a lactation consultant and getting checked for tongue tie is important - some issues with oversupply, TT etc can mimic or worsen reflux.

Definitely speak to your HV for some support you sound done in. Newborns are are work and sleep deprivation is awful without reflux on top of everything.

I second stopping the gaviscon. The ranitidine is enough although it can take a while to work. Creatures advice will help too. You can prop the cot/Moses basket up on books at the head end to keep the milk in their tummies.

DS has silent reflux which was diagnosed in A&E after he choked on his vomit at 6 weeks and couldn't breath. Awful experience but meant we got referred.

Part of DS problems are that he has a cow milk protein allergy which causes reflux. The gastro pead we see has some useful info on it. I cut dairy & soy from my diet and it's made a huge difference to his sleep. kellymom has a good section on BFing & allergies. You can get special formulas from the GP too.

X post

All three of mine had reflux - it is awful. I'm not sure how useful Gaviscon is - I found Ranitidene, while it didn't stop the vomiting and regurgitating, did make them more comfortable.

The thing with reflux is that you are so desperate to sort it out that you begin reading a lot, possibly too much, into every angle. Your daughter might have brought a lot up regardless of what the Gaviscon had been mixed with - reflux is very unpredictable which is part of the reason it's so difficult for a parent to deal with.

I do remember feeling just like you on many occasions. Reflux does rob you of enjoying your baby's first few months. Just try and muddle through the best you can. I found it a lot better at nights after a few weeks. Good luck.

Funny that so many people say CMP intolerance because could i convince my G P of that. they were adamant it was unlikely. consultant at the hospital however, was much easier to convince.

Keep an eye out for excema and general wind and stomach gurgling as this seems to go with milk protein issues.

It is hard. be kind to yourself.

Excema is often behind the ears btw.

DTs were on domperidone as well as the ranitidine. If the ranitidine doesn't work there is another drug, Omperazole (sp?) Which is stronger. Have you been to a paed - I believe they will prescribe at higher doses than GPs. Video her espidoes on your phone and show the GP if you need a referral.

Also, prob not relevant at this age but DTs were constantly having the dose adjusted as they put on weight as it stopped being effective.

Hope tonight is better for you x

Omeperazole a.k.a. losec. not sure you can get it that early but Yy to paeds and the video idea- wish I had thought of that!

I wanted to thank you all for your advice and comments. They were hugely appreciated! I'm looking into a sling meet and called the Dr again yesterday to ask to review our meds. He prescribes domperidone alongside the ranitidine we already had, and hoping this kicks in over the next week. We've got to continue with 1/2 dose Gaviscon but I'm really struggling to get her to take it at all. Just bought Dr Brown bottles for when we can get it down her.

I have a friend coming this morning for a hour. I have no make up on, haven't written her birthday card, wrapped her present or made it to the shop for a cake! I've reset my expectations though and going to ask her to hold LO while I do the first two! Your messages made me realise I need to get more support and cut myself some slack. I honestly couldn't thank you more x

and when you get the chance to get some!
Glad you got some progress from the doctor.
take care of yourself (too)

Just wanted to let you know that you are not alone. My ds is four now but suffered with the most awful Silent Reflux as a baby. I really know where you are coming from. The best advice I can give it to keep going back to the doctors if you feel something is not working, it took a while for them to get my son's meds right. Hope the new combination works for you. As someone else said, the little refluxers website was really useful, I wish I had found it sooner.
It does get better

DS is just coming out the other side of GORD. We weened him early on consultant advice - he is 5 months - and that has made a big difference. So much so that we have stopped his meds. He was on Omeprazole, domperidone and gaviscon. The early weeks were awful but Omeprazole turned him from very unhappy frowning and crying baby to Mr Smiles. Try and get a referral to a paed. Also, sleep wise, the massive breakthrough for us was a Poco Baby hammock. DS would not sleep lying flat and started to regurgitate. The hammock position really helped. He has just outgrown it so we are on cot transition which is fun but nothing like the early days! Those early weeks, it is just about survival. DH and I took turns sitting up all night or walking the streets with the pram. This will pass! Good luck