Associating mummy with medicine?

[LaTristesse]

Hi there...
Can anyone tell me whether babies (mine is currently 13 weeks) can end up associating the bad experience of taking medicine with the giver of said medicine (i.e. me)? My otherwise happy DS has to take infant Gaviscon several times a day and at those times we get screaming, thrashing and tears, and I'm getting worried that as he gets older and starts to make associations he's going to link me with the bad medicine feeling and end up not liking me much...
Please tell me I'm worrying about nothing... I've been doing lots of reading about building strong and positive associations, and it got me wondering whether the opposite could happen.

Unless he only sees Mummy when you are bearing down on him with the infant Gaviscon, I think you are worrying unnecessarily. It's not even as though he's going to be on infant Gaviscon forever anyway - even if he hasn't grown out of the reflux naturally by the time you start weaning him, often the solids help keep everything down. How are you giving the Gaviscon to him, can you change what you are doing to make it a bit less unpleasant?

Tristesse - don't worry. DD (13 months) has to have a steroid inhaler twice daily through a face mask. She hates it and we have to stop her pulling the mask off her face whilst she inhales. Process accompanied by much screaming, thrashing and tears just like you. Unfortunately there are no easy ways to give it She still loves her mummy just the same regardless.

So please don't worry if there is nothing you can do to make the experience less upsetting for him whilst he has to continue with the medicine. You are his mummy and you love him and he knows, and loves you back medicine or no medicine.

HTH

Tristesse, noone could parent a child in a responsible way if forever worrying that he must only have positive associations.

Once he gets to the toddler stage, he will be furious with you 10 times a day and think you are tyrannical and cruel and a killjoy. He will still love you!

Think of all the loving you are getting in and how very small a part the medicine is of his life. Even when he shouts that he hates you and tries to kick you and threatens to cut up your pants- he will still love you!

Thanks ladies; yes I think I a being a little overanxious about this!
Pumperspumpkin - as he's EBF I give him the Gaviscon in a syringe and he can obviously taste it in all its glory (I don't wonder he cries; the stuff is foul!) You mention solids helping keep reflux down - my DS has silent reflux - no actual vomit - will solids help here too, do you think?
Thanks for the advice and empathy everyone... I'll try and chill a little!

It is hard, you are so tired at that stage and it is such a struggle to get things into them, it is difficult not to start doubting yourself. I had this with antibiotics at the same age- and a dd who was not feeding effectively so constantly falling asleep and having to be woken up forcibly. It really felt at the time as if things were getting in the way of bonding. But with hindsight they didn't, we got over it, you have so many years to bond in.

Tristesse - I had to give it to my EBF daughter too but could you try mixing it with a bit of expressed milk instead? Or have you tried giving it in a little bit of water/milk in a bottle, is it the experience of having something squirted in his mouth which he likes, would he be any better if he had control by sucking?

I used to end up giving DD a tiny bottle with it in by breaking her off the boob and giving her a bit of the bottle, then back on etc - I know they say do it at the end but once she'd finished her milk she wasn't bothered about taking anything else and I figured the "layering" effect in her stomach seemed to work ok. She was an actual vomiter though, no idea if different for silent reflux.