Support thread for all parents with reflux babies...

[PosieParker]

Just thought a pooling of ideas would be useful. Any ideas about meds, symptoms, coping strategies, things to make a baby quiet!!

Symptoms:

Arched back and crying/screaming after feeding
Fussy on/off breast or bottle
Frequent feeding
Little sleep
Constant crying/screaming

(please add)

Meds:

My memory is a little rose on this and I can't remember

Coping

SWING,
pushchair walks
accepting help
Sometimes putting your baby somewhere you can't hear them whilst you have a large gin cup of tea.

kriss I am really glad your DD got better. Hurray. I have high hopes for omeprazole. Do you mind me asking, did you have the LOsec mups form for your DD? And how on earth did you make it up if so? we have to give our 5 week old DS 3 mg and doc says dissolve a whole tab in 10 ml water and draw up 3 ml of the solution. However, this seems to get a random number of the active beady bits in the syringe, which then get stuck in the end of the syringe! Have tried a spoon, again, I am estimating what 3ml/mg looks like and he also spits it out when delivered in this manner!

tott sorry to hear about your DD - you will get lots of support on here.

Tott, it's tough right now but at least your DD is diagnosed now so you know what you have to treat. BF is great, but if you do go to formula then switching a specialised formula can make a big difference your baby has reflux. Seems to me a lot of BF babies get loads of meds to treat reflux (as do FF babies, granted) but there are formulas which can help too. That's just my view.. I'm ready for some criticism! I say it because I think I'm lucky that when we found out DS had reflux I was already FF so it was easy to switch to an anti-reflux formula (conceptually as well as in practical terms, IYSWIM). He was a nightmare to feed before I got him on Enfamil A.R.

Well, at the risk of jinxing myself, dd hasn't been sick since this morning! Don't know how long it will last but maybe the cranio-sacral therapy treatment works?! She also hasn't been at my breast all evening like usual. fingers crossed, wow how amazing would a life without reflux be!

Lady how are you and ds?

Okay AND she is asleep in her cradle before 10pm with NO crying out!! Please please let this last!

Tott sorry to hear about your lo. It is so very tough, especially with another demanding toddler running around. Your lo sounds very similar in symptoms to lots of los discussed on this thread so hopefully there is some advice of use to you somewhere. fonts really really hoped it's worked! Did you have to get a specific referral for him or just a phone book job? Thanks for concerns, we've had a bad day. Seems like now it's most feeds we're having arching and pulling off and he just seems in so much pain. narmada my gp prescribed us Lansoprazole in dispersable tablets for my lo at 4months and said to put the tablet into his mouth?! Decided to just mix it up with some water in syringe...there is a knack to it. I found a big syringe was needed and you have to keep shaking it once the tablet is in the water to keep the little beads moving. Also if you tip the syringe up and down as you put it in their mouth it keeps the beads from blocking the syringe end iykwim? Have decided that if Ds has bad time over weekend to go to walk in gp surgery and over emphasise his problems to see if we get a second opinion...can't be waiting 10 weeks for appt. Hope you have a good weekend ladies

New Mum here! Don't know if anyone else has had this problem?! Baby has reflux, is on domperidone and omeprazole, he seems to be fine feeding and then around a hour after a feed he scrunches up and screams with a real 'pain', and this can last a good hour or so, his poo is sometimes water and sometimes he doesnt poo at all?!? he is eating actimel - he eats really fast too, did anyone find changing milk a good idea - to cow and gate? Any help sooooo welcome!

Lydee, don't know what to suggest. I FF my DS, and I recall being told to seek advice before changing formulas - if your DS is still in pain despite meds, I would definitely talk to your GP/HV, and be pushy. Something I learned from my mum is that sometimes you really have to get tough with other people to protect your DC; the medical profession is under a lot of pressure and tend to deal with the loudest complainers fastest - obviously as long as you aren't rude.

Can you phone your HV and ask about changing formula? From what I've read here, sometimes changing to a lactose free formula can help. Ask about soya based formula.

To everyone else, had a rubbish evening with DD last night, after a good afternoon. She was screaming until her throat went hoarse. Much better this morning though, but sleeping a fair amount.

Something I wanted to ask - when DD throws up, sometimes it's really mucousy, with little clumps of the milky part; is that normal? Other times she possets, and other times it's a more homogenous thickish vomit. (sorry for the TMI) What is it "supposed" to look like?

Should point out that I'm 99.9% certain that DD is teething ATM, though no sign of that pesky tooth just yet (DS was the same, a good month or two of teething before it appeared).

tott v quickly am on the move but my Ds proj vom from birth to 12weeks. He often had mucousy sick with lumpy bits in. Think it's partly digested or something like that. He possets often too. I wouldn't worry about the sick type just see gp if there's blood in the vom.

thanks lady i will have a go with a bigger syringe - got a neurofen one with a bigger hole in the end.

absolutely hideous day today here, me and DS crying for the large part of it. seem to be going backwards and now we are seemingly having breast refusal too. he will now only sleep in the day while being paced around and DP and i feel like hamsters in wheels. it's breaking my heart and i just feel like running away from it all.

hope everyone better than us.

to cap it all i am concerned about milk supply owing to breast refusal, and can't express to maintain it as have DS strapped to my chest (in a sling) all the time. :( :( :(

Narmada sorry to hear you are having a bad time. I am going to tentatively suggest giving the cranio-sacral therapy a go. I don't think dd suffers as much as your lo but I think it's worth a try. My doctor suggested it but we had to find our own therapist, cost £35 so not cheap. But there is no doubt that she had been better yesterday and today. Still little possets after eating but nowhere near the usual volume of sick that has been the norm. I have no idea if it will continue like this but I'm glad I gave it a go. Hope everyone has a good evening and happy babies.

tott there has been no particular pattern to dd's sick consistency either, aside from being consistently sick.

fonts, we will def give anything a try. have to find a local cranio-sacral person. anyone know one near kingston upon thames??

OH my good god, DS has been screaming inconsolably since about 5 pm, when not asleep for very short bursts. He is completely refusing the breast, we don't konw what's wrong. It is horrible and we are wondering what on earth to do....

Flying in and out this evening..
Sorry to hear about those of you having hard days - especially the burnt fingers. DS1 fell down a friend's stairs last year and I still haven't forgiven myself. HV took one look at the bruises on DS2 this week at his 9 month check and started on the safety lecture - does she really think I don't try and protect him when ever possible during his cruising episodes?!

Having had 2 DS with reflux, I found they both hade hiccups and both refluxy. This time round, like someone said above, I recognised it fast, acted immediately and dread to think where we would be otherwise as he is much worse than DS1 was.

DS1 and 2 have shown aversion to food at some points. DS1 saw the speech therapist (as they deal with sucking and swallowing) and they helped us. Your HV can refer or GP.

Would be interested if those of you who know GPs could ask how to spread the word about reflux. It might be a slow process but I am determined.

See you all in a few days. Hope they are good ones for all of you.

I'm so sorry you are all having a bad night, is it getting any better now? I really don't know what to suggest, maybe a drive in the car? Does that settle him? How about you both in a warm bath and trying to feed him in there. I really hope it gets better. :(

Sorry x-posts that last one was for you Narmada but was just thinking perhaps driving not a good idea if you're completely knackered.

thanks tottwriter - think I maybe getting to the bottom of this - dont know if anyone else has had this problem? - but seems that diarrhea happens after meds? perhaps he is not suited to either domperidone or omeprazole (omeprazole given on empty stomach?) - will speak to HV on monday for suggestion, hope everyone gets a better night, its 1.37am and he's finally asleep - for how long who knows! re: sick sometimes its like thick mucus and sometimes just a whole lot of milk, sometimes screaming followed by little posset throw up - looks like there is no answer as to what it should be - it just is! I find a walk outside is the answer - day or night, maybe its the fresh/cold air?

narmada huge hugs. Its awful when it gets to that stage and I really hope you have managed to get some sleep. We've not had a great night but think im used to no sleep now. Ds is now throwing his head back after each feed which is really freaky, its like someone is yanking his hair. Have not given ibs meds dont think it is but going to PALS tom to ask for advice re gp-referral-general rubbishness of understanding. Think I might look for head massage man and I am having baby massage session on thurs. Hope you have bearable days

thanks guys - the head throwing back thing does sound like sandifers doesn't it, lady? glad you going to PALS.

we had an ok night - he conked out for 3 or so hours around 11 pm, and today i am working on enforcing naps for DS by whatever means. think being too tired had a large role to play in yesterday's horror. i am still worried by his decreasing milk consumption tho. can tell by his outputs....

Had such a good day the other day, aside from a bout of screaming last thing at night. I put that down to DP having a little bit too heavy handed a play with her, and thought all was going well.

Yesterday I made the mistake (potentially) of having a bowl of cereal in the morning, which seemed to trigger a day of throwing up a lot. Okay, so I'm cutting that down or out. I think I'll also switch to redbush tea to cut out as much caffeine as I can too.

So just quick question - how long will it take for that to stop affecting my milk supply? In other words, how long until I know whether it has made any difference?

Glad you had a good day tott, and best of luck with the dietary alterations. That sounds really positive. Can't answer your questions tho - sorry -much use as chocolate teapot.

Made the impossibly hard and for me heartbreaking decision to switch DS to formula, as I am at complete breaking point and need DP to do the night shift on every other night. Impossibly hard also because I know full well that it may make the reflux worse. But the alternative is me ending up completely broken and of use to no-one.

Got a referral to a paed and now back on the ranitidine/domperidone regimen after we didn't get along too well with the omeprazole. What a hideous nightmare. Hoping it will start to seem a bit less bad if I can get a bit more sleep.
We are slowly learning how to manage DS a bit better - it involves a lot of walking around and keeping upright, holding for naps etc, so hopefully that will help too. Such hard work though.

PS thanks Fonts for general sympathy and suggestion of car ride. You are right though, there is no way on earth I can drive safely in this condition. He pukes in his maxicosi car seat anyway :( but driving did work for my daughter so maybe it will work for him in time.

Hi all. We've been out of the loop for a while, in a 'dark place' but just skim read the last few pages and feeling much better again - what would we do without the MN reflux angels?! 4 weeks ago our HV sent us back to the GP for different meds - IG gives dd awful constipation and doesn't work on reflux (silent). GP refused and didn't like being told what to do by HV! But did offer paed referral if I 'thought it would help', which I accepted (appoint this fri). HV then decided I had PND and sent in counsellor who took a family history (and yes there are some skeletons) but has now decided I need to 'learn to bond better' with dd. Cried for two weeks because I've screwed up, then took a step back, decided I didn't have PND but was sad cos dd is often in pain and crying, and we have a great bond, but I'm knackered. When this is all over I'm really up for 'educating' the health professionals - probably with a big stick! GP did suggest paed may do a ph test - anyone else had one? What is it and did it help? Hang in there if you're suffering tonight, big hugs x

Hi ladies its been a mad time for us too. DS fingers all mending nicely and no permanent scarring so very happy now. His reflux is getting worse daily now. Im noticing my usually happy to lie on my back and kick for a while little boy is now not wanting to lie for long times, waking up twice in the night then coughing and choking and he is struggling to feed without pulling off or crying and arching after 3mins. Ive been badgering the receptionist for our paed referral and she has been amazing and not only got me the referral sorted but got me one with a gastro consultant and its on monday! I think I shall cry when I see her. Such an emotional wreck at the mo, should make you all smile but I was on a dual carriageway yest and a fire engine flew down so the cars parted as they do and I started crying because people moved out of the way...i mean what is that about?!:-S narmada I hope things are better with you now and you are finally getting some sleep. How is Ds reflux since starting formula? ell as someone who has had awful times with the gp I would gladly share a huge stick with you...antidepressants my ass! The worrying thing is I bet some people have them thinking well the doctor says so I should. Think it's goin to be a long week til Mon. Sorry for text speak on phone. fonts how is your lo since head massage? Are you recommending? Hope you are all having an ok time of it :)