Reflux support thread?

[Mitsouko]

Hi ladies, some of you may have seen my recent posts in Sleep ( as I'm not getting much) about my DD. She's 8 weeks old and can't settle on her back to sleep due to reflux. She has to be held upright or in her sling to get any rest. DH and I sleep in shifts so I get about 4-5 hours on an evening, that's all - can't nap when DD sleeps as unsafe.

She has been BF from birth and has always fed really well with nice latch. My supply is good, feels normal. Been fortunate not to have any nipple problems or pain. She will have an occasional bottle of Aptamil during my sleep shift if I've not been able to express enough during the day - can't pump with her in the sling. Never seen any difference in her reaction to the odd formula feed - she takes a bottle fine with no nipple confusion or issues. It's just after feeds that she's in agony. She takes so long to settle afterwards that by the time she does, she's hungry again and the whole cycle begins again...

She's on meds for reflux but we're not having much success. Prior to that we've tried just about every over the counter colic / reflux treatment, in addition to raising Moses basket (first with books now with cot wedge), 4 sessions Cranial Osteopathy with no joy. Several posters have suggested I eliminate dairy completely from my diet, so will be giving that a try soon. I've reduced significantly but not totally eliminated as I'm vegetarian so will need to do some planning and shopping in advance. Tricky, as I barely have time to feed myself!

I was wondering if there is a current reflux support thread about as I've searched and can only find an old one? DD is my first so could use some helpful tips from more experienced mums of reflux babies.

Thanks so much!

My baby has reflux so I entirely sympathise, though to be fair you sound like you have it worse than us.

My advice would be to look at the medicine again. My DD was started on Infant Gaviscon. This had no effect so we were then prescribed Renitidine and Domperidone. The dosages have since been upped - twice - and my baby is finally so much happier for it. It's like she has been swapped for a different child!

If you have already been down this route, then unfortunately it may not get better until they can sit up, or are on solids.

Hope things get easier soon.

Thank you Bellakins - so glad that your DD is doing better! Yes, we're on the same meds - have been for about 2 weeks - but unfortunately they've not had any effect. Back to GP on Friday, hopefully they can review and up the dosage. My DD has certainly put on weight the past two weeks. Don't know how she's managed that with all the vomiting but she's outgrown all her newborn babygrows and in now in 0-3 months sizes ones which were swallowing her a couple weeks back!

My dd had hidden reflux. She was exclusively bf. Had awful time sleeping. We ended up putting her on her belly to sleep as it was the only way that worked for her to get a proper sleep. In addition, after no help from uk gp (gaviscon was the best she could suggest and it didn't work), on a trip to the USA we went to see a pediatrician who suggested trying a special stay down formula (Enfamil AR) in addition to bfing. So at 5 months we started her on one bottle a day instead of one of her breast feeds and it made a HUGE difference. The Enfamil AR has rice starch rather than the corn starch the other stay down formulas have. Things also got even better when she was getting significant amounts of solids (around 8 months). Things do get better. Dd is now 9 and eats anything you put in front of her and has no digestions issues at all.

Me n dd are in the same boat. We've been referred to the paediatricians now cos shes always in pain n being sick so not putting on weight. Were on gaviscon but hoping for something stronger. We had 10 hrs non stop screaming yday cos she's in pain. We've tried every practicle way of managing it except dummies

ooh that reminds me. I stuffed dummies in both my children's mouths the second they were born (on dh's advice as they were not his first dc's) and they both were done with them long before age 1 and it never interfered with their bf'ing. It definitely helped with dd and getting her to sleep. I highly recommend trying one.