Getting Gaviscon into an ebf baby?

[weeblueberry]

Baby is 1 month and has been ebf the entire time.

The Gaviscon instructions say you're meant to feed it via syringe or bottle at the middle of a feed. But as soon as she realises its not breast milk in the bottle she stops sucking. And using a syringe is just seeing her spit virtually all of it out-it just flows out her mouth because she's not swallowing it. Feeding via spoon/cup feeding is the same...

Any suggestions?

I've had to give my now 18 week old dd gaviscon since she was 5 weeks. I was advised by dr and Hv to give in expressed milk which I do a couple of times a day as obviously it would be a nightmare to give with every feed. I normally get up and express as much as possible from one side normally 3-4 oz then give her a dose with 2 oz in morn and another dose at bedtime with the other 2 oz.
I'm not going to lie it can be a slog sterilising the bottles pump etc but once the gaviscon is in my baby is much happier. If you can get ahead milk wise and freeze some even better I've never been able to so far but am trying!
Also not sure if anyone has mentioned it before but with a reflux baby it's best to wind them for around 4 minutes and in a circular rubbing motion as up and down can make it worse, then hold baby upright after feed.

I had a cup that I was given in the hospital. You can give the it with a sterlised spoon. But make sure you swaddle first otherwise they will slap it out of your hand.

My DD did spit allot out but it does get easier.

I'm using a syringe from a calpol box/bottle. I squirt little at a time into her cheek. She doesn't love it but does take it. I give half before and half between breasts because 15ml is a lot to get in!

DS was a bit older, but it might work with a littler one. I mixed it up with a little expressed milk in a cup, then use a weaning spoon (because they're soft) to spoon it in.

We gave some after most feeds, which were probably fewer and farther between than yours will be having. Maybe every other feed. He didn't suffer too badly with constipation (made cloth nappies much easier, in fact!)

I didn't get gaviscon for our refluxy boy as the HV thought it would be too much fuss with BF. A hospital consultant prescribed Ranatadine though which has been great (you just dose 2/3 times a day direct in syringe). Might be worth asking about other options?

We too went for ranitidene as its much much easier to administer. Gaviacon was a nightmare to get down my ds.

We were on gaviscon for a week and sometimes the breast milk can break it down so may not be that effective anyway. We were given ranitidine and its soooooo much easier. It is unlicensed for children under 3 years but we said we were happy to give it a try.
She was a different baby within 2 days as she has silent reflux but sicky at times. She's now 8.5 months old and has been on it since 6 weeks old.

I gave it up as a bad job after 3 days because it was a huge pain in the arse, almost impossible to do whilst out of the house and it didn't actually stop her crying or being sick. It did make her horribly windy and constipated though. The gp prescribed ranitidine instead which has worked wonders and although it tastes vile, is such a small amount that there isn't enough to spit out as such.

In contrast, we found gaviscon easy. I likes being able to flex the dose as he required, especially as he started to grow out of it. We just took a little boiled water and one of those little BM pots (sterilised) out.

He learned to sip it from the spoon quickly. It was easy peasy!

Thanks all. We persevered with the syringe but she absolutely wouldn't take it and it all ended up down her front every time. Last night we tried the cup again and has the same results. The doc and pharmacist both said not to mix with breast milk as it stops it being effective so we're reluctant to try that. Think we'll ask about the other options. :)

It'll mix with BM in the stomach any way, and it was most definitely effective with BM for us. You may as well try it, it'll be more effective than down her front.

I'm surprised dr and pharmacist said that my dr and Hv both recommended it that way. It always settles my dd tummy down