acid reflux and gavison

[Rohey]

Hi there,
I was recommended to give DD gaviscon infant as she would constantly bring up her milk..
But does anyone know how long I need to give it to her for and is it a prevention rather than a cure...
Please help..

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Get the baby whisperer book - saw a programme where she helped a woman who had a baby with reflux - it was just about raising the childs torso and holding them a certain way and pointers that help you with regards to their facial expressions when it is happening - it was amazing the child was like 80% better and slept through the night - really really worth getting.

Oh Gaviscon is an Anti Acid - it will not cure anything - believe me after drinking cpoious amounts during pregnancy and then getting an ulcer!!

Hi Rohey
My dd has reflux (diagnosed at 8 weeks following symptoms from 2 weeks - harrassed mother syndrome also diagnosed at same time)

She has had infant gaviscon ever since (now 15 months). Have seen paed about it too. He said there are three main times when you can expect to see a difference grow out of it: weaning, sitting up and walking. My dd has only been walking for three weeks and I know I need to try her on the milk without it but am dreading it! She still throws up sometimes if her bedtime milk is too close to her tea time.

I would say it's a prevention, but that nature should provide the cure in time.

If the recommendation was from a friend rather than a doc, would say go and see the doctor - there are a couple of other things that babies can have which lead to constant throwing up, so best get doc to decide whether it definitely is reflux.
HTH

Thanks all..
DD is 6 months old, and at 4 months old started brining up the milk. I had read about Gavison helping and I had heard that when she starts to crawl it should ease.. She has started to crawl now, hence I thought the reflux would be better by now..No chance..
I saw the Baby Whisperer and I have tried all that.. I have to say that DD does not seem distressed by it..
I have noticed that she has no started to bring up more curdled milk then straight milk. Is that normal and ok??

Go and see the doctor. Maybe your dd has developed a lactose intolerance.
It's probably more curdled now because there's more than just milk going in.

It doesn't sound like a simple reflux if it only started at 4 months. Gaviscon alone may ease the symptoms but is not a cure, especially if she is continuing to be sick in spite of it. Did you change anything else around then such as formula or introduce weaning which might have contributed to the problem.

ime it took until almost a year for the reflux to improve but it was diagnosed at 8 weeks, increased mobility made it worse in the short term if anything.

Twinkie are you saying the gaviscon caused your ulcer?

Thanks LIZS & lalaa..

I guess I just have to keep my fingers crossed and hope that it eases the older she gets and the more active she becomes...
Everytime she flips on to her stomach I have a wipe in one hand for emergencies... Thank god for bibs...
HV is of no help as usual, her diagonsis was that it was ok to bring up curdled milk..!! Is Gripe water an alternative???

Rohey, if it is straightforward reflux, and it's not causing problems other than extra laundry and stained furnishing, there's probably not a lot you can do. Gripe water shouldn't make any difference as the problem is a floppy valve at the bottom of the esophagus, and only thickening feeds/being upright will reduce milk coming up. Gaviscon helps sometimes, mainly with fussiness - it didn't work for my ds though who just threw up milk laced with gaviscon.
I don't think it matters whether the milk is curdled or not. My ds brings up curdled milk 30+ times a day (I have to dress in clothes that will match sick ) and it doesn't bother him greatly. Bringing up non curdled milk in large quantities could be a sign of problems with the esophagus.
I was also a sicky baby - my mum said it was worst when I started crawling & pulling up - they had to throw out a carpet & a sofa because both had gone mouldy!

Gripe water is more to deal with bringing up wind than settling the stomach, same for fennel tea etc, but could be worth a try. Many babies bring up small amounts of regurgitated milk but persistent vomiting is a symptom of something else. I'd be worried about using Gaviscon long term, possibly unnnecessarily, unless a dr had diagnosed the problem and prescribed it. Suggest you visit your dr - I don't think HV's are really able to diagnose this sort of problem confidently or to prescribe/refer where necessary.

btw over here we use muslins as scarves around the neck to catch dribble etc - they look a bit more stylish as you can colour coordinate with the outfit!

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Thanks 2under2, LIZS & SB34..

It's only more laundry for me.. I guess I have become a paranoid mother.. The one I promised myself I would not become..!!
DD tends to bring up curdled milk laced with whatever she has eaten only sometimes.. Posseting straight milk stopped when she was 5 months old (she is now 6 months). Maybe because she is teething more is being possetted.. Who knows.. Babies are a law onto themselves..
Thanks for all your advice..

Gaviscon masked a lot of what was going on - am still taking losec now regularly!!

My 2 month old daughted diagnosed with Acid Reflux. I was breast feeding her. Paed prescribed an anti acid. She is now 'throwing up' after most feeds, almost immediately, since I started the medication. He said not to use Gaviston and recommended cow and gate omnicomfort, didn't work, no improvement. Tried SMA, didn't work.Using Dr Browns bottles, feeding upright, cot raised, still not working. Any ideas out there? Should I go back to the Paed?

My dd2 (now 14months)had a reflux. I found that gaviscon really helped, but so did giving up dairy products. so while I was bfing I didn't have dairy and now she has goats milk formula and few other dairy products. She stopped throwing up all the time when she was about 11 months. Now if she has dairy she gets bad diarrhea and rashes etc - so it might be worthwhile trying this in conjunction with gaviscon (I understand that a reflux is often connected to a dairy intolerance).

my dd has finally been diagnosed with reflux (now 9 weeks, been going on since 2 weeks) after numerous trips to dr, hv, finally had to take her into a and e and make a huge fuss to be taken seriously. was hysterical during and after feeds and all night - was wrongly told it was wind, colic etc. has now been given domperidone to strengthen contractions of stomach and renatidine as an antacid and i have seen an incredibly dramatic improvement after 5 days on medication - she's like a different baby. sometimes you have to be forceful if your instincts are telling you they're in pain, was worse for me as I'm a first-time mum and everyone was so patronising.

Can anyone advise on giving Gaviscon when breast feeding - my daughter has reflux (aged 8 weeks. If I express, all goes well by adding the Gav to the bottle but if I give to her mixed with water after a feed, she gags and is sick anyway - any advise, please help! Thanks

give it before feed instead. Ds1 has it from a syringe half the dose before and half after.

Hi my 17 week son has been on gaviscon since about 8 weeks old.It has made a huge differnce till now. the last few days he has been sick twice, this was a large amount of thick curdled sick and has also thrown up straight milk. He is a very hungry baby and has been having baby rice for a couple of weeks,(rightly or wrongly) and has been on hungry baby milk since 4 weeks old.was wondering whether to try a different milk, any suggestions?

hi my 14m old baby boy was diagnosed with reflux at6wks we have been on various medicinesand now on omaprazole10ml i am having terrible problems getting him onto lumpy food!i weaned himat 5months then after getting onto lumps at around 7months he got a sick bug for 12 days he refused any lumps and still a bit hit and miss anyone got advice?