Baby spitting out infant gaviscon...any tips?

[MissRatty]

As instructed, when the gaviscon is made up to the 15ml dose with water, little one just spits it back out...tried a spoon, cup and syringe but he stores it in his mouth and spits it back out.

Reading other threads, people have suggested mixing it with less water or a tiny bit of breastmilk...but then people are also saying it can cause constipation as a side effect and I wonder if that is because they aren't mixing it with enough water to begin with...because water is given to babies who are constipated and I wonder if the 15ml water is to prevent the constipation.

I'm so stuck, its his first day of the treatment and he's probably had hardly any as he's spitting it out.

Any hints or tips on getting it in him? If you recommend giving it with breastmilk etc., can you link to who has advised that is safe and won't contribute to constipation?

Worried mum says thanks in advance! X

If he'll take a bottle I'd mix it with breastmilk and give it in a bottle.

Maybe it depends on the baby but it didn't stop our son pooing up to 8 times each day! If they are having a feed then I can't imagine a few ml's less of water would make much difference - it might be the medicine itself which is causing these babies to get constipated.
I couldn't get him to take it in too much water so I made it with just enough water to make it pasty then I'd give it to him after he'd fed on one side, then feed him on the other straight away so there wasn't a chance for him to try and get rid of it.
Mind you, it didn't help anyway, so we soon gave up on it altogether.

Can I ask why you have been given Gaviscon?

Depending on how old your baby is trying mixing it with ripe mashed banana which tends to mask most other flavours

We've been given it as a first line treatment for reflux, and he's only 3 weeks old so sadly mashed banana is not an option at the moment!

When I gave mine gaviscon I did it with a spoon little bits at a time. Don't think it help much and her poo was like jelly! Just made her puke a bit thinker!

When I gave mine gaviscon I did it with a spoon little bits at a time. Don't think it help much and her poo was like jelly! Just made her puke a bit thinker!

At 3 weeks there is a very strong reflex to spit/push out anything that isn't a teat/nipple full of milk - it's a survival trait!

It's been a long time since I last had to do this, but if you put the syringe tip into his cheek (i.e. outside the gums, away from the tongue) and press the plunger very very gradually it may trickle down without triggering the reflex.

Have you tried the physical methods to help reflux?

We've been giving DD a solution of medication since she was a week old.

The trick is to make sure they're calm - awake or asleep doesn't seem to matter. Syringe it in a drop at a time. If it doesn't stimulate their swallow reflex, a short but sharp blow to the face (ie air, not with a hammer or anything!) makes them swallow. A nurse taught us that trick!

We were giving 7.5ml successfully this way. It's slow but it goes in.

If you have reflux issues it's even more important to keep baby upright for a bit afterwards, obviously.

Sorry - meant to say to syringe it into his cheek. This seems to bypass the gag reflex a little.

Once mine was over six weeks I gave it to him in a bottle (just with water not breast milk), before that a little syringe. Make sure you get the syringe into his cheek, it's harder to spit out.

When are you giving it? I always did one boob, gaviscon, second boob - he was dozy enough by the time he had it that he went for it no problem, and then there was a second boob to take the taste away.

Sometimes if he was refusing it I'd keep back whatever he hadn't had and try again after the second boob, sometimes we'd even go gaviscon-boob-gaviscon-boob-gaviscon. Tiny amounts at a time.

all gaviscon is, is a thickner. the idea is it thickensthe milk so they are less likely to bring it back up. this is why it causes constipation as it therefore thickens the whole lot trough the digestive track.
Nothing to do with how much water you mix it with.

I'd also like to point out that studies show medicating reflux babies isn't any more effective then holding them upright for 30minutes after each feed. some more servear case benefit from medication to reduce acid levels in the stomach. But most believe gaviscon it's not much more then a placebo really.

My dd would only ever have it in expressed breastmilk

We're doing lots, keeping him upright for 30 mins after feeds, elevating his mattress when we do put him down, keeping his head ekevated when changing his nappy etc (actually I read that the keeping babies more upright was not clinically proven to assist - but to be honest when they are in pain you will try anything!).

He's on the Gaviscon, given mid feed (with varying degrees of sucess). The water is an important part of reducing the level of constipation apparently, and it does mildly help I think, but the arsing about trying to get him to swallow it doesn't yeild the miracle results one would expect for the amount of hassle! Definitely thickens the contents of the stomach, but he does still throw up, although not as much admittedly. Yesterday he chucked up and it was all stuck in his nose, and he was in pain with the acidity of it so I got striaight on the phone to the doctors and he is now on ranitidine as well as the gaviscon. Yay...more stuff to syringe into his mouth!

Just hope it improves as its heartbreaking to hear and see your little one so upset.

Miggril do you have links to to the studies that gaviscon is no better than placebo? I have read the clinical trials which show some levels of effectiveness, but Big Pharma isn't always transparent in its reporting...I can't find any metaanalyses either, but it would be useful as I would stop the gaviscon if it is definitely no better than placebo, as its such a hassle to administer, but obviously I wouldn't do this unless there's medical evidence.

Good tip on syringing into the cheek...hubby is a dab hand now, I'm still crap at giving it! Doesn't help that the syringe is 2.5 ml, so we have to give six of them! Need bigger syringe! At least the ranitidine is only 0.6ml dosage, easy peasy.

You do need a bigger syringe! Our prescription was dispensed with a 10ml syringe - go nag your pharmacist!

We have been just using the one that came with some dentinox as it is the same width the whole way down, whereas the bigger syringe I have is a traditional shape and the pointy bit catches his gums...