Calpol for reflux? Please don't judge x

[Halleberry]

My 3 week and 4 day old baby girl has severe Reflux. I mean really severe. We have tried everyrhing and are still trying everyrhing. My friend suggested maybe some Calpol (not all the time) but on occasion when she is at her worst. I'm just wondering anyone has tried that and if it helped? Is she to young? I'm at my wita end trying to settle her and if I thought it would help her pain Id try it x any advice? X

How long has she been grunting? How long has she been like this?

Grunting can be a sign of a bacterial infection Group B Strep, have they checked for infection? It's very serious. But I guess if she's been the same for 3 weeks it won't be that. If it's new though get her checked over ASAP.

Dd had this too which was clearly painful acid. Sma comfort changed my life. She is now so much more comfortable. I also took her off the in fact it didn't help.

Are you ok? It's pretty fucking exhausting isn't it

My son is 6 weeks Wednesday. He wazzup 6 weeks prem and currently weighs 8lb 7oz. He grunts constantly especially at night. I can't sleep through it so am constantly exhausted. He has been given ranitidine and domphedine (i think that's how its spelt!) also special milk for an intolerance to milk protein. keep pushing for help!

The response here has been amazing. I can't believe after posting this here by some miracle (although I hate to speak to soon and I'm well aware this was some fluke and streak of luck) but my baby girl was so settled last night. She was in my DP's arms asleep from 9pm, then we went upstairs at about 11 and lay her in her Moses basket where she squirmed a tiny bit and stayed asleep until 3am. Fed, winded, sat up right until 4 and slept until 7.... I'm shocked. But it could change again in an instant. She has the doctor again tomorrow. It was the paediatric doctors she seen at the hospital. But I'm going to push for the milk allergy tests and suggest the other prescription milk. As PP Said, it is absolutely exhausting. Here's to hoping for another good day (but i don't think I'm that lucky) xx

Op, I had a freeview Ariel put into my bedroom just so I could quietly watch TV while I held dd upright for an hour after feeds
I knew several big news stories before most people and watched all the 2011 riots live

Lol led ... I have Netflix up in my room. I have to put it on to keep me awake. Trying to keep a baby upright and wind them when you have had no sleep is hard hard work. I almost hope it is a milk allergy. Thats what my nephew had and a change of milk made hun better in 2 days. Reflux is so much harder to treat xxx

Silly question but is she getting enough sleep? Basically overtired babies can seem to be in pain. I had two DCs with reflux issues so being overtired was also a massive issue. Basically they'd get so wired from not enough sleep that they would scream. I had to use a sling a lot in the day to overcome this.

halle I used many pillows to prop around my arms so I wouldn't drop the baby if I fell asleep.
I remember it well. Zzzzzz

You need to take a sample of poo to the GP. Ask to have it sent off for sugar analysis. Intervention now could mean intolerance / allergy avoidance in the future. Good luck and keep us posted.

Pumpeedo, are you in the UK? I have never heard of poo being tested for sugar in a baby like this - what would it reveal?

OP- you have been round the block a few times :(

Your baby is very young to be sure of any diagnosis, silent reflux, allergy, intolerance, reflux, colic, whatever. Yes, it could be any of those, but if she is gaining weight and otherwise healthy it is really difficult to be sure with such a young baby as each and every one of the symptoms you describe are also common in babies where there is nothing actually wrong at all....so it might be the severity and the frequency of the symptoms that lead to clues. The fact that sometimes she is absolutely fine is also a clue.

Don't be too fixated on it being one thing rather than the other. It's good you are seeing a paed today, and I hope you will be able to discuss everything and get a good overview, and work out a way forward.

I'm guessing you think the baby should be tested for lactose intolerance, Pumpeedo - this is very rare in a young baby and the symptoms show up really strongly and seriously in the very early days. AFAIK, stools are not tested for this in the UK in a baby who is not showing clear symptoms.

Halle Another thing that I were advised to do is when you Dd is having a bad 'moment' (can't think of another word sorry) take a video of it , as mad as this sounds it will help prove your point to the doctors - keep pushing them and don't stop until you get the help you need .

tik My Ds has just been diagnosed with a Milk Allergy & according to the paediatric doctor testing for sugar in the stool is a pretty standard test now in babies as it's the easiest way to rule an allergy out in such young babies

Elephan, good idea re video.

Re testing stools: in a v. young baby with no symptoms of LI, and LI is very very rare in newborns and shows up with serious symptoms within days, I have not heard of stool testing for sugars. Secondary LI after infection with older babies is less rare; again there are symptoms. I have not come across stool testing in these circumstances either. Not saying it doesn't happen ever! OP does not describe symptoms of LI.

Cows milk protein allergy is a different thing. Much less rare. Can't see how testing the stools for sugars would reveal it.

I'm not a medic btw.

Yes Tik I'm in the UK. No, not thinking of lactose intolerance which would be genetic but protein allergy. In basic terms, the molecular structure of the naturally occurring sugars in breast and bottle milk are broken down in gut transit. Protein allergy prevents this from happening. If this is suspected a stool sample is requested to be analysed for saccharides. I'd recommend OP directly requests a paediatric referral for this to happen.

BTW Halleberry, don't panic. The most likely result is that the issue will resolve itself in time. I suspect DC needs an amino acid milk that does not require the same amount of processing in the gut. If so, symptoms will resolve in hours or days and you will have a settled baby (and hopefully some sleep).

Well we got nutramigen formula to try for one week. I actually feel like it's making a difference to her being much calmer already. Only down side is that she has been sick a couple of times (not loads and it doesn't uoset her) and she has had loads of green and yellow poo. Im not sure if this is a good or a bad sign??? X

News to me, pumpeedo, but as I said, am not a medic.

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22282379 and www.ctajournal.com/content/pdf/2045-7022-3-23.pdf are current guidelines which don't indicate testing stools for sugars in the case of suspected cmp allergy/intolerance.

I can't comment on the biochemistry, sorry. It may be that some medics disagree with the guidelines.

Fingers crossed that you have found a solution OP. The change in poo could be just an adjustment to new milk.

Thanks chipped. Yeah fingers crossed. I actually like to see her do one big poo a day lol. I like to know she is clearing her system and is not constipated so I'm not complaining really just wasn't sure if it was normal xz