Reflux and no weight gain. Help

[Thefaceofboe]

My baby was born at only 4lb and dropped 13% of her birth weight as she refused to feed, and was hours off a feeding tube been fitted. We established breastfeeding anyway and her weight gain has been slow, but steady.

She was diagnosed with reflux at about 6 weeks as she was sick after every feed and was awfully uncomfortable, but it’s got so much worse and now at 10 feeds she is throwing up the majority of her feeds. I’ve tried all the obvious, holding her upright etc.

She is on omeprazole which has helped her pain wise as she’s much happier, but sickness just as bad, if not worse

Got her weighed yesterday and her weight has stayed exactly the same in 2 weeks, so she’s only 7lb at 10 weeks

Does anyone know where I can go from there? I’m so worried and everyday is just becoming a chore of feeding, cleaning up sick, changing outfits and repeat. I’m just not enjoying my baby because of it and it’s not fair on her

Bump

Are you not being advised by the professionals weighing her etc?

All of this will improve when the baby reaches the end of the fourth trimester and her body is more developed.

It is really hard having a sicky baby. I tended to keep mine in bibs from just two weeks old so I didn't need to change outfits all day long. I also sat her upright on my body, practised wonky winding and made sure I burped her well during every feed not just after. I found this really helped actually. You could also try different holds such as the jockey/koala so she stays up during feeds.

@cruffin

I’m waiting on being referred to a paediatrician and its helpful to hear other people’s experiences when I’m sat at home worried about it.

@Flittingaboutagain

Thanks, I’ve honestly tried all this and exhausted all options, I’ve been putting an extra baby grow on top of her so I can just whip that off and have a clean one under that as she gets so upset when being changed.
I know it won’t be forever thankgod, we have a Christmas photo shoot for her this weekend and I couldn’t sleep last night imagining her throwing up down her lovely outfit

Ok good it wasn't clear from your post. I had a baby who was soooooo sicky too and the washing used to depress me. I covered my sofa in a washable throw and only dressed baby in onesies. I tried keeping her upright as long as possible after a feed. She did gain weight slowly, didn't lose it, even now at one she is small and in 6 month clothes.

Have you had her checked for tongue tie? Hope things improve soon OP!

This was DD1 - though without the breastfeeding. Things that helped:

• Thickened milk with Carobel (don’t know how this works with bf)
• Paced feeding upright (ditto)
• Only dressing in onesies and taking five extra downstairs with us each day to save running up and down the stairs
• Having towelling backed comfy bibs on all day, again having several to hand downstairs each day
• Never ever hold baby without a towel backed burp cloth over your clothes
• Wipe clean playmat
• Keep a bag of spare clothes for baby AND you in car
• Lots of buggy walks/baby groups = less puke in the house
• Thick throws over the sofa (we’ve since had to replace ours because we kept forgetting this part)
• Tumble dryer!

I fully sympathise with how frustrating this is, even if the pain has been taken away with meds.

FWIW a dietitian advised us on how to wean at 17 weeks, and within a month of starting DD1 went from just above the 9th to the 50th centile (where she was at birth), and by 1 she was consistently on the 75th. She remained on the highest dose of ranitidine for over a year, and still threw up anything liquid until 13 months old, but the fact that she could keep food down meant that she could gain weight at last. She’s just turned 3 and I actually can’t remember the last time she wa sick, so there is hope!

DD2 is an entirely different story 🤦🏻‍♀️