Reflux

[jbadgirl]

After seeing the paed thurs, they think ds has reflux, he isnt sick but he has all the symptoms of silent reflux. Got some medication for him and am praying this will help his feeding. It hasnt made a difference yet but the doc said wait 1 week if no improvement then double the dose. Has anyone any tips on how to help reflux and how long it can take to go?

Hi there,

My ds had reflux and it wasn't silent - lots of pukking.
Often with reflux babies have trouble settling after feeds due to acid indigestion (sounds dreadful). I saw Tracey Hogg (Baby Whisperer) settle a baby with reflux by winding in an upright position and also using a wedge mattress to settle the baby in a more reclined than lying down position. It had attachments to secure the baby so he didn't fall or slide down. Just wish I'd seen it when my ds was going through it.
With my ds the sicking lasted until; he was 7-8 months and then vanished. He was also very much more comfy once he was weaned as the food did not regurgitate anywhere like as much as the milk.

HTH

Mandy

My ds doesnt have any probs settling after feeds but he really fusses, cries and seems like he is in pain during each and every feed. He literally has 2 gulps of milk then really cries, we have been trying lots of different things but nothing has really has any effect so far!

All tied up with feeding then - now I come to think of it my ds was the same and in the early days very difficult to feed. He went on Gaviscon but not until he was nearly 15 weeks as it went undiagnosed before.
Gina Ford (she of contented baby fame) says that if you bottle feed then babies with reflux should be fed in as upright a position as possible. Theory is all very well but it didn't work for us.
All to do with the sphincter which controls food going into and out of the stomach - it's not very strong in babies and those with reflux have one that's even weaker which will strenthen over the first 6-8 months. Your ds must have food refluxing while he's trying to feed . Hopefully this medication will do the trick. Gaviscon eventually worked for us.

Yes we r tied up with feeding but it is really getting to me now. im not even convinced what it is as he seems to have problems getting the poo out but when its out its not hard its yukky! soz to be sooo graphic!!!! This am has been one of the worst days as he has had about 1oz of milk since 5am. i just worry that he will get ill by not eating but maybe he just doesnt want any right now (even though he is rooting around like crazy). he has just fallen asleep! hope this sorts its self out soon

hi - my 14 wk old has reflux but the constant puking type rather than the sort where they won't feed - this only happens rarely with him. My 6yr old was a nightmare when he was a baby - he'd only have couple of ozs every 3 hrs and he was huge! He would have an oz or 2 at 7pm and then have nothing until 7am when he would have another oz or 2 and we have to literally feed him lying down. He would push on my tummy away from the bottle - once he did it so hard he over expanded his blood vessels and they wouldn't contract again. Nice trip to A&E as we thought the purple spots were meninigits. I used to think that one morning i'd wake up and there'd just be his skeletal remains in the cot as he would only have about 15 ozs a day. i was a wreck. No-one diagnosed reflux - i just thought he was a really awful baby - i feel terrible now. Anyway with 14 wk old we are trying a staydown milk - which has slightly improved things although that obviously won't help with your baby - have to go back on tuesday for a review but gp says he will probably try gaviscon next. To cut a long story short, they can do something about reflux so this time i am going to be insistent that something is done as last time i got to the stage where i was totally stressed out thinking i had baby from hell. With James (6 yr old) it got much better when he was on solids although he still wouldn't take more than couple of ozs of milk but when he got to about 8 months everything was ok. As a baby and even now he was very prone to ear infections which i am sure was caused by the acid going up and down his body - apparently it makes more likely for bacteria to live or whatever the correct term is.

hi - my 14 wk old has reflux but the constant puking type rather than the sort where they won't feed - this only happens rarely with him. My 6yr old was a nightmare when he was a baby - he'd only have couple of ozs every 3 hrs and he was huge! He would have an oz or 2 at 7pm and then have nothing until 7am when he would have another oz or 2 and we have to literally feed him lying down. He would push on my tummy away from the bottle - once he did it so hard he over expanded his blood vessels and they wouldn't contract again. Nice trip to A&E as we thought the purple spots were meninigits. I used to think that one morning i'd wake up and there'd just be his skeletal remains in the cot as he would only have about 15 ozs a day. i was a wreck. No-one diagnosed reflux - i just thought he was a really awful baby - i feel terrible now. Anyway with 14 wk old we are trying a staydown milk - which has slightly improved things although that obviously won't help with your baby - have to go back on tuesday for a review but gp says he will probably try gaviscon next. To cut a long story short, they can do something about reflux so this time i am going to be insistent that something is done as last time i got to the stage where i was totally stressed out thinking i had baby from hell. With James (6 yr old) it got much better when he was on solids although he still wouldn't take more than couple of ozs of milk but when he got to about 8 months everything was ok. As a baby and even now he was very prone to ear infections which i am sure was caused by the acid going up and down his body - apparently it makes more likely for bacteria to live or whatever the correct term is.

woops - didn't mean to do that twice - ruddy computers!

jbadgirl,

Sorry you're having such a bad time with it all. How old is your ds now? It's worth sticking with the medication to see if this will help. Sounds as though the poor little mite is associating the feeding with discomfort . Hopefully, the medication you've been given will sort this out for him.
Also, how supportive is your HV? If she's friendly and you can talk to her it might be worth giving her a call - if only to weigh your ds and see he's getting all the sustainance he needs.
Also if he's giving you plenty of wet nappies and is pooing then you can rest assured that he is getting enough. The pooh should be very yellowy and possibly "mustard seed" like unless he's getting lots of wind and tummy ache when it might be more greeny.

HTH

Mandy

jbadgirl , how old is he ?

If he is fussing before feeding may well not be just reflux. Perhaps over hunger, frustration, ear pain, sore mouth or throat, tongue tie (although presumabley paediatrician woudl have checked for the latter conditions).Is he breast or bottle fed ?

I'd be getting concerned about a young baby feeding so little as you suggested at 1.25 in case of dehydration etc. Can you get him checked out again if it continues.

Have you seen this thread?

jbadgirl...my dd has exactly ythe same problem as your ds, really fussy and crying before feedis and during...i really know how awful it feels and am pulling my hair out
i have not seen a paed but convinced my gp (after reading alot about reflux) to prescribe me gaviscon, but have not used it regularly so far as we seem to have good feeds and bad feeds and am loathe to add medicine if not really necessary . like amanda 3266 says, i believe that dd is associating feeds with pain...it really is heartwrenching to go thru the whole motion several times a day, day after day. and also am worried that she does not feed enough, but have weighed her and thankfully has gained weight, but staying on the minimum.

i wonder if anyone has any ideas about other reasons for babies being fussy around mealtimes and refusing their bottle??

btw i had started a similar thread seperately so u might want to check that for solutions...but it seems everyone agrees that baby gaviscon, cot wedge, and milk thickener seperatley or in various combinations is the answer.

jbadgirl, it seems your ds is exactly like my dd (who is 10 weeks old btw) so i would love to stay in touch with you and compare notes on how they are doing if u would like that...

Hi there just a quick note about what to look for if you are concerned about dehydration.

This came from the BabyCentre website.
A dehydrated baby may be pale and depressed with sunken eyes.
A decrease in urine output.
If the ?soft spot? on your baby?s head is sunken this may be an indication that it is dehydrated. (This ?soft spot? is called the fontanel and usually closes up by the age of 12-18 months).

HTH

Mandy

I really feel for anyone else experiencing this. My ds had it for months BUT it really did improve massively with weaning - hope it's the same for anyone else going through it.

We had white sicky spots on the carpet till he was nearly 8 months though and going out anywhere was hell with 2 changes of clothes for him and 2 different tops for me.

Mandy

My ds is now 11 weeks but should only be 7 weeks as he was prem and weighed 4lb 3oz. He is on Nutramigen which was recommended by the Hv, has been on this since xmas eve. My Hv is ok but they have been saying for 5 weeks that it sounds like colic and to try infacol etc, none of these made any diff, the doctor said to me that babies at this age do start to cry as it is their only way of communicating what a bloody cheek!!

Anyway, going back to what i was saying the weight hasnt really been an issue last week he had still put on 4 oz (not as much as usual but at least he hadnt lost any) and this week he has had the same eating habits. My main prob is that he takes sooo long to drink a tiny amount and is therefore not satisfied when i finally give up trying. Such a battle!

This afternoon has been better and i tried lying him down a little more than usual, he fell asleep when i winded him so i gave him more whilst he was asleep! He had a whole 2oz!!!!!!!!!!
Once he is asleep he does well and overnight he has been going 6 hours twice!

Oh the thing i forgot to say in all that rambling on is that ds will take a couple of gulps then cry, i then wind him then the cycle keeps going on and on and on!

My baby is now 10 wks old ( he was 5 wks early)) He has a hospital diagnosis of reflux and is on antacid ,thickener and gaviscon liquid.He continues to projectile vomit,It does become quite sole destroying.You become scared to go anywhere incase he pukes.He also cries a lot and is bothered with colic.Has anyone seen the light at the end of the tunnel.We have a follow up appointment in 6 weeks but that is a LONG time.Would love to compare notes with anyone in similar situation.

|Also wanted to ask if anyone elses baby actually vomitted 1-2 hours after a feed and how they managed this for going out and in particular bedtime ?

william can puke up to 3hrs after a feed - i have a dilema about bedtime in case he's sick and chokes. At the moment he has last bottle about 7.30 ish and i take him upstairs at about 10.30ish when i go upstairs but obviously this can't go on for ever as i feel he has no proper bedtime routine.

forget to say, i know what you mean about not taking him anywhere - i think i've been to my mum's house twice since he was born. She prefers to visit us - can't imagine why? Also other kids and dh want to go away in the summer - only in this country - and to be honest i daren't book anywhere in case he's not stopped doing it by then.

It is a nightmare isn't it.At the moment we are putting Brodie to bed after his evening feed but my husband and I take turns to watch him incase he is sick!!!I'm sure it must get better but it is difficult to stay positive.It must be so difficult when you have other kids aswell.We were also hoping to go away for a week before I go back to work in July but it is very much a wait and see game.We are going to see a chiropractor/cranial osteopath this week to see if it helps.Have heard mixed responses but will try anything!