Did your LO suffer from reflux?

[JessJess3908]

DD (4 weeks 2 days) diagnosed yesterday. Dr gave us infant gavascon and told me to mix it with expressed milk. I've been doing this and she's finally happy and sleeping well .

But... I don't want to leave it too long before I bf her again as i'm worried my milk supply will decrease/she'll forget how to feed/my nipples will go soft and hurt when she does go back on etc etc all meaning we'll end up on formula.

I'm tempted to give her a bit from the boob and then the gaviscon mixed with expressed milk. Anybody else have experience of this??? Or any suggestions for clearing up the reflux altogether? Or just stories of how you coped with it and your LO got better?

reflux as in acid or posseting? All mine posseted. ds1 we couldn't move without a little bit of sick appearing. It wore off eventually, I think when he started sitting.

Acid - I think

She doesn't bring much up at all - but was getting very upset if put down on her back, especially during the night.

Jess have you got the packet? I used to BF and then straight afterwards mix the gaviscon with a small amount (about a tablespoon) of expressed milk and give to baby in a syringe / spoon. You don't have to stop BF and do all his feeds expressed.

What you said is exactly how you're supposed to give gaviscon to a BF baby, after a normal feed mixed with a little breast milk. Please please continue to BF as I made the mistake of starting to mix feed and I'm sure the formula initially made his reflux worse and I stopped BF earlier than I hoped.

they kept saying dd2 had acid reflux cos its very common in cerebral palsy but the drugs made her scream. So I took her off them and insisted they did a PH probe.
No acid at all.

Ds had it really badly, but gaviscon didn't touch it. We gave him his meds mixed with a spoonful of bm before his feeds.

Keeping him upright after feeds helped a lot, as did putting him to sleep on a wedge (or inclining his cot if he sleeps in one).

Thanks all..

Did gaviscon affect your LO's poos? I just changed her and her stool is more mushy peas than whole grain mustard all of a sudden.

Ah yes they were a lovely shade of green for a while there.

My LO was diagnosed with reflux at about 2 months and was prescribed gaviscon plus 2 other medicines. We weren't advised to mix any of it with expressed milk and he quickly learned to take all 3 meds from a syringe. We did find that we had to give them to him before a feed because he was too full if we waited until afterwards (and got too cross if we tried to do it in the middle of one). He's now almost 7 months and has just the gaviscon - and that only occasionally. He still possets a fair amount but the screaming and the total antipathy to lying on his back has gone, although he does still sleep inclined upwards. According to the gastro paediatrician we've seen, reflux is very common because many babies have under-developed sphincters at the top of their stomachs. As they grow, so the sphincter strengthens and eventually the reflux ceases to be a problem. There's usually a big improvement once they can sit up (which is why you might want to mimic this by putting your LO to sleep on an incline both in bed and, as soon as possible, in his pram).

Oh, and re nappy contents: I found that gaviscon made my LO slightly constipated; once he was on it, he stopped pooing every day and only went every 2 or 3 days - and it was far less liquid than is usual for a BF baby.

Glad to hear that your LO is already sleeping better. That's a big thing, I well know! She will get over the reflux eventually - and you'll have adapted to cope with it even before that happens. Don't forget to see the doctor again if you think things are slipping as there are various drug combos they can try, although you may need to push for a referral to a paediatrician who specialises in gastric issues.

Cranial manipulation sorted my DS out, it was amazing the change in him in a very short space of time. I had to stop breast feeding as he was losing weight.

i may have been a bit hasty when i said she was sleeping well. good day today but one of the worst nights so far

she sleeping now but im tooo scared to pt her down. she seems to have been in so much pain. no sick just screaming, crying, arching back. only thing that calms her is being held upright but even that failed tonught, dont knoe how we are going to get through this [even more sad]

willl take back to dos on mon and have osteo appt booked for 15th - but every night now feels like an epic battle.

Oh poor you. I've been there and well remember how awful it was. Do go back to the doctor - A&E, if necessary (somewhere there's a specialist children's A&E so you'll see a paediatrician), which is what we did, albeit at GP's suggestion. That's where we got our first prescription from, one of which was for a drug that stops excess acid production, which is what causes the pain. If you're wary of your LO being on such a drug - I was - itg might be worth asking for a PH probe as one of the other posters suggested. In the meantime, don't forget to try and take care of yourself too (share the night burden with someone else if at all possible): the early weeks are so hard, even without reflux but it will get better.

Jess, have been where you are DD2 had shocking reflux. If possible keep the breastfeeding up and mix the gaviscon with EBM or sterilised water and give on a spoon or syringe. You do not need to stop breastfeeding, in fact it is the best thing you can do for a child with reflux.

I found Gaviscon did make DD a bit constipated, not badly so but poos ended up like 'sheeps poos' ie lots of little raisins! Gavison seemed to make an improvement but as I've told other friends with babies with reflux it's not a 100% cure but about a 75% improvement which still makes life a lot easier!

Things improved a lot by 10 months, I stopped the Gavison then and she still did a lot of noisy burps, sometimes wet, but I would say they go from strength to strength and didn't look back after just over a year old.

Tip her cot/moses basket if you've not done already to a 45% angle, or as high as you can get it without them sliding down in a heap at the end. Keep them upright as much as possible. A tight swaddle can bring comfort. I remember days and days of screaming and actually became quite depressed about it all looking back. It can be hard to bond with a reflux baby as you feel nothing you can offer as a mother makes any difference. I feel for you!

But it does get better. Deep breath in and out. This too will pass.

Just remembered the best website for help and tips for reflux and silent reflux was this site:

www.cryingoverspiltmilk.co.nz

It's the NZ support website (I'm a kiwi) but all advice relates to here as well as the recommended medications are the same.

DD had reflux. I used to syringe in her domperidone and rinitidine (sp?) before a feed then breastfeed her.

thank you for your replies - its so hard to know what to do when everyone (Dr, HV, packet) is giving you different advice, you haven't slept for a month and your PFB is screaming in pain much more reassuring to hear some personal stories.

Agree, I remember the Dr's advice conflicting with the Gaviscon packet. At the end of the day you can give before or after a breastfeed as long as it's going in it will help. Unfortunately with these medications it will always be easier for the bottle-feeders to administer as they can just throw it into the formula. Could you try giving a bottle of EBM or formula at 10pm or so to try and get a head start on the sleep at night? You have my sympathies, it really is hell, I know.

Age four to six weeks is also a period of unsettledness for babies as they begin to 'wake up' to the world, there will be a lot of crying even for a baby who doesn't have reflux.

Hi Anasbananas - I tried giving it after her feed and her symptoms came with a vengance. She settled again after 2 bottle feeds with gaviscon mixed in ebm. so much so we had a lovely early night last night - in bed by 3am, woo hoo! I also inclined her cot and she went straight down for once.

I'll try putting her on the boob again in a couple of days if she continues to settle. for now I am pumping like mad. she has thrown up formula nearly every time she's had it but i can see we are going to need to find one she can keep down. there just aren't enough hours in the day to pump all har feeds.

it is very depressing. right now i feel almost bipolar - distraught when she cries then overwhelmed with happiness when she seems happy or manages to sleep.

I know, Jess, it is a roller coaster. I was depressed and actually became quite detached from DD despite the fact I was holding her around the clock. I used to be permanently wet all around my neck and shoulders from all the sicking-up. I bloody hated it.

To be frank if you want to continue the breastfeeding for the foreseeable future you need to get her back on the breast now as in today. Even with your best efforts I don't think you would be pumping as much as she would be feeding as you never get as much by expressing as you would with a breastfeed. Plus she may 'reject' the breast after all the bottle feeds. I'm not trying to scare you but be aware, it will take an effort to regain full bf'ing after a break even if you have been pumping away. As you say there aren't enough hours in the day to pump.

My own experience my DD was a 'different child' once I stopped bf'ing at 12 weeks and put her onto formula mixed with Gaviscon and that made me feel like crap as I was so determined to make a success of the breastfeeding for my second (and last) baby. It was a really hard time to cope with. I had a 2yo to content with too.

Have you tried giving the Gaviscon on a spoon/syringe before a breastfeed, this is what they suggest on the NZ website anyway (even though the Gaviscon packet tell you to do the opposite if I remember correctly.)

Also are you happy with the way she is latching on? Less than optimal positioning/latching can also result in a gassy/colicy baby who is unsettled and crying, just to complicate the situation.

Hope you are having an OK day.

hi annas, wahat do you mean your LO was a 'different child' ater you put her on gaviscon & formula? better? or detatched?

i thought her latch was ok, will try to get through to bf councillor tonight.

Can't you just mix a small amount of the Gaviscon and ebm, then offer boob ? I b'fed dd with reflux.

Different as in much happier and more settled on the formula+Gaviscon which is why I felt so useless that she seemed happier NOT being breastfed. I had been getting help with positioning from the breastfeeding clinic at the John Radcliffe in Oxford as they were convinced that all her troubles (screaming, arching back, spilling etc, extended feeding) were down to poor latching rather than reflux. I was not convinced and thought it was possibly a bit of both. She also was happier drinking EBM rather than from the boob, so this is possibly down to my bad latching?

So what I am saying is that it might be worth checking your latching/positioning so that it might eliminate that as an issue. I do know that with reflux babies being breastfed you need to try and get them up as vertical as possible, I found this very difficult. But a breastfeeding counsellor will be able to suggest the best position for you to try.

My dd had reflux which she grew out of by 13 months. I used to wind her with strokes, for 20 mins after every feed and used a wedge and sling i found on the internet for sleeping upright. (it was expensive but worth it as she was vvvv bad, lots of pain and vomiting).

She started on gaviscon which eventually stopped working and was then prescribed ranitidine and carobel (a food thickener).

It was extremely hard, very stressful and very tiring, but i'm happy to say she's better now. She does have a dairy allergy, but that's not reflux related as far as i know.

Hi

Just to say I totally know where you are coming from. DS1 (now 4) had horrendous reflux and ended up on gaviscon, ranitadine and omeprazole for it. He only really improved once fully weaned. I ended up with PND and was fairly detached from him for a long time.

I had DS2 3 weeks ago and history is unfortunately repeating itself. He is already on gaviscon but unfortunately i'm not seeing much improvement and we had 4 hours of screaming last night.

There is light at the end of the tunnel but I do know how difficult it can be!