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Infant feeding

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Original poster

Reflux and breastfeeding- what can i do?

71 replies

plusonemore · 03/02/2009 16:11

Took DS (17 wks) to docs today as I suspect he has reflux and also because he is still struggling with his breathing since first getting a cold at 2wks and then bronchiolitis. She thinks his chest is a bit wheezy and has prescribed an inhaler to see if that helps. She hasn?t prescribed anything for the reflux as she says best to treat one thing at a time. She also says it?s hard to treat as he is breastfed. Is there is anything I can do to help reduce the amount of sick? Does it make a difference what I eat for example? So frustrating when I spend ages feeding, he sicks it all up and then wakes in the night cos he is hungry!!!

OP posts:
kalo12 · 03/02/2009 22:06

rice dream with added calcium actually has more calcium than milk

Original poster
plusonemore · 03/02/2009 22:11

hee hee i knew it was stupid, but i saw it on a website, also said if you are dairy intolerant may be affected by eggs and chicken

OP posts:
pamplemousse · 03/02/2009 22:11

Sorry haven't read other threads as am tired...
If I were you I'd try avoiding all dairy (read packets as even some weird things have skimmed milk powder or some such crap in them. And drink no coffee.
HTH

Original poster
plusonemore · 04/02/2009 07:15

I have some more questions that have been puzzling me overnight!

Does it also mean I am lactose/dairy intolerent?
Will I loose weight?
When I start to wean him should I continue to avoid all dairy or add a little at a time or what?
there were more things but i cant remember at the moment.
thanks! (MN so much more knowledgeable than GP...)

OP posts:
Original poster
plusonemore · 04/02/2009 07:24

a ha!

what formula is dairy free? (i like to have a few cartons for emergencies)
How long before my expressed milk is 'dairy free'?
Is the bottle of expressed bm in the freezer now no good?

OP posts:
CantSleepWontSleep · 04/02/2009 08:17

No to you being intolerant. It's the milk protein that causes the problem for babies rather than the lactose.

Loosing weight depends on whether you overcompensate with the treats that you can have!

Avoid dairy when you wean. Perhaps around 9 months try him with a couple of teaspoons of yoghurt, and if he doesn't react then introduce a little more, very gradually, leaving 'raw' milk til last. If he does react, wait at least 3 months before trying again.

Formula needs to be hypoallergenic (soya formula not suitable under age 2 at a minimum), which means nutramigen, neocate or Pepti-junior - all expensive and need to be ordered from pharmacy. If he does turn out to be intolerant then you can ask for it on prescription, but you may need to wait for a paed referral first. Oh, and they all taste vile!

I'd wait 2 weeks before expressing.

Stuff in freezer no good if he does turn out to be intolerant. I had to throw away bucket loads of it with dd.

UmSami · 04/02/2009 09:09

Read this thread with interest...dd (bf) now 13 weeks and has suffered horribly with colic since week 1.
She was prescribed baby gaviscon a couple of weeks back, but we have only just managed to get hold of some...we no longer live in UK and it has to be imported here and is stocked by only 1 pharmacy ...how do you administer to one so little...is it 1/2 a sachet or a full one?
I'm also wondering if I should actually give it to her as some days she seems to have improved, then it's back to misery and the mopst horrible screams...she also seems to be doing better on keeping food down...on some days! We currently seem to be on a 2 days good, 2 days bad cycle.
I hate to medicate unecessarily but I also hate to see her suffering...some of the comments here ring so true...she's very snuffly having had 2-3 colds/flu since birth, and whilst this is almost to be expected as we live in Saudi and she was born just before Hajj...when EVERYONE gets sick due to the mass infux and movement of peeps through the country...I'm now wondering if cutting dairy may help...
So... should I hold off on gaviscon and cut dairy, (though on my miserable I need chocolate days she doesnt seem any worse)...
Should I try the gaviscon...if so what dose?
Should I leave it a little longer and see if things improve on their own.
You guys seem so experienced and knowledgable, please help...i'm v. confused

ILoveDigestives · 04/02/2009 09:12

My daughter had terrible reflux (and subsequently very very slow weight gain - she was completely off the bottom of the growth charts for about 6 months, then slowly started to creep onto the lowest percentile!), which unfortunately took over 7 weeks to diagnose (and lots of rude comments from well-meaning HVs along the way who just thought my breastmilk was completely inadequate ). The one thing that made a noticeable difference was Infant Gaviscon - sure, it's a bit of a faff to mix up when you're breastfeeding, but we made up 24 hours' doses in a small bottle, and then used a syringe/spoon to give it to her (I checked with the manufacturers about making it up in advance, and they said it was fine). We also tried domperidone, but it didn't seem to have any (positive) effect. The other thing is just to have endless patience, and endless muslins!! We must have spent soooo many hours mopping up sick and changing clothes/bedlinen! It eventually got better with time, but even with the introduction of solids (at 6 months) she was still sick (until about 9.5 months), and we only did purees for about a week... The only other weird thing we found was actually NOT winding her helped. It goes against all advice but we just found that by winding her she spewed up most/all of the feed (and had persistent hiccups all the time - another symptom of reflux), but by just leaving her be post-feed (in a more upright than horizontal position), she kept more of it down. I can't comment on the diet thing, as we never went down that road (I was so shattered from feeding her virtually non-stop that having to modify my diet would have just been too much)! Best of luck to you...

ILoveDigestives · 04/02/2009 09:19

UmSami, the Gaviscon dose depends on your daughter's weight (it has instructions on the packet), so unless the prescribing doctor said otherwise, follow the instructions on the box. Normally when they're so young, it's one sachet (it's called half a dose, so just use one of the adjoining sachets... it confused me too!). You also don't need to use as much water as it says on the box for each dose (I checked with the manufacturer again, as 10ml made my daughter spew it all back up again!)... we used to use 5ml for each sachet, and this worked well for us. Hope it helps.

keepmumshesnotsodumb · 04/02/2009 09:31

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

naomi83 · 04/02/2009 13:13

i gave up breastfeeding pretty early on as my refluxy DS kicked me in my c-section scar every time he fed, but we found that putting him to sleep upright in his swing or car seat really helped. I felt terrible doing it because of all the SIDs stuff, but it was a reall lifesaver. When I was still breastfeeding we gave gaviscon in a syringe just after each feed, and it seems to help a bit with the misery, althuogh not with the pucking

Original poster
plusonemore · 04/02/2009 14:27

ummm...are jam doughnuts dairy free?

OP posts:
PomsMum · 04/02/2009 16:43

DD2 had terrible reflux, she was prescribed infant Gaviscon which she was on from 6 weeks to about 12 months. Breastfed DD1 till 6 months so keen to do the same, all I could do was express about 6 fluid onces each day -enough to dissolve the Gaviscon in and then continue as normal. It was a real bind - the hassle of bottle feeding (sterilisation etc), the hassle of expressing and none of the 'ease' of breast feeding. I managed, though looking back don't know how.... If you want to do it you'll find a way, and if you don't - don't waste anytime worrying about it......

CantSleepWontSleep · 04/02/2009 17:14

Waitrose mini ones are, but Tesco's aren't. Others you'd need to check with the bakery.

lightmycandle · 04/02/2009 20:01

My DD1 had extremely bad reflux and she was prescribed gaviscon which worked really well even though she was fully BF. She had it first in a syringe but progressed pretty quickly to a cup - I found giving her half of the mixture half way through the feed and then the other half at the end of the feed, worked really well.
However after a food intolerance test at 3.5, I found she was dairy intolerant and wish that I had found that out earlier - and so now forced the milk to stay down when she has obviously intolerant to it. I now go 'dairy free' to keep her company so to speak and don't miss it at all. I've found it fairly easy, got used to soya milk (one without the flavourings) and eat a lot of divine dark chocolate.
By the way for a test I would go dairy-free for at least two weeks by the way to get it out of both your systems.

ponto · 04/02/2009 23:53

My dd3 had silent reflux and started Gaviscon when she was about 7 weeks old. I used to make up several sachets at a time, with water, and give one dose to her halfway through a breastfeed. It definitely made her stop screaming so much, and after a few weeks I gradually stopped giving it, and the screaming didn't come back. I presume her digestive system just matured. It also made her nappy contents much more solid, which was a bit of a bonus!

kalo12 · 05/02/2009 09:07

csws - Why not soya milk before 2? I've never really liked the idea of it and my ds only takes and ounce a day but the doctor won't give me the other hypoallergenic stuff cos he says a milk allergy is not proven (projectile vomit and a rash not enough apparently ) and i should just keep bf ing, but ds bfs all night, is worlds worst sleeper and i've lost 3 stone and am now massively underweight.

When i told doc i didn't want soya they gave me lactose -free instead!!

whatironing · 05/02/2009 10:38

DS was bf and prescribed gaviscon for silent reflux, it helped with the misery when feeding but made him horribly constipated.

Divineintervention · 05/02/2009 11:16

Well, I visited a consultant about a different issue with my 12 wk old and she observed him feed. He feeds, gets very upset when finished, arches back, won't bend and then is sick...this means he feeds very frequently (another sign) and she prescribed infant gaviscon which you dilute with water or exressed milk and give in a bottle or on a spoon. TBH dc1 had it but was comforted with a dummy and was milk intolerant, dc2 fine, dc3 was a nightmare and at the drs every other week with the fact she would never be put down and only quiet when fed. dc4 is the first to be diagnosed . The fact the dc3 was in pain most of the time and never taken seriously makes me want to tell every doctor and HV that they are full of shit, collic my arse!!!!!

Divineintervention · 05/02/2009 11:17

Gaviscon.... 6kgs and above two sachets, below just the one.

Divineintervention · 05/02/2009 11:18

About hiccups, my dc4 and dc3 both had lots of hiccups in the womb too.

Divineintervention · 05/02/2009 11:21

Sorry about the nappy and reflux (I have nappy brain wi=hich is why so many posts) my dc3 had terrible nappy rash, is this a symptom too? dc4 poos all the time, we go though about 15 nappies a day, at least.

CantSleepWontSleep · 05/02/2009 11:50

DI - the constant pooing and nappy rash were symptoms of milk intolerance with both of mine.

kalo - your gp is a muppet. It's not lactose that causes the problem at all!
You might like to print off this and this to show to him. In addition to the reasons given there, soy can cause milk teeth to rot quite badly.

PrettyCandles · 05/02/2009 14:43

I don't think two weeks is long enough to find out whether someone is dairy-intolerant. Of course some people might respond immediately, but it took about a month for me to see a difference in my dcs.

SillySouthernMum · 05/02/2009 17:34

Hi, my GP suspected reflex in my DD at 15 weeks, similar symptoms. We tried Gaviscon and various other potions for ages, none made any difference and she grew out of it at about 7 months. Essentially the GP didn't have a clue what was wrong and was just trying to be helpful, so if I had my time again, there's no way I'd have given her all that medicine at such a young age.

But there is another possibility, which breastfeeding councillors often advise on - one of those things that seems to be very common but never picked up by GPs/health visitors. This is when the baby is not getting enough after-milk and too much fore-milk.

If memory serves, classic symptoms are excessive wind, green and/or very runny poos, hungry all the time/not putting on enough weight. Also showing frustration at the breast.

Explanation (again from memory - you might want to check this with a real BF expert): fore-milk is thinner and more thirst-quenching; the baby gets this at the start of a feed. After-milk is the rich stuff which kicks in after baby has been feeding for about 10 mins. The baby needs both to thrive, but might not get enough after-milk if you swap sides too often or restrict the length of feeding.

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