*Reflux baby* struggling to breastfeed , fussing at breast please help!

[mum94and97and04]

dd3 17 weeks old have been struggling to breastfeed her from the word go reflux was finally diagnosed at 10 weeks and she is now on medication but is still suffering and this causes her to be very unsettled when feeding, due to her discomfort. Does anybody have any experience of feeding a baby with reflux? I am exausted as this also causes her to sleep very little. Any help would be much appreciated.

Hi Sorry to hear you are having problems, have you tried white noise. I breastfed twins who both had undiagnosed reflux, they continued to gain weight so noone saw a problem until their first birthday when my HV actually witnessed it!! Anyway when mine fussed at the breast, not sure this is down to reflux BTW, I used to put on my breastpump (not actually use it) and the humming sound used to southe them whilst they fed. The white noise has always helped me with settling them. HTH xx Good Luck, mine lived in babygrows for first year as it was the easiest way to change all their sicky stuff!!

Giving this a bump. Have you tried the NCT helpline? Re the sleep, my very unsettled baby liked those vibrating chair things. Not ideal for nights but maybe you could get dd to take a decent nap in one?

I sympathise with you mum94and97and04. I just found out yesterday that my dd has suspected reflux. she is being sent for test soon. She is four weeks old and from day one she made terrible noises and choking sounds when she bf, she also had stop breathing episodes which was very frightening. This seams to upset her so she stops feeding and as a result she only has a ounce at a time maybe every half to one hour. very draining. I gave up bf because I thought this was the problem. I have been proping myself up on the sofa with a bf cushion and letting her sleep on my shoulder which stops her discomfort. you could try this and at least get a nap in between, good luck

I sympathise with you mum94and97and04. I just found out yesterday that my dd has suspected reflux. she is being sent for test soon. She is four weeks old and from day one she made terrible noises and choking sounds when she bf, she also had stop breathing episodes which was very frightening. This seams to upset her so she stops feeding and as a result she only has a ounce at a time maybe every half to one hour. very draining. I gave up bf because I thought this was the problem. I have been proping myself up on the sofa with a bf cushion and letting her sleep on my shoulder which stops her discomfort. you could try this and at least get a nap in between, good luck

I sympathise with you mum94and97and04. I just found out yesterday that my dd has suspected reflux. she is being sent for test soon. She is four weeks old and from day one she made terrible noises and choking sounds when she bf, she also had stop breathing episodes which was very frightening. This seams to upset her so she stops feeding and as a result she only has a ounce at a time maybe every half to one hour. very draining. I gave up bf because I thought this was the problem. I have been proping myself up on the sofa with a bf cushion and letting her sleep on my shoulder which stops her discomfort. you could try this and at least get a nap in between, good luck

opps I dont know what happened there, sorry...

opps I dont know what happened there, sorry...

Sending much sypathy. I have had three babies with confirmed reflux, and also one who we now think did, but as she was gaining weight well wasn't tested for.

I found the best way to feed mine was to prop them in an almost upright position, with many towels and pillows around to help. I needed to be mega organised for each feed, and so had everything to hand so as not to disturb baby whilst she/he was feeding as that seemde to aggravate the sickyness more.
With DD3, who was our worst, we went thro many many towels, bibs and outfits each day (her and me outfit wise!). I also found she fed much better when my older two girls were well occupied and so I could feed in silence, or at least, with no disturbances. The white noise suggestion is a good one.......for us I used the cd I used to listen to whilst pregnant with her, it settled her the best sleep wise too.

What medication are you on??? We had cisipride and another beginning with D. Also gaviscon (altho for my daughtewr it made her worse. It worked well for my two boys tho.)

Have you thought about the fact that she may also be reacting to something you may be eating. Each of my refluxers have been allergic to dairy products (1 has now outgrown that, but DD3 and DS2 is still on restricted diets), and in the case of DS2, he has also been found to have coeliac disease so was also reacting to the wheat and gluten in my diet.
Sadly in the case of DS2, for that reason, I wasn't able to continue breastfeeding him as there was just too much for me to cut out and still be eating enough to have a addequate milk supply. It is something I still feel guilty for as he had to go on to a hypo-allergenic formula (plastic milk in my eyes!), which he still has at nearly 3. Having said that tho, he is now pretty healthy and he may have had to do that anyway because of the ceoliac diagnosis.

Another thing I found was that sleep was disturbed, like you, and it still is, but when they, and I, are suffering too much, a little calpol or medised helps them to sleep better because of the slightly drowsying effects it has. I don't condone it for regular use, but it did help for desperate nights. One thing tho.....she may also be silent refluxing which gives a feeling of heartburn. You probably remember well how uncomfortable it felt from pregnancy.....it helped me understand her pain more and helped my patience levels in coping too. It also means that calpol is justified for helping the pain of that.

Soory for the lenght of the reply, but hope it helps some. many hugs....xxxxxxxx

hello again thank you all so much for your kind words it helps to know that theres somebody out there who know what im going through. Sometimes i feel im becoming a vertual recluse only going out for clinic, hosp appt and the weekly outing to tesco (sad hey), psychomum5 how on earth you are sane after 3 with reflux you poor thing in answer to your question dd3 is on Ranitidine and Domperidone, gaviscon didnt go down so disscontinued it. I was given a white noise cd but inefective she much prefers being under the extractor fan in the kitchen or listening to the hairdryer might try the breast pump though as it isnt being used for much else as i can only seem to squeeze a realy small amount out.thanks again for the support xxxxxxxx

In response to how I stay sane....I wonder sometimes myself..[confused face].! I guess the truth would that I have to for their sakes, but I look back at the really hard times and realise that at times I was just going from day to day trying to stay afloat.

I remember my worst night with Natasha (DD3, who was the poorlyest with reflux). She was 12wks and had already been in hospital 4times. On her second addmittance the nurse helping me with her queried reflux which the doctor pooh poohed. She was re-addmitted twice more because of sickness and weight loss and it was still missed.
Anyway.....this one night, my DH was away (he works away) and she had been screaming pretty much nonstop for four hours. She did this most nights which we at first put down to colic, but this was real pain and she was unconsolable(sp?). I had had too much, it was the middle of the night so I had no-one to call upon for support, and this was pre-pootah days too. I put her in the middle of my bedroom floor and left her while I went downstairs to count to ten. I then went back, with 10mls of calpol for her. I knew it was too much, but I was sooo desperate to help stop her pain. It did, and she slept(for the first time in her short life it was peaceful sleep, and for longer than 2hrs). It meant that I slept too, and woke relieved for the sleep but horrified at myself for the calpol overdose.
I went straight to the doctors and for the first time they took me seriously and realised she and I needed help......which we got. The firsat thing they did was send us into hospital, where she was given a barium x-ray. It diagnosed extremely severe gastroesophical reflux disease (sp again???). From there she was given many blood tests, heart echo, ecg and eeg....and was put onto meds. It took months to get her to a decent dose, and I just remember the feelings of frustration so well. Frustration for feeling as tho I had failed her and feelings of failure because I couldn't make her better.

The pain she was in was much worse than the sickness tho, altho she did have to have many sink baths a day just to clean her up and to stop the sicky smell. And because under her chin would get so chaffed otherwise because of the constant wetness there......talc helped wonderfully for that.

Altho she was on meds, in didn't seem to help her gain weight any quicker. She was 8lb born, and yet only 15.11lb on her 1st b/day. She was still in sz 3-6mth clothes too, and she started walking at 10mths (so it obviously didn't hinder her developement otherwise) and so her very first proper pair of shoes was sz 2.....soo tiny!

Weening was hard too, but the HV help enormously as did the hospital in helping change her meds.

And now?????

She is a thriving and TALL 6yr old. She has other health problems, but she also has an immune deficiancy which complicates that. As for the reflux, yes, she still is sicky whenever she is ill, I guess she will always be as she has a loose valve, but she is happy and, most importantly, has been reflux pain-free since 12-18mths.

I must stress tho, don't let me scare you. Natasha was my worst child with reflux, and also one of the worst I came across among other mums with a reflux baby. My son Max (DS1) was also a reflux baby, but for the main he was painfree and just very sicky. He was unsettled at night but mainly because he was hungry! He was totally better by his 1st b/day.
Jacob (DS2) on the otherhand was more like Natasha sickness/weight/milk allergy wise/ growing wise.....but was pretty painfree..at least, he was'nt a screamer like her. He is now two and hes been of his meds since he was 14mths. He had no probs weaning and doesn't seem sicky at all anymore.

and...wow....I have gone on forever and so am going to go now. Hugs tho, and I am here to chat if needs be. You are not alone tho, so many many hugs...xx

our hv thinks ds2 who is 7 weeks may have this...only found out yesterday

i am trying to feed him upright and keep him uprught afterwards which is helping a bit. Also putting a video cassette or book under the head end of his cot means that he doesnt vomit the minute i lay him down

all these things have stopped him being sick but he is still i a lot of discomfort

another thing that has helped,...when winding him, dont pat his back as this irritates the immature valve even more....instead, on the left side of his back, where his stomach isd, i rub in circular motions or rub in an upwards direction. this seems to help. also dont 'jig' him

saying that i am ringing the doc today to see if there is anythinf he can take to ease the discomfort

psychomum5 i can totally relate to your story i had to reach for the tissues. I to had to reach for the calpol on occasion through pure desperation after hours of crying and feeling so helpless,I felt terribly guilty after but she was in so much pain and so tired and it enabled her to get some sleep instead of just the usual 20 mins here and there.You sound like youve been through so much yet sound so strong and possitive now i hope i to will feel the same in a few years on not stay the wreck i feel i am at the mo. Well better sigh off for now and attend to dd she is doing her usual im not going to lie in bed have been trying to get her to sleep since 7 but she keeps getting disturbed did you find any of yours felt pain when breaking wind? Did anyone see the episode of the baby whisperer with the twin with reflux she used this hugh wedge with a harness on it in the babys cot, the baby slept nearly all night, i want one!

Unfortunatly my milk ran out but twin 1 had bad reflux since birth(they were born at 29 weeks).

Doc prescribed gaviscon infant to be given in his feed which did help a little but when he refluxed MY DID HE GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Natasha did have pain on breaking wind.....from wincing pain to screaming pain. Warm baths helped lots as did baby massage. She still gets tummy pain now which is possibly a legacy of the reflux but some calpol and a hot water bottle helps enormously. I am not sure if a hot water bottle is recommended for babies, but maybe a warm towel to swaddle in for a while could sooth her.

I have much sympathy for you, you sound as tho you are in the place I was 6yrs ago{{{{{hugs}}}}
You mentioned I sound strong and possitive......believe me, I wasn't always. I too was a wreck at times (strike that....lots of the time back then!!), but you will get thro it. It may be hard now but she will grow and that will help greatly. And then you will find that you will be the one here giving help and advice and being told that you too are strong.

You may have been told that things should improve when she sits up......I will warn you that it doesn't always. The pressure on the tummy can induce the sickness for a while.....I am telling you this to warn you, and so you don't panic if you find that your daughter is one of the few. It won't mean it is getting worse, just that you will have found one of the sickness triggers.

I haven't seen the programme you mentioned, but sounds like a fab piece of equipment. Is there anyway of you fashioning one for yourself????

Another tip for wind that I forgot earlier.......camomile tea is supposed to help. It isn't recommended for use for babies but if you breastfeed (which you do) then the mum can drink it and it apparently goes into the milk and helps. I haven't tried this myself......can't personally stand the stuff, but if you like it then I don't see that it can do any harm.

And Jambo......when mine went, they too went. I can remember the sick hitting the wall from at least 2ft away........sometimes even got DH too!!!!

Many hugs to you all going thro it at the mo....popsycal, how did the docs go on friday?????

psychomum5 - what were the signs of coeliac disease?

My friend had to give up breastfeeding her DS2 because he constantly seemed to be upset despite gaining weight. He also fussed a lot at the breast. She changed to formula at 12 weeks and after initial improvement he got as bad as ever. He has had numerous hospital admissions with chest infection, ? fitting and also because he had not fed properly or passed urine for 2 days.
He was admitted a couple of days ago because of weight loss and general poor feeding. He also vomits a lot and was vomiting bile. He is now 8 months old. He is being tested for everything but i wondered if any of these symptoms were similar to your experience?

For my son it was a swollen bloated belly, constant diarhoea(sp?) that was extremelly smelly and explosive and odd coloured too..(sandy coloured or almost green at times) and thin arms n legs. He was classed as 'failure to thrive' (he dropped from the 50th centile to off the chart within 6mths) and he was sooooo miserable too. Very windy was another problem....much more so than my others even taking into account his reflux.....and he also got strange spots and rashes. Was very chesty too, and needed antibiotics a lot. He had ear infection frequently aswell.....positive they were related.

am off to hunt my ceoliac books and will post the symptoms......be back soon...xxxxx

Ok....symptoms are as I have already said. Sometimes it can be that constipation is another symptom. Vomiting bile would indicate to me that he has a gastro bug at the moment, which seems common in allergic children and also reflux babies....my natasha certainly got her fair share. The not weeing could be due to dehydration, which in turn could be due to the sickness. It does sound as tho your friends son tho does have a food problem.....maybe it is dairy related rather than ceoliac, altho I'm not an expert so it could be something else entirly. I would tell your friend tho to push for them to at least consider allergy......they missed it with my DD2 (holly) till she was 13mths and she had lost loads of weight and was bouncing in n out of hospital. Because of that they were immediatly on it for each of the others, but I know that they still don't think of it as a first possibility with others that I have heard of.

hth tho, and hugs for you friend....xxxxxxxxxxx

Thanks psychomum5. Up until now, My friend has felt that no-one really believed the problems she was having. Her HV (who is very good BTW) even did her postnatal depression score because she was getting so upset about it all. The consultant paed looking after him says they will not send him home till they have got to the bottom of it. I did suggest dairy intolerance to her so I am sure she will ask.

Have only just seen this thread but if you are interested there is a Yahoo e-group called breastfeedingreflux where many of the children have some kind of food intolerance, and there are some very knowledgeable mums who've been through this kind of stuff. You have to apply to join and your messages are moderated for a bit.

breastfeedingreflux

and here are some other links I've found very helpful (just on the general subject of reflux)

breastfeeding a baby with reflux

spitting up, reflux and breastfeeding (from kellymom.com)

the australian breastfeeding association's info on reflux

The PAGER site has loads of info on reflux but I have to admit I haven't used it much. However here's an article saying that reflux babies show all the key triggers that lead to shaken baby syndrome (SBS). It's a worrying article but it does emphasise that it is really stressful having a baby with reflux. I posted a few times about it before and after ds2's diagnosis. Just before Christmas I was really tearing my hair out.

popsycal, have you seen a doctor about ds2 yet? just asking because I delayed going to see one because I wanted to sort it out myself but actually it really made a difference once we saw a paediatrician and ds2 was put on the reflux medications. But it did take ages because the gp kept prescribing Gaviscon which really didn't help at all (except for making him constipated). I don't think they understand how draining it can be, and I guess I could have been more pushy and tried to appear more frantic when I went to the appointments (I tend to put on my best face, which doesn't really help). All this rambling is just to say I would advise going sooner rather than later.

also, I know you thought it was just fast letdown (on the older thread) but I think often this comes hand in hand with reflux - it certainly did for me and for the mum whose site I've linked to above - and so in a sense the kellymom.com site can misdirect people. So I'm sorry if I helped to misdirect you

And I really hope everyone gets this sorted out soon, as much as it can be sorted, because I know how awful it can be.

samn - thanks so much for remembering me

yes we went to docs and got gaviscon which is helping a bit - mainly with sck rayther than pain

he is feeding constantly at the minute (growth spurt??) which is making him moresicky

I am currently dealing with a second dd who has reflux. The first was diagnosed at 10 weeks and was given gaviscon and ranitidine. I must say, however, that it was a real pain trying to give gaviscon to a breastfed baby - but it did help stop the sick. Number 2 is now 22 weeks and has also been diagnosed as reflux although she doesnt vomit as much. I found help at the following site \link{http://www.kellymom.com} If you put in a search on reflux, you will get 12 different articles which cover every aspect of a reflux baby. I found articles which described the feeding patterns and behaviours of my girls perfectly. It is a very real problem which I found HV's and doctors alike just seemed to shrug off when I mentioned my experiences. One doctor even told me that simply because my dd2 wasn't throwing up like dd1 had been, it cannot be reflux - do not be deceived!!! Try to feed in a more upright position and find out what works best for your baby. I found little and often helped enormously. Good luck.

Hi mum94 etc and all the other reflux mums

Our ds was diagnosed with reflux at 3 days old following an apnea but actually we were lucky, he made a complete recovery at 5 months after four months of hell...

I cant help with the feeding issues but wanted to say that what worked really well for us after awful nights for the first two months was getting a special hammock made by an aussie company. This kept DS upright but supported and really comfortable. It bounced him back to sleep if he did wake up and he puked less at night and made less of those awful chocking noises in his sleep which used to keep me awake in a state of permanent terror that he was choking to death... he even started sleeping though eventually.

Hi,
My son is 5 months old and i think he may have reflux, or some sort of similar problem, he brings up milk, juice and his food after every single feed. I have discussed this with 2 health visitors and a nurse practitioner. The first health visitor suggested it may be reflux, the second health visitor just suggessed feeding my baby bolt upright and the nurse just said i have a 'sicky' baby. Ive now bought some variflow teats and the special bottles (Dr Brown) Im so frustrated about the mixed messages im getting regarding this and wondered if any other mums (or dads) had any different advice, what about changing formula milk to another brand? or a special type like sma staydown or omneo comfort? Help me please!!!!