Gaviscon for reflux - is the powder sterile?

[climbeverymountain]

My HV has prescribed infant gaviscon for reflux for my DD who is almost 3 months. DD is breastfed and I've never expressed, so I have no idea about sterilising. The HV made up the first dose by mixing the powder in just boiled water then ran the syringe of hot mixture under the cold tap to cool it. However, she said that if I sterilise a plastic container to mix the powder in, I can use cooled boiled water to dissolve the powder, so no need to run it under the tap to cool it down. In my understanding, this would mean that the gaviscon powder itself was sterile... is this right? I'm a bit confused by it all!

Thanks!

Yes it is sterile.

But to be honest I never bothered mixing it in a sterile container, just made it with cooled boiled water in a little pot.

Thanks, that's great. I guess as I will be sterilising syringes I might as well sterilise a mixing pot too.

All seems like a lot of effort but if it helps ease the little one's discomfort it'll be worth it

i pour boiling water into a tupperware pot and leave it out. i then take the cooled water from that for each dose and mix it with the powder in another little pot. none of them are sterilised, i sterilise the two syringes i use every morning but just clean them in hot soapy water in between doses.

have to confess, i never thought about 'sterile-ness' ( is that 'sterility'?)

I sterilise syringes and mix it in a sterilised bottle with water from the kettle, which I then run under the cold tap. I'm breastfeeding too but had the kit for expressing / breast pump.

But then shes my first - isn't sterilising what first time mums are supposed to do?!

Lol Longtalljosie - my sister said she sterilised everything for her first dc but was too busy with her second and never quite managed it!

So, does the gaviscon work?

Sigh - the answer's yes, I guess, but it's replaced refluxy pain with constipation discomfort. She was crying in her sleep with it last night . Today I've reduced the dose to 5ml (so essentially a third of a sachet - DD is 6 weeks) and am about to try some cooled boiled water as well

sorry to crash - LTJ, does a reduced dose work? DD is also having problems with discomfort.

LTJ - saw this in active concos and thought of you! Poor little thing - sorry she's in pain.

Just a word about sterilising overall. Whilst of course you may wish to sterilise stuff in general that comes near your baby it is only milk bearing items that it's absolutely essential for. This is because milk is such a great breeding ground for bacteria. You'd have to be a very persistent and mad bug to make much headway growing in gaviscon! I say this as a mother of three whose pfb had her food bowl sterilised every night till her first birthday. I have NO IDEA why now

I'll be able to tell you more in a day or so... I've been advised to try this today by a friend whose little boy had reflux much worse than my DD... She was saying she ended up reducing the dose.

I had DD's six week check today so said to the doctor that was what I was considering doing and he was fairly positive about the idea... I guess the ideal is to find just enough Gaviscon to work - any more and I'm constipating her un-necessarily...

Today I've also tried cooled boiled water for the first time - I am also giving her a couple of Gaviscon free feeds each morning - essentially to get the previous day's poo out! The doctor seemed OK with that idea as well.

NL - I often think of you and your bowl. Today I found myself wondering how many sterilising tablets I would need to sterilise the washing up bowl

I'd be interested to hear, if you have time to report back sometime.
sory to hijack, climbeverymountain, but hopefully will be helpful for you too.

Well, she's gone down alright so fingers crossed.

Will report back!

Climbeverymountain - we're now talking about it here