Reflux (Again!)

[Sugarmuppet]

Posted recently about reflux in babies, my HV and GP do indeed think that is what is wrong with my baby, and she has had gaviscon for the last 2 weeks. Not totally convinced it is helping, her sickness seems to come and go, although I do think she is happier. We are back to Docs on Thursday for a review....

Question is....I want to stop breastfeeding. Flame me now. I am fed up. I have exclusivly expressed for 18 weeks (baby was 6 weeks early and wouldn't take to the breast). Finally at about 14 weeks she got the hang of breast feeding, then she gest put on gaviscon which she won't take unless its in a bottle. I am fed up of expressing, the time it takes, but mostly the worry that I will suddenly not be able to produce the amounts she needs (freezer stash is already being used up, sometimes just can't get enough).

Just want someone to:
A) Tell me i'm not being selfish and that its okay to stop
B) Recommend a good formula for refluxy babies

Thank You!!!

Snap! I'm only at 11 weeks though. Had loads of problems BF in the beginning, been on various threads on MN for advice and have managed to exclusively BF until now but the reflux/vomit is really trying. However, I am having a screaming match with her every feed now because I have to syringe the Gaviscon in as she won't take a bottle! It's now putting me off BF again. Putting it in a bottle would be so much easier... Think I've done well to make it this far with BF as it is, so well done you for getting to 18 weeks!

anything is worth a try! and something I haven't tried is going dairy free. Although I have read about it being successful. Imagine it would be very hard tho? Any tips? There would be no harm trying it for a couple of weeks and seeing what happens...just desperately want to do what is best for her. Right so dairy free it is...first question...

What do I have for breakfast? Not my usual yoghurt or bowl of cereal then?!?!

I will be watching this thread.

DS2 is EBF and other than his projectile vomiting which comes and goes, and that is a very windy baby breastfeeding is fine. I have 8 week check at GP today so will see what happens.

He is a very good baby just when he's feeding gets all fidgetly and squirmly and I try to burp him (for ages), sometimes he burps, but sometimes he doesn't then he projecile vomits esp when lying down having nappy changed after a feed.

Will try giving up diary .

To the OP - can you not put the gaviscon in a bottle with 1oz of milk and then breastfeed the rest of the feed? You could express milk and pour it into an ice cube tray so you had 1oz of milk in each ice cube ready to mix with the gavison. That way you'd only have to express once a day.

this won't help at all, but just wanted to say - you've exclusively expressed for 18 weeks?!
I am TOTALLY in awe of you! I only express once a day, and hate it - so managing to feed your baby AND express AND find time to post on MN - wow! well done you!!

Trick is to MN when expressing. Adds up to quite a bit of time! Its okay really, gives me a bit of time to myself (got sick mother, demented dog and house up for sale to also keep me busy!) But now my expressing time is being eaten up by DDs screaming/puking Leaving her to cry just now, just so i can express, but if I don't she can't eat. Catch 22.

I was so happy when she started to breastfeed, but I just can't get into it, I don't like not knowing exactly what she is taking on oz, a bit obsessed at how much she eats, she is still a tiny 9 1/2 pounds. So would rather feed her by EBM, mayb, kinda oh I don't know.

She has SCREAMED from the word go this morning (she is a fantastic sleeper, has slept 7-7 from 4 weeks, if she screamed all night too I would have jumped of a cliff by now!) She just sounds in so much pain, and nothing will relieve it. Only been sick once tho so have to look on the bright side....

...still waiting for breasfast suggestions....EVERYTHING has dairy in it!!

breakfast - bread and dairy free spread with some ham or the like?
bacon sarnie?
fried/boiled eggs?
fruit salad with some cereal?

good luck with however you choose to carry on - you have done amazingly well to get to 18 weeks!!

Sugarmuppet - don't worry about not knowing how many oz they are eating when breastfeeding, it just doesn't matter, and babies are much more efficient at draining your breasts than a breast pump - and its comforting for screaming unhappy baby - she'll get more breastfeeding.

Also I think baby finds easier to reach high fat hind milk than a breastpump which your DD needs to help her put on weight. You can take her to get weighed each week if you are worried about how much she is take, or if you are really obssessed buy baby scales and weigh before and after each feed so you know how many ozs she had - you can get for £30 from ebay.

Also breastfeeding actually can feel nice, unlike pumping. Like someone else has said I don't know how you have exclusively expressed for 18 weeks.

re: breakfast - when I was svoiding diary I made porridge with oatly oat milk. added dried apricots and drizzle with honey. yum.

Or toast with jam or marmalade. Or eggs.

Thanks for the food suggestions - great! The more i think about it the easier it sounds.

Have been taking her each fortnight to get weight, she had been steady on the 9th centile but last time was down to 3rd, she is getting weighed again tomorrow.

HV asks everytime if I am ready to give up pumping. Maybe this time i am. Just not brave enough to totally go for BF, incase she doesn't go as long between bottles, or stops sleeping through the night, or i just can't provide what she needs. Perhaps i should just bite the bullet and go for it for a couple of days?

If this doesn't work out and I did want to stop what formula should i choose? I know if i had FF from the start she would have been on Nutriprem (sp?), can you get dairy free formula?

Thank you all so so so much for advice and encouragement, you have no idea what it means to me!!

oh and just one more question....can a dairy intolerance suddenly start?

DD was fine at the start, and funnily enough I was eating more dairy then. I was sick for the whole pregnancy so when I got out of hospital after having her all I did was EAT! (i have since gone on a diet as i now weigh more than when I was pregnant!) ) I esp ate loads of yoghurt and ice cream as these were the foods I missed most when pregnant.

I don't know how you've exclusively pumped for so long, I definately would have given up by now. I like breastfeeding and I hate pumping.

re your worries about breastfeeding - try and see what happens, although I think you need to give it a week not a couple of days.

GF (ie who must not be named!) has good ideas on how to improve milk supply if you are worried - in her clbb maybe worth trying if you are pumping anyway.

I just went to see GP, DS2 weight dropped from 50th to 25th, she'll want to medicate him if it drops below 25th.

sugarmuppet - a friend of mine, who lived on dairy products, only found out when they started weaning her DD that her DD had a cow milk protein intolerance. so they'd gone 6 months with no problems (through breastmilk). Weird!

Have you a local bf clinic, or decent councellor to speak to about breastfeeding? Or called the national hotlines (LLL/NCT and the like?). may be worth doing.

Also, if you have the time, can you do a 'baby moon', where you just spend two or three days doing nothing but feeding - if you have to go out, maybe have baby in a sling if you can feed that way (so she's a bit more upright too) (btw, I have never managed this, so have no idea how easy it is to feed in a sling!), and just feed feed feed? We've started having wieght issues with DS in the past month (he's a BIG boy, but at 8 months suddenly dropped a centile), and I've been advised to up the feeds - even though I feel like I have less milk now, I'm offerring it to him whenever we get a minute - hoping he'll have stabilised his weight when he's next on the scales!

Well day one with no diary is going okay! Going to go to Tescos and stock up!! Ended up having digestive biscuits and jam for breakfast!!! Will do better tomorrow! Don't think I will miss it at any other time of the day, just have to find alternatives to ice cream and chocolate!!!

DD has been okay this afternoon, took her and the mental dog for a huge walk which always helps our sanity!! Didn't give her the gaviscon at 2 or 6 and didn't notice any difference from the last few days. So don't think it is making any difference. Put her to bed in a sleeping bag tonight, she has always been swaddled previously, but the last week or so has been 'escaping' and getting tangled up in it! So most prob in for an interesting night with her smacking herself in the face!!

Ds1 had terrible reflux and dairy intolerance - and formula was a disaster (was topping up at one point as did not establish bf properly due to his reflux!)

Gaviscon didn't work for him but omeprazole really did. And dairy free not such a big deal once you get used to it (and I say this as a total yoghurt addict)

alternative to ice cream - swedish glace "ice cream" - its egg and dairy free, and really quite nice, although it does contain soya.

how is the feeding going?

Your girls really are great. So many wonderful suggestions and answers to everything!

Well today Gaby had her weigh in with HV, she is now 10lb 6oz (9lb 8oz two weeks ago) HV seemed pleased with that. Does that sound okay?

Told her all my issues....she says to do whatever i feel is best, keep feeding emb, feed myself, go onto formula. Just do whatever i think. Not much help. Told her that I had stopped the gaviscon as it wasn't helping, which she said was fine. Told her that Gaby was still being sick and unhappy, HV says as long as she is still putting on weight then doesn't see the problem.

Asked her about going dairy free, she said not to as it would deprive Gaby of goodness and would be a waste of time???!!!

So all in all no further forwards!!!

Still expressing, not brave enough to feed her myself yet.

Managing dairy free diet no probs at all, got dairy/soya free milk and butter on way back from docs this morning. Both fine, no drastic taste difference. Will look out for ice cream next time!

Thanks again for all your wonderful support!!!

Go on try and feed her yourself. Its so much nicer and easier than expressing! Come and let us know how it goes.

re: the dairy free, she's talking rubbish can have very healthy balanced diet without dairy. Its worth a go to see if it makes a difference. My SIL was advised by consultant to give up dairy to stop her DS from vomitting and she could see obvious difference.