Reflux and sleep

[mycatlikestwiglets]

9wo DD has developed reflux - the vomiting kind. She vomits pretty regularly and up to 2.5 hours after feeding (she is EBF), but the prime time is about an hour after a feed. Although she seems to be a reasonably good sleeper - going down well at night etc - she's started waking up around 30 mins to an hour after falling asleep because she's being sick, and it's soaking through her grobag and sleepsuit. Cue full change of bedding and re-starting the process to get her to sleep - last night the cycle went on repeatedly from 8pm to midnight.

DC1 had reflux so I know most of the tips like propping one end of the bed but I wondered if anyone else had experienced this particular sleep issue and found anything helpful? We've tried cranial osteopathy and DD has just been put on infant gaviscon but so far if anything they each seem to have exacerbated the problem. DS was always a good sleeper despite the reflux so this is a new issue for us.

My DD2 had reflux... its awful! I remember she used to be sick whilst feeding... cue full change for both of us!
She wasn't diagnosed until 3m and until then I felt like I was going mad! Luckily as soon as she was diagnosed she was given medication that completely stopped her reflux (almost overnight if I recall!)
We were under a specialist at the hospital as in the end we only got the diagnosis due to her dropping by 50% on the growth charts.
She was on Domperidone & Ranitidine.
Once she was weaned we were able to stop so she didn't take them for long but it made such a difference.
Hope that helps.

How long's the vomiting been going on?

I'm following with interest. One of my 21 month old twins still has reflux, still on max doses of ranitidine and domperidone, multiple food intolerances (egg. Soya. Dairy)

If ebf I'd try cutting dairy out of your diet, especially as she's getting worse. And get better drugs- gaviscon notoriously poor for ebf babies.

My Dt1 was only diagnosed when I pushed at 11 months, then 15 months saw a paediatrician, at last, and went up on his doses. He remains under paeds and dietetics, on those meds, iron meds, and a calorie supplement added recently (even though he's still 25th centile he's still going down and still vomiting) . He first slept more than 2 hours in a row aged 16 months, still a poor sleeper...

Gaviscon did not help either twin at all. Diet helped Dt2- no meds needed after 6 months, just dairy free.

Pop back to the GP and ask for Ranitidine. They'll start you at a low dose but keep going back until it gets sorted.

Thanks for all the responses. She possetted a bit from birth but the full on vomiting seems to have been triggered by a bad cough she got at 3 weeks - the cough cleared up but the reflux stayed.

It's so frustrating because she's trying to be a good sleeper - we've had some really good nights but interspersed with some awful ones where she's been continuously sick and hardly slept. Those of you who've been prescribed ranitidine, did it stop the vomiting?

Yes. straight away.
Can't recall exactly why DD2 was on ranitidine and domperidone but combo worked miracles!
DD2 was on a high does straight away which may be why the results were so immediate!
She seemed to cough a lot as part of her reflux. I had to really hound them to get a diagnosis... at first was fobbed off saying cough then was given rubbish gaviscon. I knew there was something wrong so I kept taking her back to childrens A&E and luckily ended up seeing someone who recognised it as reflux.
The dr at the childrens A&e prescribed the meds and when we eventually got our consultants appointment he said she was on rather a high dose... nothing dangerous or worrying but said he would have started lower and possible built up to that dose. However as she was on it and it worked he didn't want to change it.
HTH

Thanks Stick, I might press for ranitidine in that case

stick my consultant says the opposite. She has a very good reputation (I am a paeds physio so knew of her). She says reflux is the only condition its advisable to start on the highest doses and wean down. She said reflux can cause feeding, sleeping, texture (lumpiness aversion etc) issues and most importantly pain, therefore you should ideally eliminate all symptoms ASAP. Then don't increase doses as they grow automatically to wean them off it.

My Dt1 coughs then vomits. It can be so misleading. He mostly vomits at meals, bringing the entire meal back up, and evening/ bedtime/4am, reliably- in the bad old days, up to age 15 months. For ages, months, I thought he vomited at meals because he'd eat too much, then at bedtime as a behavioural thing to avoid going to bed and because he was crying (Wtf? What baby under 1 vomits as a learned behaviour- no idea what I was thinking!)

Anyway, to cut a long story short, we had some really encouraging improvement with lower doses given by the GP, within 48 hours, (decreasing vomiting) and miraculous improvements with higher doses from the paediatrician at 15 months. (partly as we realized it was dairy, soya and egg intolerance too) As in, he slept 4 hours in a row, the first time ever. Didn't repeat it reliably mind, but overall huge improvement. I'm trying to say, they're all different, not all typical patterns either :/

Just asked DH and he said one of the meds apparently helped her to digest her milk faster... not sure which that was... and one to help soothe the acid reflux.

Dreamin - Glad she was put on the high dose then! Luckily the dr in a&e did the right thing.
Poor you going on to 15 months! I felt I was going mad and DD was only 3 months!
Luckily DD1 and DS didn't suffer.

Another thing I did and I may be shot down in flames for this BUT I slept her on her front. She was so much happier and more settled. I did really worry at first but was comforted by the fact that when I was a baby my DM was told that babies should sleep on their fronts and on their backs was dangerous!

stick I wish I'd tried it. I side slept him.
Ha. Like he slept much at all! He's still pretty awful now to be honest.

Ranitidine is anti acid. Domperidone causes the stomach to empty faster, as both top and bottom stomach spinchters typically affected by reflux. So a medicine for each end of the stomach :) . Took me