CMPA & silent reflux what do we do?

[Ma2024]

Hey everyone looking for some advice, stories and your experiences

Recently gone dairy free as LO has suspected CMPA and since starting this last week she is so much more settled and we've had some happy times, finally after 8 weeks of screaming non stop despite manging the reflux.

We've been using gaviscon to help with silent reflux (potentially caused by the CMPA) but were maxing out on doses and having to decide which feed doesn't get it and inevitably have a baby that screams from the acid coming up.

Spoke to the GP today they said let's try omeprazole but we can't use both together. I'm nervous about stopping it and the omeprazole not kicking in for ages .

How did omeprazole work for you?
How long did it take to kick in?
For those with CMPA and reflux did the reflux reduce after time dairy free if so how long?

Honestly feel like I can see light at the end of the tunnel and after 2 months of pain I don't want to make the wrong decision and go backwards!

I don't think there is a reason you can't give gsviscon + omeprazole.

I had to cut out milk, egg and soya due to my LO allergies. Soya has similar proteins to milk - children with CMPA often have reactions to soya too. I found following some people on Instagram helpful and I also pay for support from an allergy specialist. Some that I follow: Https://www.instagram.com/childrensdietitian?igsh=MXRqNXUxN21ocGVw
Drhelenallergy.co.uk
https://www.instagram.com/lucysfriendlyfoods?igsh=MWsyeDRkemxvbnJleA==
https://www.instagram.com/thedairyfreemum?igsh=ZGFmbXN5MjlzYWxo

The only way to test is to reintroduce milk after a couple of weeks and see if it returns. It's also known that it takes a lot of appointments to get it recognized by a GP. Not all GPs are supportive or have the knowledge of allergies.

Omeprazole saved my dc's life, he was ftt in a very severe way until we put him on it. Gaviscon didn't touch the sides. It kicked in after about 48 hours, and was absolutely transformative. Ds had burns in his oesophagus from the reflux, Omeprazole allowed him to heal. That said, it is a pretty heavy duty drug for an infant and if you can avoid it I would.

CMP stays in your bloodstream for up to 3 weeks, so you need a very clear 3 weeks to get rid of all the effect. If you can bear it, try 3 weeks without Omeprazole while being really strict with the diet - no cow products at all including beef, and no soya either, and see how she does. If she isn't fully better by then, I would definitely try the Omeprazole.

I had to cut soy too FYI, which is really hard as it means zero takeaways/eating out as restaurants use soy in everything (and definitely anything dairy free will have soy as a substitute).

The protein is only detectable in your milk for 6 hours, but once it's in your baby's system it causes inflammation of their gut so they can be sick for a good 2 weeks.

My baby's reflux improved massively after 2 weeks. It flared up every time i had exposure to dairy (thanks to family members who decided to put butter in my food as they thought I was exagerating).

My GP told me I couldn't use gaviscon and omperazole together and the paediatrician we saw was speechless!
My daughter has been on both together since 4.5 months. She started on gaviscon at 6 weeks and omperazole at 8 weeks. The GP said we could only give it much later in the day than the omperazole. She ended up on 9 sachets a day at her peak and ended up on a 3rd medication called domperidone. She's still on this combination aged 4.5!

It's worth looking at other allergies too although my daughters reflux is in addition to her allergies although they do make it worse