Reflux advice???

[LynseyM]

myds is 7 months and was told he had reflux at 5 months (after being told it was colic for a few months before that!) Me and dp were told togive him gaviscon infant 2 sachets per bottle and introduce more solid food.
His reflux is still bad and he moans and cries most of the day. He is also sick nearly 1-2 hors after a feed but its solids that seem to be coming up.
He is a big baby and because he has always put on weight I was told he would not be prescribed anything else.
Me and dp are going out of our minds. Ds cries ALOT and is sick and feel like we cant help him.
Has anyone had experience with a refluxy baby who still put on weight. Do they grow out of it?
Help

i'd be questioning whether it is actually reflux tbh... they normally grow out of it around 6 months i thought?

being sick 1-2hrs after a feed doesn't sound refluxy to me tbh...

Going to see a doctor tomorrow. He was in hospital when we were first worried about his sickness and they thought it was reflux but I think they were hoping the gaviscon would sort him out, but it hasnt. They did no tests on him though just kept an eye on him.
What else could this be?

not sure.. my ds was always sick if he had too much milk in one go, but seems unlikely it would be that if he is doing it after every feed...
some babies are just sicky I think... but definitely worth seeing the doctor again and see what they say

you poor things.
my ds2 was diagnosed with reflux really early. for the first 2 months he just screamed when being fed, puked up nearly every feed and was generally not too happy.
we were given gaviscon, then zantac - neither of which worked and to be honest I did not feel right giving them to him.
SO, we went to a homeopath and he gave us a couple of remedies and within 2 days he was like a different child. I would seriously recommend it. Would you like me to find out which remedies he used? i just cannot remember now. It would be better to actually go and see one yourself though as they look at the whole picture of health and treat each person individually. not sure where you live but try contactingg the Dolphin house clinic in brighton, i am sure they will let you know where there is a clinic near you.
i really know how you feel, it is really hard work. you feel sorry for your baby but it is also really stressful for you as you don't get much chilled out time with your baby.
ds2 is 7 months old now and he is very happy and chilled out, i almostt can't remember those first 2 months which were such hard work. let me know how you get on.
good luck.x

i used the dolphin house clinic whilst living in brighton,have since moved up north and still phone the homeopath and he sends stuff to me so would def. be worth contacting them

My dd suffered from reflux and it didn't go totally until 12 months.

There are other things the Dr can prescribe although I never used them myseslf - maybe worth trying if you don't want to go the homeopathic route or should it not work.

It DOES get better but seems a lifetime whilst it is going on! :)

I have 2 children both of whom had reflux as babies and both put on weight (though ds had slow weight gain). We too got nowhere with treatment - we were given gaviscon but by the time they were on solids, it wasn't any help.

Dd had reflux badly - threw up loads of solid meals and outgrew her reflux quite late. I can't remember when but it was after she started walking. Even now, at the grand old age of 5 (dd) and 4 (ds), they can both throw up at the drop of a hat.

Dd was under a peadiatrician anyway (for allergies) but even they weren't really bothered by her reflux as she was healthy. It is worth getting your ds checked out properly - other things like large tonsils can cause children to gag and vomit. Also, I know it is very hard but one of the first rules with refluxy babies is not to overfeed them so maybe try feeding him a few spoonfuls less and see if the vomiting still happens (the little and often rather than big meals spaced out).

It is absolutely horrible - we vowed not to replace any of our furniture or carpets till we were 100% sure both of ours had outgrown it! It's also worth ruling out any allergies/intolerances - is there any history in your family of any of these?

my dd had reflux and continued to put on weight. and she didn't grow out of it until she was nearly 2, and to be honest I think that was probably because I cut out most of the milk then and replaced it with other milk products. I was fed up with the constant state of anxiety about whether she would throw up.

it sounds as though there's lots of acid in your ds's tummy and that he is distressed. i think you need to go back to your GP and demand that he takes this more seriously. If you think that your child is in pain, then the doc surely has to explore other options. Really lay it on the line about how it's affecting your ds, and about how it's affecting you - I know how difficult it is to look after a child who is obviously not 100% and I know that that contributed to me feeling really down for most of dd's first year.

Big sympathy for you and your pile of washing you are no doubt battling with. DS was exactly the same he coudnt go without a bib for 8 months and needed to be changed about 4 times a day it was horrendously messy. It got a little better when he went on solids at 6 months but he is now 11 months and am pleased to say about 2 weeks ago we had a massive notible difference.

He has always had a good weight so the 3 doctors I saw wouldnt do anything & he even saw a cranial osteopath. He now eats like a horse but the big change was that he only has 2 big bottles of milk a day in the evening 6pm before sleeping & 10pm dream feed, all of his meals are fairly stodgy too so lots of potatoes & pasta and very little cheese or tomato based sauce. He drinks lots of water but I give it too him about 10 minutes before he eats, if he drinks after he will tend to bring everything back up otherwise.

It will take a bit of practise to find something that works well for him but hang in there and follow your instincts (and make a note of all the small changes you make even times, cooking with cows milk etc) Good Luck and it will get better. xxx

yes I agree lalaa - it is incredibly stressful

If not done already try and get a referal to a Paediatric Dietician and Reflux clinic.

My DS2 grew out of it at 14months when he started walking all the time.

Not very nice and at its worst I was clearing up the sick 4 /5 times a day and dreaded mealtimes.

Agree that Gavison is pretty useless when they are on solids.

Does Ds do the arched back when trying to feed him ? If so one of the classic signs of a reflux baby.

It used to drive me to despair at times.

Keep us updated.

DD grew out of it once she started to walk at 13 months but it was gradually not overnight iyswim...

Hey folks. Thanks for all the responses. I hate seeing ds so distressed. he hates eating. hates his bottles. The little and often food intake seems to be what he likes.
I am so fed up as I feel I am getting no help from docs, hospital etc.. I have an appt today at 12:20 and will be laying it on thick. I just cant take the constant crying anymore.
At the hospital this woman doc was like "all babies have reflux you know and your ds is healthy as he is putting on weight"
I was like surely it is not normal to cry through every feed. She didnt see a problem and I left crying, feeling like a bad mummy.
Yesterday me and dp wer in adsa and he sqeuled all the way round in the trolly. I thought he was just being a wee bugger but he was then sick 3 times in 10 mins. We had to buy him new clothes in asda as he was covered in sick from his lunch of pasta (of which he only had about 5 spoons). We got him into the car seat and he was arching his back screaming. It was awful.
I just feel im really struggling. The house is a disaster zone and yep my washing pile is HUGE!!!
Just wish I felt I could cope.
I will try anything at this stage.

All babies do NOT have reflux, what complete crap. And puking several hours after a feed is quite common with reflux, I seem to recall. My ds has it although it is manageable with Gaviscon (thank god for Gaviscon!). He put on weight before but we couldn't lie him down flat ever because it hurt his tummy too much, after a few minutes he would give these awful banshee wails of pain, it was absolutely distressing and I do feel for you.

Ds has improved immeasurably since he started sitting, how is your ds on that score? (Mine's nearly 9 months now so a bit ahead of yours).

The puking is annoying I know but it's the pain that really stresses you out - and why should your poor little one have to put up with it just because some health care professional chooses to ignore the person who can speak up for him?

Is there any difference depending on what solids (if any) he's given? I didn't realise Gaviscon was less effective with solids, I wonder if that's why my ds isn't that keen.

I had a thread recently in which there was some very useful advice on solids for refluxers, let me look that out ... \link{http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk?topicid=2400&threadid=151080&stamp=060313114202\tis here}

I know, that doctor was just talking complete crap. My ds cant sit up on his own yet. Kind of for a few seconds but seems to topple over without support. Dont think it will be long though.
The only thing I havent seen him been sick with is plain bread, nothing on it. very boring I know but he seems to like it. Dont think I can have him living off bread though. hehe.
Thanks for the link, will check it out.

Why not? My ds eats very little solids, bit of rice cake and some fruity purees, he seems alright to me (despite what my hv said on the thread I've linked to). I would seriously not push the solids if it's going to make him unhappy.

Hopefully you will see an improvement once he can sit, my ds mastered it in a weekend when we got out the play nest (because he could sit in that and not hurt himself falling over when he lost his balance). He hated it and so in revenge learnt to sit properly so we'd take it away again

lynsey - one paed told me that when they start sitting there should be some improvement as their tummy muscles are starting to strengthen. As I said earlier, we probably didn't see a big improvement till dd was walking but thinking back, there may have been a small improvement at that stage so hopefully, you might start seeing some signs soon!

Hope the doc visit goes well

Hi, just a quick update. Been to the doctors and she was really nice. He was checked over and is going to be seen by peadiatrics (not sure if this is spelt right. She asked about my family history and wondered about his diet as well. I told her I was really unhappy that he was in pain and needed to get him tested to see what the problem was and how it can be sorted. It will take a few days for him to be seen.
I think she realised all was not well as I sat there trying to hold back tears. She aslo seen my ds was extreemley unhappy and he cried everytime she touched his stomach or when I lay him down. I know it sounds bad but I wanted him to be like that so she could see he is in pain.
I will be really hard on the hospital this time, I dont want themto bump me off like last time.

LyndseyM I have only just read this thread. I can empathise with you totally. It is HORRIBLE coping with a reflux baby. But you do need to keep on and on and on until you get something that will make your DS comfortable. They dont have to be in pain all the time. My DS2 has been through probably every med going to help him and the only way we manage to keep him 'comfortable' is to rotate the meds, IYKWIM. If you've not tried them yet here are my favs: Dom peridone - given before feeds/milk helps the stomach empty so there is less stuff sitting in there. Omeprazole - I give at night to help reduce the acid when DS is asleep.

I guess you know all the stuff about keeping him upright, not putting down for a nap straight after a feed etc? I will try to think of other things that helped me get through at that point.

Most babies do grow out of it though, although some take much longer than others. Dont expect your DS to follow any pattern either. you may find that sometimes it is worse after milk/water, other times after solids, sometimes straight after feeds other times just before the next feed. As he gets older you may also find that certain food groups make it worse but you will have to see how it goes

Hang in there and speak to those of us on here that know what you are going through. And take my advice, get a service contract on your Washing Machine. It will get a lot more use than most peoples!

hello
i can also understand how ur feeling, my ds suffered with nasty reflux fro birth til he was 3 months old, he was on gavisocon, btu coz he was gaining weight they to werent concerned, he would vomit after every bottle, and would go far as well, he couldnt sleep laying down had to sleep in his bouncy chair, we decided to take him off gaviscon as it wasnt helping, and then he seemed ok, but he is now nearly 21 months and has been diagnosed with severe silent reflux 6 months ago and is now on 3 reflux meds, which r gavisocon again, domperidone and ranatdine,

think the only way to know if its reflux is to do tests, but i know some hospitals only do them unless they have to, matthew has had a PH study which involves a tube in the nose that sits on the top of the stomach for 24 hours and measures the stomach acid, matthew has also had a upper GI study which looks at the stomach

normal docs dont know enough about reflux, which is y a paed is the best person to see, or a gastro team would b even better

good luck
love nat

Lynsey I have read ths thread with interest as I am taking DD to the gp tommorow in regards to reflux. She is 3mths old and is the same. Terrible crying baby but with pain not just a whiner. Throws up constantly,trys to feed every hour or two but then screams after 1-2ozs. She hates lying flat and being put down etc. She is putting weight on but have heard this is normal with silent reflux. I am asking the GP to prescribe enfamil as I have had her on gaviscon for a while but it is not helping at all. It was useful for the first 2 days and that is it.