Does my baby have reflux?

[MammaK]

I breastfed my daughter until 7 weeks when I just felt so sorry for her I tried formula. She would be on the breast for hours & either scream or have a very short light nap - regularly waking to cry. Was told all the usual things by GP & MW to let her suck to increase flow, probably colic etc.etc.
After incredible guilt issues I gave her, her first bottle of formula (same breast-shaped bottle she'd had expressed milk in)she was so calm, settled in her rocker & took long looks at my face & her surroundings. Shortly after she was cooing & gurgling at her coloured mobile & toys... a different, happy little baby.
At first she would be a little sick after some feeds but now at 10 wks she is sick after each feed, sometimes up until her next feed (so much washing ). She has always struggled with wind, infacol did help but is becoming less effective. Have long gentle sessions of back rubbing to try & help her with several bibs & a towel to hand. Follow advice of keeping her upright She gets hiccups after most feeds (bringing even more up)& can appear aggitated during some feeds, pushing her legs out & arching her back.
She does occasionally sound blocked up when breathing after a feed.
Her weight gain so far is good - any suggestions? I want my happy little girl to stay happy

Hi MammaK.

Was your dd sick whilst she was bf at all?

DS3 was constantly sick, i bf for 5 weeks, then went onto formula and we had an initial improvement, but then went back to constant vomiting, changed about 4 brands, and anyway to cut a long story short he has been diagnosed as dairy allergic.
Now on soya formula etc and he is a different child.

This might not be your case, but its worth considering.

also sounds a lot like my two dses - who are also allergic to dairy. I had no clue what was up with them and i bf them for almost a year each, there weren't hugely noticeable probs but they did seem "colicky", didn't have normal bowel habits and had eczema. only more recently have i heard that i'd have needed to be df whilst i was feeding them to eliminate the problem completely. They're all on Goats milk, but a lo so small possibly shouldn't have that - I think you should get to the GP and tell them all your concerns.
I have a good friend with a 8mo who has reflux, they have got her dairy free since talking to us about the DC's dairy-free diets and they've seen consultant, dieticians etc, it is helping her reflux

Thanks tee4two & gigglewitch
Will def look into it.

Some vomitting when bf but mostly during night feeds when I would try & lay her down after burping.

Wanted some good advice before seeing GP as have been once already but it was very difficult. Didn't feel like GP listened at all was told to try bf again. Had stopped bf for at least 5 days but GP seemed dismissive & said to 'let her suck'. Sobbed as she sucked for ages & cried because hungry! Couldn't listen to her cry again so went back to formula within hours.

Time for a second opinion....

perfectly put, hoochie. good on ya girl.
And mammaG, defo time for a second opinion and some footstamping methinks Often GP's know little about this stuff, and TBH even the paeds consultants still are a tad bewildered and quote the "mum-detective" as their best resource. Fat lot of good that is when you can't find your sherlock holmes hat and magnifying glass tho
take bull by horns (and a lot of bull is what you may very well get from some GP's who think dairy intolerance and suchlike are a myth, GGGRRRRR) go further. The thing is that it can get sorted, and you are doing really well to be on to it so early. My DS1 was 20mo before we had any idea what was going on,if only I'd known what you obv know now!! you're doing the best for the lo, keep nagging til you find someone who can listen properly - and you might even find one who will give you a sensible answer

ooops cant type mammaK

Wanted to update you incase anyone followed this thread with a similar worry.
Did go back to docs with again, not much gained from the visit! So after a few weeks I decided that I had enough strategies in place to soothe my little munchkin when she cried and took her off colief & infacol. Strangely she stopped vomitting but had crying for hours in the evening unless carried around and her poo was bright green! When back on colief she was settled and poo was normal but bringing up loads of feed regularly inbetween feeds. Infacol made no difference!
Armed with these findings I went back to GP who said to stick with colief and 'put up' with vomitting. I asked about lactose intolerance (as the pharmacist explained that colief breaks down lactose) & that without help breaking down the lactose her poo was green and she was unhappy. He said that this was a very real possibility but that he was reluctant to do the reduction testing as it would make her miserable for a while.
I had to bring up the idea of soya formula milk! Tried it with her & hey presto! No vomitting, no upset or tears in the evening, normal poo and one very happy baby! We have to go back to docs now as it has been a self-admitted learning curve for doc & he had no other babies on soya milk!
Thanks ladies! xxxxxxxx