reflux help?

[Cazm2]

Hi my month old has started suffering reflux not being sick but unsettled when feeding grimacing trying to swallow something.trapped wind also. She has started having gaviscon in her bottles so far no change. Also she is very mucasy which wakes her every night between 2-3 till early hours I end up getting up with her and end up having 3 4 hours a night. My Dh very good but needs to get up for work so dorsnt do night feeds after her 12 1 bottle. I dread bedtimes! I have lfited her cot, sit up with her etc but nothing changes.

My dd had reflux - she was on gaviscon, zantac and domperidone (these worked for my friend's baby but not for mine so it might be worth you asking the dr). I was at my wits end with it - every feed was a battle! My dad suggested taking her to an osteopath - cranial osteopathy is known to help - I was very sceptical but gave it a go. She had 1 1/2hr session and it was like a complete miracle - she is now not on any medicine and has no symptoms - it's been 3 weeks now! Apparently it sometimes works sometimes doesn't but it might be worth a try! Good luck.

My DS (9mo) was exactly as you describe!

Very agitated during feeds, endless trapped wind, lots of swallowing down of 'something' that made him grimace and shudder. His weight gain was very erratic, some weeks he would gain a few ounces, the following week he would lose...

After endless trips to the GP he was referred to a pediatrician who, at 4mo, diagnosed 'silent reflux' (i.e. no puking!) and prescribed gaviscon, ranitidine and domperidone.

At first the meds made a huge difference and his feeding went from 17-20oz per day to 30-40! However, his sleep remained terrible, he had constant cold symptoms, excema and fairly explosive nappies...cue further visits to gp and pediatrician who upped the dose of his medication as much as possible given his still very slight weight gain.

To cut a veeeery long story short (this went on for a further THREE MONTHS!!) our HV referred to dietician who diagnosed cows milk protein and soya intolerance. This was causing the snottiness, trapped wind and discomfort (not tomention the other symptoms you describe...)

At seven months he was put onto a hypoallergenic formula and almost overnight he was a different boy! His eating improved (milk and solids), his excema disappeared, his trapped wind vanished, and, with a little bit of very gentle sleep training (sssh/pat) he now naps and sleeps amazingly well!

Keep going back to your gp if you're not happy. Speak to your HV. Download the NICE guidelines for treatment of allergies in children. There's a section in there outlining how reflux should be treated, and stating that if symptoms persist despite medication, allergy/intolerance should be investigated. There is also a list of symptoms which are suggestive of an intolerance - very useful - our DS ticked several boxes!

Unfortunately, we stumbled upon this info too late. However, it is worth passing on as, sadly, many people's experience (on here and in RL) seem to suggest that a good proportion of GPs are ill-informed when it comes to reflux and allergies.

Be a 'neurotic mum'. Keep pestering until you and your little one are happy. Don't be fobbed off like we were.

Good luck!

Thank you one small step I am going to see how gaviscon goes for w week more otherwise might as hv about intolerence. I don't really want her on medication for months. Is there a test they do for the allergy?

Hi Cazm2. There is a test for intolerance that is done on a stool sample. Not sure if it has a name, but your G.P should have more info. I think there was a thread on the 'allergies' board that talked about it...sorry not to be more help!

Our DS was diagnosed without testing. The dietician looked at his symptoms (excema, snottiness, trapped wind, erratic weight gain, feeding problems etc) and alongside his silent reflux was confident in identifying cow's milk protein allergy. The two very often go together by all accounts.

I sympathise with your worries re: medicating your baby. We had the same concerns for a long time. However, the combination of reflux meds and hypoallergenic milk has made SUCH a difference to our DS. He feeds happily, has taken to solids like a man (baby!) possessed and is so, so much happier and settled.

It is a personal decision, but for us, the very small 'risks' (such as they are) of well-managed, and frequently reviewed, medication are significantly outweighed by his greatly improved health and well- being.

I hope you get what you need for your little one.

Sorry; just to clarify, it is an intolerance our DS has, not an allergy which I mis-typed above...'tis early!

Thank you so much. Just getting me down watching her struggle and not sleeping well. She has bad explosive nPpies too. I may just go to gp and ask for test? She was fine for first 3 weeks just getting worse!

Onesmall thanks so much - I think your comments re NICE may be of enormous help to a friend and her son

Pleased to be of some use!

It is awful watching your baby struggle so much - it shouldn't have to be such a fight to get them sorted. The NICE guidance sets it all out in black and white but if other people's experiences are anything like ours, the GP had never laid eyes on them...

In case it's helpful to others I think these are the NICE guidelines.

Cazm2 i hope that things with your DD's reflux improve soon. Keep going back to the GP till it's sorted and dont be shy about asking for referrals for a specialist if things don't improve soon. Good luck!

long time ago now for us - dd now nearly 7 - but she suffered too.
We just kept her upright as much as poss in a bouncy chair by day, and held her upright for 45mins minimum after EVERY feed (even night feeds).

She was bottle fed and found Farleys to be the best formulae for her to digest.
Anyway, she improved a lot when solids were introduced, and got better and better.

Good luck everyone!!

Thanks ladies. Gaviscon not working. She is putting on weight but I am exhausted from screaming and she will only sleep upright with ne in bed. Trying colief to see if lactose intolerant but not really helping so I think back to gp. Someone suggested sma staydown to try which is next. It's just so exhausting.!

Hi there,
Keep pushing at the G.P. We discovered our DD had severe GERD at three weeks after calling an ambulance in the middle of the night. She was three weeks old and suddenly let out a scream, not a cry, a scream, she then look like she was having a fit. That night she was diagnosed with reflux. The fit was actually a muscle spasm caused by the pain (sandifers syndrome). Prior to this I knew something was wrong, but H.V and doctors assumed because I was a first time Mum, I was clueless and panicking. They just said, "yes, well, babies are sick, babies cry", but my DD screamed and arched her back all hours of the day and night and was sick constantly. It tooka while for her to recover from that particularly bad attack and the acid made her quite hoarse.
After a night that in hospital she was referred to a consultant and put on domperidone and ranitidine but this had very little effect. She would refuse to feed for most of the day as she associated, what should be a bonding experience, with pain. I was EBFing DD, so gaviscon was difficult to give. I kept fighting and at four months she was put on omeprazole and the difference was amazing. If nothing is working and allergies have been ruled out, then this is usually the next step.
I had to push, argue and cry before I got to the stage where my DD was comfortable and putting on weight. If she is in pain the doctor's have a duty to help. I completely understand what you are going through. I remember crying in the hospital saying, "She's only six weeks old and all she knows is this pain 24 hours a day, I'm her Mum I should be able to help her".
My DD is two in a couple of days and is only recently off meds, but is a good weight, happy and healthy.