Help with reflux... Losing my mind!

[hanflan]

Hi all. DD is 5 weeks old and has suspected CMP allergy and has been prescribed Neocate milk. She is also on ranitidine for her reflux. I am going back to the GP as things in the reflux department seem to be getting worse. In the meantime I just need to vent and get some support because I am feeling so low! Every time DD is put down for a nap or to sleep she is sick. Not huge amounts, but it often comes out of her nose so she gets very upset. This happens up to five times between each feed, around every 15 mins to half an hour. HV has suggested keeping her upright but I can't sleep like that, and most importantly she can't sleep like that! She will scream for hours if she is in her bouncer or sling, then falls asleep instantly when I put her down in crib. Then she throws up a few mins later and wakes herself up. I have no idea what else to try. She is so tired she constantly looks drunk and can barely keep her eyes open! Just need to vent, sorry :(

Oh and we also have crib on an incline which doesn't seem to be helping either!

Awww poor you, this must be really tough for you.

How long has she been on ranitidine and neocate for?

Ranitidine since 4 weeks ago (recently doctor upped the dose to follow her gain in weight) and Neocate for one week. I understand the Neocate might still be settling in but in the meantime her sickness seems to be getting worse! Poor thing!

Rantidine should have really kicked in by now.

I would ask doctor for omperazole/lansoparazole. You only have to give once a day, and it's not based on weight gain. A lot of people have found that very effective.

Have you seen any difference at all since she has been on neocate?

Actually I wonder if the reflux is being caused by the allergy, and in that case wait another week on neocate and then re-asses. You might even be able to drop rantidine if she settles on neocate.

What dose is she on and what is her weight? Max dose is 3mg per kg of weight. Also has dose been split into 3 times per day, it should be at that age. Neocate is quite thin compared to other formula so it might take some getting used to, I BF mine but did bottle of formula per day for break, could never get them to tolerate neocate. If milk protein intolerance is causing her symptoms, could be 3 more weeks before finally out of her system.

So I wonder why does she like her crib. Is she more tightly wrapped? Does she like the feel of the firm mattress? Could you use a pram tilted upwards if she doesn't like sling and bouncy chair.

Also - you are 5 weeks in. Everything makes the buggers scream unless you have perfect baby. You need to look after yourself and that means sometimes handing baby over or putting screaming baby in pram and going for a walk. You can do this. She is very unlikely to get much worse than this, she will get better and better as she gets older.

Hi Hun my little one is 15 months now and only just got her reflux and latose intolerance under control, I feel your pain I was so tired from constantly checking on her i was going insane!! Mine used to sick out her nose and vomit while asleep which is pretty scary!! Have you tried baby massage? I wouldn't say it helped with the reflux but she was a lot more comfortable after a session. We are now on soya milk formula, I was having a complete nightmare weening, it was like she was constantly choking the day I changed milk I saw a improvement and it's only continuing to improve. Ranatine made her projectile vomit so that was also a no no. I've cut out all dairy on consultants orders and it's going well, she does still get windy but no where near as bad as before and she isn't consipated any more either. My advise would be keep going back to Drs don't let them fob you off if your not happy with her progress. Sending you hugs Hun I know how frustrating it is xx

What about a feed thickener like gaviscon? DS had really bad silent reflux until nearly 3yrs old. He had to have the gaviscon as well as omeprazole (stomach acid reducer) to be OK.

If your DD is allergic to cows milk protein you may want check out Facebook as there are some really food groups in there for adice and support. My 18 month old is CMPA amd he was ebf so we don't hve experience of neonate as the main source of nutrition - but lots of people on the Facebook group I'm a member of recommend a thickener which you can add to neocate which helps a great deal with reflux. Check out Facebook