Infanct gaviscon

[Xmaxsmumx]

Anybody think of any reason why when I do Infant gaviscon, it may or may not seperate in the bottle? I make up a full bottle for him, then put 60ml in another bottle and add the gaviscon to this bottle (my baby doesn't always take a full bottle so adding it to the one bottle we don't know how much gaviscon he's taken) we always make the bottles fresh..but recently it's started seperating or , he's started pulling away and not wanting the bottle with gaviscon in but will move on to the Just milk bottle perfectly ok? Any ideas at all?? This doesn't happen every time .. just every so often?x

I thought one sachet had to be mixed with 120mls of milk? Or 90mls?

If you are adding a sachet to only 60mls of milk it probably doesn't come out the teat or is too thick of a consistency for him to want to drink it? Plus there are safety issues too with thickness if you arent adding enough milk volume to the sachet.

Have you been told by the GP to only add it to 60mls of milk?

Apologies if this is how you've been instructed to give it - I just always thought it had to be added to a set volume of either 3 or 4 ounces of milk.

Yeh I was told that would be ok, because he doesn't always take his full bottle 😩 I'm up the wall. If he is fluctuating between 90-180 each feed.. what am I best doing!? I'm reluctant to split his bottles giving him 4oz with gaviscon in first because by the time I've swapped him on to the other bottle with the remaining 1 or 2 ounces in he's been given the chance to rest and goes to sleep, we usually have to work to keep him awake after the first couple of ounces anyway. How would it work if we went back to putting 1 sachet in to his 5oz bottle but he only took say 3oz for example - would he still be getting the needed amount of gaviscon in terms of the correct amount for the 3oz, in terms of ratio? Would it still be as effective? I'm at my whits end with this, we've had no advise or support at all from the drs only threw a prescription for gaviscon at us and that was it. They change their mind every time you ask them something, we've had most of our support from pharmacists! Xx

What formula are you using? Some of the comfort and anti colic milks have a thickening agent already in them and may not mix well with the gaviscon or make it too thick. (according to my GP anyway)

Keep on at your GP if it doesn't help though. I know it's a long process but are other things they can try if the gaviscon is not helping.

He doesn't need a 'set amount' of Gaviscon during the day, it isn't like a drug where a certain dosage is needed. Gaviscon is just a thickener to make the milk stay down and you have to make it up as directed on the box to ensure the concentration of thickener to milk is correct.

Infants can only have 6 sachets a day of Gaviscon I believe and I would imagine your baby is having more than that if he's having one sachet to every 60ml bottle? Or are you not adding one to each bottle?

I know milk going to waste is a pain but you shouldn't be adding full sachets to less volume than the box instructs and I'm surprised your GP told you to - especially if it means your DS is having more than 6 sachets a day.

Could you go back to adding one sachet to 120mls and then giving 60mls of that for the feed and keep the other 60mls in the fridge ready for the next feed?

I think it's ok to keep feeds containing Gaviscon in the fridge ready for later feeds but do check. If however it can't be done it may well just mean that unfortunately a lot of milk is going to have to go to waste

The concentration of Gaviscon to the milk should always be done correctly because if there isn't enough formula (4oz or whatever the box says) to absorb a full sachet then the milk will go very thick, start to separate etc and I imagine produce a choking hazard to the infant. And like I said earlier, if the milk is too thick the baby can't physically suck it through the teat holes either so may not feed, get angry, frustrated, seem to tire during the feeds etc.

How old is your baby and what's his normal feeding pattern in terms of frequency and volumes of bottles?

I'm not bothered about milk going to waste at all, I'm thinking for him getting the full feed or not getting the right amount for it to work. We were told 2sachets 6 times a day or because he's feeding so frequently 1 in each bottle - equating to the same over all amount. You can't keep gaviscon once it's made up that's the only thing I am certain of as it will continue to thicken and seperate. So you think if we put it in his full bottle , what he does take should be enough?

At the end of the day all the Gaviscon is designed to do is keep the milk down, he doesn't need a set quota of sachets per day for it to work if that makes sense.

As long as his feeds are made up as per the instructions on the box then it will have the desired effect whether he drinks 1oz of it or 5oz of it.

It sounds like you've been given lots of conflicting advice so just do what the box tells you.

You said you've been struggling to get milk into him and it may be because he's having one sachet to 60mls and trying to drink it is just too much hard work because of how thick it is.

I wasn't aware it's possible to give two sachets per feed to a young baby/infant so apologies if I caused any confusion there, I genuinely thought they could only have 6 of the singular sachets.

My DS was prescribed Gaviscon when he was a baby but he thankfully got changed onto Ranitidine because it sounds like giving Gaviscon is really complicated. I feel stressed on your behalf

Ahhh thank you ☺️ yeh the whole thing trying to deal with a reflux baby aswell as him being lacto intolerant isn't the best, it's not his fault bless him but you literally get zero support. Which adds to the stress of a sick baby 🙄 thanks so much for your advise xx