What to do about reflux?

[Gardeniaofdelights]

My baby is 3 weeks old and really struggling with reflux. He is sick almost every time he eats. I’ve tried keeping him upright for 30 mins after a feed but even then as soon as I lie him down again, he is sick. He also strains a lot in his sleep after a feed, and though he sleeps through it it sounds like he is in a lot of discomfort.

He seems generally well - gaining weight, lots of wet nappies etc - and I know he will grow out of it eventually, but is there anything more I can do to help him in the meantime? So far I’ve done the following:

Kept him as upright as possible when feeding (but find this very hard because I have big boobs and it’s not an easy position to sustain)

Stop him feeding every ten minutes or so to burp him before continuing

Keep him upright for at least 30 mins after a feed

Despite all this, he’s still being sick multiple times a day, after most feeds. I feel so sorry for him, and it’s absolutely destroying the possibility of any kind of decent sleep at night

Go to your GP- we were first prescribed gaviscon and have now started losec. (If still persisting you may get referred to the paediatrics team)

At home raise their Moses basket/ bed so they aren’t lying flat.

(I personally can cope with the sick it’s the noises at night, they are so disturbing and terrifying !£

Gaviscon really helped with my DS. A lot of people have bad things to say about it but it really helped us. I used to mix it with a little expressed milk and give it before a feed. We had no issues with constipation until he was about 5 months at which point we switched to omeprazole which did bugger all.
It's worth keeping an eye on diet ect because a lot of the time it can be allergy related. Although this wasn't the case for us. DSs is just a leaky valve.

In the meantime instead of putting your baby down why don't you keep them in the sling a lot more. That way they're upright but you can get on with your day

Gaviscon was the thing that saved us. Reflux is awful. We also raised where DD was sleeping slight with a book (consultant advice). If the gaviscon doesn't work, there is a stronger medication you can get fro. the GP (i forget what its called, sorry).

not to hijack the thread but edin16 how did you get omeprazole into you child? Mine keeps wretching and throwing it back up

Thank you all so much - I’ll make an appointment with the GP today

See the GP if he is in pain. Gaviscon is usually the first thing prescribed. It can help mild reflux but is a total pain to administer to a breast-fed baby. The next medication is usually ranitidine (or it was when mine had reflux) - this worked well for my first DC in managing the pain although she was still sick a lot.

As PP said, reflux often goes hand in hand with cow's milk protein allergy or intolerance so it is worth seeing if cutting dairy out of your diet helps. Don't use soya as a replacement as a lot of babies have trouble with that too.

Also, raise the crib/cot at one e d so he is sleeping at an angle.

@OnlyFoolsnMothers
I would hide the half tablet in some purée and then give him a couple more mouthfuls to wash it down with. After a few days he got the hang of it.

Go to the GP and take the Gaviscon prescription if offered. It worked well for my baby at 3 weeks and then the paediatrician prescribed Lansoperazole. She was off all meds by 6-7 months after weaning early in doctor's advice. My baby was bottle fed which made giving meds easier. I know getting Gaviscon into a BF baby can be tricky.

Ranitidine is no longer prescribed - more likely Omeperazole by GP now.

Saying all that, they will be reluctant to prescribe anything if it isn't causing any discomfort because that would be medicating unnecessarily.

edin16 thanks- my LO is only 7 wks so guess just keep at the syringe

The meds didn’t really work for my DD but that was 10 years ago. I feel for you OP - it was a really tricky time. Things that worked for us - well she pretty much co slept with me for the first year! As she was sick so much during the day, she would feed on and off all night. I didn’t mind as she was gaining weight and was otherwise happy.

By the time she was sitting up it got so much better and when she was on 3 solid meals a day it pretty much disappeared. She vomited quite easily as a toddler - strong gag reflex I suppose. But she is absolutely fine now.
She is also a twin so tbh I did what I had to do to survive - thankfully her twin was a dream baby and slept really well. Still does whereas it still takes her a while to fall asleep and I will say that she still needs me at bedtime