Reflux, gas, formula feeding HELP!

[MoonRiver23]

Hello,
I was wondering can anyone share some advice from going through the same situation as us.

We have a 12 week old, (a month premature and born emergency via C section). He is formula fed as I couldn't BF and was put on Aptamil in Neo natal but I changed to Cow and Gate when he was 6 weeks old due to bad constipation and spewing. He seemed okay and pood everyday until he became very gassy and was spitting up alot of his bottle, often projectile vomiting it. I took him to the doctor and they told me I could try the comfort food and to give him some sugar water he is also on Baby Gaviscon. They said its all very normal for a baby, especially a premmie. My gut says he is suffering more than he should be!

Unfortunately, the Gaviscon makes him constipated so I went to the Colic and Constipation Cow and Gate to use with Gaviscon. He goes every day or second day, just once, but now his reflux seems so bad. He is gagging, gawking, coughing, still spewing (even all of these in his sleep) and crying in pain with his stomach and with wind. I can hear the acidy reflux coming up his throat sometimes. I feed him on demand but slowly, I sit him upright in my arms for over 40 mins each feed, I wind him as much as I can. Sometimes he won't get up wind. Even with Infacol. I give him 60mls of sugar water a day, I massage his belly, do bicycles, give him a bath etc all to ease it and it might for a day here and there but more often then not, he is full of reflux and wind

I have appointment with doctor again this Thursday but they keep telling me it's part of being baby.

I have just bought the HIPP organic food and will start it tomorrow.

I use Tommy Tippee Bottle Prep Machine for all bottles.

Desperate to hear any advice through experience of how you might have over come a similar issue and any insight into the HIPP food.

Sorry about such a long thread!

Similar story here. Prem baby, ECS, baby very refluxy, couldn't get settled on aptamil or cow and gate, tried antireflux formula, tried infacol, tried prescription formula, tried gaviscon, thought it was the prep machine.
Switched to SMA formula and it was like having a different baby! Can't explain it but it worked!

We started DD on readymade Aptamil while in hosp. When we switched to the powder it caused similar symptoms so HV said stick to readymade.

Apparently they changed the powder formula a while back and had. A lot of complaints from parents re such symptoms

My LO was exactly the same, month early too.

we went through alllllll of the above. Round the houses of formulas, comfort, anti reflux (which worked for a short while reflux wise but the nappies were explosive), lactose free, different brands, prescription milk (watery mashed potato yuck!), stopped the prep machine, nothing worked and as a last resort we were recommended Nannycare Goats milk and it was a gamechanger.

I tried several times to get on with HIPP but I think that was one of the worst for my LO unfortunately.

I just think ultimately my LO didn’t agree with cows milk formula in the quantities necessary when they are so little. His nappies were very loose on it too and reflux awful. The goat milk isn’t the cheapest but it’s lovely and made with full fat milk too so it’s creamy. He was, and still does have Gaviscon (only one sachet a bottle) but he’s only on 3 bottles a day now at 8 months. I have started to use Kendamil ready made for the odd bottle on the go and he has cows milk in food, his tolerance is improving and his reflux almost gone now thankfully as his digestive system has matured.

I hope you find a solution. The goats milk is available on Amazon, Ocado and Sainsbury’s I think, although Kendamil do a goat milk too which is stocked more readily in shops.

What worked for my prem twins. Carobel thickener in the milk with a slow flow teat worked better for my than gaviscon. They were also prescribed Omperzole for reflux. We also used gripe water. Infacol made them so much worse. I would always keep them upright in a bouncer post feed too.

In terms of goats milk a paediatrician has told me that goats milk formula must not be used with babies... it hasn't got the right level of nutrition.

It did turn out mine were also cmpa.

Thanks everyone for you advice so far. He started on the Hipp formula at 5 am this morning and so far has had two feeds. He seems like enjoy the taste. Still spewed which was curdled but no gawking so far and no back arching at all. He also went to the toilet, despite being constipated, he passed it and morning is not the usual time, so I feel the formila might have helped move him. He has also slept after both feeds soundly.

I have given up the Infacol and am. Giving gaviscon 3 times a day now.
The next 24 hours will tell alot and we have the doc tomorrow. Fingers crossed this formula suits better. It certainly tastes much nicer and more natural. It's tough, new mam wishing I could take it all away. They are such little troopers going through all this. Being a baby is so hard, maybe thats why we don't remember it!

Be careful with infacol and a reflux baby as it's slightly acidic and can make reflux worse.
My daughter needed high dose omperazole, gaviscon and a stool softener for the constipation from the gaviscon to improve her reflux. She also has cmpa and other allergies which makes her reflux worse but her reflux is independent from the allergies. My daughter was allergic to carobel so we couldn't use this

You must never use a colic formula and gaviscon as it's two lots of thickening, only ever one. That will be a part cause of the pain

Goats first infant formula has all the nutrition necessary. It has higher qualities of some than cows formula and must be suitable by law in order to be sold. It was recommended by a consultant paediatrician who specialises in allergies. (My actual GP however was a bit clueless and thought I was giving plain goats milk from the supermarket and denied the existence of goat formula so I’m always a bit dubious about the medical advice on infant feeding) Either way he’s gone from the 1st centile to 90th and the reflux stopped.

The nutritional information is identical to Kendamil and more nutrient dense than Hipp oddly. Perhaps because Nannycare and Kendamil use full fat and not many other brands do. Haven’t read the Kendamil goats formula though so can’t comment on that one.

It was my doctor who said I can use the comfort formula and the gaviscon, but will say it to him again. Baby is off the comfort formula now so as you said, maybe that was it! I don't think doctors get it right half the time with this stuff!

Poor thing. How is she doing now, was she on all that for long ? I didn't know that about Infacol, thank you. I stopped using it a week ago and he is much better with his wind too funnily enough!

Could be CMPA. Speak to the go about that. We did. My son was changed to aptamil pepti and within a week or 2 was a totally different baby. Also slow flow teats worked well.

Gp not go

Unfortunately her reflux has proved to be quite stubborn.
Since 8 months she has been on a combination of high dose omperazole, gaviscon and domperidone but by this point she no longer needed the stool softener. She also has 20 food allergies. She is 3.5 now and shows no sign of outgrowing her reflux or her food allergies. She's now under 2 paediatricians for her reflux and a dietician to support her allergies. She is by far not the norm however most children out grow their reflux between 6 months and 2 years.