Wahey 30 hours dairy free, cot head raised even more, even the change mat is on an incline, feeding Jonas upright and holding him upright after a feed has had some results! He slept from 10.30 til 5.30, then from 6.30 til 9.30 and better still - as he wasn't making choking noises I SLEPT too! Ok it might be a jag hangover but he is sooooo much happier today. It could also be a sign that his symptoms could just be treated by diet and might not be as bad as others in my family.
We haven't even started meds yet as Stromness pharmacy had to call Kirkwall for the ranitidine so we won't get it until lunchtime.
All babies have some reflux as Stunt says as the sphincter at the top of the stomach is weak for the first few months but if your wee one is in pain that's the sign to get treated. Honestly though infant gaviscon in many cases is totally useless - its a milk thickener that thickens the stomach contents and makes them harder to chuck up but if your wee one like J suffers from choking it can be dangerous. It's also nigh on impossible to get 15ml of gaviscon into a BF baby 6 times a day. Hence we've gone straight for ranitidine which is an antacid.
I've also realised that Jonas rapid weight gain and using me (my boobs!) every couple of hours, as a comforter is another symptom - breast milk is a natural antacid so he's been suckling to cool the acid burn. Smart little fraggles these babies eh? So don't be dismissed that only skinny babies have reflux - failure to thrive isn't a universal symptom.
Today I shall be mostly living on pork pies, prawns, nuts, fruit (not citrus or bananas) and haribo. I have told DH to take one for the team and eat all of the chocolate.