Reflux baby sleep issues

[Lovingtyrells]

My DS has reflux and is 15+ weeks, sleeping has always been awful since birth and I think the reflux is a big part of it now he’s a bit older as I can sometimes put him down. He always wakes up within 20-45 min being sick. The only time this doesn’t happen is if he is upright in sling.

Tried everything else.

I don’t know what to do as GP says I have to wait to see as most babies do get over it in their first year.

We did give gaviscon when he was younger and it was even worse but he didn’t improve. Going back to work after 5 months and worried about having no sleep and work.

Hello. I’m sorry to hear about your little one’s reflux. The best book about reflux and sleep is the Sensation Baby asleep Plan by Alison Scott-Wright. She is an absolute expert. Best of luck.

My son had reflux but not this bad I would go back to your gp they can perscibe other things other than gavison we got rantitidine and this helped us it's a lot stonger than the gavison

Do GP also think it is reflux? I’d be asking about ranitidine or omeprozole.

Lovingtyrells, has your baby been diagnosed with reflux? Because there are lots of alternate options for medication

Omeprazole has worked very well for my 4.5 month old with silent reflux, so I'd recommend returning to the GP to explore further options.

Yes baby has been diagnosed but GP hasn’t taken it seriously due to him
Being able to gain weight and says it should resolve by age 1

Do you wind after every feed? Is it easy to get a burp or two?

I’d be asking for a second opionion if you’re not happy. Plenty of reflux babies continue to gain weight. Is wee one breast or bottle fed? Would you say the reflux bothers him, as in is he unsettled after a fed or just generally more on the unsettled side?

Breast fed, more unsettled after a feed as is sick. If he falls asleep he is suddenly awake with stomach noises and being sick. Sick all day long.

He does burp after a feed mostly but sometimes doesn’t and then is sick and ok again for a little while afterwards

Some docs are reluctant to give meds’ if baby is a ‘happy spitter’, ie they are sick but have no symptoms of discomfort. I’d be asking to see another GP as there are meds’ other than Gavison that you can try. My DS was the same, felt like he was always uncomfortable and you could literally hear his stomach churning. He was also sick a lot and his sleep was awful. He lived in the sling. I tried gravison, ranitidine etc and nothing worked long term. I cut dairy on the advice of another mum, and turns out he has CMPA.

Hi @Lovingtyrells this sounds exactly like what we are going through with our DS

He brings up almost immediately after feed and also done time after even when he's asleep can projectile or smaller amounts partly digested.

Been going on his whole 7 weeks of his life so far so Lucas of yesterday finally got gaviscon because he has slowly gained weight since a total drop off a couple of weeks ago

But why prescribe gaviscon when for it to work relies on him keeping milk down?!

Safe to say he didn't but dr mentioned a formula could prescribe which easier to digest so in 3hrs when forgery opens I'm calling back and getting that prescription not impressed being robbed off with cheaper and less helpful option it's like being given a plaster for a broken leg!

What helped for our reflux babies -
Ranitidine to reduce acid levels in the stomach
Sleeping on their tummies, so the vomit could drain rather than choke. I put a polar fleece blanket under their heads to reduce sheet washing!
Eliminating dairy from my diet - turns out they both had cows milk protein allergy and that contributed to their reflux and general gastrointestinal discomfort.
Holding upright for 20-40mins after every single feed.
Day sleeps in a Fisher Price upright bouncer chair.
Loads of naps in the Ergo.

And then sleep training hell after they had outgrown the CMPA at 14mo or so.

Hang in there - it's so tough and relentless. But they do grow up and on reflection, it does seem like it was just a blip now my eldest is 7yo.