Reflux baby only sleep being held upright, terrified of SIDS

[Hensmummy]

Hi my 11 week old will only sleep being held upright due to his silent reflux. He’s been taking omperazole for 2 weeks, and have noticed no improvement, I’m going to call to GP tomorrow to see if we can up his dose or change meds.

I’m Just struggling so much with the worry, he never lays flat when sleeping he only sleeps if being held upright. They stress so much how important it is for a baby to lay down flat, and I know there is nothing I can do right now, but it’s driving me crazy, is it really that dangerous?

Also I have no option but to dose with him in my arms, as I have no one to watch him some days. I put cushions under my arms so they won’t drop, but I feel like the worst mum falling asleep when holding him but I can’t live on no sleep.

Any success stories using omperazole? How long does reflux this usually last? Is it really 12 months?

Thank you so much for any advice xx

OP I had to do it a few times because hand on heart, the sleep deprivation would have killed me first if I didn’t. Or I would have not looked at oncoming traffic I was that bloody tired. It was about risk assessment. Planning to fall asleep like that is not the same as accidentally falling asleep with him in your arms.

No it’s not ideal. But nor is getting zero sleep is it? Definitely get back to your GP.

Hi OP

Sorry no solid advice! we have a cot you can tilt and have even put a blanket under it in some cases we also got a babymoov cosy dream which did help.

I have also been there for my sanity I have had to sleep with dd on me on more than one occasion due to exhaustion so you have my absolute sympathy here it's hell! all I did was have one arm under her bum and another over her back and held my own wrist if that makes sense it just felt more secure to me!

also please don't beat yourself up about it!

Speak to your HP about increasing the omeprazole dose as you should have seen an improvement by now. It's the best medicine we found with ours and we tried them all but it can take a while to get the dose right. Also get wedgehogs for sleeping 👍 xx
wedgehog.co.uk/?cmp_id=10331743417&adg_id=105890427034&kwd=baby%20reflux%20wedge&device=m&gclid=Cj0KCQiAt8WOBhDbARIsANQLp97AZq9IypUHIWVfRkYMMZsVI2eOj94jKndYR3EXhK50nN1CAIm-BMsaAvpSEALw_wcB

The whole flat thing is because some people use things like pillows,bedding and other enhancements in the cot that look nice but have no function and can be dangerous. Also because babies have poor head control and their head can flop into their chest, thus obstructing the airway. Or they move/roll onto fabric and get stuck. It's easier to recommend a position that is proven to be safest and removes all these risks ,rather than do it on a case by case basis, with further clarification needed.

There are options for you to try , like raising the cot on one side , or use a wedge/towel secured under the bedsheet, or baby falls asleep upright on you and you move them after a while. DD slept on me a lot , but I was very aware of her and I was comfortable in doing so.

Do talk to your GP about your treatment options. Do any anti reflux formulas help or are you exclusively breast feeding?

Could me a milk allergy the only symptom my daughter had was wind and crying after every feed and was told silent reflux to start with on the same medication as you but nothing helped. Once she was on prescription milk she slept 12 hours overnight but feeding every 2 hours during the day. Was crazy the difference.

Your doing everything you can do don't worry. If someone can have the baby so you can have a sleep properly you will
Feel lots better.

@Hensmummy Definitely call your GP about changing dose or meds! I’ve been there OP, and its bloody hard! My DH works offshore and is away for 3/4 weeks at a time and we have no family locally so I literally had no choice but to do whatever was necessary in order for us both to get some sleep.
Do whatever you can to make it as safe as you can. I used to sit on a firm armchair with my legs up on a footstool. My arms were propped up on the arms of the chair so that they wouldn’t drop. For me, I didn’t feel safe dosing anywhere that I had space to move - so never in my bed or on the sofa. I’m assuming you’ve tried the crib with the head end elevated etc?

How is baby fed? BF or formula?

Please don’t stress about it being 12 months - all babies are completely different! Once we found the right thing to help our DSs reflux it was an absolute game changer. I think he was around 16/18 weeks by that point as we went through a lot of trial and error to find the right thing and had some other feeding issues too. The only issue we had after that was at 6months when he started weaning. I wasn’t sure about BLW so I started with purées and that seemed to majorly trigger his reflux again. After a week or so I switched to BLW so he was eating whole foods rather than purées and the reflux called right down again. So that could be something to keep in mind for future incase your DS is the same.

My daughter had silent reflux and also milk allergy. I agree with previous poster if symptoms have not improved look into milk allergy. If breast feeding try to go dairy free if not speak to doctor about trying perscription milk.

Your baby will come to no harm sleeping upright, my daughter also only slept on us. She screwed when put in a pram and was in a pushchair from 10 weeks old.

We also bought blocks to prop up one end of the cot.

It is horrendous but does get better and you will get through it. Please take any help anyone friends ir family can offer to get sleep / have a break.

Other things that I found helped massage back to burp loose clothing as any tight clothing round waist can made it worse.

My daughter is now 11, when she was little there was a great silent reflux group on baby centre which I found fantastic for advice and feeling I was not alone.

If I can be of any help please PM me.

My DE had terrible reflux. As well as meds, we also bought a Next2Me crib which could be positioned on an angle. It helped massively.
Sending you lots of strength.., it does get better

Back in the days when they were first around my baby, with undiagnosed silent reflux, spent many hours sitting and sleeping in his travel system car seat. It was the only way he was comfortable enough to sleep so that’s what we did. He’s a strapping young man now.