Best 'routine' for a reflux baby?

[GeorgeyGal]

My LO has silent reflux which is challenging enough, I have tried loosely to follow a routine, feeding every 3 hours but have heard little and often is best but then I heard every 4 hours at least, as it takes this long for them to digest their last feed?, I guess I could try every 4 hours, this would be hard in the evening though as he comfort feeds every hour or so after 3pm, I think to deal with the reflux. Also he has 1.5 hr naps during the day and a longer nap at lunchtime, I give him a split feed at 10am and 11am in order to have him sleep longer, do you think this is aggravating his reflux? Whats your routines/guidelines for your reflux bubba thats helped?

Also since been on rantidine he has been grunting and straining loudly, well I think it started with the Infant Gaviscon but he's off that now and on Lactolose, his poops are regular and soft now yet he strains loudly constantly, didnt get any sleep last night as he was doing this all night and I was watching him as he kept refluxing but as the meds seem to be helping so he's not in pain, he sounds like he's choking now and again which is scary so I wouldnt even contemplate moving him into his nursery yet.

 

[Farie]

Routine wise I do everything on demand, we feed every 3h ish, sometimes more often if her reflux is bad.
Little and often is best, over full tummies make the refluxing worse.

My LO also cluster feeds from 4pm onwards, her tummy acid settles down around that time and shes able to eat more and be happier.

Our days goes (roughly) like this
7am - feed
8-9am - nap then feed
10am - baby brekkie (rice cereal and pear)
11-12pm - nap then feed
1pm - baby lunch (rice cereal and pear/broccoli, cracker)
2-3pm - nap then feed
4pm - baby supper (rice cereal)
5pm - nap
6 - mini feed, bath, cuddles
6.45 - bottle and bed

(times may vary by an hour or so either way and she may feed twice in any waking period, or nap 2x short rather than one long)

Ranitadene can cause constipation, the lactolose may help, or just offering a little pear juice and water.

The age of your Lo I'd just go with what he wants, let him guide you

 

[sapphire1]

We don't have a routine at all. I tried to make Holly go 4 hours between feeds, but she can't manage it and goes into meltdown. When she was your LOs age we did everything on demand. She settled into a rough 3 hourly routine, although it varied a bit.

 

[blondey]

Personally we put Ava-Mae into a routine because of her silent reflux, before that I was baby led. Some babies don't want to feed when they have reflux, whereas Ava-Mae was the opposite, she wanted to feed constantly, as it soothed her tummy. Because of this I found it hard to tell if she was truly hungry (plus she can be a greedy guts and will always take food if offered!) We are still on a three hourly routine now. Although if she gets up late or is napping or we are doing something, somtimes she will miss a bottle in the day.

I have heard though little and often is better for reflux as it doesn't fill up their tummy as much.

Good luck though and hopefully you and your LO will be lucky and he will grow out of it quickly.

xx

 

[supertabby]

We take Isobel's lead and feed on demand. She tends to space out her feeds about every 3 hours between 5am and 5pm but in the evening she tanks herself up with more, and then has a 5 hour sleep.

I presume that the gaviscon makes them feel fuller on less milk, as the gaviscon thickens into a gel to stop the milk coming back up easily. So babies will want to feed little and often.

Isobel also has domperidone four times a day, which is designed to make food digest quicker - to help with the heavy feeling the gaviscon can give them and avoiding them eating too little because of the false full up feeling.

She has got firmer stools now which is bothering her but gp wanted to try to get more milk into her, as hydration helps, before trying lactolose. She's going through a phase of grunting and trumping early in the morning at the moment! I can't sleep through it but don't want to put her in her own room at 10 weeks. She also makes coughing almost choking sounds every so often while she is straining.

 

[supertabby]

Also I move Isobel's legs in a cycling movement for 5 or 10 minutes each day to help with constipation, her poop is still firm but she goes daily now instead of weekly.