~*Mamas of Reflux Babies*~

[ladybrock]

Both together will prob work best

 

[Babeonthego]

Thanks ladybrock. I've just given him his first doze of ranitidine. Fingers Crossed we start to see a difference. Please someone tell me when this all gets better how long do babies normally have this for?? Caden just seems to be getting worse

 

[ladybrock]

Only on day 5 of ranatidine myself so cant say and hes my first but im sure it will get betted. I think im starting to see a slight imprvement

Try not to burp him to much it brings up acid. Just a gentleback rub will do

 

[Babeonthego]

Thanks. This thread is so helpful and supportive

 

[klcuk3]

Does this poo look normal to you guys? It seems to be getting more and more runny by the day. She's on aptamil anti reflux milk and hipp first milk alternating feeds. If of thought her poo would be getting thicker due to the AR milk.

https://i1305.photobucket.com/albums/s544/kleuk3/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zps241f4221.jpg

 

[kwills55]

We found ranitidine took a full 8 days and then we suddenly saw an improvement. Apparently it can take up to 10 days depending how badly burnt their throat is CIA it is that which is taking time to heal...
Ranitidine worked really well for us for 3 weeks and then her symptoms started coming back with is apparently very common so we're now on losec 'omeprazole' which has been a wonder drug for her.
Hope it works for both of you though! Just be vigilant and aware that it can return and doesn't always work.

As for how long reflux lasts generally, my GP keeps telling me we should see a massive difference when she weans, but that it can still go on up to a year when most babies will have outgrown it. Hold on in there! Hopefully meds will help. Even if it goes on for a year now I feel it is manageable on this medication so hopefully you will be the same! Xxx

 

[kwills55]

And I'm not sure about the poop, sorry!
We have had all consistencies and colours over here ;-)

 

[Babeonthego]

Is anyone considering weaning earlier than 6 months to see if it helps. Well we started the ranitidine last night and the anti reflux milk with it this morning. So far not really much difference but I'm expecting the medication to take a while to work. It can't get any worse lol. On the bright side he slept really well from 9pm last night until 2.30am. Then the nightmare feed at this time usually occurs however he did go back down for me albeit with quite a restless sleep until 6am but it's better than nothing eh?

Does any one else use a dummy/pacifier? I find it's the only thing that distracts him altho in theory I don't know if it helps or not

 

[ladybrock]

Does this poo look normal to you guys? It seems to be getting more and more runny by the day. She's on aptamil anti reflux milk and hipp first milk alternating feeds. If of thought her poo would be getting thicker due to the AR milk.

https://i1305.photobucket.com/albums/s544/kleuk3/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zps241f4221.jpg

Either he doesnt like cows milk or its the switching of different milks confusing his system

Just my opinion though x

 

[ladybrock]

Is anyone considering weaning earlier than 6 months to see if it helps. Well we started the ranitidine last night and the anti reflux milk with it this morning. So far not really much difference but I'm expecting the medication to take a while to work. It can't get any worse lol. On the bright side he slept really well from 9pm last night until 2.30am. Then the nightmare feed at this time usually occurs however he did go back down for me albeit with quite a restless sleep until 6am but it's better than nothing eh?

Does any one else use a dummy/pacifier? I find it's the only thing that distracts him altho in theory I don't know if it helps or not

Dummies are great, they produce saliva when they suck whi h in turn pushes back and nuetralises stomach acid

 

[ladybrock]

Oh and if the paediatrician suggests it i will be weaning him early

Also thought id let uou know how last night went...

We had a good night as i decided to lay him on his left side.
Even thiugh he was gassy/acidy he settled within minutes witha dummy for 2 mins which he spat out. A few squirms n he went to sleep by 8pm

I thought one off so when he did it again at 1.30 after his feed and then Again at 4 (he decided to wake n take only an ounce! Thinking habit there!) i now know hes more comfy and will be sleeping like this again

 

[sezzolou]

Looks quite similar to Aidens poos. His are usually a combination of firm putty to start with ending in explosive runny stuff. I'm still not sure if my lo may have a milk intolerance though.

Ranitidine took 2 weeks to work for us. I really hope it continues to work. We've had a lovely 24 hours with a happy smiley baby who's also slept well

I'm trying to make a decision on weaning. Aiden is 18 weeks this week. He can sit unaided for short periods holding his head up well, he can pick things up with finger and thumb and has started putting anything he can in his mouth and chewing on stuff rather than sucking. Im not sure if it's reflux related but he's also showing alot less interest in his bottles, often just playing with the teat. He is a good weight but i can tell when I pick him up that he's lost some weight in thd last few weeks. Getting him weighed and have a Dr app Monday. In the meantime I'm going to try level 3 teats instead. Or he could be teething? Lol, so many things to consider.

 

[ladybrock]

Maybe hes teething

Day 6 here and still have a squirmy boy after feeding but he dont seem in pain as sucj

Ive noticed some improvement, we was having violent hicups after every feed but i think weve had 1 lot in 2 days

I hope its working and not just luring me into a false sense of security

Off to get him weighed now

Oh yea your lille ones have excessive gas?

 

[Nela]

Woo this thread moved quickly! I have loads to catch up on so bare with me

Before that though, I'd like to welcome the new ladies that have joined our special victims group Seriously though, sorry to hear that you and your lil ones are also experiencing the dreaded reflux and all it brings along. Glad to have you amongst us and looking forward to getting to know you girls better!

hey ladies, i hope your all doing well, the good thing is lilys reflux seems to be getting better

I dont think know if il be on here much anymore as im having a marriage crisis and i think im going to file for a divorce, sorry to put a downer on things but it was really nice chatting to all and when things blow over il probs be back on x

Hey KAMW, happy to hear that Lily seems better these days but so sorry to hear of your troubles. I really hope things work out for you and that you'll be back sooner than later. Sending you lots of love and hugs an wishing you nothing but the best. Hang in there, mama.

My DD has silent reflux - it's so hard to see her in so much discomfort x

I'm only at the beginning of a journey to find things to help her. GP useless so far trying to fob it off as colic. Gaviscon not working. Going to go back and see what else can try. How many of you have your lo's on special formula?

klcuk You are right, watching them dealing with it is pretty darn unbearable. They are such brave lil tykes aren't they? Our GP did the exact same thing, in a patronizing sort of way too. Made it up to be like we were some cute first-time parents that had no idea what having a baby actually meant. Up until last Friday, I had always kept LO on standard Aptamil but I have now changed him to Aptamil Comfort.

poor guy is struggling today, hes dont nothing but sleep on me, and ive let him, his head feels warm i wonder if he has headaches from the ranitadine, im going to try level 3 teat on comfort milk as on level two he is sucking the bottle in and out,

i hate days like this, i seem to trawl the internet looking for answers and now ive decided that he has sandifers as he is so jumpy and rolls his eyes and flaps his arms out alot , must stay away from internet on days like these

Awww so sorry to hear you lil guy is still struggling a lot, Vegaz. I do think babies can have extreme reactions to the pain/discomfort, whatever they want to call it. They say Sandifer's is rare though, so I'm not sure what it truly truly looks like though I've seen Nathan look pretty odd at times myself. Either way, once the reflux is under control, the rest is as well so just focus on the reflux and don't worry yourself more. Wishing you some much more comfy and pleasant days ahead!

I tried my lo with aptamil anti reflux milk this morning with colief in it . She downed 6oz in one sitting and seemed more settled after it. My friend who's a HV suggested I do alternative feeds of this milk and first milk as it can cause constipation.

Has anyone else used it or similar and had constipation problems?

Personally, from what I have heard from the medical professionals treating Nathan, the strongly advise against combination feeding using different formulas. This is hard on the tummy as the body never really adjusts to it and they are already so sensitive to begin with. Plus, by doing so, you never really see how your kiddo reacts to the formula and you cannot tell which is causing what, making it very difficult to tweak things afterwards.

The Aptamil AR contains the carob bean flour. This is what thickens the feed, especially thickening in the tummy. Babies can react to it with both extremes, either they get constipated, either they get runny poos. The carob can work great for the reflux itself by making the milk harder to bring up. However, for some kiddos, the carob itself is much too hard to digest, making them extremely gassy and constipated. At first, I thought it was the thickness causing the constipation, not the carob. For my son, it just wasn't an option anymore because it was so hard on his tummy that it actually made the reflux a whole lot worse. Again, it does work great for some so you might have that situation on your hands, but keep an eye on it. It would be normal to assume that it works great at first, only to see things start going bad again. This isn't necessarily because the reflux is getting worse if it's that your kiddo cannot digest it properly.

a friend whos babies had reflux told me today to wind baby by holding upright over shoulder and just hold his tummy not tightly just gentle firm hold and just sit there holding for 30 mins while upright, ive had so many burps and two poos! its worth a try, no patting or rubbing just holding him and he wriggles out the wind

For anyone interested, our speech therapist told us this in regards to the burps:

If baby drinks nice and slow (min 20mins per bottlefeed - for what was 110ml so about 4oz) with an anti-colic bottle, it may not be necessary to wind them immediately afterwards. Because they aren't getting much air during their feed, it's best to let the milk go down and settle properly before winding. Of course, if baby looks unsettled, it's always worth a try.

Avoiding having a gassy baby is probably one of the most important things with reflux, right after making it so that they no longer choke on their formula, if you ask me.

So, if you have a windy baby (twisting in pain, passing farts, having a hard time burping, especially kicking upwards while pressing tummy down, etc.) you may want to be a little more aggressive with getting it out. Whilst it is true that burping more aggressively can stimulate some reflux, a gassy baby will pretty much automatically have bad reflux because of the extra pressure on their tummy. It's one of those irritating things we have to deal with.

When very windy, but not having any major reflux signs, things that tend to work well:

- Putting baby over your shoulder, with baby's tummy against your boob, and baby's arms right over your shoulder. Gentle patting, and lifting legs upwards a bit can help.

- Putting baby over your lap or cushion with baby's tummy pressed against lap or cushion, and legs gently tucked under or behind them, allowing them the ease of kicking themselves upwards. Keep a constant, rhythmic, but gentle enough pat on their bottom going. Don't worry about how long unless you are having major reflux signs such as gulping, sour face, etc.

- Avoid sitting positions, prioritize stretched out or angled positions instead. Sitting positions cause more pressure on the tummy, making the trapped wind more difficult to pass and making baby much more sore. Since windy babies already have more pressure on their tummy, and being in a sitting position worsens this as well, it makes them doubly more refluxy.

- Gentle vibration can help. Just be careful that it's not too harsh as that too will worsen reflux.

When having lots of reflux:

- Limit any sudden movement as much as possible (i.e. don't bounce up and down, don't put baby down, pick up, back down, etc., don't use strong vibration, etc.). Stretched out positions against your own body while walking around the house tends to help. Avoid any rigorous tapping, or stimulating for burps. Let the movement in your walk (you can add a subtle bounce to your step) and/or gentle sway soothe your little one. Also avoid sitting positions as this adds pressure on the tummy, making it easier to bring up the acid.

When not having any real signs of gas nor reflux (find which works best for your baby of course):

- Propping baby against your body, over your shoulder but not held as tightly to avoid extra pressure on the tummy while gently patting bottom and/or rubbing back in circular motion.

- Simply walk around with baby in an elongated or angled position.

*I avoid burping in sitting positions at any time myself. Even if baby isn't gassy, the sitting position increases the pressure on the tummy just enough to make it all that easier to bring the stomach contents up again, especially if you are encouraging by tapping so I simply play it safe by avoiding it altogether.

Anyone got any other methods/thoughts to add?

i hope i dont get in trouble for posting this, its in a book im reading on reflux about a woman whos baby has reflux and a disability, after reading this it made me see things differently and wanted to share



Welcome to Holland
By Emily Perl Kingsley

I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability -
to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand
it, to imagine how it would feel.

It's like this . . . When you're going to have a baby; it's like planning a fabulous
vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guidebooks and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum, the Michelangelo David, the gondolas in Venice.
You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting. After
months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and
off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes and
says, "Welcome to Holland." "Holland?" you say. "What do you mean Holland? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've
dreamed of going to Italy." But there's been a change in the flight plan.
They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.

The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting,
filthy place full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place. So
you go out and buy new guidebooks. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have
met. It's just a different place. It's slower paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you
look around, and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills, Holland has
tulips, Holland even has Rembrandts. But everyone you know is busy coming
and going from Italy, and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time
they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say, "Yes, that's where I
was supposed to go. That's what I had planned." The pain of that will never go
away, because the loss of that dream is a very significant loss. But if you
spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you will never be
free to enjoy the very special, very lovely things about Holland.

Don't see why you'd get in trouble? Thanks for the lovely post. It's a great thing to keep in mind. I must admit, there are days when I simply prefer to think a large earthquake destroyed Italy, rendering it non-existant so that I never had expected to land there in the first place On the other hand, terribly appropriate for me since I actually live in Holland so I don't know why I expected Italy anyway

Following this thread. My little girl is two weeks old. She has a lot of similar symptoms....arching back, hiccups, gulping during feedings and coughing. Doesn't like to lie flat after a feeding. Gurgles a lot and wriggles around. She spits up, but not all the time. She is breastfed.

'Welcome' Sbmack. Sorry to see you join us but glad to have you with us. It does sound like a possibility. Is she really unsettled at the moment? Have you cut out the obvious gassy foods from your diet (cauliflower, broccoli, etc.) to see if that could help any? Looking forward to getting to know you better.

Hey ladies,

Can I join please. Seriously thinkin my little tiger may have silent reflux. Symptoms are as follows:-

Major unsettled after feeding
Constantly wants to feed
Hiccups
Loads of wind
Short outbursts of cries
Sick coming into his mouth when he burps
Burps sound wet
Desperate to sleep altho looks like he's so uncomfortbale
Sooks on his dummy like mad
Doesn't sleep much at all during the day despite having puffy red eyes from tiredness


From research everything points to silent reflux which is getting worse. Also his tummy sounds crazy. Rumbles all the time. Gaviscon makes no difference


Only scary thing for me is that he had to have emergency surgery on his bowels at 48 hours old. He is displaying no symptoms of anything being wrong in that respect I.e he is pooing fine and no green vomit.

I'm considering trying either aptimal comfort milk or anti reflux milk first to see if that makes a difference. He has his check in a weeks time.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I know that if I take him to the docs today they will more than likely refer him back to the childrens hospital to rule out it being connected to his surgery

Awww poor lil tyke and poor mama. It makes sense to me. Having had surgery already, this probably means he has a sensitive tummy. If he isn't digesting formula properly, it can make him refluxy for sure. I do think you should go through the motions, at least to rule out any other possibilty and be in contact with the right people. I would hate to advise on formula if he has anything else medical going on but, for what it's worth, I would try the Aptamil Comfort first. Why not the Aptamil AR? The Comfort has broken down protein, making it easier to digest. It is also thicker naturally through starches, achieving a similar result in that it makes it more difficult to bring up. The AR milk, however, is thickened with carob bean (locust flour) flour. This tends to work really well in the sense that the milk is much harder to bring up, however, it seems to be much more difficult to digest for most babies. This often results in gassy babies which also suffer from either runny poo or constipation. That, in turn, actually worsens the reflux because it creates extra pressure on their tummy, either from the gas or straining. Since your lil one is probably at an increased risk of having a harder time digesting the formula, I'd go for that one first. In fact, if a fully hydrolyzed is also thickened, I might ask for that for the sheer fact that it should be easier to digest. However, those are on prescription only from my understanding and I'm not sure if they actually prescribe those unless a baby is actually allergic to the milk protein.

Hi girls,

Welcome. Both sounds like symptoms of reflux. For now I suggest sitting babes upright for feeds, sitting them upright or over shoulder for 20 mins after every feed (esp night feeds), could burp them every couple of ounces if they let you (my lo hates being burped and scream so I only do it at the end), also elevating head end of Moses basket with either books under the stand or a towel under the mattress. You could lye them on their left side if you are comfortable with that but the elevation alone may help. I'm sure others will be along with more advice soon. In the meantime you could seek advice from H/V and book GP app. I found gaviscon only worked for a couple of weeks.

My latest news...Aiden has been on ranitidine for 2 weeks and I'm sure there has been some improvement in the last couple days. He's still waking up 3 times a night but falls back to sleep after a couple of ounces. He slept 7-7 with 3 wake ups which is good for him. I also put some blocks under the heas end of his cot last night. Before I have just tried stuff under mattress and a wedge. He was only sick once which is good also.

And....I'm sure not everyone will agree with this but now he is 4 months I have just tried controlled crying for his day naps. He screams and kicks anyway for a good 20 mins in my arms trying to get to sleep so I decided it couldn't be more stressful than that. I waied until he was sleepy this morning, he started his crying in my arms so I put him in his cot with a comforter and his dummy. I left, he cried for 2 mins, I went back in, popped his dummy back in and rubbed his back for 2 mins. Left, he cried for another 2 mins, I went back in and he stopped crying so I left and he fell straight to sleep. Admittedly his morning naps are always the easiest do it could get more stressful later. I know he is capable of self settling as he does it at bedtime every single night. I just think he got too used to me for daytime naps.

Sorry for the mega long post lol

Heya Sezz, glad to hear you are seeing some improvement. I really hope it continues in this direction. As for controlled crying, hey, if that's what works for you and your kiddo, don't even think twice. I hope he is still sleeping better!

Ive noticed my boy prefers go be flater whilst feeding which contrdadicts everything ive read :s also he prefers to be left alone laying down or on my arm not sat up after a feed rather than on my shoulder

If i put him on shoulder he arches back (maybe pressing against tummy)

His acid is alwYs worse in mornings too any one notice tht?

Ive also stopped trying to burp him so much and go on his cue.
If he has a grey upper lip ill sit him up And rub his back gently but not pat it!

Has any one else found wAys to help their baby that doesnt go with all the advice out there?

Its early days but this semms to make him more comfortable

Sitting up is actually oftentimes a miscommunicated guideline. Reflux babies should hardly ever lie flat completely as well as sit up at a 90 degree angle. Both of these positions make it easier to bring up acid. The best positions are stretched out, angled positions. Since wind and acid seem to go hand in hand, we really have to aim to take away the pressure on their tummy. So you are right about that, as well as burping on cue. I think the whole morning thing is partly because they sleep through the smaller discomforts rather than getting upset about them, as well as having a more sluggish system in the morning. I don't know if it's the same with yours but, with my kiddo, when he was very gassy, we did loads to help him pass it. However, it's really once he'd be asleep that it would pass easiest. I guess it's because they are more relaxed and just let it happen rather than fight it because it's uncomfortable. Same with the reflux, perhaps the gag reflex isn't as active while they sleep. I'd be hell in the morning too if I were barely awake and hurting so I guess it's a similar thing.

My Caileigh seems to take the Aptamil AR milk much better than the first milk as she doesn't get this raspy sound in her throat with the AR milk. She doesn't seem to have as much wind either, still hard to burp. I find she gets it up when over my shoulder.

I too find she prefers to drink fairly flat. I always put her down for sleeps on her side and have the mattress elevated.

Over the weekend my Mum did the night feeds and Caileigh did a few 4-5 hour stretches but for me last night we barely managed 3 hourly I find it so hard to enjoy her as I don't know what to do with her. I know things will get better as she gets older but at the moment time seems to go so slow.

The Aptamil AR is a bit evil in the sense that in can be great and show you an immediate result since the milk is much harder to bring up. However, in the longer run, it seems the reflux tends to come back, sometimes with a vengeance. Most people assume the acid got worse, but I think it has more to do with the fact that it is harder to digest as a whole. Anything difficult to digest greatly increases the chance or reflux. It may be that your kiddo will get constipated from it and will need more help with that. For my son, it made him both extremely gassy and constipated but it was not immediately obvious as it seems a sort of buildup took place over time. Attempts to fix it did little, if not made things worse. I've just switched him to Aptamil Comfort now because of this. It's thicker than standard milk because of the starches in it, but easier to digest both because of the lack of carob bean and broken down protein. Just something to keep in mind in case you find yourself in a similar situation.

Does this poo look normal to you guys? It seems to be getting more and more runny by the day. She's on aptamil anti reflux milk and hipp first milk alternating feeds. If of thought her poo would be getting thicker due to the AR milk.

https://i1305.photobucket.com/albums/s544/kleuk3/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zps241f4221.jpg

Babies can get both extremes with the carob bean found in the AR milk. It might be that your kiddo gets the runnier extreme, but it can also be that the alternating is too harsh on your baby's tummy. When we change a pet's food, we are supposed to do it gradually and allow their systems time to get used to it. We tend to forget this though when we do this with our kiddos, partly because we shouldn't mix formulas, partly because we are desperate for quick fixes, anything to make them better. However, from my experience, I prefer any mushy poo over kiddo being constipated. At least it is coming out. I assume kiddo wasn't too miserable when pooing?

Is anyone considering weaning earlier than 6 months to see if it helps. Well we started the ranitidine last night and the anti reflux milk with it this morning. So far not really much difference but I'm expecting the medication to take a while to work. It can't get any worse lol. On the bright side he slept really well from 9pm last night until 2.30am. Then the nightmare feed at this time usually occurs however he did go back down for me albeit with quite a restless sleep until 6am but it's better than nothing eh?

Does any one else use a dummy/pacifier? I find it's the only thing that distracts him altho in theory I don't know if it helps or not

I will try weaning Nathaniel earlier than planned myself. I'll see from here to then, but I really am considering giving it a whirl to see what happens. I had initially planned on doing the baby led weaning and skipping the cereals, purees, etc. but I think it will be safer to wean with this first and see how it goes.

The pacifier has been a most wonderful tool. He doesn't actually like it so it's taken a bit to actually get him using it. The best thing to do with him, is to dip it in cold water. This gets me out of his comfort-feeding "neeeeh" tantrums, prevents him from swallowing in more air and making him even gassier, and prevents him screaming the place down, irritating his throat, and thus making the reflux worse.

 

[ladybrock]

Great post !

Just had jadon weighed hes now 9lb 12 yaya

Defo had a growth spurt!
Also think he was comfort eating a little but so glad hes gaining well

Any one know how much ranatidine i can give a ten pound baby?

 

[sezzolou]

Thanks for the informative post Nela. There are some interesting points there 😊

 

[Sbmack]

Thanks, Nela!!

 

[Nela]

After having suffered set back after set back, I decided we had enough. On Friday, after having observed Nathan like a hawk for a long time, I decided to change my approach.

You see, up until now, we had always treated the acid reflux. I mean, we treated it as THE problem and the thing that needed to be under control for his well-being. That's true, but I think it is only partly true. Instead, I have decided to count gas, constipation, and reflux as an all-in-one package. Perhaps instead of just concentrating on the supposed weak valve causing reflux and just 'waiting til it fixes itself' I've decided to look at it as a whole GI issue. Meaning, my baby's GI system is fragile and when something upsets it, reflux is the result.

Now, Nathan had been on carob bean flour as a thickening agent to make his milk stay down and make it harder to bring up. This worked great, at first glance... Immediately, he stopped bringing up as much milk and seemed happier in the few days following the change. This was very much short-lived however. Soon after, the reflux came back, with a vengeance. On top of that, my poor lil man was constipated. We waited and hoped we'd manage to get him pooping but it didn't work. He ended up on Lactulose. I hated it. It did make him poop a little more regularly but giving it to him was hell. He kept choking on it. I had to syringe it by .5ml each time, give a sip if milk, and so on so forth. The reflux got worse and worse and he was writhing in pain. He was terribly gassy... I did everything I could think of to get him through the gas but nothing worked. The reflux was now worse than ever before. The pediatrician switched him to Forlax Jr. thinking the Lactulose was making him more gassy. Now, this whole time, I myself thought the gas was directly related to the constipation. I could not see how it was not, since we had taken all precautions to avoid that very thing. By now, I was starting to question whether or not the constipation was actually causing the gas or if the gas was a separate issue on its own. The Forlax gave me that answer.

Despite having had a major explosion in the morning that I 'fondly' referred to as an 'apoocalypse', by the time the evening came, he was just as gassy again. I was convinced that he was not constipated at the time and, by now, it was clear the gas had another cause. His reflux was terrible because the gas was as well.

I already knew that gas and constipation are said to worsen reflux. There was never any doubt there. However, what I did doubt was whether the reflux had come first at any point in time. There I was, playing chicken vs. the egg but now I had what I needed to look into suspicions I have ignored for a long time.

I decided to work backwards...

I got rid of the stool softeners so I could eliminate them as a culprit for the gas. Still gassy, constipated, and refluxy. Against medical advice, I made the terrifying decision to scale back the carob flour. Terrifying, because the very reason he was on it was because he had choked while refluxing. I didn't trust him to be back on the standard formula without it as that had not worked, obviously. Now, by now, most of us have heard of the cow protein allergy. I had brought it up, but I had my own doubts since he never really showed the classic allergy signs. He didn't have runny stools, no skin problems, didn't push the bottle away, etc. The doctors were also not convinced.

However, after doing my research, I decided to try Nathaniel on partially hydrolyzed protein aka comfort formula. The main reason being that it is supposed to be easier to digest. I was terrified of giving him that one all on its own despite being thicker than standard formula so I gave him 60ml to start. I watched him like a hawk and made sure to keep him upright, well strapped in his car seat to avoid him moving around and letting the milk settle. Before long, he was making the unmistakable sound of wanting milk. I cringed. He spat up. A lot. I stood over him, frozen in fear... He looked at me, smiled widely and cooed. He spat up more but didn't cry...

Afraid that spitting up the formula was a recipe for choking on it, I decided to add back the carob gradually in the hopes of finding the right amount that would make him no longer spit up, yet, still be less than the amount we had been using previously. I figured that, perhaps, just reducing the amount would help avoid the constipation and gas as much, hoping that the easy-to-digest formula would make up for it. For that first day, Nathan cried one single time and that was for his milk. We had never had such a day.

By the next morning, at 4am, my lil one woke up straining and screaming. Feeling his pain, I made the split decision to give him a 60ml of just comfort milk to see if the easy-to-digest formula would make him poo. It sure did. He smelled like rotten eggs, but the smile on his face when he finally got relief was priceless.

I have not added carob to it since and he has been on straight comfort since Saturday. He has been an entirely different baby. It's not 100% perfect. Like the doctors have said, there is no cure. So far, he gets a lil gassy still, and we had one proper incidence of clear reflux after he drank too quickly. That's right though, ONE incidence, in almost 5 days. It took an hour to settle him. There are 2 other times when he's been a little gassy and started having a bit of reflux. Instead of zeroing in on the reflux like I did before, I decided to focus on the gas. I knew that it might temporarily worsen his reflux while I winded him properly so I did what I knew to help... I got a cup of cold water and dipped his pacifier in it whenever necessary to keep him sucking hard on it. This kept him distracted from screaming as much so it helped prevent him gulping in more air and making the reflux worse because he worsened the gas. It also was soothing to his throat since it was cold and wet, but, unlike actually giving him water to drink, it didn't make him reflux worse. He did cry but he did fart and burp. Fifteen minutes later, he was asleep. We have gone from entire days of fits to an hour when we've done something wrong, to 15mins when we've taken all measures to prevent it.

So, in fact, at this time, I'm not concentrating on the reflux as much as I am concentrating on staying on top of his digestive system as a whole. I'm making sure I stay on top of his gas as much as possible and making sure to avoid him going too long without pooping. I'm giving him plenty of tummy time because this is when I get most of the gas to show and get it out. I'm giving him his pacifier right after feeding to keep him swallowing for a while to help keep things down. I've cut out everything else to avoid having things overlapping to see what issues arise with just this formula.

My theory, at this point, with my son is that his digestive system is immature and sensitive. He may not have allergies, but he has a difficult time digesting formula. (This is probably why they say breastfeeding tends to cause less reflux. I mean, let's face it: formula is man-made. There are all sorts of things added to it. Though they strive to make it like breast milk, we all know that it is virtually impossible to replicate.) This would explain why he refluxed on standard milk and not so much the comfort milk despite not having a protein allergy. The formula on its own is not a cure though, but it is a great start. Taking any and all measures to encourage digestion seems to be the key. I think, when the body cannot digest something, it expels it, by whatever means necessary. When we thicken and prevent our lil ones from spitting up (thus treating reflux), it helps with the initial acid not coming up, but because their body cannot digest it, especially now that it is thicker, we make it worse by having it sit in their tummies longer, requiring more force to expel it. This might explain why we see so many ups and downs with our kiddos rather than finding a true solution unless all bases are covered. Because everything we introduce brings side effects, it is even harder to know what is causing what. Kids react to things completely differently from one another as well, so there is just no telling what works for them. However, it does seem that we need to look at the whole picture rather than just the reflux itself. My theory is reinforced by the fact that Nathaniel is, in fact, spitting up. He's definitely not overfed nor drinking too quickly so I have ruled that out. However, the big difference is that he has become the normal 'happy spitter'. It's not perfect but what I am hoping for is a situation I can stay on top of.

What I do know, is that, for now, he is much much happier. It's now much easier to deal with any digestive issue as it arises, before they combine, set each other off, and escalate into full-blown GI crisis. I think starting back at the basics, observing, and really striving to see what comes first might be the key to understanding how to fix it. And, if things spiral out of control, unlike before, I think instead of assuming that the reflux got worse or things aren't working, perhaps I will first try a 'clear-out' and see if that helps him any.

Of course, it's all theory and my son is only one child. However, at this time, we have his pediatrician's blessing. She's even permitted us to play with the thickness of his formula itself to see if that can help anything when something comes up.

We can all agree on one thing: Reflux Babies come with their own rules!

 

[Noo]

Is anyone considering weaning earlier than 6 months to see if it helps. Well we started the ranitidine last night and the anti reflux milk with it this morning. So far not really much difference but I'm expecting the medication to take a while to work. It can't get any worse lol. On the bright side he slept really well from 9pm last night until 2.30am. Then the nightmare feed at this time usually occurs however he did go back down for me albeit with quite a restless sleep until 6am but it's better than nothing eh?

Does any one else use a dummy/pacifier? I find it's the only thing that distracts him altho in theory I don't know if it helps or not

Dummies are great, they produce saliva when they suck whi h in turn pushes back and nuetralises stomach acid

Actually we are taught the opposite. The production of saliva makes the stomach think it will receive food and thus increases production of stomach acids (I'm a midwife).

 

[Noo]

Little update from us. Little one is 6 weeks old tomorrow. His reflux seems to have hit a whole new level of scariness! He's currently having Gaviscon but it makes his gas/constipation so bad I've reduced the dose drastically which of course increases the reflux! I give colief with each feed (EBF) though I just can't afford to keep spending £12 every 5 days so I'm hoping the Dr will prescribe it! I don't really want to be giving Gaviscon any more as it makes him uncomfortable for a different reason. If he takes it he spends hours every night screaming and farting (last night I literally stood at his changing station doing bicycle legs for 45 minutes and he farted and screamed the whole time) and if he doesn't take it he spends the whole night squirming and sporadically screaming and gulping. I honestly can't win I have my 6 week postnatal check with the GP tomorrow so hoping for some answers!

Wish me luck!