Reflux Help & Support Thread

[happyface82]

Hi girls! I hope this is a relatively ok day for all of you! We've had a few bad nights again. It really worries me that Katerina is in too much pain to sleep on her tummy. . . I thought for babies with reflux its good to sleep that way? But she seems to be on so much pain she can't put any weight on her tummy, but she won't settle any other way :S If only I could explain to her!

I'm off to the GP on an hour. Need to get more losec tablets. I think they don't work as much any more but she os on 20mg per day so don't think she can have more I also got a letter through the post, we are seeing a specialist on the 23th Feb. Seems so far away at the moment. . .

Anyway! I hope you are well, we'll update when I'm back from the docs!

xxx

 

[stardust599]

Aww guys

It sounds like everyone is having a rough time just now. I think we all have to remember that it won't be like this forever and our LOs won't remember all this - it's just us that will be mentally scarred for life! Stay positive and remember it will get better!

Macy was back in hospital at the consultant paediatrician today. She has lost weight - about 2 ounces since last week And previously she was doing so well.

She also had a rough night last night, up loads, screaming for the bottle, gulping it down the screaming as her tummy was sore. Has refused to feed today.

He offered to put an NG tube in but I said no, I want to keep that as a last resort only if she is very poorly.

I've to continue offering her 3oz in a bottle a minimum of 7 times a day (so 21 ounces, go knows how I'll manage that when all I can get into her is 15ounces just now) and whatever she doesn't finish I have to syringe or spoon feed to her. She's 12 weeks this week and I've to introduce some basic solids (pureed fruit, veg and wholegrain rice) mixed up with her formula milk to get some more calories and nutrition into her. The consultant also thinks it will help the reflux as it should stay in her stomach, will give the excess stomach acid something to work on and can strengthen the valve at the top of the stomach.

She'll be seen again on Friday and if she hasn't gained sufficient weight they're going to prescribe the high calorie milk for premature babies.

Hope tonight is a better night, I just had a mirena coil fitted tonight and I'm pretty sore, just want to curl up with a hot cup of soup and go to sleep xx

 

[2016]

What a busy day yesterday but, after circling the drain of PND, I think I might be on the up.

First we went to the GPs to pick up a referral letter for the specialist. Then on to the local childrens centre for a 1 to 1 session with one of the health visitors to learn some baby massage techniques especially for reflux symptoms.
Raced out of there and on to the private hospital to see the paed. Stewart did his normal trick - after days and days of crying and fussiness was either sleeping peacefully or quiet alert and smiling! I was worried the doctor might think I was neurotic and insane saying he was poorly when he wasn't.
Anyway, he was very thorough and was able to put my mind at rest that, although the refulx is very severe, he doesn't have anything more serious like pyloric stenosis.
He weighed S and he is now up to 12lbs 13oz which was 7oz up from when he was weighed 6 days ago. That means he has just over doubled his birthweight in 8 weeks 4 days!!! That has often been my problem getting his reflux taken seriously because he does gain so well but that is because I spend my whole life feeing and re-feeding him!
So the plan is - 1.5ml Domperidone 4 times a day 1/2 hour before a feed and 1 sachet of Gaviscon after every feed. We try this for 4 weeks and get reviewed again. He said he wouldn't give Omeprazole to a child as young as him
He noticed that S is quite mucousy and has some eczema so he says there might be a slight cows milk protein allergy. Since the symptoms are only slight, he wants to see how he gets on with the new meds first before he puts me on any restrictive dairy free diets. Thank goodness because I would really miss dairy! Chocolate especially!
Lastly, I have to take a fresh stool sample to have him tested for Lactose intolerance. It has to get to the hospital in 4 hours which should be interesting. Not as tricky as getting a sperm sample to the hospital in 45 minutes though!!!

Paed wrote a letter back to my GP so I could get the prescription and tests done on the NHS. He said I would have had a 10 week wait to see him on the NHS! Glad I didn't just sit about and wait for that - Stewart would have outgrown the reflux but I would have gone mental in the process by then.

So I have his new medicine and gave him the first dose this morning. He wasn't too thrilled but we got it down. The challenge was to wake him, give him something yucky and then tell him to wait a WHOLE 30 minutes for food! I distracted him by giving him a bath (I have decided to switch his bath to the morning because it wakes him up and he is often more covered in puke in the morning than at the end of the day). After his bath this morning I tried out the massage. He cried at first and then really seemed to enjoy it.
He is napping now so I have to go off and mix up his batch of Gaviscon for the day...

 

[anna matronic]

Excellent things are improving 2016

We have been ok here, I am wondering if Evan is starting to outgrow it now at 3 months? He is still pretty sicky, yesterday late afternoon very sicky!! But he seems so settled now and is almost going to bed really well, it still takes a good while for him to properly drop off.

I stopped the gaviscon to help his stomach and he's pooing normally again and I have just been giving him 2 lots of gaviscon a day for now. Not that it ever stopped the sick. I have been taking it day by day and so far I have not felt the need to go back to the doctor.

He has a bottle before bed and now he is bigger he can take that bottle sitting up laying on my belly, I think that really helps as he has not been sick at night for 3 nights now With the bf I can't feed him upright unless I turn myself upside down

 

[Lizzyxxx]

Glad things are improving for some of you.
Im a little worried about Lucas's poo, what colour should it really be? His has always been a dark green colour, but yesterday it was more yellowy.
He is still on SMA no.1

 

[SilasLove]

Lizzy - My Madelyn's poo has always been a yellow color, so I would say that is normal?

 

[2016]

Anna...you're giving us hope!

Lizzy...I would have said yellow is better than dark green but I don't know formula poos.

Day one on Domperidone - he took it ok (managed to trickle it in his mouth while he slept). He hasn't spat up more than a tiny dribble a couple of times ALL DAY!

 

[Farie]

Only 5h till our appt with the specialist paed Dr
Not a great night, madam not taking much so not sleeping all that well, also she chucked up her dreamfeed which is odd.

Glad lots of you are having better days, great stuff.

 

[Worrisome]

Can I ask you all. Does any of your lo seem worse mid evening? Millie has a screaming fit from about now lol, until her last bottle, I don't think its colic as she seems in pain whereas I thought colic was for no reason.

 

[2016]

Can I ask you all. Does any of your lo seem worse mid evening? Millie has a screaming fit from about now lol, until her last bottle, I don't think its colic as she seems in pain whereas I thought colic was for no reason.

Stewart only does that if he hasn't had enough sleep in the day and is overtired...if it's not that, perhaps try a warm bath and some soothing massage eg. gentle clockwise circles on her tummy. I just started baby massage with Stewart and he loves it!

 

[Worrisome]

thanks 2016, I did think she was over tired, but I cant for life of me get her to go to bed, she sleeps through from about 11pm until 8am, but only catnaps during day.
I gave her some gaviscon in a syringe, never done this way before always given her in bottles of formula, well she is quite content now and asleep, so I can reply lol

Looks like you have a good paed 2016, and hopefully the meds will work, fingers and toes crossed.

Anna, it could be Evan is growing out of it, really hope so hun.

Lizzy, I think yellow poo is good, but if your worried maybe have a word with hv

Stardust, sorry your sore and also having all the worry of the weightloss, take it easy hun
Farie, good luck at paed, hope you finally get the answers regarding the allergies, I bet your fed up of rice and veg hun.
Happyface, good news on the appointment, It will soon pass hun.
Anyone else big hugs

 

[anna matronic]

One set of bedding changed! No sick ALL DAY! He woke up and had a big pool of gooey sick by his head

 

[anna matronic]

Can I ask you all. Does any of your lo seem worse mid evening? Millie has a screaming fit from about now lol, until her last bottle, I don't think its colic as she seems in pain whereas I thought colic was for no reason.

Colic isn't crying for no reason really, undiagnosed reflux is colic, trapped wind is colic The babies are crying for a reason it's just you don't know why. Evan's colic was severe trapped wind that I could do nothing about, that has stopped now but the reflux is still hanging around

Also just to say when Evans reflux is bad so before it was diagnosed he cried for hours before bed and had short periods in the day too of being really unsettled. After Christmas when i took him off gaviscon and the reflux got bad again it was taking me 6/7 hours to get him to sleep and all he did was cry. The gaviscon has totally stopped that, but he is still sick.

 

[Worrisome]

I just can't work out why she is crying though, it must be related to the reflux, but its only in those witching hours lol
When she has reflux its like she has episodes of it, ie will wake up in pain, then is usally sick. This seems different.

 

[anna matronic]

Could she have wind? Silly question but I found it was things I didn't think of that made evan un settled. Like he'd be totally winded an fine then ages later get terrible belly ache it'd take me ages to work it out, or the bedtime routine had gone on for so long he'd be hungry again and ad I'm a div I wouldn't think of that!! Or he'd so a poo ( he never poos at night!!)

is her temp ok? Just checking she's not I'll, lots going round at the mo xx

 

[Farie]

Nim has a awful witching hour too ....
5-8pm ish she's feral (well, more feral )
She just has to be cuddled and rocked and cuddled some more, I use the time to do her bath, massage (which she usually screams through) then feed and more cuddles and rocking.
It's exhausting!

 

[Farie]

Ps - sorry I'm not writing better replies to you all, typing I handed on the iPad!
Thinking of you all lots

 

[Sarah10]

Is it typical for afternoon feeds to be worse?
xx

 

[Farie]

Afternoon feeds are Nims worst.

 

[happyface82]

For us afternoon feeds are the worst as well! We had a terrible night. SHe kept waking. . . she has started refusing to eat again!!! She hasn't done that in 2 months. I can't believe she is 9 months and its getting worse Its been too long!!!

Sorry not feeling so positive today!