Reflux Help & Support Thread

[DarlingMe]

Ladies has anyone found any non-medication methods to help? LO is on rantidine and gets it re-dosed by weight. The ped has mentioned starting emeprazole but is hesitant. I can hear him when he is sleeping in his bouncer, hours after eating still getting reflux and coughing. I just wonder besides elevating, frequent burping, and belly rubs there is anything else we can do? I think that is it but maybe I am missing something?

 

[booda]

Do you have a sling? I found it helpful to keep LO upright, have a home-made mei-tai and a moby wrap....... also these door-frame hanging bouncers? keep the wee one upright, depends if he'll tolerate it or not - my wee one likes it for about 10 mins which isn't really helpful but as yours is a little older might help? also if im doing stuff in kitchen or whatever i use the bumbo chair, he's more upright and i can put the bumbo chair on the kitchen table or the bunker/countertop and he's at a good level to see me all the time and sit upright while i get stuff done! Apart from that, im still cycling through possible CMPI, lactose intolerance, caffeine sensitivity, basically anything i can think of :/

 

[booda]

Booda, all advice is spot on- don't delay and goto RHSC for sure - I'm forever telling mums to goto A&E at a childrens hospital - seems to be the only way many of us can get a doc that knows about reflux! Depending on who you see, (my first visit was great, but 2nd time different doc initially tried to pass off as colic !), you might still need to push for the ranitidine. The longer you wait for the right meds, the more damage the acid does, and the longer it takes for the acid damage (stomach and oesoph) to heal, and for your baby to be pain free.

Also, it's unusual (strange) for doc to prescribe only domperidone??? Here's a link to GP guidelines https://www.banes.nhs.uk/SiteCollec...lux in infants Policy v1 - September 2010.pdf

good luck x

O.O wow thanks for this. i wondered about domperidone too, since i know it only speeds up gastric emptying....wondered how on earth this helped the acid reflux problem :/ yep, fuck the GP's, they're not helping at all. i'll ask nicely for a referral to RHSC and if not then i'll just be turning up with handcuffs.

 

[prgirl_cesca]

Door bouncers make Luca vomit loads! I have to time it very carefully.

I would also suggest not putting pressure on their belly too soon after feeds such as putting in carseat and trying to keep them as still as possible after feeds which is easy until they reach 4/5 months!

I found 4-5 months the worst for his reflux - he wouldn't stay still after feeds but couldn't sit upright himself so I would keep him in his bouncer for ages after a feed trying to entertain him, only to take him out and him vomit everywhere!!!! But I have to say, keeping fingers crossed he has started sitting up by himself in the last few weeks and his vomiting has dramatically reduced. Not only is it less frequent but it's only a little bit of sick now so a quick wipe up with a muzzie does the job. I hope this is the turnaround....although I'm still finding a lot of solid food is reacting badly with him.

 

[DarlingMe]

I just started putting him in the exersaucer for short periods. Prior to that I would wear him alot, still do! But it is hard to do those bending over chores with him strapped tothe front. When I change him to back carry that will be a little better.

I will pull out his door bouncer. He doesn't bounce too much in the saucer so might be ok. I think he pressure from things like the bouncer (or car seat) make it worse though! I try to avoid putting him in them right away but it usually doesn't matter.

Thanks for the advice ladies!

 

[lilbumpblue]

have you tried baby rice in his milk to thicken it slightly? X

 

[DarlingMe]

have you tried baby rice in his milk to thicken it slightly? X

It didn't seem to help. Plus it is a pain because we are breastfeeding and it increases the risk for gluten allergies to start this early. But I tried for 3-4 days twice a day. I think I might just have to talk my doc into another med. He is only on the one now.

 

[babylove719]

Hello Ladies,
I just came across this thread searching the forums for advice on reflux.

My 3-week old baby girl was just diagnosed with it by her pediatrician.
She prescribed Axid (Nizatidine) .25ml twice a day. Also advised me to eliminate milk from my diet and can give her 1ml Maalox as needed for difficult episodes. She is also taking Culturelle (a probiotic) daily.

Anyone here had their LO on Axid? Did it work? and how long did it take to work? She's been on it for 3 days now.
Also I have cut out milk from my diet and cut wayyy back on all other dairy but not quite cut it out completely. I'm hoping that will be enough. How long does it take to see a difference from that change?

I do see a small improvement so far, but she still has so much on and off pain from the burning acid and a few bad episodes of it each day. I just can't stand the look of pain on my baby's face and seeing her little body writhe in agony I will do anything to make it stop I just want to start seeing her happy for longer periods of time, she's such a beautiful sweet angel other than the reflux issues

ANY advice is greatly appreciated!

 

[happyface82]

I'm really sorry your LO suffers from reflux. I have not heard of Axid, I don't think we have it in the UK so I can't help with how long it will take for it to work.

Is your doctor suspecting an allergy to dairy? If so it can also be tummy pain that is causing discomfort. If you cut down you should see an improvement in the first couple of weeks, though it probably takes about a month for everything to clear out of her system!

 

[DarlingMe]

Babylove I noticed improvements within a couple days, much better in a couple weeks. I tried to keep some dairy but I had to cut it all out. I don't avoid things if they say "contains milk" but if milk, soy, or whey are in the first 10 ingredients I won't eat it.

I think axid is the same as Zantac or rantidine that is used. I noticed an improvement with the rantidine and I can tell when inforget to give it to him, but he still has symptoms of the reflux. He is sleeping now in his bouncer, hasn't eaten for 3 hours, and I have heard him several times reflux, cough, and clear his throat. I don't know if anything makes it go away but maybe just helps control it?

I have an appt in a few hours with a different pediatrician in the group. Maybe a fresh pair of eyes will help LO and his reflux. He is so sensitive to the dose that everytime he gains more than a pound it has to be increased. I am hoping he will put him on omeprazolw or something since I really feel like the ranitidine doesn't work anymore.

 

[chichestermum]

DarlingMe thankyou for pointing me to this thread! i got to read a fair few pages before my eldest decided that she was bored of letting mummy have a minutes peace!

My youngest got diagnosed with reflux yesterday, shes had it from about day 5 but i assumed it was colic (i also assumed it was colic with eldest but looking back it was probably reflux!) so my youngest has had to endure 3 weeks of me bumping her around and running up and down the stairs to get wind up to make sure that no air bubbles were trapped, which always made her vomit for miles.
She has stuffy nose, always coughing, hiccups after almost every feed, projectile sick usually coming out of her nose as well which then causes sneezing fits, legs are always drawn upwards, unsettled most of the day, funny sounds when breathing (like she has a bad chest i think thats it! im lucky that she is really good of a night, bedtime feeds are easy with no fussiness and as long as we go back to bed gentle then she is fine and goes straight back to sleep, tho she is raised as we bed share so she sleeps in the crook of my arm. and she has started to rest during the day in her floppeze cushion which keeps her at 45degree angle and she is starting to be more settled in that, now that it smells of mummy and is comfy lol!
im hoping baby gaviscon will work for her otherwise its a 2 week wait until the Dr will prescribe anything different, thats if they will as she is gaining weight fabulously! im worried they will leave her to be in pain just because she is gaining weight!

It really is an awful thing for LOs to have! xxxx

 

[happyface82]

Hi chichestermum!

I was reading at your LOs symptoms and I was thinking maybe a a dairy allergy apart from the reflux. Constant stuffy nose and funny sounds when breathing are very much related to allergies and reflux of course can be also cause by an allergy. Maybe something to discuss with your doctor?

Hope you see an improvement soon!

 

[booda]

<grump>
Day 4 of no cow-milk-protein, no caffeine, no soy.
Which basically means (im a veggie anyway, would like to be able to eat meat but just cant seem to bring myself to do it) im living on rice, pasta, vegetables, and "free from" rich teas. Oh, and weetabix with rice milk.

just fed up, have lost 3.5lbs since sunday on this stupid diet, it better bloody help!
</end grump>

 

[chichestermum]

Hi chichestermum!

I was reading at your LOs symptoms and I was thinking maybe a a dairy allergy apart from the reflux. Constant stuffy nose and funny sounds when breathing are very much related to allergies and reflux of course can be also cause by an allergy. Maybe something to discuss with your doctor?

Hope you see an improvement soon!

hiya! my midwife suggested the food allergy after a few days so since day 4 (could of been day 3, they all merge into 1) i have been on a very restricted diet which doesnt include much, im only eating things that were uncommon to have allegies too and things that didnt start off my ibs or give me trapped wind etc, so far its no help but il keep at it. on the plus side i feel ridiculously healthy! did have a slip up last night, it was a loooong night and my teasmade was there on the bedside table with our tea cups and OHs milk for his in the morning, i ended up putting it on and having a lovely milky tea, it was heaven! even better when after i finished LO fell asleep and so i got to have a happy sleep so far its made no difference.
Tho thinking about it now, i have had flu and just getting over it so maybe stopping dairy has helped her but before i got to see a difference she has caught a mild case of flu or a cold from me and that is causing stuffy nose etc
Hopefully everything will get sorted out soon, i didnt get to fully enjoy my eldest as a newborn with me feeling like a failure due to not being able to breastfeed, when my LO could breastfeed i was over the moon and couldnt wait to fully enjoy every moment without feeling bad but now i feel awful because shes in pain and there is nothing i can do!

1st baby gaviscon sachet didnt do anything, i couldnt bare to give her it inase she hated it so i expressed a bottle and OH fed her it with the gaviscon inside the bottle, she didnt seem to notice so we have just had a feed at the boob and i gave her the gaviscon afterwards, she did mind that and screamed but she only cried afterwards for 15 mins and only puked once and it was only a tiny 1! she even got to enjoy a bit of time in her play mat propped up of course and now, just 40 mins after a feed she is fast asleep and looking happy! usually she would still be crying! hoping that it keeps working and she doesnt get used to it or it cause her any other problems! xx

 

[stephybump2be]

Hello Ladies,
I just came across this thread searching the forums for advice on reflux.

My 3-week old baby girl was just diagnosed with it by her pediatrician.
She prescribed Axid (Nizatidine) .25ml twice a day. Also advised me to eliminate milk from my diet and can give her 1ml Maalox as needed for difficult episodes. She is also taking Culturelle (a probiotic) daily.

Anyone here had their LO on Axid? Did it work? and how long did it take to work? She's been on it for 3 days now.
Also I have cut out milk from my diet and cut wayyy back on all other dairy but not quite cut it out completely. I'm hoping that will be enough. How long does it take to see a difference from that change?

I do see a small improvement so far, but she still has so much on and off pain from the burning acid and a few bad episodes of it each day. I just can't stand the look of pain on my baby's face and seeing her little body writhe in agony I will do anything to make it stop I just want to start seeing her happy for longer periods of time, she's such a beautiful sweet angel other than the reflux issues

ANY advice is greatly appreciated!

I know it's a pain, but cut dairy out of your diet completely. Anything that's 'vegan' will be dairy free. Use Ricemilk or Oatmilk instead of cows milk, Pure Sunflower Spread (not soya cos about 50% babies react to soya too), and start checking labels!! The first couple of shop trips will be a pain, but it does get much easier - some normal bread is dairy free, 'cheap' buscuits are often dairy free, and Fry's Cream chocolate and haribo's are too. Have a look at these sites: one is about breastfeeding a reflux baby, and the other gives a 'credit card' sized list of dairy ingredients that you can print off and keep in your purse: https://www.reflux.org/reflux/webdoc01.nsf/(vwWebPage)/Breastfeed.htm?OpenDocument
https://www.kellymom.com/store/freehandouts/hidden-dairy01.pdf

Axid soes the same job as ranitidine, it's jst slightly different chemically: they both reduce the amount of stomach acid that causes your baby pain. This may do the trick (but doesn't help all babies), or may need to move on to omeprazole which is more effective at blocking acid. Ranitidine usually works within a few days, but will need an increase in dose every 2-3wks as baby gains weight.

Hope this helps

Hope this helps

 

[babylove719]

Hi again ladies
I'm having a rough couple of days and could use some comfort

I know I've only been dealing with this condition for a few weeks, and I know I'm lucky that it has at least been diagnosed very early, but I'm having a hard time coping with my baby being in pain or even uncomfortable and I can't do anything to help her.

My poor little girl is always uncomfortable or actually in pain. The only time she's not is when she's sleeping and even then it's not always a deep peaceful sleep, I can see the reflux making her stir. So far it seems that her prescription is not working and my elimination of milk from my diet has not had an effect as far as we can tell.

I just want to enjoy her being a newborn, I will never get this time back and neither will she. The moments are sooo few that she even has her eyes open that she is not fussing and uncomfortable. Will I ever get to see her be happy and content when she is awake?? Will she ever be happy for more than a few moments at a time? Right now it seems like that will never happen and everthing I read says she may grow out of it by one year or even later. So is this how it's going to be for at least a year? That is a scary thought, I am feeling really depressed about it. I keep reading on reflux articles about how stressful it is to deal with an "unhappy" baby through the duration of reflux. does that mean that every baby with reflux is doomed to be unhappy for it's first year of life? That thought makes me burst into tears.

I had the perfect pregnancy and labor and now my baby is suffering... whyy????? I just want to take her pain away

Please help
tell me if/when it got better for you and your baby. Tell me it's not always like this, I don't know how to deal with my precious angel always hurting and mommy can't help

 

[chichestermum]

babylove its soo upsetting seeing them in so much pain isnt it! my LO fell asleep sitting upright after a good feed and has been quiet and peacefull, even tho shes not awake and happy im taking comfort in the fact that she isnt in pain and is managing to sleep. im new to reflux so iv read all the pages that say 6-12 months maybe longer for it to get better and im really saddened by this, hopefully something will work for our LOs xxxx



so our 2nd day of infant gaviscon has been awful! after the 2nd dose working wonders last night i thought we had found the solution, but no thays far too simple and LO woke up screaming with reflux, she had a feed and her gaviscon and settled for half hour before she was ready for next feed, since then shes been feeding every hour for comfort i think she had 3 doses of gaviscon in total this morning but she couldnt go for a poop and when she managed to (after lots of tummy rubs and leg pumping) it was like a thick paste were she is used to runny liquid, poor thing! so we havnt gave her any more, her sick is still coming up lumpy with the gaviscon tho so its still in her system, im hoping the extra feedings will wash it through faster, poor thing is so tired were she hasnt slept enough, o just feel so sorry fpr her! off to the doctors for us on monday! xxx

 

[booda]

so our 2nd day of infant gaviscon has been awful! after the 2nd dose working wonders last night i thought we had found the solution, but no thays far too simple and LO woke up screaming with reflux, she had a feed and her gaviscon and settled for half hour before she was ready for next feed, since then shes been feeding every hour for comfort i think she had 3 doses of gaviscon in total this morning but she couldnt go for a poop and when she managed to (after lots of tummy rubs and leg pumping) it was like a thick paste were she is used to runny liquid, poor thing! so we havnt gave her any more, her sick is still coming up lumpy with the gaviscon tho so its still in her system, im hoping the extra feedings will wash it through faster, poor thing is so tired were she hasnt slept enough, o just feel so sorry fpr her! off to the doctors for us on monday! xxx

I could have written this word for word, seriously....health visitor chirping away with shite like "oh no breastfed babies don't get constipated no way!" my LO went from pooing liquidy 3-5 times a day, to NOT pooing for 4 days and eventually after lots of screaming until purple and legs being pulled up and him rolling into a ball....we stopped it. poo was normal again in 2-3 days, but the pukeyness continued - which i think was more congealed milk from the reflux rather than the gaviscon, it shouldnt stay in baby's tummy for any longer than a few hours, and isn't absorbed into the blood so should just travel through digestive tract ...
I dont think i've ever read that gaviscon has been brilliant for someones LO, and its SUCH a pain with breastfeeding too, having to express milk (my lo wouldnt take it with water) and mix it, try to cupfeed him it (didnt work) or get a bottle with a big hole in it (ended up using knitting needle to widen hole on a bottle we already had) and then letting him drink that and then go for the boob,.,,.... FAFF FAFF FAFF!
anyway hugs to everyone, and keep fingers crossed for an instant cure(!)

 

[booda]

I had the perfect pregnancy and labor and now my baby is suffering... whyy????? I just want to take her pain away

Please help
tell me if/when it got better for you and your baby. Tell me it's not always like this, I don't know how to deal with my precious angel always hurting and mommy can't help

Aww hun reading this brought tears to my eyes because i know exactly what you mean. My HV is convinced i have PND but i know i dont, i just have a baby in pain and i cant fix it!

In reference to I don't know how to deal with my precious angel always hurting and mommy can't help .......mommy can and DOES help, by being there, cuddling, and comforting her, although you can't take away her pain you can make it a hell of a lot easier to deal with

 

[chichestermum]

I could have written this word for word, seriously....health visitor chirping away with shite like "oh no breastfed babies don't get constipated no way!" my LO went from pooing liquidy 3-5 times a day, to NOT pooing for 4 days and eventually after lots of screaming until purple and legs being pulled up and him rolling into a ball....we stopped it. poo was normal again in 2-3 days, but the pukeyness continued - which i think was more congealed milk from the reflux rather than the gaviscon, it shouldnt stay in baby's tummy for any longer than a few hours, and isn't absorbed into the blood so should just travel through digestive tract ...
I dont think i've ever read that gaviscon has been brilliant for someones LO, and its SUCH a pain with breastfeeding too, having to express milk (my lo wouldnt take it with water) and mix it, try to cupfeed him it (didnt work) or get a bottle with a big hole in it (ended up using knitting needle to widen hole on a bottle we already had) and then letting him drink that and then go for the boob,.,,.... FAFF FAFF FAFF!
anyway hugs to everyone, and keep fingers crossed for an instant cure(!)

her poops are starting to get back to normal now, she was having at least 6 liquid poops a day and today we had a solid 1 this morning and then 2 which were slightly more liquid each time, she has been twice as sicky tho! hope thedoctor has something magic up his sleeve to help her because its soo upsetting seeing her in pain and not being able to comfort her every time (elder DD needs attention too!)
it was hassle expressing milk for it, i gave her it through a syringe in the side of her mouth, got 1 from the chemist that was 2.5ml and so had to do it 6 times and with every one she screamed! so upsetting!