Reflux Help & Support Thread

[stephybump2be]

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!

I've copied/pasted this from an earlier post - it;s the easiest way to give gaviscon!!

For Gaviscon:
Give gaviscon BEFORE feeds (not after).
To mix it pour the sachet into an eggcup: no corners where the meds get stuck
Fill a 5ml syringe with cooled boiled water: if its still hot jst run the filled syringe under the cold tap to cool it really quick. The syringes that come with 'nurofen' are great cos you can sterilise them and they're not 'pointy' at the end
Add 3mls of the water to the gaviscon and mix until smooth, then add the rest of the water - if it still goes lumpy jst leave it a couple of minutes and the lumps will disolve
Draw all the 5mls back into the syringe: you DONT need to mix it with 15mls as directed - I checked this with a few different pharmacists who all said 5mls was plenty!
Put syringe into babies mouth & release the gaviscon slowly - make sure you aim the meds at the inside of baby's cheek, rather than pointing it
towards the throat
Offer bf immediately

Also, I used to mix a couple of syringes of gaviscon and take them upstairs to use for night feeds (i put them in a long toothbrush holder to keep them clean) - i know they recoment you make it up immediately b4 giving to baby, but worked ok for us!!

 

[stephybump2be]

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

Well said Booda, mean EVERYTHING to our reflux babies. This post made me cry too, and also making me REALLY angry: how many of our babies need to go through this when there are meds that can make them sooo much better???? This thread has only been running since Jan2011, is jst a drop in the ocean on this massive internet (there are many more forums full of stories with more babies affected by reflux), and look at HOW MANY babies are being left to suffer excrutiating pain for months - it makes my blood boil. Why are docs not being trained to recognise the symptoms and signs of reflux? Why are the 'protocols' (that dictate gaviscon(useless), then tiny amts of ranitidine, (then higher doses), then tiny amts of omeprazole, (then higher doses), before FINALLY (months down the line - after our babies have suffered sooo much pain) prescribing omeprazole at a dose that actually works) not being changed as they are clearly useless? Why are consultants not using thier 'expertise', (for which they are paid vast sums of money), to immediately prescribe omeprazole at a dosage appropriate to individual babies, rather than blindly following protocols, (which a monkey could do)?

Sorry for the rant, but it really disgusts me - we'd be jailed for allowing animals to suffer like this.

 

[chichestermum]

Im back off to the Drs next week, DD has been prescribed domperidone but it seems useless even after upping the dose to the amount she is allowed for her weight (dr told us to give 1.5ml 3 times when she is allowed 3ml 3times lol!) Can i outright ask for rantidine or omeprazole? xxx

 

[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!

I've copied/pasted this from an earlier post - it;s the easiest way to give gaviscon!!

For Gaviscon:
Give gaviscon BEFORE feeds (not after).
To mix it pour the sachet into an eggcup: no corners where the meds get stuck
Fill a 5ml syringe with cooled boiled water: if its still hot jst run the filled syringe under the cold tap to cool it really quick. The syringes that come with 'nurofen' are great cos you can sterilise them and they're not 'pointy' at the end
Add 3mls of the water to the gaviscon and mix until smooth, then add the rest of the water - if it still goes lumpy jst leave it a couple of minutes and the lumps will disolve
Draw all the 5mls back into the syringe: you DONT need to mix it with 15mls as directed - I checked this with a few different pharmacists who all said 5mls was plenty!
Put syringe into babies mouth & release the gaviscon slowly - make sure you aim the meds at the inside of baby's cheek, rather than pointing it
towards the throat
Offer bf immediately

Also, I used to mix a couple of syringes of gaviscon and take them upstairs to use for night feeds (i put them in a long toothbrush holder to keep them clean) - i know they recoment you make it up immediately b4 giving to baby, but worked ok for us!!

The gaviscon didnt work, it just made her constipated and her sick not go as far. but thanks for your tips on how to take it! xx

 

[stephybump2be]

Im back off to the Drs next week, DD has been prescribed domperidone but it seems useless even after upping the dose to the amount she is allowed for her weight (dr told us to give 1.5ml 3 times when she is allowed 3ml 3times lol!) Can i outright ask for rantidine or omeprazole? xxx

You can certainly ask, but most docs don't acceot that acid reflux exists in babies, never mind have much experience in this area. These meds will probably come once you've been referred to a paed, or prescribed by a paed when you visit A&E. I eventually took my LO to A&E at a childrens hospital since no one would listen. She was 9wks at the time, and I still feel really guilty that I didn't take her along much earlier. It still took a long time of things not working before we got the right meds at a dose that was high enough to work for her.
Four months is apparently when reflux peaks, but most babies seem to start getting high dose omeprazole at this point (after trying gaviscon, low dose ranitidine, mid dose ranit, high dose ranit, low dose omeprazole, mid dose, high dose) - sometimes i wonder if it peaks at 4mths cos they then start gettin meds that work!!
Sophie took a long time to get better cos ahe also has CMPI and the acid had caused such severe damage to her tummy and oeasophagus lining - try to get treatment quickly for this reason. She started improving at around 6 mths, and has been really well since 10mths - the right meds WORK WONDERS and, despite everything, I'm still bf her at 12mths.
Become as much of an expert on reflux as you can and stay polite but firm when talking to the docs. Write out all the stuff you want to tell them/ask them in advance. Have a look at the list of syptoms on here to get you started: www.infantrefluxdisease.com

 

[chichestermum]

Im back off to the Drs next week, DD has been prescribed domperidone but it seems useless even after upping the dose to the amount she is allowed for her weight (dr told us to give 1.5ml 3 times when she is allowed 3ml 3times lol!) Can i outright ask for rantidine or omeprazole? xxx

You can certainly ask, but most docs don't acceot that acid reflux exists in babies, never mind have much experience in this area. These meds will probably come once you've been referred to a paed, or prescribed by a paed when you visit A&E. I eventually took my LO to A&E at a childrens hospital since no one would listen. She was 9wks at the time, and I still feel really guilty that I didn't take her along much earlier. It still took a long time of things not working before we got the right meds at a dose that was high enough to work for her.
Four months is apparently when reflux peaks, but most babies seem to start getting high dose omeprazole at this point (after trying gaviscon, low dose ranitidine, mid dose ranit, high dose ranit, low dose omeprazole, mid dose, high dose) - sometimes i wonder if it peaks at 4mths cos they then start gettin meds that work!!
Sophie took a long time to get better cos ahe also has CMPI and the acid had caused such severe damage to her tummy and oeasophagus lining - try to get treatment quickly for this reason. She started improving at around 6 mths, and has been really well since 10mths - the right meds WORK WONDERS and, despite everything, I'm still bf her at 12mths.
Become as much of an expert on reflux as you can and stay polite but firm when talking to the docs. Write out all the stuff you want to tell them/ask them in advance. Have a look at the list of syptoms on here to get you started: www.infantrefluxdisease.com

thanks i will ask about it then, no harm in asking i suppose.
my LO also has CMPI iv been dairy free since day 5 and started not having any cattle dairy from monday or tuesday because she was still quite bad.
The only reason Dr prescribed anything was because i demanded it (i posted about his lack of help the other day) LO was arching her back and screaming on the breast and pushing it away with her hands and kicking her back etc, she was in such pain when she was feeding that she started not wanting too!
Thanks for the link i shall go over it all and properly educate myself
polite but firm is hard to do when i suddenly seem to have grown mummy balls and dont give a toss who i pee off in the process of doing anything lol! im usually polite as pie lol! Drs really get on my nerves when they act like they know better than you but then get out there falling apart medical bibles from the 70s to look up symptoms and come up with colic or 'its what babies do' grr!

iv just started a list in my phone about what i want to talk about because otherwise il forget the bit of paper the list is on lol! xxxx

 

[stephybump2be]

Im back off to the Drs next week, DD has been prescribed domperidone but it seems useless even after upping the dose to the amount she is allowed for her weight (dr told us to give 1.5ml 3 times when she is allowed 3ml 3times lol!) Can i outright ask for rantidine or omeprazole? xxx

You can certainly ask, but most docs don't acceot that acid reflux exists in babies, never mind have much experience in this area. These meds will probably come once you've been referred to a paed, or prescribed by a paed when you visit A&E. I eventually took my LO to A&E at a childrens hospital since no one would listen. She was 9wks at the time, and I still feel really guilty that I didn't take her along much earlier. It still took a long time of things not working before we got the right meds at a dose that was high enough to work for her.
Four months is apparently when reflux peaks, but most babies seem to start getting high dose omeprazole at this point (after trying gaviscon, low dose ranitidine, mid dose ranit, high dose ranit, low dose omeprazole, mid dose, high dose) - sometimes i wonder if it peaks at 4mths cos they then start gettin meds that work!!
Sophie took a long time to get better cos ahe also has CMPI and the acid had caused such severe damage to her tummy and oeasophagus lining - try to get treatment quickly for this reason. She started improving at around 6 mths, and has been really well since 10mths - the right meds WORK WONDERS and, despite everything, I'm still bf her at 12mths.
Become as much of an expert on reflux as you can and stay polite but firm when talking to the docs. Write out all the stuff you want to tell them/ask them in advance. Have a look at the list of syptoms on here to get you started: www.infantrefluxdisease.com

thanks i will ask about it then, no harm in asking i suppose.
my LO also has CMPI iv been dairy free since day 5 and started not having any cattle dairy from monday or tuesday because she was still quite bad.
The only reason Dr prescribed anything was because i demanded it (i posted about his lack of help the other day) LO was arching her back and screaming on the breast and pushing it away with her hands and kicking her back etc, she was in such pain when she was feeding that she started not wanting too!
Thanks for the link i shall go over it all and properly educate myself
polite but firm is hard to do when i suddenly seem to have grown mummy balls and dont give a toss who i pee off in the process of doing anything lol! im usually polite as pie lol! Drs really get on my nerves when they act like they know better than you but then get out there falling apart medical bibles from the 70s to look up symptoms and come up with colic or 'its what babies do' grr!

iv just started a list in my phone about what i want to talk about because otherwise il forget the bit of paper the list is on lol! xxxx

good for you - wish i'd kicked up f**k and refused to leave until they helped - opposite of you: I'm usually polite, firm and insistant, but the zero sleep + two other young kids + bf really wiped me out; every ounce of energy went into comforting her.

Have a look her about bf and reflux - it's the best thing I've found. It's also short n sweet https://www.reflux.org/reflux/webdoc01.nsf/(vwWebPage)/Breastfeed.htm?OpenDocument

Colic is nonexistant, our 2nd visit to A&E (at childrens hospital) the registrar tried to tell us soph had colic - I told him that she had already been put on ranitidine for acid reflux, but that she needed omeprazole: he went to speak to the consultant and prescribed them on the spot. Three days later I phoned and they doubled the dose (over the phone), 5 days later we were prescribed the highest dose for her weight as we ended up back at a&e because she refused to feed for 20hrs straight and was dehydrating, and thats when we went dairy free too. She's fab, smiley and a near 'normal' baby since about 10mths x

 

[booda]

Bit of a rant probably some bad language but need some ventage.

Well, went back to docs after thinking properly and realising that they were taking the utter piss.
Story so far (briefly): Diagnosed with reflux by midwife at breastfeeding clinic at 2 weeks old - told to phone doc and demand on-the-day-appt and prescript for gaviscon by telling them it was urgent for 2 week old baby. got through to receptionist, told her what i needed appt for, Got told doc would phone back. Receptionist phoned back at end of day saying "doc has left script for infant gaviscon at reception, come get it"
..............i'm surprised by this, the BF clinic has NOTHING to do with my GP surgery. The GP prescribed this without even talking to me. There were things i wanted to ask as didn't have a clue about infant reflux - first baby for me, and in my family really :S

Of course, the gavi was rubbish, constipated him, health visitor just kept going on about colic and baby massage and colic colic colic and trapped wind and colic (ignoring my concerns about his lack of feeding etc)

Went back to GP demanding they do SOMETHING to help the poor wee mite, eventually got prescribed domperidone.
We thought it was helping a little as there was less vomiting episodes. The more i've learned, from here, from reading in depth about these various reflux meds, the more i've realised that domperidone only speeds up the gastric emptying, doesnt do anything about the acid travelling up and down LO's oesophagus. (there seems to be limited evidence for it causing contraction of the upper oesophageal sphincter....in adults where the OS is actually formed completely :L) So, from the outside, it LOOKS like its working. But it basically turned vomiting reflux into silent reflux, after a number of week (i forget eactly how many) we stopped the domperidone to see if it really was having an effect. No change in number of puking episodes, screaming episodes, or feeding. Back to GP. Still have a constantly screaming/squealing baby waking up squealing, fighting at breast, popping on and off screaming, dropped from just above 50th percentile to 25th, etc etc etc.
Health visitor's next visit im trying to tell her about all whats been happening with the GP while she goes on about fucking colic and trapped wind. He farts well, burps well, doesnt seem bothered by the odd audible gurgle. It's fucking reflux, NOT COLIC.

Anyway, she then pulls out leaflet entitled "postnatal depression". I AM CRYING BECAUSE I CANT DO ANYTHING ABOUT MY BABY BEING IN PAIN. NOT BECAUSE I HAVE A CHEMICAL/HORMONAL IMBALANCE. She was swiftly reminded I have worked in mental healthcare for a number of years and don't need a fucking leaflet telling me the symptoms of PND. I'm aware I probably do have *some* but then most mothers of reflux babies do. It's a reaction to a situation.

ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. Anyway, yes, quit Domperidone and dairy and soya - any food with even a possible trace was eliminated from my diet. figured i might as well ditch caffeine too.
I then went onto their website and through all the various GP's "letters after their names" and googled the various abbreviations, and found one with OBGYN, DFFP, figured she might have half a clue. This was yesterday. Turns out, she has 2 kids of her own - one of which had reflux. Jackpot. Well, this GP was very surprised he was ONLY on domperidone, and seemed to think he was still on gaviscon too. I have told the HV and EVERY GP we have seen that we stopped the gaviscon after his mega-5-day-constipation and purple/silent screaming thing. It hadn't been recorded, which is apparently why last GP has prescribed domperidone on it's own - either that or didn't know it wasn't to be prescribed on it's own.

So she said - right, left stop farting around now, skip the ranitidine, start him on a medium dose of omeprazole. We start that on monday, which will be exactly 3 weeks of no diary/soy (although i've seen no difference in his reflux/vomiting, his skin has cleared up, so i think there may be SOME intolerance there)
She appreciates I'm not completely thick and has said if we need to adjust the dose by weight, if he takes a jump before next appointment, then feel free to - following rules in the CBNF which luckily i have access to through work.

So fingers crossed it works. And I honestly wish that everyone who has found their way onto this thread manages to find a GP/medication that works for them. Having babies isn't easy, having reflux babies seems to be bloody hard work. If i didn't have my OH there are times i could have taken him back to the infirmary. i take my hat off to those who do it alone or have twins ....... good luck. x

 

[happyface82]

Just want to say good luck from now on. It seems you have had a breakthrough with this GP. It is so hard to find support from GPs who more often know nothing about reflux!

 

[chichestermum]

grr our 6 week check up was yesterday, i explained that the baby gaviscon hadnt worked so we got prescribed domperidone instead and all that done was make the acid go thruogh her so fast that it gave her instant bleeding nappy rash! she was still having reflux attacks, but they were less forceful and sometimes only a small amount of acid came up which she was then swallowing again, causing more pain.

my Dr said that since she is thriving and putting on weight well she isnt going to do anything else, she refused to even have a trial run of other medications and the refused to refer us to a specialist at the hosp. She told me to give a dummy for pain relief. Yea i agree a dummy can ease pains like trapped wind or teething pain, but it does not help with the pain from reflux!
She told me that my little girl knows no different and that its just me thats upset by it, she said i should just keep coping for as long as i can and then start baby rice and weaning so that there will be something solid in her tummy, i then said but she will eventually realise that the food on the spoon isnt causing pain and only mummys milk does and she will stop wanting to be BF, (shes already pulling away and crys at feeding time because she knows it hurts) and she just said if she does that then you can give her formula which is thicker anyway.
GRRR im soo angry! why are all the docs i see lately so against BF for the long run!
I bumped into a woman who had her baby the same day as mine and he also suffers from reflux, when we saw him 3 weeks ago he was doing screechy crys and you could see he was in pain, yesterday he was calm quiet and peaceful in his car seat! i was so jealous! i was standing there trying to get my prescription with a screaming baby because she was in pain and the DR done nothing about it and there was her little boy who had been treated! she told me to see a certain Dr as he reffered her to the hosp straight away, so im booking that appointment tomorrow! if i could drive id change Drs as ours have all been so crap!
Why should my baby have to suffer just because she is putting on weight! and why should my eldest daughter have to suffer being semi neglected most days by a mummy who is constantly trying to comfort a baby in pain!
im so angry/upset/emotional! hate being like this! im not an emotional person usually and im stressing myself out by trying to keep up appearances!


...I HATE REFLUX AND DRS!!!

 

[booda]

she just said if she does that then you can give her formula which is thicker anyway.
GRRR im soo angry! why are all the docs i see lately so against BF for the long run!

This has GOT to be against regulations of some sort!!!!!!! Even the friggin formula companies aren't allowed to recommend formula!!!!!!! Also thats complete bullshit, formula will make reflux worse because of the whole "takes twice as long to digest" thing, it's foreign to baby's body, baby will make MORE acid to break down this weird stuff it's getting
That bloody gp needs to undergo some serious re-training. As for saying "baby knows no better" and basically saying it's you who has the problem - thats SO f***ed up >:[ ....i want to bitchslap this doc.

I have heard that a dummy stimulates saliva production which increases swallowing and therefore peristalsis which can help a bit with reflux, and other evidence suggests the comfort non-nutritive sucking can release natural endorphines which can help with pain, so that might be of use.....i give my wee one a dummy after his feeds, i think it helps with keeping feeds down.

I'd be tempted to make a complain about that doctor to be honest.
found this https://www.nhs.uk/chq/Pages/1083.aspx?CategoryID=68&SubCategoryID=162
Does she not realise that untreated reflux CAN cause further problems? Not trying to be scary, and it IS rare, but it can cause damage to the oesophagus and even have long term effects on the childs food associations. stupid bitch.

I really hope you get somewhere with this other GP tomorrow, will check back here to see how you get on xx

 

[chichestermum]

she just said if she does that then you can give her formula which is thicker anyway.
GRRR im soo angry! why are all the docs i see lately so against BF for the long run!

This has GOT to be against regulations of some sort!!!!!!! Even the friggin formula companies aren't allowed to recommend formula!!!!!!! Also thats complete bullshit, formula will make reflux worse because of the whole "takes twice as long to digest" thing, it's foreign to baby's body, baby will make MORE acid to break down this weird stuff it's getting
That bloody gp needs to undergo some serious re-training. As for saying "baby knows no better" and basically saying it's you who has the problem - thats SO f***ed up >:[ ....i want to bitchslap this doc.

I have heard that a dummy stimulates saliva production which increases swallowing and therefore peristalsis which can help a bit with reflux, and other evidence suggests the comfort non-nutritive sucking can release natural endorphines which can help with pain, so that might be of use.....i give my wee one a dummy after his feeds, i think it helps with keeping feeds down.

I'd be tempted to make a complain about that doctor to be honest.
found this https://www.nhs.uk/chq/Pages/1083.aspx?CategoryID=68&SubCategoryID=162
Does she not realise that untreated reflux CAN cause further problems? Not trying to be scary, and it IS rare, but it can cause damage to the oesophagus and even have long term effects on the childs food associations. stupid bitch.

I really hope you get somewhere with this other GP tomorrow, will check back here to see how you get on xx

I could of bitch slapped her too, it took all of my strength not to just punch her and walk out! i would of walked right out but our surgery is awful to get an appointment at and our 6 week check probably would of been done at 10 weeks otherwise!

I think she thought she would get away with saying about the formula as she said i could give it to her if she refused to BF after realising food didnt hurt. so she wasnt telling me to change but telling me that if baby decided she didnt want the breast then id still be able to get milk into her.

I do give LO a dummy, she comforts sucks constantly on me otherwise causing a mahoosive oversupply and they that aggravates things further. but the dummy causes no pain relief for her, if anything it just annoys her, she spits it out every time and its only my elder daughter who can make her take it for longer than 2 mins!

I will be making a complaint, it will be our 2nd complaint about drs at the surgery after seeing them with LO!

i did tell her about her leaving my LO with her reflux and not even attempting to find a solution to ease her reflux could possibly make things worse as iv done my research and i know what im on about (unlike her! me=smug face) she didnt seem too bothered tho, i think she just thought i was getting arsey then! but hey what do i know im not the medical professional just her mum who knows when something is not right! its not like im a first time mum thinking everything is worse than it is either! my DD is 3 and a half and for the first 7 months of her life she projectile vomited too and sicked up all the time and cried, but i knew that was colic and just a greedy baby eating too much. us mums know when something isnt right! (sorry for going into a rant! im too emotional to reel it in!)

I haven't got an appointment yet, il be ringing up tomorrow to get 1 so hopefully il have an appointment next week, luckily my headstrong liverpudlian mum is visiting then too, so if that Dr starts telling me to just deal with it then he probably will get a slap and punch from her and held at cotton bud point to help my LO.

why are so many of our LOs being left to suffer or having to go through ridiculous amounts of trials and errors with medication to get things sorted out!? its so silly! Theyre sooo quick to prescribe high doses of antibiotics to get over common colds etc and surely that will do worse in the long run than giving our babies the medication they need to be happy and pain free!

Has there ever been a petition or something? i think 1 is needed to stop the trial and error method Drs are using and to give our LOs something that will work sooner rather than later! xxx

 

[booda]

Petition - sounds like a bloody good idea. Or something to raise GP's awareness of what these babies - and parents - go through when theres reflux. I do wonder how significant the link between reflux and PND is, because from reading around here it seems im not the first to have a HV/GP trying to tell me i have PND for being upset about a baby who wont feed, isn't thriving as well as he could be and is in obvious pain a lot of the time. I know his cries, his "pain" cry is a hell of a lot different from his general grizzling/crying. The pain cry i first heard after his heel-prick test, and started regularly at about 10 days old. Same cry at his vaccinations. It's a different bloody cry, i KNOW it is, yet.....noooo HV knows best, it's just 'colic' or it's me paranoia/perceived PND. It is flipping horrible watching wee ones in pain! doesn't mean it's something they need to throw medication at

 

[chichestermum]

Petition time! i found these 2 that will get discussed in
the house of commons if the get 100,000 signatures.
https://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/1492
https://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/22577


My LOs cry pain is a screech and what makes it worse every time i hear it is that when she had her heel prick test she screamed but not to the level or the length of time that she does now, which implies that her reflux is more painful than a needle shoved in your ankle.

I think its probably a link between mis diagnosed PND and reflux as most of the symptoms of PND are easy to have without actually being depressed when your baby is ill and nothing you do will help them and no1 will help you to make them better. I know that i cry randomly for long lengths of time, but its because my baby is in pain, but to the Drs since to them the pain she is in inst that bad then im crying for no reason, I get angry with other people around me easily because i get angry at the medical proffesionals every time my LO has a reflux episode and i take my anger out on them, my appetite has been affected just because iv become used to being hungry were theres not enough time to make yourself something properly to eat when your a mum never mind when you have a baby who is ill! im irritable at anyone who doesnt understand what were going through and so chooses to ignore it. all these things are a sign of PND but im not depressed, im just upset that i have a baby who is in pain!
xxxx

 

[booda]

Petition time! i found these 2 that will get discussed in
the house of commons if the get 100,000 signatures.
https://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/1492
https://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/22577

signed. and made big so maybe some people will also sign

uh oh too big, resized...

 

[chichestermum]

clever idea making it big! xx

 

[babylove719]

Hi girls, I want to know if any of your LOs have been on PREVACID (Lansoprazole). And if they had any side-effects.
My baby's been on it for 6 days and has started seeming terribly constipated, painfully so. She struggles terribly to poop and her little tummy gurgles violently all the time?!!
Putting a call in to her pediatrician now.

 

[DarlingMe]

Babylove my LO has been on that for about 2 weeks, Zantac just wasnt working anymore. Who knows what they use to mix the stuff in though, it tastes awful!! I hope your LO feels better.

 

[stephybump2be]

Petition time! i found these 2 that will get discussed in
the house of commons if the get 100,000 signatures.
https://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/1492
https://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/22577


My LOs cry pain is a screech and what makes it worse every time i hear it is that when she had her heel prick test she screamed but not to the level or the length of time that she does now, which implies that her reflux is more painful than a needle shoved in your ankle.

I think its probably a link between mis diagnosed PND and reflux as most of the symptoms of PND are easy to have without actually being depressed when your baby is ill and nothing you do will help them and no1 will help you to make them better. I know that i cry randomly for long lengths of time, but its because my baby is in pain, but to the Drs since to them the pain she is in inst that bad then im crying for no reason, I get angry with other people around me easily because i get angry at the medical proffesionals every time my LO has a reflux episode and i take my anger out on them, my appetite has been affected just because iv become used to being hungry were theres not enough time to make yourself something properly to eat when your a mum never mind when you have a baby who is ill! im irritable at anyone who doesnt understand what were going through and so chooses to ignore it. all these things are a sign of PND but im not depressed, im just upset that i have a baby who is in pain!
xxxx

Who wouldn't cry a lot? I can't think of anything I've found more distressing than the months spent watching my LO scream in pain with reflux. I've also been there as far as not getting time to eat or sleep properly - it took it's toll both physically and emotionally. My baby girl is now 13mths, still bf, on high dose omepraz+domper and is now a smiley, happy girl. I stopped cryin as soon as she did!!

2nd petition: looks good except the comments on weight gain. Babies with silent reflux often gain weght more quickly in the early months, as breastmilk helps neutralise tummy acid which leads to 'comfort feeding'. So quick weight gain can be as much a sugn of reflux as 'failure to thrive'. This was a HUGE problem for me - nobody would listen because she was gaining weight!! I eventually had to goto A&E at a childrens hospital where she was properly diagnosed, and her symptoms were really severe.

 

[stephybump2be]

Hi girls, I want to know if any of your LOs have been on PREVACID (Lansoprazole). And if they had any side-effects.
My baby's been on it for 6 days and has started seeming terribly constipated, painfully so. She struggles terribly to poop and her little tummy gurgles violently all the time?!!
Putting a call in to her pediatrician now.

My LO had severe silent reflux and uses similar meds (omeprazole), which have been brilliant - she is happy n smiley nowadays. She also has to avoid cows milk and soya. She used to get the symptoms you describe when her reflux was bad - they occured all the time before she got a high enough dose of the meds, and re-occured each time her meds needed increased because she'd gained weight. I think maybe it's worth waitin a few wks so see if the meds help, but some babies do better on one form of these drugs than they do on others, so changing over to a different med (that still works the same way) might help. x