Reflux Help & Support Thread

[DarlingMe]

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.

My LO also has SR and has gained weight quickly. Both Peds I have seen have commented "well he is eatting well" maybe in a FF baby the weight gain would always be abnormal but as you said BF babes will comfort suck, sometimes for hours! My LO had an apneic episode from the SR, that was the only way we got treatment, and I had to tell them what had happened and insisted not all LOs with reflux vomit or spit up. I would think something so common would be more common knowledge.

 

[prgirl_cesca]

Ditto darlingme, we only got admitted to hospital because of apnea when feeding and he only got treatment for reflux on his third visit.

Luca is FF and was gaining weight well, but I think he only gained because I was offering him food little and often and sometimes literally spending an hour on one bottle to get the stuff down him.

 

[Gcommum]

Sorry roxyroo My boy is 16 months and had bad reflux from 0-14 months, only an occasional episode now.

Some recommendations:
Wear her/feed her upright in a proper sling/wrap, it was a lifesaver. Yes, you'll be vomited on, but it will greatly reduce her pain.
You might want to try a syringe with the gaviscon or even a little cup instead.
Most women find gaviscon useless unfortunately. If you don't see improvement, try and see about something stronger.
Stick with BF as much as possible - formulas are a nightmare and often make things worse (we ended up with soy formula ourselves, it hurt him but it was the lesser of all evils)
Prop up her basket by 45 degrees
Diet- "elimination diet", dairy and onions tend to be the biggest culprits. Dairy exists in so many products you wouldn't even realize- search a vegan website or non-dairy website for specific product lists.

Also 21 days is a prime growth spurt so she will require cluster feeding/be very clingy, this is normal even for non-reflux babies, just try to SURVIVE, good luck

Welcome, adn so sorry your havin to deal with this. My dd, Sophie, suffered terrible acid reflux and is till exclusively bf (one yr old yesterday). Spot on info from Aliss.

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!!

DEFO keep up the bf if you can - it is MUCH easier to digest than ff which can cause more pain. Have a look at this article here:

CMPI/ MSPI (cows milk protien intolerance / milk soya protien intolerence) is the most common allergy in babies and can cause severe reflux. Excluding dairy from your diet can make a huge difference if this is the case. Have a look here
This book saved my sanity (best £6 I ever spent - just read the reviews by other parents):
Feed your lo while they're half asleep

Put your baby to sleep on their tummy. I started this at 5 wks cos my LO could not lie on her back at all. At first i only did it during the day so that i could keep an eye on her, but after a week i did it at night too cos it was the only way any of us could get some sleep. I was terrified of SIDS at first cos tummy sleeping is a major factor in cot death, but when i researched it i found that it was almost always in combination with other factors. Have a look at the SIDS website b4 using tummy sleeping s o that u can take every possible precaution.

Trust your instincts and do what works for you and your baby - if the only place she can sleep is a bouncy chair then do it.

There are meds out there that can really help. Usually they start with gaviscon, then move onto ranitidine (zantac), then omeprazole. It can be a battle getting the docs to take you seriously, and a constant battle getting them to increase dosages or change the meds, but stay polite, firm and insitant. If your daughter is really distressed goto the nearest childrens hospital, or at least one with a paediatric unit and keep pushing un til someone helps her.

sorry so long, but i felt I needed a lot more detail in the beginning than i could find!!

Thank you both so much for your detailed replies, you have no idea how much I appreciate it I've had my hands full for the last few days so haven't had chance to get online.

We've been giving her the Gaviscon, it's going ok, we're giving it in a syringe mixed with 5ml of my breast milk, is this ok? The problem is she keeps spitting it out so is only getting half of it if we're lucky. It seems to help sometimes, but not others. She's still unsettled but not as much as she was.

Our main problem now is that she is incredibly clingy now, and constantly wants my boob. For the first two weeks she'd feed every 2-3 hours and sleep happily in her moses basket inbetween feeds. Now, she's feeding as often as every hour and comfort sucking inbetween. Putting her down is impossible, she cries as soon as we put her down - I'm so tired I didn't get any sleep again lastnight as she'd fall asleep on me and as soon as I tried to put her down she's wake up and want to suckle again, it's so exhausting. Does anyone have any ideas on how to help her to sleep in her basket again? I've propped her basket up but it doesn't seem to have helped.

We've tried giving her a dummy to sooth her but she keeps spitting it out. We've tried loads of different ones but she doesn't want them.

I'm worried that she's going to get too used to sleeping on me and that we'll never get her to sleep in her basket again.

Sorry for the long post, and thanks again for the advice

Will she suck your finger? My LO would only suck my finger at first and not take a dummy. I trained him to take the dummy by letting him suck my finger and then substituting the dummy after 2 mins. I also found that my boy responded really well to swaddling especially when he was in pain due to his reflux. Another thing that really worked to calm him when i put him down was to use white noise. The cooker hood worked, as did the hairdryer and the hoover. Sometimes (esp if they are tired) it will work for long enough to get them to sleep. Currently I swear by the Greco swing. I swaddle him and put him in this and turn on the options that sound most like white noise. Quite often he'll feed in here when he won't normally (obs not applicable if you're BF). Good luck, it does get better and you do learn to cope.

 

[Gcommum]

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

Oh god, this just made me tear up because I can 100% relate to how you are feeling. i was the same way with my boy, I used to get to the point most days where I would be in tears because I couldn't bear to see him in pain anymore. Medication helped. He is now 15 weeks and is a very happy little boy. He still suffers after feeding, but I keep him upright, let him suck his dummy and spread his feeds out over an hour. He smile and laughs and gives me lots of joy. He is very clingy (which i think is always the way with reflux babies), but he deals a lot better with the pain. Trust me it will get better, everyone used to tell me this and they were right.

 

[KellyC75]

Dropping by with for Mums & Babies

 

[satine51]

Hello fellow reflux mums. After a few unsucessful visits to the doctor's, we have finally been diagnosed yesterday with reflux and prescribed ranitidine. I am happy, but so exhausted. I am fed up of just surviving every day, I want to start enjoying it, but it is so hard! My LO was a comfort feeder with good weight gain so all doctors were just fobbing us off. Her reflux has gotten even worse in the last two weeks so yesterday I requested emergency appointment and decided not to leave the doctor's office until we get something for reflux other than gaviscon which did nothing for us or get a referral to a pediatrician. We were lucky to find another doctor who treated us seriously.
I think what helped was that we filmed her relux attacks on my mobile and showed the video to the doctor. He agreed that she was clearly in pain!
I just hope and pray ranitidine works for us.

 

[KellyC75]

Hi Girls :wave:

I was hoping I wouldnt ever have to ask for advice on this thread again (in the nicest possible way of course) But.....My Daughter has started being really whiny all day, pretty similair to when she was 1st diagnosed tbh

She is now 1 year old & not really having much milk, but the milk she does have isnt a reflux one

She has been a little bit sick now & then, which again hasnt happened for ages, but is similiar to when the reflux 1st started

So, all in all, I think she is being bothered by it again

Wondering if anyone has any suggestions, as I now live in Australia

 

[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

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.

My LO also has SR and has gained weight quickly. Both Peds I have seen have commented "well he is eatting well" maybe in a FF baby the weight gain would always be abnormal but as you said BF babes will comfort suck, sometimes for hours! My LO had an apneic episode from the SR, that was the only way we got treatment, and I had to tell them what had happened and insisted not all LOs with reflux vomit or spit up. I would think something so common would be more common knowledge.

My DD is putting weight on really fast and im so sick and tired ot the Drs telling me she is fine because she is thriving! grrr!

We went to the health visitor on wednesday who told me to go back to the drs again and demand something to happen and if they didnt that i had to call the health visitor and they would fight our corner for me
my mum was with me and when we went the drs on friday she told the stupid smarmy idiot what for lol! he has referred us to the pead at hosp and i asked him to prescribe omez(cant spell it lol!) and he put a note on their and he was going to check with another Dr if she could have it but they said no so that wasnt good but at least were getting somewhere with finally being referred!

 

[prgirl_cesca]

Has she tried a new food Kelly which may have flared it up?

 

[KellyC75]

Has she tried a new food Kelly which may have flared it up?

She is trying all sorts of new food....Mayby thats what it is?

 

[stephybump2be]

Hi Girls :wave:

I was hoping I wouldnt ever have to ask for advice on this thread again (in the nicest possible way of course) But.....My Daughter has started being really whiny all day, pretty similair to when she was 1st diagnosed tbh

She is now 1 year old & not really having much milk, but the milk she does have isnt a reflux one

She has been a little bit sick now & then, which again hasnt happened for ages, but is similiar to when the reflux 1st started

So, all in all, I think she is being bothered by it again

Wondering if anyone has any suggestions, as I now live in Australia

Aw Kelly thats so rubbish - sorry to hear she's suffering again. Could be something she's eaten right enough, or maybe a tummy bug or cold or teething or constipation has caused a flare up?? Who knows!!

On the + side, Sophie is jst over a year too and keeps really well now, but still gets flare ups for a few weeks at a time (beef or rich food defo seem to set her off), despite still being on domperidone and omeprazole and avoiding dairy! She's been a bit crap for weeks now but other kids have had tummy bugs and she's also had a couple of chest infections (probably cos reflux babas are more prone to them!). However, it's NEVER gotten anythin like the 'bad old days', so hopefully ur LO will be the same and it will jst pass. I usually switch to cooled boiled water for all her drinks as this helps break up wind and help constipation, and sometimes I give lactulose for a few days if her poo's a bit dry - dunno whether foods trigger symptoms or symptoms put her off food (chicken or the egg?).

Go and see the doc's, even if you feel she might not need meds - knowing what options are available if you need them should help put your mind at rest . (They defo use omeprazole as I have Ozzy friends with a reflux baby)

I know the timings bad for you cos you'll be worryin how you'll cope in a new country, and with a new baby to care for soon - but you will jst keep on bein a great mama. Plus, it's highly unlikely that ur 1yr olds reflux will go back to being really bad, and if ur new squishy does have a bit of reflux is not likely to be another really severe case.

Keep ur chin up honey and try not to worry about 'what if' x

 

[KellyC75]

Hi Girls :wave:

I was hoping I wouldnt ever have to ask for advice on this thread again (in the nicest possible way of course) But.....My Daughter has started being really whiny all day, pretty similair to when she was 1st diagnosed tbh

She is now 1 year old & not really having much milk, but the milk she does have isnt a reflux one

She has been a little bit sick now & then, which again hasnt happened for ages, but is similiar to when the reflux 1st started

So, all in all, I think she is being bothered by it again

Wondering if anyone has any suggestions, as I now live in Australia

Aw Kelly thats so rubbish - sorry to hear she's suffering again. Could be something she's eaten right enough, or maybe a tummy bug or cold or teething or constipation has caused a flare up?? Who knows!!

On the + side, Sophie is jst over a year too and keeps really well now, but still gets flare ups for a few weeks at a time (beef or rich food defo seem to set her off), despite still being on domperidone and omeprazole and avoiding dairy! She's been a bit crap for weeks now but other kids have had tummy bugs and she's also had a couple of chest infections (probably cos reflux babas are more prone to them!). However, it's NEVER gotten anythin like the 'bad old days', so hopefully ur LO will be the same and it will jst pass. I usually switch to cooled boiled water for all her drinks as this helps break up wind and help constipation, and sometimes I give lactulose for a few days if her poo's a bit dry - dunno whether foods trigger symptoms or symptoms put her off food (chicken or the egg?).

Go and see the doc's, even if you feel she might not need meds - knowing what options are available if you need them should help put your mind at rest . (They defo use omeprazole as I have Ozzy friends with a reflux baby)

I know the timings bad for you cos you'll be worryin how you'll cope in a new country, and with a new baby to care for soon - but you will jst keep on bein a great mama. Plus, it's highly unlikely that ur 1yr olds reflux will go back to being really bad, and if ur new squishy does have a bit of reflux is not likely to be another really severe case.

Keep ur chin up honey and try not to worry about 'what if' x

What a lovely reply Thankyou so much, bought a tear to my eye....

It now appears that what I thought was reflux was a virus.....Long story short'ish:

We were in a supermarket, LO started screaming, so I took her outside, my DS2 said 'mummy meadows eyes are swollen'......OMG they so were, she then started getting really drowsy I was so worried, thought she was gonna loose conciousnus, ran back in to supermarket & DS1 rang for an ambulance, LO was still crying, but sooo drowsy & now she had a rash on her head, arms & body the emergency operator told us to keep her alert.....

Ambulance arrived (after what felt like hours!) she started looking a little better Got to hospital, they diagnosed a virus, gave her ibruprofen!

Just got ambulance bill through......$825! But, of course, they provided us with security, in case anything did happen to her

Its taken her a good couple of weeks, but she seems much better now

 

[KellyC75]

Merry Christmas to all Mummys & LO's!

 

[chichestermum]

I finally got my letter through (on thursday) from the hospital to bring in Eliza to start proper treatment for her reflux! finally going to get to go to someone who will give her stronger medicine than gaviscon and domperidone! gotta ring up wednesday to book her appointment.
Though on a downside i think she has a chest infection, she is coughing up green phlegm poor baby xx

 

[stardust599]

I just wanted to update this and say that M now has no issues with reflux at all.

She still has an aversion to milk/bottles though from all the pain memories so we are lucky to get 5-6oz in her across a whole day but she literally eats like a horse from morning til night and drinks tons of water from a cup. She has a healthier diet than me and has no allergies, intolerances or issues with any food. She feeds herself 80% of her meals quite happily. Early weaning really was the answer for us!

She is a very happy, healthy toddler, if still a little small and underweight from the weight/feeding issues when she was a baby, but otherwise you would never know the issues we had!

Fingers crossed baby no 2 (we are due in July!) has no issues with reflux, it really was HELL and is not something I ever want to go through again.

 

[KellyC75]

I just wanted to update this and say that M now has no issues with reflux at all.

She still has an aversion to milk/bottles though from all the pain memories so we are lucky to get 5-6oz in her across a whole day but she literally eats like a horse from morning til night and drinks tons of water from a cup. She has a healthier diet than me and has no allergies, intolerances or issues with any food. She feeds herself 80% of her meals quite happily. Early weaning really was the answer for us!

She is a very happy, healthy toddler, if still a little small and underweight from the weight/feeding issues when she was a baby, but otherwise you would never know the issues we had!

Fingers crossed baby no 2 (we are due in July!) has no issues with reflux, it really was HELL and is not something I ever want to go through again.

Thats great news ~ Its such a relief when they outgrow it

I too am praying that my new LO (due soon) has no reflux issues

 

[satine51]

I need help! So my LO has silent reflux, which got really bad at the end of month 3. She has always been a comfort feeder, although now she only comfort feeds when she is tired. She is exclusively bf and I am on dairy and soy free diet. We were fobbed off with gaviscon but I kept coming back and eventually we were given ranitidine. That helped for about a week and we went back to the docs who upped the dose to max. Again, it seemed to have eased the symptoms slightly, but they were far from gone. Ok, so ahe doesn't cry histerically after every feed now but moans and groans, arches her neck, keeps having tummy spasms etc. we are back to square one after 2 weeks of high dose of rani. I can't take it anymore, I cry every day, very often as I carry my crying daughter in my arms. The cycle is as follows: feed, during or after whch her attack begins, which varies in intensity throughout the day. Then she wears herself out and falks asleep on me, often just comfort sucking. Then a bit of normal time if I am very lucky, feed and the cycle continues. I find it much more difficult than when she was a newborn. I am exhausted and I can't take it anymore. Is there anything left for usthat could be tried?

 

[booda]

I need help! So my LO has silent reflux, which got really bad at the end of month 3. She has always been a comfort feeder, although now she only comfort feeds when she is tired. She is exclusively bf and I am on dairy and soy free diet. We were fobbed off with gaviscon but I kept coming back and eventually we were given ranitidine. That helped for about a week and we went back to the docs who upped the dose to max. Again, it seemed to have eased the symptoms slightly, but they were far from gone. Ok, so ahe doesn't cry histerically after every feed now but moans and groans, arches her neck, keeps having tummy spasms etc. we are back to square one after 2 weeks of high dose of rani. I can't take it anymore, I cry every day, very often as I carry my crying daughter in my arms. The cycle is as follows: feed, during or after whch her attack begins, which varies in intensity throughout the day. Then she wears herself out and falks asleep on me, often just comfort sucking. Then a bit of normal time if I am very lucky, feed and the cycle continues. I find it much more difficult than when she was a newborn. I am exhausted and I can't take it anymore. Is there anything left for usthat could be tried?

Aw im so sosrry it sounds like you're at the end of your tether My LO's reflux is finally controlled on soy/dairyfree diet and omeprazole, my GP (who also happens to be a paediatrician who had a reflux baby of her own) eventually said (after we had been fobbed off with gaviscon and wrongly prescribed domperidon on it's own) "let's not faff with the ranitidine, i'm going to put him straight on omeprazole" .... so that might be an option?
as fat as im aware ranitidine is extremely weight-sensitive, so as your wee one gains weight, the dose is "diluted" (for lack of a better word) more in your wee one so not as effective. Also they can build up a tolerance.

Hope this helps, and if it's not any better and if GP refuses to listen, take LO to the nearest kids hospital A&E and refuse to leave til they've done somethiing.

 

[satine51]

I need help! So my LO has silent reflux, which got really bad at the end of month 3. She has always been a comfort feeder, although now she only comfort feeds when she is tired. She is exclusively bf and I am on dairy and soy free diet. We were fobbed off with gaviscon but I kept coming back and eventually we were given ranitidine. That helped for about a week and we went back to the docs who upped the dose to max. Again, it seemed to have eased the symptoms slightly, but they were far from gone. Ok, so ahe doesn't cry histerically after every feed now but moans and groans, arches her neck, keeps having tummy spasms etc. we are back to square one after 2 weeks of high dose of rani. I can't take it anymore, I cry every day, very often as I carry my crying daughter in my arms. The cycle is as follows: feed, during or after whch her attack begins, which varies in intensity throughout the day. Then she wears herself out and falks asleep on me, often just comfort sucking. Then a bit of normal time if I am very lucky, feed and the cycle continues. I find it much more difficult than when she was a newborn. I am exhausted and I can't take it anymore. Is there anything left for usthat could be tried?

Aw im so sosrry it sounds like you're at the end of your tether My LO's reflux is finally controlled on soy/dairyfree diet and omeprazole, my GP (who also happens to be a paediatrician who had a reflux baby of her own) eventually said (after we had been fobbed off with gaviscon and wrongly prescribed domperidon on it's own) "let's not faff with the ranitidine, i'm going to put him straight on omeprazole" .... so that might be an option?
as fat as im aware ranitidine is extremely weight-sensitive, so as your wee one gains weight, the dose is "diluted" (for lack of a better word) more in your wee one so not as effective. Also they can build up a tolerance.

Hope this helps, and if it's not any better and if GP refuses to listen, take LO to the nearest kids hospital A&E and refuse to leave til they've done somethiing.

Thank you, I will ask for omeprazole. How is it administered? I have to say, it's a struggle with ranitidine, she was taking it easily to start with but it is a real fight now. How quickly have you noticed the difference in your lo? I do sometimes doubt myself, because she never had any proper tests done, but I believe that it is silent reflux, as it is to do with feeding and she has a lot of textbook symptoms. My husband was against strong meds, but he is also at the end of his tether now and willing to try anything. We tried all sorts of colic remedies but nothing helps and if it was colic/gas related then surely she would have outgrown it by now.

 

[prgirl_cesca]

Omeprazole is an absolute bitch to administer. You have to like crush the tablet then dissolve it in water/juice and syringe it in but it leaves loads of leftover pellets which are actually the medication. And it tastes so horrific my son would often just vomit it back up or spit it out. Just the experience I had.

FWIW my son's reflux was at its worst at 4-5 months then got so much better after he learnt to sit up, so I would spend as much time as you can encouraging LO to sit unaided. We had one of those big rubber ring things as I found the bumbo put too much pressure on his belly and he would be sick.

We have only ever had ranitidine (apart from the brief 2 week hell that was omeprazole) and just keep going back to GP every month or so to get the dosage changed. At 6 months they can also have a higher dose twice a day rather than smaller doses three times a day and for some reason that worked well for us. Luca hasn't built up a tolerance to it as far as I can tell.