Reflux

[Pixie]

Eliza eats really well, I am demand feeding her, sometimes she'll feed for 20 minutes somes 1 hour+ depending on the time of day etc. But keeping her meals down is another thing, I sit her up after a feed for 1/2 hour, I burp her etc, she doesn't lay flat, she's at an angle of course.

When she throws up shes hungry again so, we feed again but it's like a vicious cycle, she's happy enough, gaining weight.

If I could just help her to stop having reflux I think her feeds would be a lot more beneficial for her!.

And if my DP comments on how I BF her one more time I will ram his head into a wall:banghead: he also says I am over feeding her, yet the ABA says that isn't possible, but can you? I mean I am beginning to wonder as she'll eat for an hour...vomit eat for another hour and then grumble tummy ache perhaps?

any suggestions

[Lunar]

hmmmm..... I personally Nat, do think you can over feed. Some babies will eat for comfort. Maybe try a day of just letting her go after she vomits and not feeding her, see how she goes. If you are worried at all see your gp or health nurse. They are probably the best ones to speak to about this.
:hugs: to you and beautiful 'piglet'

[Pixie]

Kris I think you and DP are right, I do think sometimes she comfort feeds I am going to start writing down her feeds and length see if I can get some idea of what's happening!

[nemosmum]

Nup cant over feed a baby.JMO of course lol

O used to feed for an hour or more (every feed) every two hours day and night for the first 10 weeks.
He had a healthy weight gain but also suffered from reflux so in hind sight he may of been crying coz of pain not hunger but would feed as the sucking action is comforting for his poor little tummy iykwim so yes a vicious circle

He wasnt diagnosed with reflux until 7mths so it was a pretty bad 7mths!

I too used to keep him upright after feeds etc and nothing worked he did eventually out grow it.

Its hard to know what to do........

My advice speak to gp, CHN and a natropath (I know I know I sing their praises too much, but they do work!)

good luck and big:hugs:

[MummyoftheMuffins]

I had alot of problems with my DD when she was being breastfed... She had reflux too, quite badly. I had my milk checked at the hospital after a few weeks of constant feeding and reflux... Vicious cycle...

Turned out my milk was too watery and because of the reflux she needed something thicker, so i changed to S26 AR which is an anti reflux formula. There are different types of reflux though, my friends baby had a reflux that caused more tummy upset rather than the one that my DD had, she just couldn't keep it down and it didn't upset her at all. My friend also turned to S26 AR and it worked a treat, her DD is now 1 and she is on a toddler formula because she too outgrew it.

Also, my DD turned out to be lactose intolerant too, and had to be medicated so maybe check that out too. But things like this happen,. and most babies outgrow them in time. Their tummy's get stronger as they get older. Definately go and see a GP or a CHN... If they say your bub is fine and you still doubt their decision go to the hospital, they will run proper tests and find out what the REAL problem is and they will help to fix it.
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Best of luck!! :)

[NZMama]

Hi there, not meaning to hijack this thread but Im experiencing something similar. My DD is 5 months old and she is constantly bringing food & breastmilk up. She has done since newborn. I worry because when I compare her to other babies of similar age she seems so much skinnier than them. But the nurse tells me she is gaining weight and it is proportionate to her size. She is still in 000 clothing.
Am I worrying too much over nothing?
Ive also been told that they grow out of it? and that this is pretty much the only cure?
She will wake BF wind wait a bit then have about 1tblspn of farex for solids. I too have to keep her upright somewhat to keep the food in. Any tummy time, leaning too far forward or being held results in a huge baby badge!:confused:

[PhAnToM]

My DD had reflux. And i mean EVERYONE who ever held up until she was 8 months, will have a memory of being christened by her. I used to get so frustrated, I would cry. I was constantly changing her and myself. I don't think there was a single feed she kept down. But she too gained weight.
Look, if there was a health issue, it would be a no weight gain or a weight loss. In this case, your CMHN will be the first to hit the alarm button for you. If she is growing in proportion she is fine. Unfortunately we have to live with it.

I had to take DD to a pediatrician and was weighed by CMHN every week until she was 2 months, just to make sure she kept gaining weight. She was also sent for an x-ray to see if her oesphagus had developed properly and if she had the flap (epiglotis) on it. Everything seemed fine. He said some babies just don't have a matured flap and they have reflux until it matures. It is normal for it take until they are 1.. If it was still an issue by 1, they would operate. (not to say this is what's wrong with any of your babies. Please don't panic!)
Thankfully she did outgrow it.

I was so insistant on bf, that i would express and add thickener to it as the ped. suggested. It didn't make any difference, but i did it until my supply diminshed at 5.5 months.
If you give solids, i would give her a part milk feed and a bit of solid after it as solids are a little easier to keep down and tend to hold down alot of their milk too. Well that's what i did with DD anyway.
She outgrew it by 8 months.
When i was pg, for #2, i kept praying that this time i didn't have the reflux issue. DS was doing great until he got a cold at about 2 months and then... here we go again.

So DS also has reflux, but i'm more relaxed about it this time. Neither of them ever seemed pained. In fact they are probably the happiest vomitters i have ever seen in my life! Shame I don't share their enthusiasm for their :barf:

You can try cutting down the feeds, but i don't know if it will make a difference to be honest. Then you might find your baby will be upset, because they ARE hungry!
Can't win!

[Tam-I-Am]

Hey Nat,

How frustrating! okay, here's my humble opinion - no, you can't overfeed a breastfed baby, BUT some babies will suck for comfort not food.

When Claire was about Eliza's age, I remember feeding her for a 3 hour stint one night, this had been going on for 3 or 4 nights, and I finally, at my wits end, called an ABA counsellor - best move, her advice was this:

A baby of this age can get everything that it needs in a 40 minutes stint - 20 minutes each side. By this stage, if they have been sucking well for most of that 20 minutes each side, they have gotten enough fore- and hind-milk to satisfy their nutritional needs and hunger, so if they're sucking for longer than that its for comfort. In this case, its fine to gently detach her from the breast, and either move to the other side, or put down to sleep/play with etc.

I remember being highly sceptical at the time, thinking, that will never work - she'll just fuss and carry on. To my surprise, she didn't she took really well to it.

I still demand fed, as in, fed her whenever she was hungry. I just didn't feed her for any longer than 40 minutes in any one feed, and made sure that there was at least 2 hours between the start of one feed, and the start of the next (this was quite flexible - if she was hungry, i waived this rule, but I tried to comfort her in other ways first).

I hope this helps, if not, feel free to disregard all advice and do things your own way - and well done you! Eliza putting on heaps of weight is wonderful! You're doing a great job :hugs:

[Pixie]

Thanks eveyone for taking the the time to respond with great advice, have to bookmark this :)

I tried something last night, like you say Tami 20 minutes good idea but I just read that this morning lol, last night I clocked watched I never do really but every 10 minutes I took her off and burped her she fed for 30 mins one side then I offered her the other size well being the piglet she is she latched on, and gobbled away, still burpring her every 10 minutes, the as soon as she started to fuss I took her off and she fell asleep, at 7.50pm amazing she slept unttil 10pm gave her a feed for 10 minutes and she slept until 2.30 again 10 minute feed up again at 5am for 40 min feed no grunting, no vomittng at all:yelclap::yelclap: so going to keep that up today and tomorrow weigh her at mums group.

yeee harrr only one jumpsuit lol

[Tam-I-Am]

Oh, yay, yay, yay! :smiliedance:

Well done for sticking it out - hopefully little piglet Eliza will take to this system of feeding and you can get a bit of a break from it in the middle!

[nemosmum]

Well done Nat:hugs: and Eliza :p

[Pixie]

:yelclap: no huge spews today just the little burpy ones yee harr and shes been sooooo good more than usual so proud of my little girl :D