8 week old with gastroesophageal reflux

[mumof2gorgeousgirls]

Hi all, am looking for any tips or advice for gastroesophageal reflux for my 8 week old daughter. She was diagnosed at 2 weeks and put on Gaviscon and then Zantac when the Gaviscon did not help at all.

She is irritable most of the time, with a lot of crying and/or screaming day and night. She vomits during and after feeds with gagging and turning blue sometimes which is so scary but the GP told me is fairly normal for reflux babies.

She is fully breastfed but is difficult to feed as most feeds she pulls off my breast constantly and arches her back, screaming until I can manage to get her to latch on again. The doctor suggested I express some milk so my husband can help with feeding so I can get a few hours sleep but she resists a bottle and I rarely get enough time between feeds and settling her to sleep to express any milk.

I cannot get her to sleep flat on her back in a bassinette, cot or floor. The only way I can get her to sleep is in a rocker on an angle, swaddled tightly. I am worried that sleeping in the rocker may hurt her back?

We have some good days where she is more settled but still feeds 3 hourly and then we have on average 4 bad days per week where she screams anywhere from 6-12 hours and nothing we try settled her.

We are seeing a paediatrician this week but I am at my wits end and thought I would ask other mums for some advice or tips please! The lack of sleep and worry is making it hard to cope especially as I have a 2 year old as well. Any advice would be greatly appreciated:)

[elleandsam]

I would go to the paed and get their opinion as GPs don't know much if anything about reflux in babies. I was told by one GP that silent reflux didn't exist as he'd never heard of it before and I just needed to burp my baby more throughly. :rolleyes:

Reflux (in most) either gets better or more manageable. DD is now 8 months old and has improved immensely.

Just hang in there :)

[TripleTime]

DS reflux affect his breathing like it does for your DD. When it does, you need to get the reflux away from her air ways as quick as possible. Holding her up right will do so.

If the zantac isnt working, you need something stronger like Losec or Nexium.

Put bricks under the head end of her bed, feed her as upright as possible. 1ml of Mylanta before &/or after a feed will dull the acid enough for her to be able to feed.

I personally would be going to a Pead. If reflux is left for to long it can do a lot of internal damage.

[myhusbandswife]

Sorry to hijack but i have a question for TT. My DD is on Losec and thickened formula. Its made a huge difference. She no longer cries after feeds and shes drinking heaps more but I still have a big problem with feed refusal. Can you give Mylanta aswell as Losec?

[TripleTime]

Sorry to hijack but i have a question for TT. My DD is on Losec and thickened formula. Its made a huge difference. She no longer cries after feeds and shes drinking heaps more but I still have a big problem with feed refusal. Can you give Mylanta aswell as Losec?


Sure can providing you dont exceed 80ml's per day which is hard to do, myanta & gaviscone & antacids so they work differently to Losec & Nexium.

Feed refusal comes with having reflux bubs. Try feeding on her terms, if it gets to the point that she isnt putting/allowing anything in her mouth. A speechie is your best bet.

[presley]

My DS3 had silent reflux (he did grow out of it by about 9 wks so :fingerscrossed: for you). I ended up sleeping him in the rocker a fair bit too - I mentioned my concerns with the GP about sleeping in the rocker but she said not too worry, it won't do any damage. I think even if it's less than ideal, it's not going to harm them and at this age it comes down to everyone getting some sleep - so stick with the rocker if it works and you'll both be a bit happier.

Otherwise perhaps a baby bjorn-type carrier during the day to keep bub upright. With bfing, often reflux babies take a feed just to soothe the pain as breastmilk apparently helps - so sometimes ends up in a vicious cycle. So just keep that in mind - maybe try a dummy if it's been less than 3 hrs since the last feed to check if she really is hungry?

[myhusbandswife]

I have worked out shes happy to eat if shes sleepy so we follow a Play Feed Sleep routine which works better for her anyway because otherwise play time can get messy with a reflux bub.

Thanks for your help. Your always so full of wisdom

[TripleTime]

I have worked out shes happy to eat if shes sleepy so we follow a Play Feed Sleep routine which works better for her anyway because otherwise play time can get messy with a reflux bub.

Thanks for your help. Your always so full of wisdom


Welcome.

DS used to feed when he was sleepy, as his gotten older its when we gets up & than quickly get food into him to hold his bottles down.

[TripleTime]

I ended up sleeping him in the rocker a fair bit too - I mentioned my concerns with the GP about sleeping in the rocker but she said not too worry, it won't do any damage. I think even if it's less than ideal, it's not going to harm them and at this age it comes down to everyone getting some sleep - so stick with the rocker if it works and you'll both be a bit happier.

Otherwise perhaps a baby bjorn-type carrier during the day to keep bub upright. With bfing, often reflux babies take a feed just to soothe the pain as breastmilk apparently helps - so sometimes ends up in a vicious cycle. So just keep that in mind - maybe try a dummy if it's been less than 3 hrs since the last feed to check if she really is hungry?


Lifting one end of their bed, will do the same as seeping in a rocker.

Small frequent feeds are best providing bub wants it. Sucking a dummy will produce saliva which brakes down the acid.

[mumof2gorgeousgirls]

Thanks to all for your advice, I will try any and all suggestions. Also, we have been giving her a dummy but she repeatedly spits it out and then cries for it, any tips to keep it in her mouth short of holding it there?

[TripleTime]

TAlso, we have been giving her a dummy but she repeatedly spits it out and then cries for it, any tips to keep it in her mouth short of holding it there?


Gliyserol BP/glysterine either from the chemist or coles in the baby/hygiene isle with the peroxide. Brown glass bottle from the chemist & clear with orange label from coles.

Just dip her dummy it it before you give it to her.

[Nowhere]

Sure can providing you dont exceed 80ml's per day which is hard to do, myanta & gaviscone & antacids so they work differently to Losec & Nexium.

Feed refusal comes with having reflux bubs. Try feeding on her terms, if it gets to the point that she isnt putting/allowing anything in her mouth. A speechie is your best bet.


just gota make sure you dont gve it with in an hour either side of the losec as t can effect how the losec or nexium is absorbed ;), I learnt that the hard way

[TripleTime]

just gota make sure you dont gve it with in an hour either side of the losec as t can effect how the losec or nexium is absorbed ;), I learnt that the hard way


Didnt know that one.

Thanks for reminding me to give J his losec. Hasnt had it today.

[tiggermamma]

I am re-posting this from another thread if you feel like you are seeing double:

Sorry to butt in, but in the hope it helps any of you breastfeeding mums - I have a newborn and am sleeping loads this time round, and I wish I had known about this sooner.

The secret? At the beginning a baby's stomach is attempting to establish flora in the gut and it is a delicate job. Most babies have it disturbed already as in utero they get loads of sugar through their mum's diet (chocolate, peanut butter, soda drinks, gluten everything) and so they are born with a painful disadvantage. On top of which sugar is more addictive than heroin, so babies are all in detox.

However what they really need is milk free from all sugar, lactose (up to 90% of people are lactose intolerant to SOME degree) and gluten.

I stopped eating breads/pastas etc. with gluten, all sugar and dairy for the first 6-8 weeks and my baby has been sleeping through the night. (Except for nappy changes and feeds. And except the night after my sister's birthday when I ate cake and cookies, boy was I sorry).

It's hard to do this, but I value my sleep (and baby's happiness of course) more than anything so I bit the bullet. :oWhen you start eating sugar and gluten again try to do it slowly and then separately to the dairy and see if if makes any difference to baby (my baby was reacting largely to lactose). Some kids don't respond to dairy that well. Onions and other fruits and veg can make a difference to those with severe wind problems too.

Hope this helps even one of you, it made a world of difference to me.:yes:

Also, I had my baby in an inclined rocker the first few weeks which helped a lot and visited a Chiro and I have heard some physio and osteo's can be great for helping with reflux as they have ways of helping the stomach muscles do the things they ought to be doing.

Love the way the doctor writes off your baby's purple faced agony as 'normal' that's really helpful and compassionate.:thumbsdown:

[BabyPaparazzi]

What dose of zantac is she on and has it been increased since she was diagnosed? As they grow so does the dose. My 7 wk old is on 1.8ml twice a day, which just got increased from 1.5 after a growth spurt.

Are you also feeding her in an upright position on the breast? You can also try using a milk thickner, it can be a bit of a pain because you need to add it to small amount of breast milk and usually give it by syringe before a feed. I think karicare make it if I remember correctly.

You can try a different shaped dummy, I found it they made a huge difference, both of mine preferred nuby until older.

[TripleTime]

Are you also feeding her in an upright position on the breast? You can also try using a milk thickner, it can be a bit of a pain because you need to add it to small amount of breast milk and usually give it by syringe before a feed. I think karicare make it if I remember correctly.



Thickener can be mixed with water to make a gel. Yes Karicare do make it.

[mumof2gorgeousgirls]

She is only on .5ml of Zantac as she is just under 3 kilos, I am hoping the paed will increase the dose as I'm sure she has put on a bit of weight, she is finally out of 5 zeros!

[Misschief]

DS has had bad reflux since 5 weeks old. He's on Losec at the moment and it works quite well.

I have his cot mattress raised on one side to a 30 degrees angle. I just put some phonebooks under the mattress.

I have also been shown a new position to feed him. Its a great position for reflux bubs. You put your feet on like a little step, to level your legs. (If you have a short and tiny bub, you might need something higher to put your feet on).
You then sit him straight up on your leg, facing your breast, one leg on each side of your thigh. You then bring him forwards and attach him while he stays sitting up straight. Its awkward to start with, but because he sits up straight, the chances of him coughing and spewing during the feed are much smaller than any other position.

Hope the reflux settles soon.:hugs: