reflux and night-time sleeping/settling

[wild at heart]

My DD is almost 6 mths old and was previously a great great sleepre night and day but as her reflux got worse and worse she has become very difficult to settle in the evening and during the night.

How do you settle your older baby during the night if they don't want to feed (ie refuse feed)?

Laying DD back down and trying to pat etc doesn't work. Evefrything I have read on teh topic talks about things that you can use or try for a one off thing like driving around teh block etc, not long term things.

I am asking this as I am assuming it will take some time for DD's reflux pain to get sorted, so I would like to help her get some rest at night while we are waiting for some treatment/ management for her pain.

(She is breastfed and on 20mg losec each day. Paed said I could try mylanta for bad days. Gastroenterologist is going to do endoscopy on fri and paediatrician is hoping the GI will change her meds to Zoton or nexium as losec is not helping as much as we'd hope. I am dairy free as well!)

[Me&MrMagoo]

If you find an answer let me know!! My ds is 9 months and is still a shocking sleeper ...

I'll be watching this thread!

[mummyjac]

Hi,
My DS2s sleep deteriorated around that age too. He went through the peak time at 4-6 months. I found picking him up, putting him on my shoulder and patting etc worked well. Once he was settled/drowsy, I put him back down again. Have you tried some dymadon? It seems to settle my DS2 when he has tummy pain/reflux. Are you giving her meds 30mins before a feed? This really makes a difference. My little man really improved when we switched from losec to a big dose of zoton. He started to consistently sleep through at around 9-10months. Hang in there :hugs:. Feel free to PM me with any other questions.

[wild at heart]

thanks for that! the problem is he won't calm at all when i pick her up and lifts her legs up and squirms and spits her dummy out and yells and carries on.

last night i think she woke between 7-10 times and just screamed. I tried to feed her but she sucked a bit but didn't feed properly!!

[mummyjac]

I would say an increase in meds might be needed. Have you started solids? If so intolerances could be the issue.

[vintagefrenchlace]

Wild - I don't have an answer that can help you at the moment but should you be open to trying new meds I can't rave highly enough about Nexium.
It's been our saviour :)
My DS would wake multiple times each evening after we finally got him settled for the evening and it was very draining for all of us.
He's been SO much better since we started about a month ago, he feeds like a champion and sleeps and settles fairly well.
We too were headed down the endoscopy path but decided to cancel now that we've had results with Nexium.
Our GI mentioned that colic and wind are the 'other end' of reflux and often when you sort out the reflux the wind sorts itself out too. I don't know whether it's wind causing the squirming with your little one but in our case it's definitely sorted itself out now the reflux is under control. Don't know whether it's how the GI explained it or whether it' was just good timing and he grew out of it.
I know results are different for everyone, so I hope you find something that works for your DD soon.

[wild at heart]

yep so many things to consider:
feeding
solids
medication
dummy-help or hindrance?
intolerances

she rolls about constantly and rubs her face and vomits and tries to ger her hands out of the wrap to stick her fingers down her throat..

hope we get some answers with endoscopy tomorrow!

[wild at heart]

I would say an increase in meds might be needed. Have you started solids? If so intolerances could be the issue.

haven't started solids but as she is bf i think that she does have intolerances as her poos are awful even after being dairy free for almost 2 mths

[mummyjac]

If you have cut out dairy, then perhaps try soy as well. My DS2 is intolerant to dairy,soy and wheat. I would look into an elimination diet, if you are still keen to BF. I lasted 2 months :laughing:, then neocate was our saviour.

[Saf]

I'm in the same boat with my bub (7 months) I had posted this
http://www.bubhub.com.au/community/forums/showthread.php?t=371389

at least your dr is listening to mine is insisting it's just colic and thats why she's crying at night. I'm so exhausted and frustrated:hair:, just started eliminating dairy at tusmama's suggestion.

[surfergal]

wild at heart how did you go with endoscopy? I know it is really hard. Our DD had a massive flare up at 4-5 months also. She is just over 5 months now. We increaed her Losec to 15 mg per day and she settled within 10 days and when we ceased the suspension and got her back onto tablets she got even better.

DD's only way to get her down for any of her sleeps during flare ups was to feed her. I know this isn't working for you but it however did for us and hence DD has packed on the weight lol she is now over 8 kg at just over 5 months. I was totally drained.. she was cluster feeding from me all the time. However she was always settled in the night, it just seemed to annoy her around the 3 pm - sometimes 10 pm then once we FINALLY got her down for the night she usually slept through simply because she was so exhausted from crying and pain. We also used Mylanta and Rhubarb syrup, don't know if it helped but when you are desperate you try anything hey! DD also picked up some bad habbits from her reflux flare up, once it was under control she was still difficult to settle for night time sleep cyring up to one hour after we put her down sometimes longer. Or settling for night time sleep then waking after one sleep cycle and refusing to go down again for another hour or two.. it simply does your head in and I really hope it sorts soon.. Have you joined the RISA site it is brilliant (Reflux Infant Support Assoc) it has been my saving grace.. hang in there xo

[wild at heart]

thanksheaps for all the replies...

had endoscopy under general at mater on fri.

gi said that her valve was a bit red and floppy, stomach and duodenum fine. he saw no markers for allergic reflux. he took biopsy and we get results tuesday.

paed and i both thought he would find more to explain her symptoms!! paed thought she had oesophagitis but now given endoscopy, i'm not sure.

she has been mucking around soo much with feeds and has gained NO weight in a fortnight so she's dropped even lower on the percentiles- down to the third %ile. the nurses and drs at hospital kept saying how tiny she was!

surfergal- feeding doesn't help much at night- she refluxed so much last night that her bed was wet from spew. she is better during day than at night mostly.

she is on 20mg losec so hope gi recommends an increase or some other meds!

dietitian told me last wk that elimination diet would be too hard and suggested i just put her on elecare or neocate. paed said last week that we may have to try that, and has given us the script, but if there's no allergy then what will that solve?

i find it so hard that i cannot get her into any sort of routine!! and.. that i have no idea what i am going with her!

[wild at heart]

If you have cut out dairy, then perhaps try soy as well. My DS2 is intolerant to dairy,soy and wheat. I would look into an elimination diet, if you are still keen to BF. I lasted 2 months :laughing:, then neocate was our saviour.

is this FAILSAFE?