Should i start to wean him?

[bekkyboo]

My 4 month old son has severe reflux. He has had it from birth. At around 6 weeks after advice from our pead we indroduced a formula feed at night before bed as nothing else had worked. This has worked wonders. Now through the day he is seeming to get worse with his feeds. You can watch him and see his pain and discomfort when it comes up. It is the same as before we introduced the formula.

Should i start weaning him to the formula that is working well, or push on with bf?

[RISA]

It is heartbreaking seeing them in so much pain, not to mention stressful and very tiring on the parents! It's great to hear that you found something that gave some relief even if it was short lived. The question of whether to go to formula or not is something that can only really be decided by you as it is matter of personal choice. For some bubs it really helps to go onto a thickened formula (also hypo allergenic helps some) and for others it doesn't help at all or in some cases can make the reflux worse.

Have you discussed with your paed, the option of hybrid feeding (some bottle some breast)? If one bottle of formula at night helped for a while then perhaps this is an option for you. The positives of this is that you get to see if more formula helps your baby and you get the best of both worlds, still getting to breastfeed your baby and others can help out with the bottles giving you a well earned break!


Maybe ask yourself a few questions- Are you finding breastfeeding stressful? Do you feel that putting your baby on formula will help ease his discomfort and take some pressure off you? Are you ready to give up breastfeeding? If you are still unsure, perhaps contact your paed again to discuss other options or further discuss this issue. Also don't ever hesitate to seek a second opinion. The more informed you are about reflux and feeding, the more in control you will feel and the easier decisions such as this tricky one will become.

Good luck with it all!

[bekkyboo]

We have been doing the hybrid feeding since we started the formula. At night for his last feed as it helps him sleep longer and seems to be more content. Its during his day feeds that his reflux seems to be getting worse, and presenting with the same problems that sent us to the pead in the first place (we were sent because my CHN was concerned as he got pneumonia and broncitus at 3 weeks, she was concerned what would happen if the reflux went the wrong way). I dont think that i am ready to give up breastfeeding just yet, but his reflux worrys me. He is so much better on the formula. Would feeding him a thickener before his breastfeeds help? This may allow me to continue feeding him a bit longer....

[RISA]

It sounds like trying a thickener with the breastfeeding would be a good option for you. The good thing about that is, if it doesn't work you can just stop it and try something else. If you do decide to go to formula, perhaps try to keep one feed a day in the case that you find formula isn't helping and want to go back to full breastfeeding. Is your baby medicated for his reflux? Have you discussed using antacids with your paed? It's a good idea to discuss thickeners with a pharmacist or dr before using them as some may suit your situation more than others.
HTH