Brings up formula but not water.....

[mum23girls]

Hello!!

I am not sure whether this is a reflux question or not, but hope you could help me......

My DD at 3 weeks of age was diagnosed with reflux, vomitting after feeds etc. I put her onto normal formula and I add thickener to each bottle. She was on Zantac for the first six months.

She has since come off Zantac and is now 10 months old, with no reflux uncomfort. She does however bring up her bottle if there is no thickener in it.

The thing I find odd is that she does not bring up solids, or water.

Would this still be reflux or maybe a formula problem.......

Thanks in advance!!!

[RISA]

Hi Anne-Marie,

That’s an intriguing question, and thanks for asking!

It is great to hear how well she is doing, that she is not at all uncomfortable. It’s really nice too, to hear that she has been weaned off medication so successfully.

Since she shows no sign of distress when she has the formula with the thickening, it makes me think the formula itself may not be the problem. I would suspect that it is still reflux (at a guess), but it would be impossible to know for sure, of course.

Could it be that she drinks a lot more formula (when it is unthickened) than water? I am thinking that perhaps the volume is the difference, rather than the actual fluid?- and if so, maybe she doesn’t have enough water at a time to cause her to reflux? Or does she have water with solids so it’s likely to stay down then?
Are there any other differences? When does she have the water/ unthickened formula? Is the timing any different? Is she more likely to be active after one or the other?

Is she putting on weight well, and is having no other problems apart from vomiting the unthickened formula? If so, then it may still be a matter of waiting it out (messy as it is). If you would prefer to use unthickened formula now, have you tried giving her a spoonful of thickened formula before or after a feed? Perhaps that would help her keep it down.

Have you tried a different formula, just in case it is the problem?

Does it bother her at all when she vomits? at any time? before she vomits?

You know her best, and if you are concerned about it, please seek medical advice. Your instincts are really important and good luck figuring it out. Reflux can be so hard, can’t it, when it’s all guesswork and we wonder about everything, just trying to figure it all out!

Glenda