Infant Reflux

[Mish]

I was hoping to hear from other parents who have babies with Infant Reflux, which seems to be very painful for our little one. Our Paedeatrician has prescribed Zoton and Mylanta which seem to have helped a little but she is still very unsettled. We have inclined her cot, the change table, her pram etc. I am still breastfeeding her and am now feeding her in a sling standing up which seems to help plus giving her a few drops of Guarcol (a food thickener) before, during and after her feeds to help keep the food down. Any other ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[Mish]

Hello all again...
Isn't there anybody out there who wants to reply to me. There must be other Mums out there with babies suffering from Reflux. I am actually really pleased to say our Paedeatrician prescribed Zonton (lansoprozle) 8.5ml 3 times a day and Mylanta 1ml after each feed and we have been quite successful. This is our third week and all seems to be working. Yeh! Our little princess is so much happier. Its so lovely to see her smiling instead of screaming. All the other things help as well, elevate the cot, change table etc, upright feeding and sitting up for half hour after a feed. :)

[Lachlan's Mum]

Hi Mish

I just joined the forum today. Yes I have a baby (almost 12 weeks boy) who suffers from reflux. He too is on Zoton. We are down to 7.5mg per day - it is a satchet/powder form which we mix with cooled boiled water and administer with a dropper. We have found it difficult to give - is this the same form you are using?

Lachlan is now much happier - has been for the last say 5 weeks on this.

Had some recent sleeping problems - but seem to have them under control now with the help of a child health nurse.

All else is well, feeding (bottle) well now and gaining plenty of weight etc.

Hope your bub continues to improve on the Zoton. I have not heard of many babies on it - that is why I've replied - may be why you did not get many replies! :)

[MummyToLaurie]

Hi, my son also has reflux. He is now 9 months old and I am pleased to say that now he can sit up unaided and crawl the reflux has lessened. He is still sick a lot, but no longer seems troubled by it. I am from the UK and over there I did not seem to get much help from the medical staff for his reflux, my early childhood nurse just laughed it off - all babies are sick aren't they! I know how hard it can be. Laurie had his bed elevated until he was 5months old and he still woke at 4am sounding terribly congested. As I say, most babies do grow out of it, but medication can help in the meantime. I found my help from one of the yahoo forums, especially for breastfeeding mothers of refllux babies.

Catherine

[Mish]

Thank you for your reply. I too have heard not too many babies are prescribed Zoton, which was a little scary at first but it seems to be working. Well at least it was until our Dr asked us to reduce the doseage down to twice daily (approx 20mg instead of 30mg). Hmmm! Has been a tough 3 days. I believe it only early days yet (3 weeks) with these meds so why reduce them just yet (as much as I hate giving my baby drugs) she is so much happier while taking them, hopefully as she gets bigger she won't need as much. Will keep you posted... :confused:
I must ask how did you get Lachlan to take a bottle, Taleisa keeps throwing them back up again no matter which formula I try even with the Guarcol (food thickener). Poor little thing, I also tried rice cereal too but she throws that back up too which is even worse. :(


Hi Mish

I just joined the forum today. Yes I have a baby (almost 12 weeks boy) who suffers from reflux. He too is on Zoton. We are down to 7.5mg per day - it is a satchet/powder form which we mix with cooled boiled water and administer with a dropper. We have found it difficult to give - is this the same form you are using?

Lachlan is now much happier - has been for the last say 5 weeks on this.

Had some recent sleeping problems - but seem to have them under control now with the help of a child health nurse.

All else is well, feeding (bottle) well now and gaining plenty of weight etc.

Hope your bub continues to improve on the Zoton. I have not heard of many babies on it - that is why I've replied - may be why you did not get many replies! :)

[Mish]

Thanks for your reply Catherine
I am really hoping Taleisa will grow out of her reflux as she gets older too, she is 21 weeks now but doesn't look too promising at this stage as she throws up even the rice cereal which is worse than breastmilk. She won't take a bottle as she keeps throwing them up too no matter which formula I try.
Anyway glad to hear Laurie is better now. Will keep you posted...


Hi, my son also has reflux. He is now 9 months old and I am pleased to say that now he can sit up unaided and crawl the reflux has lessened. He is still sick a lot, but no longer seems troubled by it. I am from the UK and over there I did not seem to get much help from the medical staff for his reflux, my early childhood nurse just laughed it off - all babies are sick aren't they! I know how hard it can be. Laurie had his bed elevated until he was 5months old and he still woke at 4am sounding terribly congested. As I say, most babies do grow out of it, but medication can help in the meantime. I found my help from one of the yahoo forums, especially for breastfeeding mothers of refllux babies.

Catherine

[Lachlan's Mum]

Hi Mish

Where do I start......we've been through quite a bit in Lachlan's 12 weeks of life so far! Too much to list. Anyway - I had extreme difficulties breastfeeding - so Lachlan has had a bottle from about 2 to 3 weeks of life...initially of breastmilk - then formula.

We have been "lucky" if you could say that - that Lachlan's reflux is more a reguritation than vomitting and it does not often come out of his mouth - just up into his throat.

I too have tried HEAPS of different formulas - as when he did have reflux he'd scream etc even though no actually vomitting. He had thickener at one stage too - the Karicare one.

We've now taken him off the thickener and are using NAN HA 1 - easy to digest formula - as even though Lachlan is now heaps better on the Zoton - he was constantly getting constipated (and I don't think the thickener helped) and we found this made his reflux worse - all the pushing and straining. :(

This NAN formula was recommended to us by a work colleague of mine with 2 reflux babies and also a child health nurse. I did not try it at first because it does not contain the LCP's that GOLD formulas contain (for brain stem development etc) but have now found out that Nestle (NAN) will include these in production from September.

Lachlan seems to have settled well on it and is not constipated - mind you his poos are dark green and REALLY smelly :( :o

Our Dr too has been getting us to lessen the amount of drugs...which is good as I (like you) hate giving Lachlan so much stuff - but am scared of the reflux getting bad again! Now Lachlan is only on one dose and he has even suggested trying to drop that but we are too scared :eek:

Anyway, I've rambled on enough now - but two more things:- I was told by a sister at the health centre that reflux babies should be given a dummy as it teaches them to swallow better (Lachlan does not really like dummies), and I was also told of a support group called RISA (reflux infants support assoc) in QLD (I forgot to check where you are from)..anyway they probably have similar things everywhere. I have not yet had a chance to contact them.

Bye for now.

[Mish]

Hi again
Thanks again for your info, it's nice to hear from someone else in the same situation (except I am breastfeeding of course) well trying to at least. You are the second person who has recommended that NAN formula to me, so I think I might try it, will be a rough time trying to get her to take it though (used to be quite good before this Reflux started) oh well I'm sure I will get there.
Taleisa has had a dummy since she was born and thank goodness as it certainly gives her great comfort, I don't know what I would do without it.
I've had a really rough week this week with Taleis. Our paedeatrician upped Taleisa's Zoton dose back to 3 times a day which is about 30mg but I still don't think it is working well enough to settle her. I see him on Friday so should be interesting. She is not feeding well at all, is in a lot of pain and gets a lot of wind. She is sleeping though so I guess that is something but I wonder if that is because she is not feeding well so she doesn't have any energy left. She has lost 300gms in weight this week which is not good. I thought we were doing so well with one good week but I guess that is not the case. She did have her 4 month needles last Friday so maybe that has something to do with it but still she should be feeding not just suckling hence why I want to get her on a bottle so I know how much she is taking.
Anyway thanks for the chat.
Bye for now.


QUOTE=Lachlan's Mum]Hi Mish

Where do I start......we've been through quite a bit in Lachlan's 12 weeks of life so far! Too much to list. Anyway - I had extreme difficulties breastfeeding - so Lachlan has had a bottle from about 2 to 3 weeks of life...initially of breastmilk - then formula.

We have been "lucky" if you could say that - that Lachlan's reflux is more a reguritation than vomitting and it does not often come out of his mouth - just up into his throat.

I too have tried HEAPS of different formulas - as when he did have reflux he'd scream etc even though no actually vomitting. He had thickener at one stage too - the Karicare one.

We've now taken him off the thickener and are using NAN HA 1 - easy to digest formula - as even though Lachlan is now heaps better on the Zoton - he was constantly getting constipated (and I don't think the thickener helped) and we found this made his reflux worse - all the pushing and straining. :(

This NAN formula was recommended to us by a work colleague of mine with 2 reflux babies and also a child health nurse. I did not try it at first because it does not contain the LCP's that GOLD formulas contain (for brain stem development etc) but have now found out that Nestle (NAN) will include these in production from September.

Lachlan seems to have settled well on it and is not constipated - mind you his poos are dark green and REALLY smelly :( :o

Our Dr too has been getting us to lessen the amount of drugs...which is good as I (like you) hate giving Lachlan so much stuff - but am scared of the reflux getting bad again! Now Lachlan is only on one dose and he has even suggested trying to drop that but we are too scared :eek:

Anyway, I've rambled on enough now - but two more things:- I was told by a sister at the health centre that reflux babies should be given a dummy as it teaches them to swallow better (Lachlan does not really like dummies), and I was also told of a support group called RISA (reflux infants support assoc) in QLD (I forgot to check where you are from)..anyway they probably have similar things everywhere. I have not yet had a chance to contact them.

Bye for now.[/QUOTE]

[Lachlan's Mum]

Hi again Mish!

Just a couple of things I thought I'd tell you - firstly (I have not tried these) but it was recommended to me to use a disc (made by Pidgeon I think) which sits inside the teat to slow the flow down as some reflux babies have trouble swallowing fast flowing milk and gag etc.

Also - I have been using a Pidgeon teat - made for wide neck bottles (which I use Avent and they fit these) which is like an artificial nipple - it is soft and stretches out when sucked on. Lachlan seems to have taken to them very well. Noticed your post under bottlefeeding and thought I'd let you know about these teats - may help in transition between breast and bottle.

Has your Dr recommended the use of a thickener - Lachlan had to have this to help keep the feed down. I think I may have mentioned this earlier - and this comes with a whole other set of advice......re getting it through teats, getting the mix right...won't go into this unless you have to use it.

Let me know how you go.... ;)

[Sharon]

Hi Lachlan's Mum

Did you try S26 AR formula? We use it and I suspect our baby is having problems getting his poos out every 2nd or 3rd day. He loves his bottle and you can tell when he has to go because he starts refusing his bottle until he gets it out. Did you have a similar problem?

Is the NAN HA 1 a reflux formula?

[Lachlan's Mum]

Hi Sharon

NAN HA is not a reflux formula in that it is not thickened. We were not using a thickened formula anyway - but adding a thickener to normal formula - which I think is basically the same as using one of the AR's.

NAN HA is just a partially broken down formula so that it is easier to digest - some babies need this. It was recommended to us by several people though - one of which had 2 reflux babies.

I was also told by a CHN (but I haven't tried it) that Karicare make a formula called "Sensicare" and there is a variety which is AR/HA - ie both easier to digest and thickened. I've seen it at some chemists.

We did find that Lachlan sometimes refused his feeds when constipated - but his main symptom was that he'd wake up all night (1 - 2 hourly)......but not want to feed - I guess just uncomfortable :(

Hope this helps :)

[Mish]

Hello again
Well Lachlansmum I have now successfully weaned Taleisa to a bottle. i am expressing as much breast milk as I can and mixing it with the NAN HA formula you suggested which my Paed also recommended. I too am using a Thickener which I was using when breastfeeding called Guacol but I believe Karicare do the cheaper version. It takes a bit to get the mix right but I think it works, you know whe you haven't done it to the right consistency as it all comes back up again. Taleisa has been quite sick this week with a chest cold, caught after having her 4 month injections, poor little thing just what she needs on top of her Reflux, she also has conjunctivitis in her eyes (more drugs but hopefully not for long). I haven't dared fiddle with her meds this week as she has been unhappy enough with the little cold etc. so she is on the Zoton 3 times a day and Mylanta after her feed. So far so good, will keep you posted... :)

[Mish]

Hi Sharon
I would be interested in hearing from you again if you end up trying the Karicare Sensikare AR/HA formula as I have just started bottlefeeding and am using the NAN HA which is easy to digest but you need to use a thickener for Reflux bubs.

[Lachlan's Mum]

Hi Sharon and Mish

Just thought I'd let you know that I noticed that Woolworths sell the Karicare Sensicare HA/AR (may be cheaper than the Chemist) :) .

Mish - hope Taleisa gets better really soon...poor thing. With the thickener - are you putting it into the bottle? If so - we had heaps of trial and error - but found that if we made it as per the Karicare can (about one scoop per 50mls) it was quite thick and we could use a medium flow teat - if you are using Avent we found that the variable flow teats were the best - as you could start on 1 and adjust up as the bottle kept thickening...as the thickener tends to do this and if Lachlan mucked about it was quite thick towards the end (yuck!) :eek:

Talk again soon... :p

[Mish]

Yes the Thickener is quite yucky stuff hey? I am actually using the Guarcol and definately not going by the guidelines on the can as that makes it too thick for a bottle. I think I've got it right now about quarter of a teaspoon for Taleisa's 200ml bottle. I am using the Pigeon Peristaltic Teats with variable flow which sometimes get blocked but we are getting there slowly. Most importantly for me her Reflux seems a lot better on the bottle than on the breast, or maybe thats because she is on the maximum doseage of Zoton & Mylanta or just the fact that she is getting bigger now, she is 5 months. Hopefully she will grow out of it soon.
I am too scared to reduce her meds at the moment as she has been sick with a cold etc. so will try next week when she is feeling better.
Chat to you again soon. :)


Hi Sharon and Mish

Just thought I'd let you know that I noticed that Woolworths sell the Karicare Sensicare HA/AR (may be cheaper than the Chemist) :) .

Mish - hope Taleisa gets better really soon...poor thing. With the thickener - are you putting it into the bottle? If so - we had heaps of trial and error - but found that if we made it as per the Karicare can (about one scoop per 50mls) it was quite thick and we could use a medium flow teat - if you are using Avent we found that the variable flow teats were the best - as you could start on 1 and adjust up as the bottle kept thickening...as the thickener tends to do this and if Lachlan mucked about it was quite thick towards the end (yuck!) :eek:

Talk again soon... :p

[Jordan's mum]

I have a 5 and a half month old son who is suffering from a relapse of reflux!!

At 6 weeks he underwent surgery for double hernia.. after that at 9 weeks he started screaming during his bottle feeds, arching his back up, straightning his legs with force and just generally irratable! Dr gave him Losec as well as Guarcol with his bottle and now, at 5 and a half months he seems to be behaving the same again.. (just when I thought it was over..lol)

He has been on S-26 Lactose Free since he was 9 weeks old (recommended by paedetatrician) and i am a little apprehensive about trying a different formula, he has alreay tried the H.A and A.R when he had reflux previously..

I have started him on Gaviscon for Infants and am trying him on a more natural remedy Brauer Stomach Calm (for Reflux) he seems to be a little less irratable but still not feeding well..I am not coping well at all as its just me and my fiance (no family are nearby for support) but my fiance works all the time so he doesnt really help much at all!!!

if anyone can offer any help or suggestions it would be greatly appreciated

Tash :(

[jimelle woodland]

Hello all again...
Isn't there anybody out there who wants to reply to me. There must be other Mums out there with babies suffering from Reflux. I am actually really pleased to say our Paedeatrician prescribed Zonton (lansoprozle) 8.5ml 3 times a day and Mylanta 1ml after each feed and we have been quite successful. This is our third week and all seems to be working. Yeh! Our little princess is so much happier. Its so lovely to see her smiling instead of screaming. All the other things help as well, elevate the cot, change table etc, upright feeding and sitting up for half hour after a feed. :)
I'll reply to you! My 15wk old baby is now on zoton, but I have to mix the 1/3 0f the packeted granules into 10mls of water myself. My baby just has it once a day.Do you think this medication is benificial and when should I see some results.