Just thought i'd make a place where parents with babies who have reflux could share any tips and tricks or stories. Our 8 week old son has been diagnosed with reflux and both my partner and I as first time parents are struggling with the demands of a baby with reflux.

It took 6 weeks of feeding problems to diagnose, and in the end he refused to take a bottle at all which was very ditressing. We have tried thickened formula and gaviscon both of which didnt work so he is now on losec which made a big difference but its good effects seem to be wearning off after 2 weeks! I wonder if he needs a larger dose since he is growing so fast?

I also suspect he may be sensitive to lactose in his formula so will talk to the plunket nurse about switching to lactose free, has anyone done this?

We do all the usual suggestions, keeping him upright after feeds, elevating his bassinet head, burping regularly during feeds. We have also taken him to an osteopath which helped him bringing his wind up but no luck in releiving the reflux. I am also about to try Dr Browns bottles as he gets colliky at night as well.

We are having trouble getting him to sleep at the moment, he used to be a good sleeper, and once we get him down at night (usually around 8 after2 hours of settling) he wakes once for a fuss free feed at 1 and goes back down till 6am. I am trying a sleep wedge tonight and sleeping him on his side to see if this helps.

It really sucks having a baby that is tired and in pain most of the day, please tell me it gets better! Feel free to share stories or tips it helps to know others have / are experiencing the same thing.

Just thought i'd make a place where parents with babies who have reflux could share any tips and tricks or stories. Our 8 week old son has been diagnosed with reflux and both my partner and I as first time parents are struggling with the demands of a baby with reflux.

It took 6 weeks of feeding problems to diagnose, and in the end he refused to take a bottle at all which was very ditressing. We have tried thickened formula and gaviscon both of which didnt work so he is now on losec which made a big difference but its good effects seem to be wearning off after 2 weeks! I wonder if he needs a larger dose since he is growing so fast?

I also suspect he may be sensitive to lactose in his formula so will talk to the plunket nurse about switching to lactose free, has anyone done this?

We do all the usual suggestions, keeping him upright after feeds, elevating his bassinet head, burping regularly during feeds. We have also taken him to an osteopath which helped him bringing his wind up but no luck in releiving the reflux. I am also about to try Dr Browns bottles as he gets colliky at night as well.

We are having trouble getting him to sleep at the moment, he used to be a good sleeper, and once we get him down at night (usually around 8 after2 hours of settling) he wakes once for a fuss free feed at 1 and goes back down till 6am. I am trying a sleep wedge tonight and sleeping him on his side to see if this helps.

It really sucks having a baby that is tired and in pain most of the day, please tell me it gets better! Feel free to share stories or tips it helps to know others have / are experiencing the same thing.

I definitely know how you feel! Unfortunatley, in our situation I can't tell you it gets better, but I know most babies it does.

My DD Bella was born at 25 weeks gestation which obviously sparks feeding issues already. So once out of NICU we began the terrible reflux battle, Bella is now 15 months old and we are looking at the option of surgery to fix the problem.

So here's some of our tips:
-Soy formula. Our Pediatrician advised us against lactose free, because if the baby is not lactose intolerant this may cause more problems than good.
-Ask for more medication!! Honestly, I don't like my baby on medications (even know shes on plenty!) but to live sanely, sometimes this is the best answer. We are currently on Losec (highest dose), Randitine and Gaviscon in her formula (which is a specialist formula for other reasons).
-Sleeping bub on a rigid surface, so not like the floor but a firm mattress in a cot rather than a basinette (we found this worked, rather than a soft comfy mattress that they can sink into, causing the tummy to 'bend' (sounds confusing I know!)
-As you mentioned, the bassinette/ cot on an angle
-Safe-T-Sleep to stop them back arching

Also have you seen a specialist? Sometimes it's good to talk to one to give you a special feeding plan.

I can't think of anymore off the top of my head, but I hope things get better for you soon!

my DS has reflux and he is much better to what he was, is the baby projectile vomitting and doing it after every meal if so I would suggest to ask doctor for an U/S as there is a muscle in the tummy that can cause the problem my DS gets abit spewy when he is cutting new teeth I think it maybe due to so much saliva but I know how you feel

I found that I had a new baby when started on losec (a small dose) and lactose free formula. Have tried him on normal formula of late and just upsets his system too much. He's also on infant gaviscon.
Havin a reflux baby is certainly very challenging. ;-(

My DS had severe reflux as a baby and it was a very difficult 1st year for all of us. He is now 2 & 2 months and the reflux has improved so much but he does still suffer from it just nowhere near as bad. He was 2 months premature also which contributes to the problem.

It sounds like you are following all of the correct advice. We did all the same things. I expressed for the first 6 1/2 months & bottle fed him bcus he tolerated it better from a bottle. We used NUK anti colic bottle (they have a wide nipple). We fed him upright resting on a pillow & stopped to do gentle burps numerous times during the feed. Losec was a godsend. I found Gaviscon didn't really do much. We elevated everything, bassinette, cot, change table. Kept him upright for 20-30 minutes post feed. No jiggling, shaking etc. Changed his nappy before a feed so he did not have to lie down after the feed. When we moved to formula it seemed to help a little I guess bcus it is thicker then breastmilk. We used Kaircare Gold HA + sold at some chemist (hard to find places that sell it) but it comes partially hydrolysed so it is easier ( & quicker in my mind) to digest. We tried the chiropractor (can't say it really did anything but some people swear by them). He started sleeping on a pillow from around 12 months (I kept a close eye on him) & this seemed to help him sleep. Avoided acidic foods so that the reflux did not burn as much.

All of the above seemed to help reduce the reflux but it never really eased off until he was about 12 months of age. I hate to say it bcus I know everyone does but it will get better in it's own time or you can see your specialist to investigate it. If it doesn't improve when your son is older there is the option of surgery but it would be after all other options have been exhausted.

It was such a nightmare & I thought it would never end but it eventually does! You just have to tough it out until it does. DS1 does still suffer from it but it does not bother him in the same way & he hardly ever vomits now. I hear it come up & he swallows it back down or gets the hiccups. One of the things to potentially look out for is ear infections from the food sitting in up in the throat & building bacteria that cause infections. Our son suffers from chronic ear infections probably related to the buildup of bacteria & childcare.

I really hope it settles down soon but just know that you are not alone & it will get better even if it doesn't seem like that right now.

My baby girl who is now 12 weeks was formula fed from birth (i did not produce any milk). For the first 6 weeks she was fine on her bottles, no spewing, nothing, then from 6 weeks she vomited on every single bottle and would scream and scream until she vomited. When i took her to someone to dicuss the issue they assured me it was "normal" and that she would grow out of it very quickly. 4 weeks later it was still happening. It took her to another nurse who told me she had reflux ( which was what i believed was wrong in the first place). I had previously tried thickened formula which made her 1000 times worse. However i now use Karicare food thickener in her normal formula (nestle nan). The reflux stopped straight away, she is taking more in each feed, keeping it down, sleeping better of a night, feeding every 4 hours instead of every 2 1/2 and putting on weight. If i can suggest one thing give this a try. A thickener allows you to control how thick you make the formula and you dont need to change the actual formula itself.

My baby girl who is now 12 weeks was formula fed from birth (i did not produce any milk). For the first 6 weeks she was fine on her bottles, no spewing, nothing, then from 6 weeks she vomited on every single bottle and would scream and scream until she vomited. When i took her to someone to dicuss the issue they assured me it was "normal" and that she would grow out of it very quickly. 4 weeks later it was still happening. It took her to another nurse who told me she had reflux ( which was what i believed was wrong in the first place). I had previously tried thickened formula which made her 1000 times worse. However i now use Karicare food thickener in her normal formula (nestle nan). The reflux stopped straight away, she is taking more in each feed, keeping it down, sleeping better of a night, feeding every 4 hours instead of every 2 1/2 and putting on weight. If i can suggest one thing give this a try. A thickener allows you to control how thick you make the formula and you dont need to change the actual formula itself.

The thickend formula gave him servere constipation and then we had to go to the Dr for that aswell. Where could i find the food thickener from? It could be worth a try to help him to keep his feed down without making the formula too thick, he doesn't projectile vomit but will spit up anywhere from 5 - 15 times after and between feeds. When he seems really uncomfortable i give him gaviscon after a feed as well to try and keep things down and this seems to help if the problem doesnt seem to be colic.

My DS had severe reflux as a baby and it was a very difficult 1st year for all of us. He is now 2 & 2 months and the reflux has improved so much but he does still suffer from it just nowhere near as bad. He was 2 months premature also which contributes to the problem.

It sounds like you are following all of the correct advice. We did all the same things. I expressed for the first 6 1/2 months & bottle fed him bcus he tolerated it better from a bottle. We used NUK anti colic bottle (they have a wide nipple). We fed him upright resting on a pillow & stopped to do gentle burps numerous times during the feed. Losec was a godsend. I found Gaviscon didn't really do much. We elevated everything, bassinette, cot, change table. Kept him upright for 20-30 minutes post feed. No jiggling, shaking etc. Changed his nappy before a feed so he did not have to lie down after the feed. When we moved to formula it seemed to help a little I guess bcus it is thicker then breastmilk. We used Kaircare Gold HA + sold at some chemist (hard to find places that sell it) but it comes partially hydrolysed so it is easier ( & quicker in my mind) to digest. We tried the chiropractor (can't say it really did anything but some people swear by them). He started sleeping on a pillow from around 12 months (I kept a close eye on him) & this seemed to help him sleep. Avoided acidic foods so that the reflux did not burn as much.

All of the above seemed to help reduce the reflux but it never really eased off until he was about 12 months of age. I hate to say it bcus I know everyone does but it will get better in it's own time or you can see your specialist to investigate it. If it doesn't improve when your son is older there is the option of surgery but it would be after all other options have been exhausted.

It was such a nightmare & I thought it would never end but it eventually does! You just have to tough it out until it does. DS1 does still suffer from it but it does not bother him in the same way & he hardly ever vomits now. I hear it come up & he swallows it back down or gets the hiccups. One of the things to potentially look out for is ear infections from the food sitting in up in the throat & building bacteria that cause infections. Our son suffers from chronic ear infections probably related to the buildup of bacteria & childcare.

I really hope it settles down soon but just know that you are not alone & it will get better even if it doesn't seem like that right now.

I am considering switching formula to karicare HA, he is on karicare already so trying to stick to the same brand, but unsure whether to switch him to soy or the HA formula, i have suspected from the start that he is sensitive to something in the milk formula as his tummy always gurgles and cramps when we feed him and he also has a dry eczema type rash on his arms and forehead. No one seems to be taking me seriously about this (and i guess they all want to focus on the reflux problem first)except for the plunket nurse who is away for the week, i don't know if i can wait that long, i feel so helpless when i could be doing something to potentially help, so looks like i will have to make the decision on my own.

The food thickener is just from the chemist. Some supermarkets do sell it too. I was very reluctant to try it as i also tried a thickened formula which was like glue and my baby screamed for hours until she eventually pooed it out! But i couldnt handle seeing her in pain anymore so i gave it a try. It actually helped her poo's to be more regular. You can control the thickness with the food thickener which is what i liked. Its a very hard decision to try it as i remember how much she screamed on the thickened formula. I wish i had tried the food thickener earlier now! But obviously every baby is different. If you decide to try it i hope it helps. Let us know how you go

my boy from birth including while breast feeding would vomit during after and long after each feed although he had no problem brining up wind we finaly got him on ar s26 the vomiting stopped for 4 mths he is now 6 mths and it has started again sad its like a roller coaster

I have been using the thickener for about 4 days now with my refluxy baby and she has had several runny poos, ALOT more poo than usual.
Did anyone experience this and does it stop?

Hi all, My DD was diagnosed a few weeks ago with Silent Reflux, and it DOES get better, She has had it since birth but wasnt diagnosed until 5 1/2 mths!! (GP insisted it was wind!!), We have her cot elevated & sit her upright after feeds etc, & warm baths seem to really help her We are lucky though, She isnt on meds but she is on an amazing formula called Novalac Reflux... Its already thickened & we have found since she has been on it most of her Reflux has settled & she isnt a "spewy" bub anymore... It also doesnt seem to give her diaorrhea (SP??) either, But in the last 2 weeks she is a really different bub, I was told that 6mths is the "Golden Age" for reflux & it slowly seems to be clearing!!

Hi
My Secound was diagnosed with reflux at 10 days old from birth I knew something was wrong screaming wouldn't sleep and then started to vomit a feed here and their then every single feed and would find her bed sheets with large patches of milk I'd never heard of reflux till I was told when we were in hospital wouldn't keep nothing down was on a drip poor thing had so many tests carried out before diagnoses I was advised that when you breast feed to give the karicare food thickner before feed by the peadetrician she also was put on Zantac it was hard as I had a 11 month old and a new born that wouldn't sleep feeding issues and we had good days and then bad days were nothing stayed down and would end back in emergency and all I can remember us being told by others about how bubs with reflux have food allergies milk allergies and how they don't thrive and grow and will be delayed I tell you they were no help no support just bad stories

But I can say that I'm happy she is off her Zantac know still spits up but no more vomitting since 10 months and so far no food allergies and is thriving is even walking its hard

I'll never forget all the sleepless nights and her screaming in pain I even found that when she started rolling her reflux flared and when she crawled but not when she walked

But most of all I feel for her poor thing

I remember being pregnant with reflux worst thing ever

So I couldn't even imagin a poor little tiny bub going threw that to come into this word and to be in so much pain

My advice would be have a good support system and take each day as it comes And as others have said elevate keep up right thickened formula or food thickner if breast feeding


Especially support I didnt have that cos it gets hard

please vote for my baby girl will do any voting in return
http://babysearch.bo...try/8088/leah-g

I feel your pain as we had reflux from 1.5 months old. Mylanta, gaviscon and zantac didnt bring any relief. Low dose of LOSEC worked great for us. I started to reduse dose at around 5 months old and by 6 months there were no signs of reflux. Still remember sleepless nights and baby crying non stop. I continued breast feeding although it was very hard - baby pulled off the breast arching her back all the time. I never switched to formula and keep breastfeeding, although some doctors suggested lactose intolorance.