Reflux?

[Kat_C]

Hi all,

Can anyone help or give advice about reflux. I'm convinced my LO has it. She won't settle after feeds, is constantly hiccuping and spitting up food and will on,y sleep propped up on me. Needless to say I'm exhausted and can't get anything done until my OH gets home! She's only 18 days old and I feel so sorry for her, do you think she's too young for anti reflux meds? Has anyone used anti-reflux milk/bottles? How about sleeping, did you raise the head end of basket, and how?

Sorry for all the questions but I'm at my wits end at the minute, just want my LO to sleep comfortably

Kat x

[LottyB]

Oh hunny! Its hard! I had this a while ago, my health visitor said that a certain amount of sick/spitting up is completely normal. Especially early on while there tummy gets used to the milk.

I had Niamh's Moses basket raised a little bit at her head end, I just folded a blanket and popped it under the mattress it helped a little bit.

They won't diagnose it as reflux unless baby loses weight apparently, so keep an eye on her to see how much she feeds and sicks back up. Keep in touch with your health visitor about it.

I kicked my boyfriend in to the spare room for the first four weeks so me and Niamh could relax. If you are breastfeeding, try feeding on your side. You can doze lightly without fully falling asleep, helped us. Also, get hundreds of cushions around you and take it in turns with your other half to get a couple of hours proper sleep while the other sits up with her, even just doing that at a weekend gives you a little boost ready for the week ahead.

Big cuddles. Xxx

[Kat_C in reply to LottyB]

It's just so upsetting and frustrating when they won't settle. I took her out for an hour walking around earlier and she still screamed when we got in. Have put a towel under the mattress to see if that helps and have taken to swaddling, never got the hang of it while we were in hospital as I was too busy attempting to express milk for a starving baby who wouldn't latch! I don't know if it's that or just sheer exhaustion but she's gone down for the first time in 2 days.

She's on a combination of breast and formula bottle fed. Couldn't get her to latch and it was causing more stress than anything, which affected my supply.

That's crazy about the weight, if baby is in pain then they should help surely?! She's not being sick all the time, she just constantly retches, has hiccups and can squeal in pain when winded.

Unfortunately I can't kick the boyfriend into another room as we are lodging at his brothers until we complete on our house, he's great with her though and gives me time to sleep when he can, he works long hours though so it's not always much. I shall just have to try and grab 10 mins when I can.

Thanks for the advice and sympathy, guess I just needed to know I wasn't the only new mum in the world having similar issues

Xx

[LottyB in reply to Kat_C]

We all go through it! You are definitely not the only new mum feeling like that. Its a very steep learning curve isn't it?

Ive got my little munchkin on infacol before every feed which is safe from birth, its for colic and trapped wind. Maybe get a couple of bottles to try. It takes a few days to start working but it has really helped us.

Don't worry how you're feeding her, as long as babies fed it doesn't matter to me!

Now go to bed while she's asleep!

Xxx

[juju304]

You poor thing!

If it is reflux, it often caused by the small, circular muscle at the bottom of the oesophagus not closing properly, allowing food to be sicked back up. Try asking your health visitor for tummy massage techniques for reflux, as this not only helps to free trapped wind (if she's screaming when winded on her back then this might help), if the health visitor can't help, either try a breastfeeding clinic, or even look on YouTube. Even if it doesn't solve the reflux problem in the long term, it's a relaxing massage to be able to do with baby that might relieve her pain for a little bit.

I'm sure you're doing great, being a new mum is hard work, try and get as much sleep as you can when you can! Good luck!

[jowalk6]

My little one was the same. I used unravel with his feeds. Also if you are bottle feeding cow and gate do a comfort milk, midwife said to try him on that. It was fantastic, he never had the problem again while on this. Hope this helps hun x

[Kat_C]

Thank you for your replies. Been a bit better today, have been giving smaller more frequent feeds to try and combat excess acid or wind. It's more feeds but if it helps then I don't mind. I've been using infacol since she got home from the hospital, and am looking at gripe water when she's old enough.

I think I might look into the comfort milks, I'm going to ring my health visitor and get her to come for a visit, I need to learn better massage techniques I think as I'm pretty heavy handed and worried I'll hurt her sometimes :-/.