My little boy is 10 weeks and I have literally tried everything to help with his feeding issues.
He has reflux and I am assuming my milk supply is quite low as his weight is still at the lowest percentile, compared to his head being 50th percentile....
I have been attempting to top up with formula - he takes as much as he can, with no real impact to his weight...
Feeling so down about this....
All we want is him to be feeding and healthy...
Has anyone else been through something similar with reflux and could share what the doctors recommended?
hey. We’ve recently had a massive increase of reflux with my son, who is now 5 months old. We went to see the GP a couple of Fridays ago, who weighed him and his weight gain compared to 3 weeks earlier had been very slow (only 100g) so we were then sent to A+E.
They said that he was a really healthy little boy, but gave no reasons for the slow weight gain, or a solution for the increase in vomiting. They advised to book back in with the GP, but when I called I was unable to get an appointment until the following Friday.
On Monday, my boy was still very reflux-y/vommy, so I went to the pharmacy and they recommended infant gaviscon. We’ve been using this since (just 1 sachet approx every other feed so about 1/2 of the recommended dose) and it’s made a massive difference. He’s not vomiting as much and is just generally more settled and had gained 160g over the week before he was seen by the GP again.
When I saw the GP last Friday, she gave me a couple of options. Continue with the gaviscon, try some anti reflux formula, or try some medication (eg. Omeprazole). I opted to continue as I am/ trying the anti reflux formula. The anti reflux has been a bit of an issue as you need fast flow teets which I just picked up today so not sure how he’ll handle it. I’d really recommend seeing the GP. My boy is a couple of months older than yours so the advice may be slightly different, but this has worked for us.
not too much really. They weighed him, tested his urine, had a feel of his abdomen, and generally just checked he was alert etc. which he really is at this age.
It was a bit frustrating, because they were just trying to rule out if there was anything really wrong, when all I wanted was to have a solution for the reflux. Having said that…I was really pleased with how great the paeds a+e was and they really made sure nothing bad was going on, so that was reassuring!
yeah definitely. We were down to just 1-2 breastfeeds per day so is easier to see how much is going in. The other thing that the hospital recommended is more regular small feeds. This is also much harder with breastfeeding!
it’s slightly easier cos he is that little bit older and is pretty clear about when he’s ok and when he’s not…and rolls around and wiggles about. So I know he’s ok! But I was really worried with the weight gain issue…like you said! We just want them to thrive and it’s scary when they’re not!!
hey I don’t have much experience with reflux but I do with formula - if your little one isn’t taking much, could it be that you need to increase the teat size for a faster flow? We use mam bottles and moved up to a size 2 teat about 9 weeks as LO was struggling to drink much, then She started getting more and going longer between feeds, might be completely irrelevant to your situation but thought I’d say just in case that helps with getting more formula drunk if that’s what you want to try. Best of luck x
I'm so sorry you're having such a tough time, these first few weeks are intense.
If I were in your position, looking back at my breastfeeding journey, I would recommend going right back to basics, clear your schedule for a few days and do lots of skin to skin, to encourage regular feeds and build up your supply, you could also try pumping to build up your supply, if you wanted to. I hated pumping
I'd not worry too much about the scales as long as baby is having plenty of wet and dirty nappies and they are staying in their percentiles and not dropping.
If baby is dropping through percentiles then I'd be pushing the doctor and health visitor for more help and further tests. If you think there's something wrong, then definitely advocate for more tests.
For the reflux, breastfeeding is (normally) better, as it's slower and baby has to work harder to get the milk, so not so much is rushing into their bellies. You could try some more upright positions like the koala hold or laid back positions, then hold them upright for at least 30 minutes after each feed.
If you're formula feeding, feed with the slowest teat and again as upright as possible, and give regular breaks for winding. If you look up pace feeding, that's meant to mimic breastfeeding as closely as possible.
I'd also ask the doctor for Omeprazole , to see if it helps. It won't do any harm to try it.
Finally I would definitely recommend you getting some time out, if baby is happy to take a bottle, leave them with your partner or family and have a couple hours away, just go and get a cup of coffee or go for a walk by yourself, or was the best thing for me, to go away and come back a bit refreshed.
Thanks so much. This message is spot on. I stayed in all day today and fed basically. Mix of bottle and breastfeeding. He slept in my arms and it just felt good to bond again.
Really good advice above - thanks for this kind message brought tears to my eyes!
Xxx
just a quick message to say sorry you are having a hard time, reflux babies are a whole other ball game 😵💫 bless them. It’s so tough. Combination feeding is how I made my breastfeeding journey go to 19months with my first but it was tough tough. She ended up on lanzoprezole & amino acid formula. I don’t know what you are doing re sleeping but if you have to cosleep with them on your chest because that is literally the only way they will sleep otherwise in discomfort and scream make sure you prop your elbows with rolled up towels so you don’t roll over and look up cosleeping safety too .
Gavicson can cause more problems just a heads up but clearly works for some babies !! Good luck . It’s really flipping tough x
my son had terrible reflux and I was calling the doctor every month until he was 8 months. Spoke to a family friend and they suggested probiotics. I tried optibac baby drops and the sickness went away overnight. Although that might not solve your issue, it’s definitely worth a try
Oh, I feel for you 😔 Managing reflux is quite difficult but it does get better and babies grow out of it - that’s what kept me going 🙈
My son had a lot of reflux as a newborn - he was uncomfortable when put on his back and would spit out a lot even after we held him up for an hour after every feed. I ended up doing combined feeding - bottle (expressed or formula) and breastfeeding once/twice a day. We would usually give him formula at night as it’s a bit heavier than breast milk so is a bit less likely to come back up when we put him down, breastfeed in the morning (I’d always have more milk at night/in the morning than in the evening) and expressed throughout the day. This way we knew roughly how much he takes in and were able to manage the reflux by feeding him in an upright position. I could not quite manage upright or laidback breastfeeding positions - found them really awkward 🙈 so I’d use the cradle one but just tried to angle him as much as possible with his legs being lower than his head.
We also tried to pace him during his feeds - burp him a few times throughout the feed and use bottle teats that mimic the natural breast suckling. We found Philips Avent Natural Response bottles and teats quite good - the teats have quite granular sizes so you can find the one that is right for your baby (not to slow and not too fast) and it would release the milk only when the baby actively suckles. I didn’t have any problems switching between these bottles/teats and the breast.
You can also try a thickener (eg. Carobel) - it can be used for both formula and breast milk.
Hope this helps and your baby’s reflux improves soon ☺️
Update: Hey just writing an update for anyone who might benefit, if their baby is having reflux and weight gain issues also!
After a frustrating dead end chat with the gp, I finally cracked and went into a&e to see a paediatrician. I was so so worried he wasn't taking any formula top-ups and not getting enough breastmilk!
We were very lucky to see an amazing consultant. We have been given a new anti acid medication to try and she recommended giving gaviscon infant disolved in water via syringe during breastfeeding to make sure he keeps that down. Previously I was putting it in the formula and he was refusing to drink it.
We had blood tests and everything is normal.
She advised considering weaning early at 3 months in partnership with a dietician to get him onto solids to bulk up, which I didn't think was an option and would be up for trying.
We have a paediatrician appointment in 2 weeks, but feeling much more positive.
Thanks for all the really great advice on here.
Fingers crossed we can turn this around and get some weight gained.
Another bit of advice she gave me was to stop weighing him so often as it was causing anxiety!
X
• in reply to
well done!!! I’m sure the meds will help! My daughter was on them until 14months but it was a huge help! We did early weaning at 4 months it’s a really good idea it’s tiny amounts it just get them used to it . There are lots of formulas if you need to try others the amino acids are the top tier but also can be a game change they are pricey for the NHS xxx
• in reply to
Ah thanks so much. Sounds like I got similar advice - roll on weaning to fatten this little guy up! Xxx
I'm a bit late to be here but sounds like you are getting there. Its hard when yiur little one isn't gaining....I felt terribly guilty and hadbto do BF and top ups. Both of ours had reflux, one twin more than the other. More of a being sick during the night than anything. We got given gaviscon which helped but one got constipated so we had the use lactulose syrup. However what also helped massively was, we got told to try to elevate the matress. We rolled up some hubby's t-shirts to put the head end up for sleeping and that really helped. Good luck.xxx
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