Does a sicky baby often mean reflux?

[katie05]

Well after trailing the net for how to help a sicky baby all i keep seeing is the word 'reflux'. This worries me no end as reflux can be awful cant it Ava is almost a wekk and sick after each feed, it come out of her nose too, she also has hiccups abit. She doesnt get distressed though, just looks for more milk. I was feeding her but stopped yesterday as was struggling (due to previously having a breast reduction). She was sick like this with breast milk and since been on Aptimal.

Does anyone have any advice on how i can stop her being sick or prevent reflux.

 

[Jade&Evie]

Evie is a sicky baby but she doesn't have reflux in the sense she has to have medicine or gaviscon etc.

She takes her bottles too quick despite having the slowest flow teat! When we switched her milk from SMA Gold to SMA White it seemed to ease off. Try burping every ounce, or feeding smaller feeds more often.

We have also just stopped giving her Infacol and the past two days we've used a fraction of our normal bibs/muslins!

Is she in pain with it? EVie has never been in pain when she pukes- she's never arched her back or anything like that.

Hiccups send her to sleep!

 

[katie05]

Thanks for the quick reply, no she's not in pain with it but its taking me about 1 hour to get 2/3 oz of milk into her. Shes then sick and rooting for more milk. Midwife said a faster teat but surely that would make her sick more? I just really hope it isnt reflux.

 

[daftscotslass]

We've been told by our HV that our LO almost certainly has reflux and we're off to the doc on Wednesday to see what we can do about it as comfort milk didn't agree with her (and she was barfing that up too). She has always been a sicky baby but it's gotten to the stage where she is now sick even hours after a feed. This sickness is definitely different to the possetting (throwing up a small mouthful after a feed which is totally normal) she did when she was younger.

When Ava is sick is she sick a lot or just mouthfuls? What bottles are you using? I have a couple of Dr Brown ones that I use if she's starving and tries to guzzle a bottle. I don't agree with using a faster teat - usually you'd only do this if she was struggling to get the milk out and/or falling asleep at the bottle. Try what Jade said - winding regularly through a feed (every ounce or so) because they tend to be sick more when there's milk on top of the air. Try to feed her as upright as possible, too, and keep her upright for as long as you can after. Bear in mind that she might not be feeding this often because she's sick - they tend to feed little and often in the first weeks (be it breast or bottle).

If you're at all worried make an appointment to see your GP or ask your HV when you start seeing her. Have lots of these too

 

[katie05]

Thanks for your advice, it really helps I only use Dr brown bottles for her, will try feeding her upright and see if that helps. Noticed that Aptimal do a comfortable digestion milk today, would you wait to see if she settles on normal Aptimal for now or move her to the comfort one? I know they tend to loose weight at first but i know it would upset me if she has so im trying to get her to take, and keep down, as much as possible.

thanks again.x

 

[CoreysMummy]

If shes a 'happy spitter' then your lucky, aside from washing and feeding often. Generally all the Doc can do is prescribe infant gaviscon to put in the normal milk as the comfort didnt agree!! You will prob find that helps alot

If she appears in pain, or cries during feeds then you have more of a problem.

My LO did the same, but cried every waking moment of his life for the 1st month. He could keep down the comfort milk though.

 

[daftscotslass]

Personally I would stick with the Aptamil to see if she settles on it... the nappies on comfort milk can be exceptionally explosive (runny, smelly, green) and it made my LO upset every time she filled her nappy which was about 10 times a day on the comfort milk! But for some it's great.

 

[mdsremos]

Charlie was diagnosed with Reflux at 6 months old cos he was sick after every feed although gaining weight really well and didnt seem that bothered by it. We were using the C&G comfort milk which was better for his colic but did nothing to help the sickness.
We tried the Gaviscon but it gave him stomach cramps and he hated the taste so we trawled the internet and found a formula called SMA Staydown. We bought one tin as a trial (cost about £10.00!) and it was really good, it is thicker and does what it says on the tin...stays down...well the majority but was a dramatic improvement. We contacted our Health Visitor as our chemist told us we may get it on prescription and our GP was more than happy to prescribe it at 6 tins at a time!
It is a complete pain in the backside to prepare, has to be rolled not shaken, made up when needed, etc, etc...but worth it for a happy baby!!!!

 

[daftscotslass]

It is a complete pain in the backside to prepare, has to be rolled not shaken, made up when needed, etc, etc...but worth it for a happy baby!!!!

Sorry to hijack the thread but how did you get this to mix and what bottle/teat did you use? I made it up - cool water, rolled not shaken but LO couldn't get any out on a level 2 or variflow teat which is what the SMA helpline advised me to use. I have a whole tin of the stuff in my cupboard sitting untouched bar 3 wasted bottles!

We got prescribed infant gaviscon last week and so far it has been fantastic.

 

[mdsremos]

We were using Avent bottles and mixed between the size 3 teat and the variflow although it can be a pain when it blocks the teat so we had to shake it gently every now and then or have a spare teat to change the top of the bottle part way through the feed. It was trial and error at first with the teats. We used the staydown right through weaning until Charlie was past 1 year and onto cows milk...he just grew out of the reflux which was such a relief seeing as I had surgery for mine five years ago which has left me unable to burp or be sick at all...has its benefits

 

[BeckyJ]

summer has reflux, before it was diagnosed she was sick after every feed and couldnt keep anything down so therefore was loosing weight, it wasnt just baby sick it was projectile like out of the exorcist lol

she now has gaviscon in every bottle and keeps her feeds down, she still cries through her feeds occasionally and is sometimes sick but no where near what she was like, she also has a faster flowing teat which has helped her