Hello!

Okay, so my baby was fine (as fine as he could be 3.1 weeks preemie due to weight problems), right until he came home after 9 days in hospital (not feeding properly ect.). I dropped dramatically in milk when he got home, he also became a very fussy baby. It came to the point I had to express feed, then eventually I had to mix feed until the day I couldn’t anymore and decided that formula was what was best. In the mean time, we discovered there was silent reflux (diagnosed only by midwives) then it turned into a couple of projectile vomits!

We have tried almost everything, different positioning, holding him differently, burping, not burping, thickener, 10 different formula’s, thickener (which didn’t work, seemed to have a reaction and had to squeeze formula out!) . I haven’t been to see the doctor yet as we’re due to get his needles and we really want to do it in the morning so we have a full day to keep an eye on him if any reaction occurs.

But our last option before medication is gaviscon, but I was wondering if anyone found anything else that would help? Like feeding food? Thank you!


Want more real mum questions sent to you?

You'll need to check this email to complete your signup.
  • Both my kids suffered bad reflux and had to continuously burp them over a sink. Sometimes it was like a fountain and looks frightening . Somehow with my first child , cant remember if it was a friend or childhood nurse told me not to lie the child flat when sleeping . At that time I had a bassinet and I had a tiny pillow that allowed my daughter to slightly slant instead of lying flat. ( I put pillow under the bassinet base cover ) I am not sure what happened but after that her reflux was lessened after every feed and she even slept better .


  • MUM4107, has exactly the same method my niece used with her newborn boy.
    He projectile vomitted from day one. Try raising the head of your baby’s bassinet/cot. If using a cot put you baby to the top of the cot, and if using covers at all, shorten them so that your baby can’t slide under them. Initial method in our case was old phone books under the mattress. Could your baby be lactose intolerant? I hope the Dr. can give you further advice.


  • I breasted until 6ish months when my daughter started dropping weight due to reflux, I found NAN HA formula and food helped but we couldn’t avoid using gaviscon and then later ranitidine syrup. Feeding upright as much as possible and avoid too much excitement after food other than that it’s just time, my daughter is 14 months and still has reflux but is unmediated now.


  • You sound very overwhelmed and I hope things have started to settle down for you. I read your comment about not being happy with the paediatrician – is there another one you can see? Sometimes the best advice I’ve received is from my GP and midwives. If there is a baby clinic near you they are worth visiting. My local chemist suggested 1ml of Mylanta. He is a compound chemist (makes medicines on site) and said the medicine for baby reflux is essentially the same. I did read that all babies suffer some form of reflux – from ‘posseting’ to more extreme cases but apparently only a small portion need medical intervention. I’ve heard some of the organic formulas are good but can’t speak from experience. I did hear that some formulas have changed their ingredients or the location where they were made and this caused a lot of problems for some people


  • We had a very similar thing with our bub. They do grow out of it, I know it doesn’t help in the meantime, but don’t worry yourself too much about it. We did try a bit of Gaviscon but I’m not convinced it worked. Babies are often just unsettled and cry a lot in the early days. It’s difficult, but it will pass. Hope it does for you soon.


  • Thank you everyone so much, I probably should point out;
    We had seen a pediatrician honestly I wasn’t happy with her, not only the fact that she was OVER an hour late.. But other reasons, but she suggested smaller feeds, so I did try them which did not work out he would scream the house down which we couldn’t do that. Then tried AR thickener Karicare I think he had a mild reaction he would go botchy after feeds.. But now he’s cut down we have to wake him up for his 4th feed.. He doesn’t want to finish most bottles I know he’s sick but never seen him drop so low before, starting to get worried.


  • I would also recommend a paediatrician..they are very helpful and will sort out any problems.
    All the very best to you all.


  • We went through the exact same thing. Gaviscon helped keep milk down and we were on losec for her reflux. She also has a dairy allergy. I would go see a paediatrician if you can. I was bf and I went off dairy and she was such a different baby. I know some mums that has either soy formula or a special prescribed formula that worked wonders. I would def not give food at this age as their little stomachs cannot handle it. it sounds like to me a dairy allergy with reflux as it is exactly my daughter at that age.
    You can speculate until the cows come home but I would see a paediatrician you will be so glad you did. Get a referral from you gp.
    Good luck and don’t be scared about your Lo on reflux meds your doing what is best for them. I know I can’t stand it when I have acid reflux it burns.


  • I used Karicare AR thickened formula (if you haven’t already tried it). I also used MAM Bottles. I found them to be better with a thicker formula and they allow for any milk to flow through alot better. These combined helped with my son who had reflux quite bad.
    We also used Infacol…just mix with the milk before they drink and it helps them to burp after a feed.


  • check with the doc to make sure it is all good. try shorter feeds


  • Your son sounds like my son was when he was little, I basically had a daily vomit shower from him and he was very windy.. . My son is now a healthy six year old. We tried everything including medication. Nothing worked. In the end he ended up just having smaller feeds but more often and burping for about 20 mins after every feed. (he didnt vomit so much as before) . He too was a premmie and was tube feed for about the first two weeks in the special care nursery.
    Do check with your doctor before trying anything new. Hope it settles down for you soon.


  • Please go to doctor and they may give medicine that helps with the pain of reflux.
    We used zantac in conjuiction with karricarethickener added to formula.
    when burping your bub, rub their back to burp instead of patting as patting can irritate the esophagus. Elevate their heads when sleeping


Post your reply
Add a photo
Your MoM account


Lost your password?

Enter your email and a password below to post your answer and join MoM:

↥ Back to top

Thanks For Your Star Rating!

Would you like to add a written rating or just a star rating?

Write A Rating Just A Star Rating
Join