Our Reflux Story – part 1

So we are still going through the hell that is infant reflux but I would be here all day typing our journey so far. I have decided instead to break it down into smaller more manageable chunks so this is the first part of the story:

With all of the other issues we dealt with during the first few weeks of O’s life, vomiting was one thing that happened very rarely. Now let me tell you that I have had some really sicky babies in the past and it was pleasant not to have to change him 3 times before breakfast or to need a never ending supply of bibs/muslin cloths.

But alas at 9 weeks out lives took on a more sicky smelling aroma when out of the blue, one day he started to be sick. All. The. Time. Now a lot of reflux babies projectile vomit but this wasn’t how it was with O. It would literally dribble out of his mouth continuously. I remember sitting waiting in baby clinic for an hour and I went through 3 muslin cloths drenched in foul, cheesy smelling liquid before he even got weighed.

He started doing the usual spitting up that babies get when they are winded but we also had feeds where he was still attached to my boob and he would be getting sick just because he fidgeted a little.  It would come pumping out around his mouth and we would both get drenched.  He would then get hungry quickly as he’d lost most of his feed and so the vicious circle would continue.

It was after he had been vomiting for a few days that the crying started. It wasn’t colic, even though the doctors insisted that it was. If you have never had a colicky baby you should really count your blessings.  Babies with colic will scream, for hours on end (usually in the early evening) it doesn’t matter what you do, you can hold them, change them, sing to them, lay them down in their bed alone. Nothing will soothe them.  But this child could be distracted, even if only for a few moments sometimes.  He was consolable.

We had tried many things help ease his pain including:

Infacol, this is an orange flavour liquid that helps all of the little bubbles in baby’s tummy collect into one big bubble which is easier to burp up

Gripe Water, which is a clear liquid made with dill and fennel among other ingredients which warms a baby’s tummy and is quite soothing.

Colief, with is a really expensive yet teeny tiny bottle containing the enzyme lactase.  This is sometimes given to colicky babies who may be suffering a temporary form of lactose intolerance.  It helps them break down the lactose until their immature tummy can take over, this is usually around 3 months old.  LV was lactose intolerant until he was 5 or 6 years old, so it made sense that his brother may be getting it too.

We had positive results for a few days with each of these products, the crying and writhing pain eased but the vomiting continued) but they soon came back with a vengeance. The only thing we introduced that really helped us all a lot? A dummy (pacifier).  I had been adamant that he wasn’t going to have a dummy, we hadn’t needed one on LV, we wouldn’t need one now.  But after 3 weeks of what felt like constant crying we were all willing to try anything.

He was 12 weeks old and he never had anything other than boob in his mouth so at first he would gag on it, but it kept him distracted trying to figure out what the hell this thing was.  after a week or so he got the hang of it and if nothing else it helped us to get him to sleep a little easier.

I will carry on our story soon but have you and your family dealt with reflux?  I would love to hear from others who are going through this problem.  Also has your loved one grown out of reflux? What helps/helped you deal with it or what tips do you have?