Top Ten Tuesday - Reflux Tips

If you’ve been reading my blog, you’ll know that Alfie’s reflux has started to get worse for what reason I’m not sure but I thought I’d dedicate this weeks Top Ten Tuesday to Reflux.  Here goes:

1.       Buy a wedge for the moses basket/crib/cot – reflux is acid brining the milk back up from your baby’s tummy.  If you ever suffered with heartburn yourself, you know that it’s worse when you’re laid down.  It’s the same for babies.  Don’t prop the cot up on books or use towels etc. as the incline isn’t enough to make a difference and it’s not completely safe.  Specially made wedges are designed with the perfect incline for your baby.  I bought mine from this website

2.       Baby wear – I can’t stress enough how beneficial baby wearing is for you and baby.  It helps with bonding, it gives you free arms and best of all for babies suffering with reflux it keeps them in an upright position, close to you so they feel safe and comfortable.  I get my slings from Victoria the Sling Lady

3.       Buy muslin cloths in the bulk load – bibs are O.K but they aren’t big enough and when washing they take a lot longer to dry than muslin cloths.  You can even make your own if you’re handy with a sewing machine; just ensure the material is soft and light.

4.       With how severe Alfie’s reflux is, we carry two spare sets of clothes in the baby changing bag.  I say clothes but I mean all in ones (take up less space than t-shirt, trousers etc…) He’s sick quite severely with every feed and sometimes we’re just not quick enough with the muslin cloth.  You don’t want a baby who’s uncomfortable from being wet through with sick.  Yuck!

5.       Feed baby as upright as possible to aid gravity in keeping the acid and milk down.  If you’re breastfeeding I recommend speaking with a lactation expert or breastfeeding link worker for advice on positioning.

6.       Whether you’re at home or visiting a friend or family’s home – feed baby on a towel.  Put the towel under your bum and when it comes to winding or baby just throwing up on his/her own the furniture is covered.

7.       After feeding baby try not to lay them down immediately, keep them up right be it in a sling, swing or bouncer.  This gives the milk time to settle and digest and saves your baby from being unnecessarily uncomfortable.

8.       Try Gripe Water – Alfie suffered with really bad colic as well as reflux and the gripe water has warming properties to help bind the bubbles together making things less painful for baby.

9.       Keep baby in lose fitting clothes – no tight waistbands they only help compress baby’s tummy and push the acid up.

10.   Talk to your G.P. – If the reflux is getting worse or the medication you’re given doesn’t seem to be helping with your baby being uncomfortable speak to your doctor your baby may have severe reflux and need more or different medication or there could be another underlying problem such as Pyloric Stenosis.

Alfie has suffered with severe reflux from birth and is currently taking Gaviscon, Ranitadine and Domperidone.  He was also given Omeprazole for a period of time but the hospital asked us to give things a shot without them – this could be why his reflux seems to be causing him problems again.  If you’re not happy with the diagnosis or the medicine your doctor has given you, go back and back until you have it sorted for yours and your baby’s sake.

Weaning - Day 1

Recently, Alfie has become a lot more unsettled and he seems very uncomfortable when he’s feeding.  I spoke to a doctor and my health visitor and both came up with the conclusion that his reflux is for some reason not being controlled as well by the medicines anymore.  This could be for many reasons, mainly his weight VS dosage.  I mentioned in a previous post that we were advised to wean Alfie earlier than 6 months for medical reasons; at first this really upset me as I wanted to wait until he was 6 months old however recently my opinion has changed.

Yesterday we gave Alfie his first taste of porridge and it’s safe to say he enjoyed it!  It was officially the first day of weaning him.  I understand some of you reading this will disagree completely with weaning before 6 months but for Alfie it’s just the right time.  Babies with reflux rarely get to 6 months on milk alone because it is so painful for them.  Pureed food is thicker and therefore easier to keep down.  I think until you go through a similar experience where your child is so unhappy and in pain you can’t understand.  I too was against weaning before 6 months until I was advised otherwise by a professional.

The plan is to give Alfie porridge after his morning feed for a week or two then we’ll introduce fruit and vegetables and eventually meat.  I plan on weaning him slowly so he can get used to the tastes and textures of the foods.  We’re hoping to stick to making the purees ourselves so I know exactly what he’s eating although there are certain brands I’ll use if needed such as Plum Baby.  I’m both excited and nervous about weaning him.  Mostly, the excitement is because I know in time he’ll feel so much better with the reflux easing off.  The nerves are because I’m a new mum and have no idea about weaning!  I’m following Alfie’s lead all the way on this and the fact that he was smiling eating his porridge tells me he enjoyed it  - that and he practically ate the spoon too!