First time here - advice much appreciated

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Kathryn Shaw on March 10, 2010 at 12:14pm

Hi i'm new to this site too, your baby sounds identical to my 6 week old baby girl, she started showing symptoms of reflux from the first week but we were also told it was just congestion from birth.
At 4 weeks she had a bad choking fit in the middle of the night and i rang the doctors the following day who said it was reflux and prescribed infant gaviscon, she was also on sma gold at the time but soon became covered in red spots all over her face and neck which seemed to get worse immediately after a feed.
After speaking to my health visitor she said it definitely seems like she may have a milk allergy/lactose intolerance as they usually go hand in hand with the reflux.
After speaking to a dietician the health visitor managed to get some special hypoallergenic milk called nutramigen which she has been on for a week now although her reflux symptoms haven't improved she does seem in less pain when feeding and within 24 hours of being on the new milk her skin improved greatly.
Still got to give the milk another week but the health visitor is being really good and is in contact with the dietician who is going to suggest another milk i can try if i still have no success.
I feel exactly the same way as you can't do anything even getting to clean my teeth sometimes is a big mission and i also have a 6 year old to look after i look forward to every night when my husband comes home just to hand her over abit and get a break.
I would definitely advise speaking to your health visitor if you haven't already done so just make her realise how hard it is, i'm not sure how you go about getting referred to a dietician because my health visitor did this for me.
We haven't found the answer to the reflux and it is so hard to live with it takes its toll on all the family and i regularly find myself in tears most days but keeping in touch with the health visitor and talking to people on this website have definitely helped me realise i'm not alone.
Please feel free to message me any time we could all do with a chat x

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by sarah jacks on March 10, 2010 at 12:29pm

Thanks so much Kathryn - I am seeing the HV in the morning and will mention the allergy theory. I will def be keeping in touch with you x

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Sian Thomas on March 10, 2010 at 1:40pm

Ah poor you, you sound so down, but i know exactly how you feel, im in the same boat although my mum is on hand to help sometimes but feel like i dont want to put pressure on her, and i wont leave my little one either and its having it toll on me, my husband and my little boy.
With the spots, i had the same with my little girl they came out when she was 2 weeks old and lasted for about 4 weeks she was covered all over her face and they told me it was baby acne, then the reflux problems started and she just wont feed much and still wont now at 20 weeks, my little girl would not sleep during the day either unless she was on my shoulder.
Well after much visits to gp, hospital etc, she has been put on ranitadine which helped the reflux, and they have changed her milk, several times for dairy intollerance, she is now on nutramigen and we seem to be having some progress if its only a little.
My little one has always slept at night so thank god i did not have that to deal with too, i really hope you start feeling a little better and you are not a failing mum, you would be if you did not care!!!! but you odviously do!!!! x

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Sian Thomas on March 10, 2010 at 1:41pm

also i think it was never acne i think it was her first reaction to dairy!!!

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Belinda on March 10, 2010 at 2:30pm

Hi ya Sarah, your story sounds like us, I am a mother of 3, daughter 17, son 6 years and youngers daughter now 19 months.
No parents any more as both passed, sister and brothers work full time, and hubby was at work long hours, so apart from my eldest daughter (who was amazing support, evenings, as in the 6th form) i felt like my life had ended. I can truly say things do get better, but they take time, our changing point was around 13 months old once she was up right and started to walk. I loved her to bits, more than life it's self, but found it hard to bond until this point.
My daughter was diagnosed at 5 weeks with server silent reflux, she would stop breathing and turn blue with the acid, sounded like a little pig grunting when asleep, (and still does some times), her hospital consultant states this is due to the acid at the back of the throat keeping the tissue soft so it viabrates. She always put weight on and never refused a feed, but wanted it in small bits and often, at 5 months old once fully weaned onto our foods, she refused ANY milk at all, and was given yoghurt in its place.
I new from when she was 12 hours old there was some thing not right, I thought at first the milk hurt her as she screamed, on and on and on after a feed for hours....... the ped's did a Lactoes intolarent test at 3 weeks old, came back negative. I was not convinced, at 14 months old she turned out to be dairy intolarent, and at 16 months old she was wheat/gluten intolarent now been given the title Celiac. Never noticed any thing on my little ones tongue but she has the red spotty rough cheeks, also same on private parts,, This has been diagnosed as eczema, through the dairy intolarence. Life got better still once dairy was taken out of her diet.
When she was diagnosed with reflux she was given infant Gaviscon, and Ranitadine, which worked for a while, but because you have to give the dose to weight it was hard to keep track of. At 2 months she was changed to Infant Gaviscon and Omprazole, Fantastic stuff, (she began to sleep a little during the day at this point.) Shortly after she was given Domperidone to empty her tummy faster, helping the sickness.
At 5 months old when she refused milk she was given Gaviscon advance liquid, this helped as it puts a protective coating on the food pipe and tummy. She still takes a small dose of Gaviscon and Omprazole daily but thats slowly being decreased. She eventually started sleeping through the night around 16 1/2 months old.
I found that returning to work gave me the break I needed for my sanity,, Have you asked the child tax about child care help with the costs. I was told, that every one gets child tax, inless you earn more than £58 thousand a year. Depening on your income, they will pay between 70% to 80% a week for you to a registered child care provider.
example= £21 thousand a year income, child minder costs £130.00 a week, they pay roughtly £100.00 a week.
I was SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO scared of leaving her with any one, but I think id have cracked if I had'nt returned to work. x

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by sarah jacks on March 11, 2010 at 3:08pm

Thank you Belinda , Sian and Kathryn so much - just knowing there are people out there who understand is a god send. You have all given such great advice as well. I can identify with all what you are saying. I think I will be on this website a lot.... I have spoken to my HV today and have an appointment at the GP surgery tonight as she has failed to keep a single feed down all day and has been having terrible choking episodes again. Armed with all of your info I am going to demand a referral to the hospital and some alternative meds. To stop myself from going totally insane I have bought a sling thing where I can keep her upright and actually move to do things. Thanks ladies - speak soon xx

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Sian Thomas on March 11, 2010 at 6:59pm

Hope you got on well today sarah, demand everything or you get nothing and dont let them fob you off!!!

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by sarah jacks on March 11, 2010 at 7:19pm

Well we have got the Enfamil and he IS referring us to the hospital. We have to go back on Monday to see if the milk has made a difference and if not he will try other meds, so I feel at least we are trying - but you are right, they def do try to fob you off, I still got accused of 'maybe overfeeding" ! Aaaarghghgh!!!

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Kathryn Shaw on March 11, 2010 at 9:31pm

Hey thats good glad they are going to refer you atleast its a step in the right direction, hope the new milk works.
Can't believe they accused you of over feeding, why won't they just except that it's reflux and help you out its beyond me.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by louiseb on March 11, 2010 at 9:31pm

HI your situation sounds similar to ours, my little one was diagnosed with pyloric stenosis at 4 weeks and had to have an operation, following the op she still struggled to keep feeds down and gave us gaviscon to thicken up the feeds, this worked for a few days she is now nine weeks and we have been to docs twice already this week! she was given omprazole yesterday but tried to give it to her this morning and she was so sick afterwards, saw doc today who is referring us to hospital
its just so frustrating as we thought after the op everything would be fine she is vomiting probably 70% of her feeds up so we feel we are back at stage one. we are persevering with the medication depending on how much we can get into her without the vomiting- Cant believe that in nine weeks she has been in hospital for a week, operation, numerous docs appointment i really feel like i have missed out on her and so frustrated because im her mum and should be able to help her. hope your little one starts to show improvements and we need to think it can only get better from here surely!

• ▶ Reply