Michelle's Page

hi, i've just found you on this website. I had my baby on the 13th October 2007. I am sure my baby is suffering from this condition and the health visitor and midwife want to wait to see what happens with the weight gain ? none as yet from the initial loss. My gp says i have a colicy baby. I cant stand the pain she is in. My gp wont refer me to a peadiatrician, any suggestions? how did you get diagnosed by a health professional?

My baby is 6 1/2 months now, he is still suffering from silent reflux. We have been to see a private pred'tion as my gp had no idea what was going on and kept saying it was colic...! Health vistors were useless too...! Its 4.30am and i'm up bcos i'm feeling so down. My son has been on med now for 6 wks and all the symtoms have come back (crying out in pain to burp, taking ages to burp, painful farts, refusing his milk ans sometimes solids, not sleeping or bing woken up in pain.....) This whole experiece has put me off having ne more children. My family are all in the midlands, my husband works in the city (call him a weekend dad) so hes home around 7-7.30pm which means i have to cope on my own all day. I can't take him out as hes full of wind ans won't stop crying. I feel trapped and depressed. Guess i should try ans sleep now.....! If ne1 has some advice, pls let me know

Hi Michelle, i was having the very same thoought..re uping his med dose, will make an app soon to see the ped'tion. I live in Buckhurst Hill, near chigwell and we have been going to Holly House Hospital. God knows how i have coped, the thing is nobody would listen to me, docs kept saying it was colic and as mentioned the health vistors are so useless, all they say is...well nicki some babys just cry.....!

So do u think my son will keep on having to take the meds for a long time, hes on Losec Mups (tablet form) and Domperidom (liquid form).

I don;t know about ur son but mine has real pain when farting and it takes him forever to burp and is usually in pain bcos of it. After he started to take the meds he did make an improvment but its just this week that hes gone down hill again, but he has increased weight (when he started the meds he was around 14lbs, hes now 16lbs).

I feel so helpless too sometimes, this is my first baby and i sometimes wonder was it something i did/ate/behaved in my preg'cy that made this happen. I then really feel for my son as i can see hes in pain.

Well its the wend now so my husband takes over to give me a break : )

Have a good wend and thanks for ur advice.x

Hi, thanks 4 your comment. Discharged from hospital yesyerday new problem 2day. The gaviscon has given Rebecca constipation so now screaming 4 another reason. Rang the hospital ward and was given this info. They said 2 try cutting it out but it obviously helps with the acid so i am going to try half the dose. Poor little mite. She has had 2 & a bit weeks of pain, 1 day of respite when i could change a nappy, feed and into the next cycle with no crying anow crying caused by the cure!!!

Thanks Michelle. I'm not sure I can be completely dairy free but could cut down a lot and see if it helps. Have been trying to take note of what I eat but it's really hard to keep track. Glad your daughter is improving. Lucie is now booked to have a stomach scan next week which should show that she is having reflux (if she will eat the barium meal!). Not sure what happens then but we'll see...

Hi Michelle
we had a similar thing - Ben improved in the day but the nights even now aren't good (he's 14months). Our eldest is 3.5 and is only now slowly improving at night but still has reflux.

Snacking is tough dairy free and i found i was starving (breastfeeding and lack of sleep make u hungrier) all the time. I have a dietician (do you see one?) who recommended eating nuts and cereal bars (some are dairy free). I also found weight watchers biscuits were dairy free, as are some nairn stuff, bourbons and rich tea are dairy free. Cakes wise - the supermarkets do a free from range or some of the own brand apple pies are ok. weight watchers brownies are ok too.

U can bake your own (using Pure sunflower spread) but i struggle to find time. Chocolate wise - After 8 Mints (in the black sachets not the sticks for some reason) and some green & blacks stuff (the orange one is lovely) is dairy free.

I'll try to think of some others...

Ben is still dairy free but i'm hoping he'll slowly become tolerant. I think he'll probably give up breastfeeding in the next few months so i can eat dairy again. He still night-feeds though (he won't eat solids properly) and i find breastfeeding easier at night.

How are you find the reflux issues? it complicates things doesn't it. Have you had much support?

Suzanne

You do lose weight - i lost 2 stone! i ended up losing too much though and had to use some artificial calorie powder stuff on my food. Are you taking calcium tablets? I take 2 a day and my GP prescribes them for me as they are expensive to buy. Will help your bones and get calcium to your littlun.

I am amazed your hubby wants more - my husband has said never again! it is so difficult, isn't it. No one knows what bad reflux is really like. Our eldest had it so bad that they thought he had a more serious condition and operated on him at 2 weeks old - only to discover it was severe reflux and they'd operated needlessly.

I'm like you - the crying is the worst bit. Seeing them so distressed and being helpless is the worst thing i've experienced in my life. My youngest cried constantly for 3 months as he'd developed colitis from the dairy allergy and no doctors would listen to me that something was wrong for that long! My eldest was 9 months before they got him on the right medication. It makes me angry to think of how they ignored me. I long for some sleep - do you get much? Running between 2 kids at night is knackering.

If i can help with any other info on the dairy thing - just ask - i get lots of my info from the dietician.

Take care,
Suzanne

Hi Michelle I saw that you were thinking of getting a wedge pillow, just wanted to say I couldn't get my son into a big cot untill I bought my wedge, he soon settled much better with it. I also put it under his play gym and mat which mean't he would stay under it a bit longer before screaming.