marmum's Page

Thank you for replying. It is so upsetting watching Isaac - although he is so happy between feeds. Good luck to you too. Stay in touch xx

Hi, every child is so different so what works for some may not work for others but my take is that everything is at least worth a try. We see Dr Thomson at Portland and he suggested the bicarbonate solution purely as a method of getting her to take it easier and geting the full amount but it didn't really work that well for us. It doesn't have any effect on the performance of the drug so I wouldn't worry about that too much. You may well be able to increase the omeprezole when you see the consultant as I am sure Lauren was on 20mg from about that age? This website has a useful page telling max doses for omeprezole - http://www.paediatricgastroenterologist.co.uk/home.htm

For us, the solids were a huge turning point and she just loves her food and I feel so grateful for this. As soon as she was established on the solids we were able to drop the milk feeds which she just hated. As of 9 months she has only been on two milk feeds a day and just eats solids like a greedy pig!!! The main thing is to take it really really slowly and only introduce one thing a week for the first few weeks and see how he goes. I am sure you know this as a second baby!!

Re sleep, this was her worst trait and was purely down to reflux initially but then by about 6 months I knew it was habit. I went to my parents for a week and my mum just got up for her and by the end of the week she was sleeping through. My mum never picked her up but just comforted her from the cot. I think the main thing was the disconnection from me. It was definately the way forward but I know some people aren't lucky enough to have somone else to do this and break the habits. The problem we had with the nights was that she fed so little on milk during the day that she was probably just waking out of hunger - it is a very difficult cycle to break and if you don't have anyone to help then I would prob recommend a maternity nurse - although they are very expensive.

I don't think I have been much help really!

Hope things improve.
x

All the best with Liam and the solids. I started with plum baby baby rice and did that for about 10 days and then started on the sweet potato, carrots and just kept going. It really was the turning point for us and I hope you too.

Anyway, it isn't a night nanny as such but a lasdy who specialises in sleep training. My friends daughter was 8 months when they got her help and within four nights she was no longer feeding from the breast every hour and was sleeping through the night. She wasn't a reflux baby though, but you could call the lady and ask her if she has experience of reflux?

Her name is Andrea Grace - 07717 324377, 0208 3486959 - http://www.andreagrace.co.uk/

Let us know how things go.

It does get better, I promise!
x

Hi Marmum,

I'm afraid I wouldn't recommend the maternity nurse I hired. It was a disaster! And started Stella on a downward spiral for about 6 weeks ... she was recommended as a reflux 'expert' but came in and started to do sleep training. Poor Stella went mental and then started screaming at the sight of her cot. She changed her on to the hospital non-dairy milk which for some reason disagreed with stella and then I had to put up with four weeks of projectile vomiting (I didn't realise it was the milk as she had a cold for the first two weeks). Anyway, I won't go into the story more but she also cancelled me twice and had to come at the weekend and then charged me double without telling me first. I was so low with it all she nearly sent me over the edge ...

The only thing that has helped with stella was taking her off the domperidone and the gaviscon. She screamed for three hours straight every night before we binnned the domperidone. I think the losec is important and she is on 20mg per day. Initially the food made a difference but she is really fussy and I am sort of stuck on a potato veggie mixture twice a day. She seemed better for a month but has been really bad again this week ... I really don't know why. Eating is like drinking, she seems starving and then after a couple of mouthfuls she starts screaming and throwing her arms about. Sorry, I am not much help. I wish someone could help us and give STella something that would work. She turned 8 months this week and I am seeing the consultant at Guildford hospital tomorrow. I had to cancel my appointment with Dr Thomson at the Portland because my toddler was ill, but I think I will have another stab at that. My health visitor says there is a reflux clinic at Great Ormond Street so I might try and get referred to that too.

How old is Liam? Do you have a problem with weight gain too? Stella started to put on weight with the food so it is really depressing that she is going off solids now.

Ginny x

Just remembered about a lady on here called Robyn who lives in London. She used an agency called Eden nannies for a maternity nurse. You could contact her and see what her experience was and whether it helped.

Let me know how the appintment goes tmw. Lauren only has two milk bottles now - one in am and one before bed. Last night she only drank 4 oz so she isn't getting much milk still but i don't mind anymore as she is so good with her food that I figure it doesn't really matter and she has just learnt how to use a straw so is drinking loads of fluids which is the main thing!!

I remember those hours of pacing the house with screaming babies and nothing to console them - it will pass i promise.

All the best
x

Sorry things have got so bad. At least you are in the right hands and you have got some new things to try although like you say maybe not great that it is all change all at once. The baby rice is unlikely to affect him as he won't take more than a spoonful in the first week or so, it took both mine a good couple of weeks to master the new skill. I never found domperdine that effective anyway, so hopefully it will be the lansoprezole which will make the real difference.

At least you are already at the Portland.

Mine are fine. We just put them in the same room together (3 in Nov and 10 months). They both go down without any noise at 7pm, but our problem is Lauren always wakes at 5am which is OK as she goes back to sleep (I don't!!) with her music and then wakes at 6am when she manages to wake the whole house! It is difficult as we have no choice for them to share rooms so I think we have to ride through it. Today we decided to get her straight up and now my hubby and son are back to sleep. I hate 6am, but then I have to feel grateful that I am over reflux and she is sleeping from 7-6am!

Where do you live?

Let us know how the changes go.

Hi there, glad things are going well with the milk and baby rice. Your situation sounds very similar to ours 6 months ago. Just started weening, not really interested in her milk, just have an ounce and then push it away, and as you know so the day continues with a constant battle of trying to get fluids down them without forcing it upon them too much - I remember it too well and it is very hard. Lauren took to her baby rice well too and for us was the real turning point so lets hope this is the way you are also heading! Don't get me wrong, it was still another 2 months of battling with the milk but as she took more and more solids and required less milk she was so much happier. Even today she still chokes and gags on her milk and particularly water which she really struggles with - I guess it is so thin and I do put gaviscon in her neocate still which thickens it up a little.

Laurens wheeze has completely gone. She has been on singulair for 2 weeks now and she doesn't cough anymore and is sleeping for 2 X 1 hour naps during the day whereas before it was 20 minutes because of the coughing. So really pleased about this.

Keep up the good work. I would stick with the new milk and solids for a few weeks and see how his weight goes before looking into other options. Assuming he is not in too much pain?

Yes, the neocate did change Laurens poo's for the worst, they were almost black and foul smelling, but it is normal and did improve a bit but an unfortunate side effect of the milk i guess!!

We live in Brook Green which is just behind Olympia in West London.

Keep me posted, I really hope he continues to like the neocate and the baby rice and it is the start of good things.
x

Hi there, thanks for your message. We are home from the hospital now which is lovely - although Liam's poor mouth still v sore and needing regular pain killers and antibiotics which he absolutely hates - plus the normal medicines! He is eating his solids better than taking his milk, which apparently is normal after the operation, and also typical of Liam generally.

Sorry you are having problems with feeding your Liam, it is really hard work isn't it. I have seen at SALT (speech and lang. specialist) from Great Orm Street and also a local one from Richmond. One was re. bottles, one re. solids. They basically watch what you normally do and give you some advice. They might have a go themselves - I remember Alex xouldn't get Liam to have any milk at all so she just gave him back. Victoria did have more luck than me with the solids (which have subsequently been improving gradually over time). Things which have proved helpful below.......

1) Bottle. Try and be relaxed. Have the baby lent back a bit in the your arm like you are having a cuddle. I squash in the baby's right arm to my body quite firmly (but not viciously!) to keep this hand out the way, and then I hold Liam's left hand in my left hand. This seems to discourage batting away the bottle.

What I have found personally helps if you are struggling is having a break and moving seats/rooms, having something for the baby to look at - a person waggling their hands, balloon - whatever to take their mind off things. Also going out to someone else's house works well!

2) Solids. Liam has not had an aversion but he did lots of holiding food in his mouth and not eating. What has worked well for us as advised by SALT is when has a good mouthful and chews and swallows have the next spoonful ready right away so you can get into a good rhythm of eating - rather than lots of pauses and time to lose interest.

Liam also likes to feed himself. He is now eight months so this didn't help when he was very little, but giving him the spoon and letting him (try to!) do it and get very messy is helpful. I put in my spoon while he's concentrating on this. Initially I think giving Liam his own spoon was a distraction - so I'd wait until you think your Liam is ready for this.

Initially I was advised to make weaning 'fun' and I think I made it a bit too fun! Basically I calmed it down as advised and let Liam concentrate. However now I do lots of vocal encouragement and well dones (even when not doing great!).

The other thing I do as advised when he has it in his mouth and is not swallowing is to put an empty spoon is, or to put my finger briefly on his tongue at the front to encourage him to move the food round his mouth.
If it falls out the front this is good as it means he's moving it around his mouth,
Don't wipe Liam's face as baby's don't like this - live with the mess!

Keep feed times short. I stop at 20 mins now, but used to do 5-10 when first weaning, so the baby doesn't get fed up. It's ok to have a break - play with a toy, but don't give them the toy during the meal as too distracting.

In Liam's case I think as he was having high calorie milk and lots of feeds a day, I think I was expecting him to be too hungry. Now I've relaxed about this, and as he grows/has more time to play and his appetitie increase, this is improving and he's taking more.

I've also noticed he's better when I stand up and give him the food when he is in his highchair. Looking up a bit helps get the food going the right way. For us, as Liam was not v good at sitting up, a supportive high chair (which we pad out with tea towels as he is small) is helpful as lets him concentrate on eating.

Hope some of this helps, I'm sure every baby is different, good luck!

Seeing the SALT can feel quite stressful as it feels a bit as though you/the baby are being judged - but I really have had some useful advice. You just need to use the advice in line with your own judgement as your baby changes, and ask for more help if you need it,

Rebecca

hello Marmum, how are you? Just wondering how you are getting on with solids - I know what hard work it is and I know some of my friends babies off them with the heat as well.

My Liam eating lots (for him!) but not keen to drink following his operation. His mouth seems to be less painful now, but not sure he will ever go back to the bottle and currently feeding little by little from a syringe so not an ideal long term solution! Meeting behavioural Speech and lang specialist next week, as think his bottle refusal now (as well as the post op painful mouth) likely to be habit from doing so for so long....

Rebecca