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Infant Gaviscon

Hi everyone

I have been breastfeeding my 9 week old exclusively up until last week. He is always bringing up milk after every feed so I went to my docs (after reading some advice on here) and asked for some infant gaviscon. The doc was reluctant to give it to me as he said it contains a lot of sodium for his age but I mentioned this forum and said other mums are using it so he gave me a couple of boxes but told me to only use 1 packet at a time.
Anyway it has worked wonders but I have had to start expressing and giving him my expressed milk in a bottle with the gaviscon. I found it a real hassle to try and make the gaviscon up in cooled boiled water and give it to him after the feed. At least he is still getting my milk and I am not getting through as many cloths and bibs as before!
What I was wondering was who else uses it on their LO's and how old are they? How long have you been giving it to them as I was wondering how long to give it to him for? I dont like giving it to him really but I have tried feeding without it a couple of times since, but the reflux has always come back guaranteed!

Replies

  • Hi
    My lo Ruby has been on this for about 5 weeks now, Doc just gave me prescription and didnt say anything about sodium ? I didnt even see a doc again the other day when i went for a repeat prescription. When speaking to my HV she has to just continue till Ruby is about 6 months old (ish). She has 1/2 a sachet 4-5 times per day. Even though she is now over 10lbs i've still continued with 1/2 a sachet as its still seems to be working and don't want to up it when its not necessary.

    I was also bf, although she has been having expressed milk in a bottle for bed since 6weeks old, but i think she got used to having the bottle before a feed and it really started to confuse her, and completley refused to bf over christmas. I tried my hardest to preserve but to no joy and i have now handed over to the formula, which Ruby is now much happier with image.

    xxx
  • Thanks Laura...yeah the doc said something about salt and sodium and that is the first thing i saw listed on the packet but like you I am only giving him 1/2 sachet. I am going to try and keep on expressing but i dont seem to be producing as much so it may be over to the formula soon. How old is Ruby now?
  • Hi girls, Paige is 6 weeks old and has been vomiting after breast feeding since birth, sometimes up to 10 times (getting tired of the pukey smell on my lounge). The midwife described her as a "happy chucker" as she doesn't cry in pain or projectile vomit.

    I asked mw about gaviscon and she told me that it's really only used for "real reflux" which she said Paige doesn't have, that she's only posseting.

    While i do understand that she doesn't have any extreme pain from her vomiting, she's starting to get a rash from under her nose to about halfway down her belly, which i think is from her being wet with puke all the time because she vomits in her sleep all over herself and i don't want to wake her to change her.

    Do you think the gaviscon really has worked? and if so is it completely fixed or just a bit better?

    I have doctor appt in a couple of weeks so i'll ask his opinion.

    Shell & Paige
  • Hi Shell

    When my LO was sick it wasnt projectile and although he seemed uncomfortable just before being sick I wouldnt say he was in any real pain and wasnt crying, just sometimes grizzly and grunting. Sometimes he would even be smiling away then puke everywhere!
    As I have said the doc was reluctant to give it to me...he said he would eventually grow out of it, but I just had this instinct I had to give it a try and just thought he's not the one cleaning it up every hour and doing 3 loads of washes a day so its easier just to say that. About a week later I went to the baby clinic at the same surgery and saw a HV there...when I asked her about it, to cut a long story short, she basically encouraged me to give it to him, as she said she knows what its like dealing with sickly babies and walking around in just an apron all day and she has given it to the babies she has looked after in the past.

    Yes I do think the gaviscon really works and as long as I give him it he is never sick. I have since tried without it and he is sick as soon as he has fed...put him back on it again and he is not sick at all. He will always let out a big burp and that will be it!
    One thing the doc said to me was 'well in my day and im sure when you were a baby, there was no such thing as refluxy babies' as if to say everyone puts it down to reflux these days. Maybe so, but I know my LO is a lot more content now after each feed and it seems to be working very well with him.
  • Poppy has been on this for almost 3 months now and is much better than she was. She is still sick after feeds but Gaviscon is not meant to stop them being sick, it does the same to babies as it does to adults, lines their stomachs and pipes to prevent acid rising up. She used to pull the strangest faces and act like she had a nasty taste in her mouth about an hour after feeds - the doctor said it was reflux and since he prescribed it she has been much, much better. The sickness is so much better ( I can manage on one load of washing a day now!) and she doesn't pull those funny faces!
    I tried to stop it 2 weeks ago but all the old symptoms returned and so back to Gaviscon it was!
  • Ruby is 16wks now and even with the Gaviscon can still be sick after feeds, but before she would just be constanly sick all day!! And her weight gain is improving so its doing its job image.

    I was also expressing all day long as first to give her breastmilk, seem to be drying up now! lol

    I really enjoyed feeding her but she just wasn't happy with it. I have a few comments off others saying i should of carried on bf but Ruby being happy is my main priorty and she is now i'm not trying to force her to feed from me! We did 3 1/2 months which is better than some image

    xxx
  • Oakley is 11+ weeks and I put 1/2 sachet into every 7oz bottle. He has been using it for about 3 weeks now. It has improved his sickness but not completey eliminated it. Before he was sick constantly until his next feed - now he only brings up small amounts - unless he is moved around alot. I used it with my 2nd too and it did help. I found that sickness really only improved between 6-12 months when their diet became more solid.
    xxx
  • thanks for your replies. The gaviscon has stopped the sickness for my lo but every baby is different. i first of all tried infacol which didnt agree with him yet woks for others.

    laura....one lady on my other post has suggested i express enough to give him with the gaviscon then bf him the rest which i think i will try. the only thing with that is he has started to get a bit fussy with the bottle and is trying to find my nipple instead!! i dont want to end up confusing him so ill see how it goes!

    nothings ever straight forward!!!
  • Hia Kathrine

    Yeah thats what i did, but i think i've got a fussy little madam on my hands! lol

    I know what u mean about nothing being straight forward image
    Glad things are improving for you
    xxx
  • sorry just realised spelt ur name wrong, soz 'Baby Brain!'
  • thats ok! Thanks for your reply! I think Im going to end up just giving him formula...i wish we had see through boobs so we can see how much they're getting image
  • Georgia was oin it for 3 weeks from the age of 4 weeks old.
  • my lo ruby was born 29th jan and she wasnt interested in breast milk or bottle milk, the midwifes said she will be shes still abit zoned out from the drugs, we went home from the hosptal on the 30th after she had had a couple of feeds on the bottle n she was sick but i was told its normal for babies to be sick.
    so had her at home we fed her before we went to bed at 12 but then i woke up at 6 in the mornin she had milk all over her n hadnt cried for a feed all night. fed her n 10 mins later it all came back up by this time she lost colour in her face, the midwife came that day n she noticed she was sick n tried to blame me for things i was doing but when she fed her the same happened she was sick and it was very projectile.
    she sent us to the hospital ruby ad lost nearly a pound in 48 hours, she was born at 6 pound 12 n went down to 6 pound. the hospital kept her in and monitored her for 48 hours but me or my partner were not allowed to feed ruby and made us feel like we were to blame for her bein sick, i watched someone else feed her every2 hours untill they realized there was something wrong when she kept on bein sick,they told us she would need an operation by one doctor and aanother doctor said we will try her on gaviscon, they finally let me feed her with the infant gaviscon in her sma milk and finally she kept her feeds down for 48 hours and we went home.
    ruby is now 4 weeks weighing 7 pound 4 now she has gaviscon in every bottle but im scared as the gaviscon seems to not be working as effectively any more and her reflux is starting to come back. she always seems to be in pain after every feed has any1 else had the same problem? i dont know if infant gaviscon has any side effects?



    [Modified by: x.nic.xbabyruby on February 26, 2008 11:29 AM]

  • Yes - my lo's 11 wk and has been on Gaviscon for 4 weeks. Since she's been taking between 5- 7oz a feed the gaviscon seems less effective, she's started the mild projectile sicking again. I'm off to the docs with her tom aft to see what he suggests. I've read on net you can get a formula specially for reflux but few docs use it, giving alternative medicines instead.
    Btw, the way you were treat sounds awful. Glad your lo is putting the weight on now.
    Ali x
  • hi my little one is 7 months but he has been grtting sick after evry feed for 2 months! so decided to go to gp. he has prescribed gavisgon infant do u think this will work ?

  • My baby (who is now 5) had reflux from 2 weeks to 5.5 months. We had projectile vomiting, screaming for hrs and hrs, no sleeping, arched back and wouldn't bring up any wind. He was prescribed Gaviscon and because I was breastfeeding, the gp gave me a syringe to administer it with which worked quite well. Good luck x

  • Hi Kelly,

    Mt LO is now 9 months old. He had reflux from about 3 weeks which began to go away at around 5-6 months then returned a bit when he learnt to sit up (think the pressure pushing stomach contents up) however now weaned onto solids he occasionally has a bit of sick but I would say reflux has cleared up. We used gaviscon infant & were initially on one sachet then moved up to two as he got heavier. I can't say I noticed a dramatic difference in how much he was sick but GP was concerned that we should try to neutralise acid to avoid harming his throat. We also tried cranial osteopathy which seemed to improve any pain he was in.

    Good luck with this - it can be really stressful & hard work - all that washing!!!

    Linds x

  • My baby has been prescribed infant gaviscon and hate seeing him in pain. He's arching his back, crying in pain, making strange faces as if he's tasted something horrible, waking up from his sleep etc.. I rang 111 and they told me to go to walk in at hospital. They gave him lactalose for constipation and also confirmed reflux and told me to continue his medication however I am only giving him 1 sachet and it doesn't seem to be helping as much! I'm thinking of upping the dosage as he's over 10 pounds. Has anyone else tried this and found giving more sachets helpful? I can't stand seeing him in pain! 

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