Help! Is this reflux?

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there is 'posetting", there is "reflux" there is "silent reflux" and there is "GERD/GORD" and not everyone uses the terms in the same way. A baby who brings up loads and loads of milk but who still gains weight well and is untroubled by it, may be termed a "refluxer" but would not usually be diagnosed with GERD or put on meds. Some babies need meds but don't spit up at all. So simply termed, you have a "spilly" baby, generally your supply evens out after the first -8 weeks and as your baby gets older they can handle fast flow better. I posted some info on reflux from rapid letdown/oversupply recently, will try and find you the link to the thread in case its helpful.

Again hard to say. There are so many factors. It could even be a valve not shutting right, allergies to the milk, only a dr can say for sure. My second DS had it bad. Started about day 14 and he had it til 6 months. Was on losec which made a huge difference. His symptoms: screaming in pain, arching his back, projectile vomit, vomit spelled like acid, green stool that smelled acidic, not sleeping well laying down. Change how LO is fed meaning position, don't lay LO flat too soon after feeding, burp frequently, lift part of the crib so they are sleeping at an angle. Best wishes to you and hopefully it's not reflux. I know we're praying our third doesnt develop it because its hard to deal with some days.

agree with plumie. Both my babies have been refluxers, both started spitting up the day my milk came in. Its possible she has had something viral or you've had more milk than usual (have you been eating lots of oats or doing anything to boost your supply?)

It's difficult to say, they go through so much those first weeks of life :( Both my kids had reflux, one was EBF and was a happy chucker, the other FF and her reflux caused her much discomfort! I chose not to medicate with either and they both just out grew it. Reflux normally peaks at 6 weeks, so the idea of keeping a diary sounds like a good idea so that you can rule out things like - developmental growth spurts which can disrupt feeding, colic which also oaks around the 6 week mark and a wind/gas issue. At this age what i found that helped was - Feed, wind, upright or awake time for at least 20min (this helps gravity do it's work and gives the milk time to settle), sleep! Basically following the EASY routine. You could use Infacol before feeds which helps bind the gas bubbles and enables them to bring up good winds/burps. See how you get on the next few days and try to take your *records* with you to you Dr as a new Mummy's brain can be very fuzzy when it comes to the finer details ;) Who is your Dr? X

Hi There. Firstly, I am by no means a doctor or a midwife but I am a first time mom that went through **** for the first 4 weeks of my baby's life until I finally got a doctor that would listen to me. All i can share with you is my experience. My baby is not BF as I had cancer so I am unable to breast feed. She suffered horribly from gas from 1 week old so much so that she slept on my chest most of the time. I got her formula switched to Similac Total Comfort Lactose free and it made a huge difference. A week or two later at 3 weeks old, she started crying during feeding. She was visibly hungry but seemed to be uncomfortable. She would pull away from the teat, and then arch her back and stretch her neck and then hungrily grab the nipple again and repeat this process. Burping her (she burped difficult and only burped by sitting up on my knee), also proofed difficult as she would constantly arch her back and throw herself backwards. She started to have increased wet burps and vomit (never projectile). She sometimes vomited an hour after a feed. This progressively got worse and of course, the constant crying. She stopped sleeping as well as always, and putting her to sleep resulted in constant crying. She will fall asleep for 15 minutes then wake up crying in the day. At night, her sleep was ok but getting her to sleep was a mission and she would got for 2 to 3 hours max. One night, I heard her choking in her sleep and I jumped up to help her as she vomited in the bed. I decided that this is it and went to a Pediatric Gastroenterologist. I wrote down all her symptoms as well as kept a diary for 48 hours. When she fed, how much she drank, how she was after, how long she slept etc. She also kept on picking up weight but the symptoms got worse. Long story short, doctor confirmed my diagnosis as being reflux. She had it quite bad and was put on medication which turned my baby to a different person within 24 hours. Unfortunately it didn't end there. She was great for a week until she started struggling very badly with cramps and gas. She was constantly passing gas and this influenced her feeding yet again. She would have cramps while eating, try and push it out, and then vomit from the pressure on her tummy and cry. After numerous desperate nights, I went back to my doctor and said that I think its her medication for reflux as it clearly states cramping and gas as a side effect. Needless to say, he dismissed me saying that its possibly but unlikely. I decided to half her medication myself and immediately the cramping decreased. Unfortunately it seemed to be one or the other. So I also made the following changes: - I always feed her at a 45 degree angle so she isn't lying flat. - after a feed, I keep her in this angle or upright for 30 minutes before lying her down - When lying her down (whether in her cot or stroller or anywhere), I raised the bed/mattress to a 45 degree angle. You can do this by either adding books under the feet of the cot, adding pillows or towels under the cot mattress, or buying a reflux pillow for her (available at most baby stores in Dubai Mall). - After feeding, I kept activities to a minimum so didn't move her around too much. - Don't lean her too far forward to avoid pressure on the tummy after a feed. Ensure her clothes are not too tight around the tummy and the diaper isn't too tight either. You get special Anti-reflux formulas but as you are BF'ing, that won't help. I couldn't use them either as they all have lactose in. My little girl is now 18 weeks old and whilst she still has wet burps and some vomiting with every single feed, it is no longer a screaming match. She is on a 1/3 of her original dosage of medication and once on solids she should be able to eventually leave the medicine. My advice would be to start with a diary for 48 hours and see how it goes. If it gets worse, please go and see a doctor but a good one. Get some recommendations. Lastly, follow your instincts. It took numerous doctor visits and fights before someone listened to me. It's tough seeing them in discomfort and it was a very difficult time in my life, but it will pass.