Best formula for reflux

My plunket lady put me on S-26 AR. he was losing weight so we didnt have a lot of choices. we have had no problems at all with it and noone has even said that it is different from any other formula

went to the doctors, put him on gaviscon and losec which is in liquid form so he just vomits it all back up. I've cut out 98% of dairy but had no idea about potato?? Cut out choc,caffeine etc aswell. Have him on magnesium and Rhugar mix but nothings helping.

might ring and make another appointment with a doctor that actually knows what there doing. He rang the paed after telling me to put him on formula but i really wanted to keep breastfeeding so i told him no. But now im at the end of my straw!

Hi there,

I tried Karicare HA formula (for babies prone to allergies) after getting some advice from some other mums here and from the staff on the Karicare helpline. I intended to keep breastfeeding her (had already cut all dairy out of my diet) and just give her the occasional bottle of formula but she was so much more settled on this formula that I gave up breastfeeding altogether and she is also no longer on Ranitidine.

Good luck finding something that works for your baby. Reflux babies are hard work!

I think it was suggested to me because my baby had already shown signs of being dairy intolerant. The HA formula is partially hydrolysed (which means the protein has been partially broken down, therefore the body may not recognise it and attack it). Karicare also make HA AR which is a hydrolysed one that is thickened for reflux babies. But I was put off the AR formulas because I was told they're really thick and set like concrete!

I was disappointed to give up breastfeeding too but it was worth it to have a much happier, more settled baby. I'd been told by doctors, Plunket etc that switching to formula probably wouldn't improve my baby's reflux and might even make it worse, so this might not be a fix for you, but it might also just be worth a try, one or two bottles, to see how your bubs reacts! I also felt like I'd tried everything (Rhugers, Colic powder, Ranitidine, Osteopath, Kinesiologist - to name a few things) so I really empathise with what you are going through.

The losec doesnt actually reduce the vomitting it just helps them to not bring up the acid therefore reduces the screaming.

I tried my bubs on the S26 AR formula and she just threw up glue - the pead that my GP referred me to told me he had much better luck with the Karicare AR formula

Within hours of being on it she was a different baby - it actually stayed down and she became very contented - at the start i was both formula and breast feeding her as her vomitting ALL the time meant i couldnt keep up wiht supply enough - in the end i gave up BF as every time i BF her she would power chuck it up and i didnt make enough to be able to pump and then use a thickener

which reminds me - that is also an option - Karicare sell the thickener by itself so you can either thicken normal formula with it breast milk as well. - i got mine when i couldnt find any AR formula from the chemist

Hope that helps

I only figured out my baby was dairy intolerant by trialling going off it for awhile and then having some as a one-off and seeing her react so badly to it anywhere from a couple of hours to a day or two later. Her reflux would get worse and she'd just scream in pain and not settle for hours and hours. She didn't spill much either. I stayed off dairy as much as I could while BF and she was quite a bit better, but she improved much more when I switched to the HA formula.

It is really hard, it seems like theres nothing left to eat. Im a chocolate lover and having some serious withdrawals! It takes some serious commitment to give up all those foods and dairy. So good on those who are tackling it!

Yeah i have the Nuk ones, he sucks it for a few sucks and then just drops it out. Or he will pull it out himself and then cry because its out. But when hes really hysterical nothing will settle him down except offering him the breast. The homeopath lady told me that letting him feed non-stop only makes it worse - not quite sure how. I just hate to see him in pain and upset, so i let him sleep on me and feed whenever he wants. Am i being to soft??

My son has reflux, he is on losec, gaviscon and we use Nestle Nan Pro Gold HA formula and it has made a difference, it was reccommended to us my the plunket family centre nurse. We took our son to a paed earler in the week and it turns out he has an allergy to eggs and is intolerant to cows milk protein so this has been contributing to his bad reflux.

If he's not throwing up much but not keeping down the meds, then I guess you need to work out the best way to keep the meds down. Does that mean he's just spitting them out? If so, squirt slowly down the side of the cheek, not directly down the mouth.

Babies usually spit dummies out at that age too if they don't have their tongue in the right place to suck. Obviously if he's beside himself then its not going to work, but if he's not, persevere with it because dummies really help to keep everything down.

Aliasmum wrote: Feeding more often will make him worse, I guess cause the tummy gets fuller??? He's sucking cause it's sore. You might have to try holding in the dummy & keep replacing it til he holds it in. Cooper doesn't have his out much. I keep it on a dummy chain so he can grab it when he wants it. I get by on porridge, toast or pita breads for lunch & simple foods for tea. No packet stuff You should let him sleep on you, I went by the theory of the 4th Trimester where you keep them close to you. The other place I found he slept was in a rocker cause it was so upright in the back. I'd wrap him & put him down in it & just gently rock it with my foot.

That sounded a lot like me. Rory always has his dummy close by as well. To begin with like a couple others said it helped him keep his milk down and also gave me a break at the very beginning as most of the time he was on my breast it was comfort sucking. I figured that out because when he couldnt suckle on me he would suckle on his fist and it would go bright red and be tender so i then bought him a dummy and for awhile he kept spitting it out but someone (cant remember who) told me a little trick is to tilt it upwards to the top of there mouth when you put it in as that starts off the sucking motion i think because thats where the nipple usually goes.

And also i agree with the bouncer. When i needed a break from him sleeping on me allllll the time i would put him in his bouncer and bounce it with my foot and it would almost instantly stop him crying and send him off to sleep. But on some of the bad moments i did have to bounce him kind of hard. Im not sure how that helped him but it always did.

Im sure ive told you but Rory also had reflux, thankfully though it was just a mild form of it so i didnt give him any meds. Another trick someone told me was after his feed keep him sitting upright or lying upright on your tummy for about 20mins or longer if you can as i think the gravity helps it stay down a little bit.

I really hope Jarvi feels better for you soon. I remember how hard it is in the beginning so i really do feel for you! It does get easier i promise, even though it may seem like it wont now it honestly does.