Infant Gaviscon

Hi there

Just a quick question about infant Gaviscon, I was hoping someone might be able to clear up...

My eight week old has been prescribed the Gaviscon in powders and as he's over ten pounds he's on two sachets per dose.  He is mainly breastfed but has two bottles of formula a day.  He is only on 180ml  formula at the moment due to age and weight but the double dose of Gaviscon is meant to be put into a bottle no less than 225ml.  What should I do?  Mixing it up with water is such a pain that I'd rather do it in the bottles when we have them but at the moment I'm just guessing one and a half sachets so as not to poison my son!

I'd be grateful for any advice.

Many thanks

x

if it were me id be inclined to make a 225ml bottle and add the required dose and let him take what he wants therefore based on his intake he should get the required amount rather than guessing it.

My dd was prescribed them but they made her violently sick so we stopped using them she was fully breastfed at the time so i had to mix with water.

Make it up in what ever amount he'll take! If its 180mls then do it. (In our drug books its advice is simply dissolve 1/2 sachets 'with each feed'. Is your LO over 4.5kg?) Alternatively, go back to your GP and ask for another form of gaviscon in a liquid suspension or a different anti-reflux drug all together. There are quite a few out there! (For example, you could ask for ranitidine.)

I'm a specialist childrens nurse. Trust me. If you're finding it difficult, go back to your doctor. Dont suffer anymore than you have to! (That includes your little one.)

Good luck. x

ranitidine......bloody horribe stuff!! yuk! lol! the ony one of all Ava's meds she refused 2 take!!!

Hi, thanks for the advice.  We're  hyaving 8 wk check up this week so I'll chat to the doctor.

I know....most of our kids spit, or vomit it back at us. Has she tried omeprazole? Difficult to dissolve in a small volume as the tablet is MASSIVE but better tolerated.

Hi Dawn,

 My little one's 6 months old and has had reflux since she was 3 weeks old. We started by giving half a sachet in her formula to see how that went. We now give her one sahcet in 150mls formula. I think it's a case of trying different doses to see what works (but obviously don't go over max dose.) If that doesn't work go back to your gp. Shannon's been on rantidine and domperidone and is now trying omperazole.

Let us know how things go. It can be tiring living with reflux - it's helped me by chatting with other's who are going through it.

 torie

Thank you!

Hi, just thought i'd add the info i got from my HV & the baby doc at my baby's 8 week check last week... my bubs also has reflux and is on gaviscon... also as you are I was confused how much to put in a bottle for him as he currently drinks less than 225ml so I only make 180ml feeds... both the HV & the doc told me giving the double dose is fine (I had only been putting one dose in even though he is over 10lb as thought that was only option seeing as feeds not big enough for two doses as per instructions!)... she said to me if i think on it a BF baby has it with only around 15ml of water off a spoon or out a syringe so it will do no harm to a bottle fed baby to have it in 180ml of formula!! I suppose this makes sense... anyway, of course always check with your own HV / Doc but certainly mine have said it is not dangerous & better they get the right dose of gaviscon for their weight (as giving less won't have the full affect on the reflux) that worry about the amount of fluid in bottle!! My LO has now been having the double dose in every feed and is fine and is reflux is improving greatly, much more than it was when he was only getting one dose! Take care, M xx

Hi Hun,

Keep going with what has been suggested, & although not one to fly in the face of the guidelines, I will tell you what I was told by my HV - 'the guidelines say not to wean until 6 months, but the alternate guidlines say 17 weeks is safe' - make of that what you will, but something i learnt from a mum who's baby boys were on NNU with Abi was that babies fed by tube were more likely to suffer reflux than those not, so that means Abi as she had a tube from birth to 3 weeks, & weaning helps reduce reflux (according to the neonatal team)

So, the crux of the matter - if your baby is at least 17 weeks old, then, according to my HV, have a bash with weaning, BUT WHEN STARTED, DON'T STOP - at that age start with baby rice - no nutritional value, but gets them used to a different texture, then go with veg & fruit puree, but, do it yourself as it reduces the likelihood of allergy - butternut squash is fab, as are apples & pears, then, once you've been at it a few weeks, if all is well, increase baby's repertoire.  the 'Plum', 'Organix' & 'Hipp' foods are fab, even for babies with allergies, like mine - if all else fails, mix new foods with the foods baby likes - Abi is currently trying chicken & turkey & fish, but always mixed with butternut squash as it's a flavour she knows & likes.

Good Luck

Amanda & Abi xx

Hi, thanks to all for the advice.  We ended up having to up the amounts pretty quickly anyway as he is a very hungry boy and then went back down again but with more feeds... we've started weaning now and seems to be going ok.

Thanks again x

Hi, My 10weeks old DD has just been prescribed Gaviscon. Im finding it hard to administer it to her as shes fully breastfed, I was told to mix it to a paste with 5ml water then add another 10ml and give after each feed. But by the time shes finished feeding shes as sleep and refusing to take gaviscon on a bottle. any advice please?

Hi Javie.  It's been such a long time now since I used it.  My son is now nearly three years!  Luckily I didn't have to use it with my second child as she too was fully breastfed and I know it would have been a pain!  The only other think I can think of is trying to express a bit of your milk into a bottle and then mix the gaviscon in with that to use?  I didn't express with my daughter because she was feeding every two hours so didn't have any spare boob time to do it with!  Lol.  You'd probably have to be very organised but it might work for you.  Just a thought

Hi Javie

I just started with this today for my 6 week old DS and I made the paste and gave it in the middle of the feed (in between breasts).  Not only did he drink from the second breast much more happily, but he has been asleep in his cot since 2pm - I can't believe it!  Hopefully it will continue to work like that.  I'm a strict mummy and don't let him fall asleep on the breast apart from bedtime feed and at night, so I will possibly give 1/2 after one side and 1/2 at the end of the feed in the day from now on as he was still a little uncomfortable after the second breast.

I hope it works for you (and continues to work for us!)

Sharon x