Breastfeeding a baby with Gastro Oesophageal Reflux Disorder (GORD) - tips and support

Breast feeding a baby with Gastro Reflux is really rewarding and some say breast is best for reflux babies as breast milk is quicker and easier to digest. It can be challenging though and my boys were both very restless at the breast and needed to feed on and off all the time – I’m really glad I stuck with it though as it did get easier with time.

If you are having problems then you could try some of the following tips that I was given by other mums and by breast feeding counsellors:

• You could try feeding your baby in an upright position – one technique is sitting forward on sofa and holding baby at the breast with their legs between your legs so they are horizontal. You can also try feeding them on a pillow/cushion that is slanted downwards so that their lower body is below the level of their head. Other positions are shown on a website called ‘Breastfeeding a baby with reflux’ http://www.users.qwest.net/~fsdebra1/refluxfaq.html

• Try holding your baby upright straight after a feed in a baby sling for at least half an hour. You find your baby settles better in between feeds if they are in a sling. Personally I found the best sling was Kari-Me as it didn’t have any straps to dig in. You can see them at http://www.kari-me.com/

• The best advice I was given from a breastfeeding counsellor was to think about things in my diet that could be a problem – dairy is a common culprit and taking it out of my diet improved my sons reflux significantly. Some reflux cases are connected to allergies and intolerances. Make sure you ask your GP for a referral to a dietician if you are going to do an exclusion diet for a long time as you may need calcium supplements or advice on ensuring your diet is balanced enough for your babies needs. If you decide to mix-feed or change to bottles then consider whether your baby should be on a special formula – doctors can prescribe hyperallergenic formulas – avoid soya based formulas though as recent research has suggested it could be bad for babies (check out http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/1394918/Warni...).

• Try feeding your baby small and often and don’t worry about getting your baby into a feeding pattern – this often can’t be done with a reflux baby and I found it easier to just feed them when they wanted to be fed.

• Burp your baby regularly throughout their feed if they have problems with wind.

• At night, try holding your baby upright after a feed or consult your health visitor/paediatrician about the possibility of putting your baby to sleep on it’s side. You can buy baby sleep positioners to help support your baby - I used one similar to this: http://www.jojomamanbebe.co.uk/detailfash.php?type=FASH&code=A6880&prodd...
However, remember that cot death advice suggests babies are safest sleeping on their back ( advice from FSID - www.fsid.org.uk/)

• Midwives and health visitors can be contacted through your local maternity hospital and GP practice and some maternity units have feeding counsellors and walk-in support groups. I didn’t find them helpful with regards to feeding reflux babies but they did give good general advice about breastfeeding.

• If you are thinking of giving up feeding as it’s getting too much then think about mix-feeding. Even feeding your baby some of the time is really good for your baby!

• The Breastfeeding Network sometimes have counsellors that will come to your home and watch your baby feeding - they then take you through different positions and can give advice on dietary changes. I found them extremely supportive and they were the first people that suggested my sons reflux may be connected to a dairy allergy – and they were right!!! Their contact details are given below.

The following are some Support Organisations and Information Sites:

BFN Breastfeeding Network
http://www.breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk/
BFN Supporter line 0844 412 4664
National Breastfeeding Helpline: 0844 20 90920
Find your nearest Breastfeeding Centre by using the BFN Locator: http://www.breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk/support-centres.html#map
Email: breastfeedingnetwork@googlemail.com

Breastfeeding a baby with reflux site: http://www.users.qwest.net/~fsdebra1/refluxfaq.html

Australian Breastfeeding Association have an information sheet:
http://www.breastfeeding.asn.au/bfinfo/reflux.html

La Leche League Information sheet on breastfeeding a baby with reflux: http://www.llli.org/FAQ/ger.html

‘Breastfeeding the baby with reflux’ booklet
http://www.lllgbbooks.co.uk/shopping/go_shopping/booklets_and_informatio...

NCT
Breastfeeding Line 0300 330 0771 8am-10pm seven days a week
www.nct.org.uk
They have local breastfeeding supporters who you can contact through your local branch. You can find your local branch via their website.

La Leche League
http://www.laleche.org.uk/
Helpline: 0845 120 2918
The La Leche League have a Fequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s) section: http://www.llli.org/FAQ/FAQSubject.html?m=0,0,3

Association of breastfeeding mothers
http://www.abm.me.uk/
Helpline: 08444 122 949 open daily 9.30am – 10.30pm
counselling@abm.me.uk

Hope some of this helps someone.

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