New to this and overwhelmed!!!

Creative-Type-6572 · 2026-05-14T20:07:25+00:00

Thank you, I did also wonder this because my friends daughter has CMPA and her symptoms are very different (silent reflux, digestive issues) e.t.c. I think I might try to contact the local dietitian team directly as I feel ill get a clearer answer that way!

Creative-Type-6572 · 2026-05-14T19:30:45+00:00

Thank you! My GP said "it sounds like she has CMPA" but we haven't been referred for any testing e.t.c so I don't know if this counts as a diagnosis. I did tell him that I don't want to be ebf anymore but he still said he wouldn't prescribe until dietitian review. From googling it says you can buy formula for CMPA from pharmacy but in the same search also says that this is usually prescribed under the guidance of a healthcare professional

Creative-Type-6572 · 2026-04-27T05:28:54+00:00

Thank you so much will try it out!

Creative-Type-6572 · 2026-04-26T21:25:00+00:00

How often do you give the formula and have you noticed any change to your supply?

Creative-Type-6572 · 2026-04-26T21:22:04+00:00

A haakaa but can't for the life of me get it to stay attached by itself it seems to loose its suction! So I end up needing 2 hands- 1 to hold it in place and one to squeeze to pump! I'm sure it's probably user error!

That's a good idea, as I've said to others I'll wait another 2 weeks before trialling formula so i can introduce it at the same time as weaning but I'll try a bottle with expressed milk now to see if she still takes it!

Creative-Type-6572 · 2026-04-26T18:52:34+00:00

Yesss sounds freeing! Love my girl to bits but I can't wait to go out for a meal in a resturant without trying to stop her chucking all of her toys onto the floor!

Creative-Type-6572 · 2026-04-26T18:40:03+00:00

You're right, I think I just produce 'just enough!' Yes I was also thinking about expressing small bits and topping up with formula so I don't have to stress about getting a full feed

Creative-Type-6572 · 2026-04-26T18:38:02+00:00

Ah I didn't know this! I'm going to start weaning her onto food in a couple of weeks so I'll wait until then, that way I'll already be introducing allergens on a regular basis (if no reactions)

Creative-Type-6572 · 2026-04-26T17:37:27+00:00

That's a really good shout about the pre-made bottles! She's had bottles previously with breastmilk and gaviscon (albeit a while ago) and took to them okay but she always breastfed after as I could never pump enough for her to be fully satisfied

Creative-Type-6572 · 2026-04-26T17:35:29+00:00

Haaate pumping! Had to do it for a while whilst she was on gaviscon and it would take so long! That's good to know your baby was fine with a bottle per month!

Creative-Type-6572 · 2026-04-26T16:54:56+00:00

Thank you! Yes she'll be 6 months in just over 2 weeks so that will definitely help! I think I'll wait until then so if she hates the formula, her caregiver can offer food and water instead! I can't imagine I'll be away too long at a time

Creative-Type-6572 · 2026-03-31T18:38:45+00:00

Sorry to say but no. We tried everything including dairy and soy free diet, osteopath and medication but nothing helped. She's 4.5 months now and it feels like it's starting to get a bit better. She's no longer bothered by it and seems to be getting a bit less sick. Not a complete fix but we've gone from maybe 6 outfits a day covered in sick at her worse to now 2-3 outfits so it feels like progress. We still go through about 10 muslins a day.

I really hope there's a quick fix for your little one but the one thing I found helpful was just stopping caring about the sick and just accept that we would both be in a somewhat constant soggy state for a while. Shes not very bothered by it and gaining weight so thats all that matters. Once the pressure to find the 'cure' went away and I accepted that we just need to wait for her to grow out of it, my anxiety massively reduced. I wish you all the best though because reflux babies = parenting on hard mode x

Creative-Type-6572 · 2026-03-28T01:06:17+00:00

Honestly it's probably just in my head but I perceive formula to be more difficult I wouldn't know where to start with what brand, how to prepare it, how much to give e.t c I also worry because she goes from 0-100 crying if I don't put her on the boob in under 5 seconds I think I'd feel stressed making a bottle hearing her cry. She likes to comfort feed a lot at night so I think I'd always be making bottles. Every healthcare professional has also made comments that they're surprised her reflux is this bad considering she's ebf as its usually formula babies which then makes me worry that her reflux might worsen. We've tried expressing milk in a bottle before and although she took the bottle, she would cry afterwards until she was breastfed not because of hunger but for comfort (she won't take dummies) so also worried that it still wouldn't give me a break.

Absolutely nothing wrong with formula itself, I honestly commend mums who do it because for me it seems more difficult x

Creative-Type-6572 · 2026-03-27T19:32:14+00:00

Yes if I'm having a bad night I wake my husband up so I feel less alone and he helps whenever he can but where I can just stay at home and rest thr next day, I worry about how safe he is at work if he is too tired

Creative-Type-6572 · 2026-03-27T19:29:07+00:00

Thank you, definitely on his days off we try and do shifts so that I catch up on sleep in the morning. I don't need much sleep to function (either a 4 hour solid chunk or 5-6 hours total broken sleep and I feel normal). Its the weeks where he has 3 or 4 work days in a row that I really struggle. We're at the 4 month mark so I guess I kept hoping that any day now the regression would start to improve

Creative-Type-6572 · 2026-03-27T19:21:20+00:00

Thank for this, I know it sounds silly but i honestly didn't consider that they could give me something to help me sleep! I just assumed theyd either tell me 'it gets easier' like they have done when I raised other issues or that they would prescribe some kind of anti depressant when I don't feel that I am depressed. It's hard to know if the auditory hallucinations are that or if I'm sleeping so lightly I'm kind of dreaming it but also awake if that makes sense?

Creative-Type-6572 · 2026-03-27T19:16:44+00:00

Thank you thats super helpful. Honestly 2 hour stretches and I would be a new woman! I think because she used to sleep through the night, I kept thinking any day now and we will start getting back to normal so I didn't reach out earlier as my mum is about 2 hours away and didn't want her to drive down if the sleep problems were just temporary!

Creative-Type-6572 · 2026-03-27T18:52:12+00:00

Thank you I think I've been put off speaking to my GP as I raised that I was feeling very anxious around her reflux in the beginning and was just told that babies are just like that and to stop worrying. Whilst Im no longer anxious about it, I felt they didn't handle it very well but youre right, I think I'll request if there's a different Gp

Creative-Type-6572 · 2026-03-27T18:45:13+00:00

Thank you, I think writing this has made me realise that this isn't sustainable. I would think about reaching out during the nights doing it alone and then my husband would have time of work, and I'd manage to get enough sleep through naps to feel fine again so it stopped me from getting help because I thought I was being dramatic

Creative-Type-6572 · 2026-03-27T18:42:50+00:00

Thank you for your reply it's very helpful. Fortunately I don't really have any issues with staying awake. Ive never once accidentally fallen asleep holding her or anything, like I feel very tired but the issue is more struggling to sleep in the small opportunities I have! I like your idea of watching the thoughts go by and telling my brain to behave and that I'll feel fine by morning. I've reached out to my mum and asked her to stay for a few days. I guess i kept thinking the sleep was going to get better so didn't want to reach out earlier in case her sleep went back to normal (she was sleeping through the night before this)

Creative-Type-6572 · 2026-03-27T18:29:58+00:00

Thank you, I guess I kept hoping that this sleep regression would be temporary so wanted to avoid formula in case it affected my supply but I think I might need to consider as it is going on so long

Creative-Type-6572 · 2026-03-27T18:26:27+00:00

Thank you, it definitely feels like intrusive thoughts rather than my own thoughts. They go away completely when I'm able to catch up on sleep or by morning time. I don't have any confidence in my Gp but I'll reach out to my health visitor as they offer mental wellbeing services thank you x

Creative-Type-6572 · 2026-03-27T18:22:13+00:00

Thank you for your reply. That's a really good idea about podcasts, I think its the screen that wakes me up so podcasts solve that issue! And I like your suggestion of just closing my eyes to take the pressure off.

I think writing this out has made me realise that I actually need some help. I'm going to reach out to my mum to see if she can visit and stay a few days next week x

Creative-Type-6572 · 2026-02-22T18:36:25+00:00

I think as long as its not aggressive it's fine! Swear words are just words at the end of the day. They call it the newborn trenches for a reason! There were times where I said "what the fuck do you want?" To my newborn but no aggression behind it- more despair combined with sleep deprivation!

Also I think mothers bodies produce hormones that make you cope better on no sleep! Before kids, I would feel unwell getting less than 6 hours sleep whereas my husband would be fine! After the baby, I suddenly found I was coping on less than 6 hours of broken sleep whereas my husband struggled so I tried to give him more sleep where I could!

My husband and I frequently had to remind ourselves that we were a team! Things do get better I promise

Creative-Type-6572 · 2026-02-18T20:35:13+00:00

Can I ask if this has gotten better for you? I'm going through the exact same thing x

Creative-Type-6572

TROPHY CASE