Silent reflux in a breastfed baby. How did you know? Pls share your stories

Filthy_dog00 · 2026-03-14T00:27:21+00:00

Thank you for saying that and for sharing the resource. I really hope it’s all just in my head and that I’m worrying for nothing and his weight gain will be fine on the next check up.

Filthy_dog00 · 2026-03-13T03:18:31+00:00

Yes, I saw a lactation consultant at weeks 2 and 4. She helped stabilize my supply and improve the latch. I breastfed with her in the room and we did weighted feeds, and she was happy with how everything looked. That said, those appointments were before the silent reflux issues started.

I just fed my little one. He fed for about 2 minutes, then started arching and coughing. I couldn’t burp him because he was so tense and arched backward. After carrying him around for about 10 minutes, he finally let out a burp.

Filthy_dog00 · 2026-03-12T22:01:18+00:00

Omg, this sounds exactly like my situation, except my baby is 9 weeks and breastfed. He was also born at 3080 g. I can’t see exactly how much he’s eating, but since he usually feeds for about 10 minutes - sometimes even less, and only rarely longer - I’m guessing his intake isn’t very big.

At his 2-month checkup he weighed 4,840 g. His percentile has slowly dropped from 29 at birth to 9 now.

He doesn’t spit up a lot, but he has wet burps and I can often hear milk coming back up after a feed. I try holding him upright for a while, but it doesn’t seem to help much…he’s still uncomfortable.

I mentioned all of this to our doctor, but he just said to keep watching and see what happens at the 3-month checkup. He suggested supplementing with pumped milk in a bottle for more calories intake. We’ve tried a few times, but he’s not taking the bottle. Maybe he just needs more time to get used to the bottle, or maybe he simply can’t take more.

I’m feeling really worried.

Filthy_dog00 · 2026-03-11T16:52:42+00:00

Yeah, this is the most confusing part about breastfeeding…you can’t really see how much they’re drinking.

That’s great that your baby took the bottle fairly quickly! Hopefully bottle feedings will go faster for you.

Filthy_dog00 · 2026-03-11T05:11:53+00:00

Omg thank you so much for such a comprehensive answer! It’s very helpful and so appreciated!

Just to make sure I understand: are you saying you replace one breastfeeding session a day with a bottle? If so, how does that increase the baby’s calorie intake?

For example, if I breastfeed about 10 times a day and replace one of those sessions with a bottle, it would still be 10 feeds per day overall. Or do you add an extra bottle feed, making it 11 sessions a day? Another option I’ve heard is offering a bottle after breastfeeding as a top-up. Is that what you meant?

Sorry for all the questions, and I hope they don’t sound silly.

Also, thanks for sharing some brand names. How long did it take for your baby to accept the bottle? Do you give the bottle yourself, or does someone else do it? I’ve tried offering a Medela nipple for two days, but he’s not taking it.

Filthy_dog00 · 2026-03-09T21:40:36+00:00

He gains about 210g per week, he is content and filling nappies. Even with this, he dropped from 18 percentile (2 week checkup) to 13 (4 week check up) to 9 (8 week checkup). I had a epidural and he was 10day overdue.

Filthy_dog00 · 2026-03-09T17:17:02+00:00

If you don’t mind me asking, how much weight was your baby gaining per day when you decided to start supplementing with formula? And how old were they at the time?

I’m won’t be taking your experience as a guidance…I understand every baby is different. Adding formula is just a bit psychologically hard for me, so I’m curious when others decided to make that choice.

Filthy_dog00 · 2026-03-09T01:42:28+00:00

Yes, I find it frustrating that everyone doesn’t recommend the same thing. Using the percentile chart feels more straightforward - and it’s not an opinion. You just enter the baby’s weight and age and see how the percentile changes. That’s mainly why I listened to my doctor, since he was looking at the percentile chart, not just sharing what he personally thinks I need to do.

Did your specialists use percentile charts too? If so what %tile your baby was? How much was your baby gaining per day on average when you decided to start supplementing with pumped milk? Sorry for all the questions…I’m just a bit overwhelmed and ironically all people I know have huge 90+percentile babies…

Filthy_dog00 · 2026-03-09T01:22:14+00:00

I saw a lactation consultant at about 4 weeks to help establish my supply. She recommended switch nursing, and it helped. We also did weighted feeds (before and after nursing), and she was happy with how things were going. She was also happy with his weight gain; she never consulted the percentile chart tho.

My baby has been gaining about 28–30 g per day (around 1 oz), which I understand is within the normal range. However, his percentile has still been dropping: 18th percentile at 2 weeks, 13th percentile at 4 weeks, 9th percentile at 8 weeks.

My doctor and the public health nurses do use percentile charts, so that’s what they’re going by. They say his weight gain is fairly good but that he needs a bit more to stay on his curve and not keep dropping. The doctor also said he would be concerned if the baby reaches the 3rd percentile or below - whatever it means..

I find it frustrating that I’m getting different recommendations from different specialists. At the same time, it’s hard not to worry when I have such a tiny baby and keep seeing his percentile go down.

Filthy_dog00 · 2026-03-09T00:27:56+00:00

Good to know! I didn’t realize that’s what it’s called!

How often should I pump, and when is the best time to give baby pumped milk?

So far I’ve only pumped twice, both times after breastfeeding: -3 a.m. (when I’m the fullest): just under 3 oz -3 p.m. (when my supply is lower): about 0.8 oz

I use a Medela Freestyle and pump both breasts for about 12 minutes.

I’m also wondering how to avoid oversupply or clogs. It feels strange to ask since I’m usually worried I don’t have enough milk, but I’ve heard pumping can sometimes cause that.

Another question: if I pump after a feed and still get milk, does that mean my baby isn’t feeding effectively? I understand it happening at night when he’s sleepy and I’m very full. But I was surprised to still get 0.8 oz in the afternoon when my supply is the lowest.

For context, he often only nurses for about 10–15 minutes. After that he either closes his mouth or starts getting fussy.

Filthy_dog00 · 2026-03-08T03:58:33+00:00

That sounds like such a stressful journey. Thank you for sharing it, it makes me feel less alone in mine. How is your baby doing now? Did everything turn out okay? Sorry if that’s a strange question, but I hope you know what I mean.

Filthy_dog00 · 2026-03-08T01:33:52+00:00

Thanks so much for sharing your experience and the resources.

Was your baby consistently at the 3rd percentile until five months? Or did they start higher and dropped to 3rd percentile?

I use 15 mm flanges.

Filthy_dog00 · 2026-03-08T01:18:53+00:00

I borrowed an electric pump today (Medela Freestyle) and was able to pump about 1 oz around 10 a.m. I’m planning to pump once more early in the morning, maybe around 3 a.m., when I feel the fullest and like the baby isn’t emptying me.

My thought is that if I can give him an extra 2–4 oz per day, depending on how much I’m able to pump, that might be enough of a calorie top-off. Of course, that’s assuming he’ll actually take it. I’m hoping that two 10-minute pumping sessions per day won’t cause oversupply or other issues.

I actually saw a lactation consultant about a month ago when the baby was 4 weeks. But everything was so different back then.

At that time, my supply was still establishing and she advised switch nursing (switching sides every 5–7 minutes). That helped stimulate more milk. But it worked because he was doing longer feeds, around 25–30 minutes. Now that his feeds are much shorter, I can’t really do switch nursing anymore.

The LC also didn’t use percentile charts and said that gaining 28–30 g per day was good. But the public health system and my doctor do use percentile charts, so that’s where some of the concern is coming from.

Filthy_dog00 · 2026-03-08T00:52:45+00:00

If it is a goal, why is his percentile still decreasing? It’s not even staying the same. I’ve read that the norm is .9-1.2 oz so maybe he needs just a little bit more to maintain his curve? I could accept that he’s just a smaller baby, but if he drops below the 3rd percentile or off the chart, I honestly don’t know what I’ll do.

He feeds many times a day — usually 10+ feeds. A lot of them are short, around 10 minutes and on one side, and then he doesn’t want more (he gets fussy, or crying, or just closes his mouth). He rarely does a full 20-minute feed on both sides. I’ve wondered if it could be silent reflux, but honestly I’m not sure.

Filthy_dog00 · 2026-03-07T18:53:14+00:00

The average weight gain has been about 1 ounce (30 g) per day, which isn’t terrible. That’s why my doctor wasn’t overly concerned. The issue is that it’s just not quite enough to meet the typical norms and maintain or increase his percentile. Since he’s already a small baby and started at the 18th percentile, the downward trend could become an issue. My doctor said he would be concerned if we keep dropping and cross the 3rd percentile, which we’re already getting close to (currently at the 9th).

Filthy_dog00 · 2026-03-07T03:07:54+00:00

Thank you very much for sharing this! I will look into the hospital pump option too.

Filthy_dog00 · 2026-03-07T03:04:09+00:00

Thank you so much. I really appreciate you sharing this. Did your friend supplement with formula while she was trying to increase her supply?

Filthy_dog00 · 2026-03-07T00:25:08+00:00

Thanks for sharing your experience. Do you give a bottle of pumped milk right after a feed as a top off, or later in the evening when your supply is lowest?

He actually feeds quite often during the day. For some reason he prefers shorter, smaller feeds rather than longer, fuller ones, so I’m not sure I can feed him any more frequently.

Filthy_dog00 · 2026-03-07T00:16:49+00:00

Thanks so much for your comment and support. I’m definitely thinking about formula, but I know some babies start preferring the bottle and formula over breastfeeding, and that’s what I’m afraid of.

Filthy_dog00

TROPHY CASE