Reflux, wind & snuffy nose - helping baby sleep
I've been meaning to write this blog post for months and have finally got round to it - YEY! I'll keep it brief and to the point as a) Aubs is asleep and could wake any minute, and b) if you're a mama reading this, I know how precious time is and you need info fast, without fluff.
Backstory: Aubs has suffered with mild reflux, trapped wind and snuffy nose pretty much since she was born. She hates sleeping on her back (the recommended), and becomes more restless as the night goes on. Add to this a snotty or stuffy nose, and nighttime feeds, and let's just say she isn't a "baby who sleeps through the night". but hey, who's is?!
There's no magic fix to reflux, wind or snuffy nose - but below I've listed the things that we tried and that've helped us... and still do 4 months in!
REFLUX/WIND
Fennel tea - said to help settle baby's tummy. I drink Pukka Three Fennel around 3x per day and it tastes yummy!
Cranial Osteopathy/Chiropractor - this was recommended to us, and I feel like it helped a lot. I wasn't keen to go down the medication route with her, but after this (pictured above) we definitely saw improvements in her sleep and bowel movements due to a release of tension. She had 4 sessions in total, and then I took her back for a 5th recently. (If you're interested, I'll try write about this in more detail in another post).
Upright after feeds - we'd do this for 20-30 minutes after every feed.
Ski legs - think slalom skiing. We found this far more effective than bicycle legs. This is something the Chiropractor showed us: holding on to baby's shins, raise both knees up towards one armpit, then bring them down and push up towards the other armpit. We do this on a soft surface and often get pumps when doing so!
Eliminated dairy, onions, garlic and tomatoes from my diet - as she's breastfed, eliminating these foods helped significantly with her reflux. I'd strongly advise seeking professional help before removing any food groups from your own diet though.
Raised head end of basket - we did buy a foam wedge, but the health visitor advised we propped the basket up with 2x DVD's at each side on the floor instead due to safety. We only really did this for a few nights, but worth a shot.
SNOTTY/STUFFY NOSE
Calpol plug in - we put this on 60 minutes before bedtime. Check baby's age before using this.
Snufflebabe nasal spray & aspirator - or as I like to call it, the 'boogie sucker'. Works a treat! We'd use the nasal spray and aspirator this pre bed if she was snotty, and pre feeds in the night if it was still bad. I can't say baby is a fan of this, but the results are amazing and left baby happier and able to feed.
Olbas Oil on a damp muslin cloth on radiator - again, we do this pre bedtime, and pop a few drops of Olbas Oil on the damp muslin cloth and it worked really well.
Humidifier - we've very recently started using this. Mainly as we have the heating on throughout the day still and it seems to be helping with her stuffy nose right now.
SLEEP CHANGES
Room temperature - we lowered this from 21 degrees, to around 17/18 degrees.
Grobag - we started using a Grobag to sleep in which meant we could put her down without unsettling her tucking in blankets, and she no longer kicked off the blankets in the night too!
Muslin cloth oval under bedsheet - Aubs loves feeling like she's cacooned, and as Sleepyheads aren't advised to be used overnight, our health visitor gave us a brilliant tip of using two muslin clothes, rolling them up length ways, putting them in a oval shape on the mattress that would loop round baby's head, down their side and under their bottom, and then place the bedsheets on top of this to secure them. This holds the muslins in place, and also when baby turns their head to the side, the rolled up muslin doesn't reach their nose height, meaning they can breath safely throughout the night and feel snug as a bug in a rug.
As you can see - we really have tried it all. This is the result of one sleep deprived mama who just like you, will do anything to help her baby and both get some extra zzz's. I really hope you find this post helpful mama's.
What helped you get through reflex and wind? Does your baby suffer with a snotty/stuffy nose? Share your tips below mama's!
How are you getting on with breastfeeding and expressing? Have you introduced a bottle? How did it go? Share your breast and express journeys below mama’s…