Parenting after a Loss

Dr Said No to Ovol/Gripe Water

Ugh. So, I've been dealing with a heavy letdown leading to latch issues leading to serious baby gassiness. We're having a particularly hard time at night - he gets really upset sometimes and writhes around, pushing himself away from me, hard, despite the fact that he's still rooting. He kind of freaks out, and I feel so very bad for him. We've had some tough nights. Anyway, I've tried all the non-medicinal tricks that I've been told, both for the letdown and for the gassiness.

I've done some reading on ovol and gripe water, have been advised by family and other moms IRL and here on this board. But I decided to call my doctor's office and ask what their advice would be.

They said NO! No to the gripe water and the Ovol. Why is that? I'm not one to go against doctor's orders ever, but so many people use these products, so why can't I?

Do you use them? What would you do if you were me?

So glad you're here to ask...

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Re: Dr Said No to Ovol/Gripe Water

  • imageRachaelA:
    We used Gripe water more in the beginning (2 weeks on) then we do now. Now we barely use it. My pedi said it was fine. What was your pedi's reasoning? If they didn't give you one, call back and ask.

    Same here. We rarely use it now but did for a good 6 weeks. I would call back and ask why they sid no. 

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  • ::dirty lurker::

    We never tried Gripe Water, but our pedi recommended Mylicon (simethicone) drops and it worked like a charm for our DD. You don't have the get the Mylicon brand, our pedi advised to check the ingredients and look for simethicone. I've found, it's even safe to take during pregnancy for gas. And, yes, it even worked for me, lol. Best of luck :)

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  • I'm not sure why they'd say no, but ultimately it's your choice.  We tried Gripe water (didn't work) but Mylicon did.  GL! 
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  • I tried both gripe water and simethicone (Indidnt even ask my pedi), and neither did a thing. She was very gassy and fussy for about the first 2/2.5 months. She would writhe and squirm and fuss for hours all night, even if she was sound asleep. I tried a very strict allergy elimination diet too with no luck. Finally she just outgrew it. I hope you find something that works, but if not it might just pass on it's own so to speak ;)
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  • I have tried both because DS was super gassy, but they didn't work. In fact, I think the gas drops actually made it worse. Do you just have over active letdown, or do you also have an oversupply? You might be better off dealing with the cause of the problem rather than treating it after the fact. DD really struggled with my letdown, so I would nurse her uphill, pull her off and wait for letdown to happen and sometimes I would pump just through letdown and then feed her. Switching to one breast at a time really helped too. It only lasted a few weeks and then she could handle the flow.
  • Gripe water made DD throw up. Vomit everywhere. I only used it twice. All it really is is sugar water and while plenty swear by it, I think it is a crock. 

    For the overactive letdown have you tried laid back BFing or propping LO on your knee facing you (he'd be straddling your knee and leaning in toward your breast)? Those two positions can help a bit.  Also just pumping for a minute to get past the worst of the letdown? I know you said you tried all the nonmedicinal tricks, but you didn't say which.

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  • imagepepomntpat:

    Gripe water made DD throw up. Vomit everywhere.

    This was our experience as well. BRU brand gas drops worked way better for us. GL!

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  • I never even asked the pedi before using Gripe Water or Gas Drops (never heard of Ovol so I don't know what that is). Neither really helped for us.
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  • We had better luck with Mylicon and peppermint water.  Gripe water did nothing but give DS the squirts.  Ask your pedi about peppermint water.  Our suggested it and this is how he told us to make it - dissolve a candy peppermint in warm water.  It doesn't have to completely dissolve, but you want enough to get the taste and some of the oils in there.  Then, give to your baby via syringe.  We would crush one with the mortar and pestle, dissolve in about 1/4c of water and then give him a teaspoon of it.  It worked like a charm every time, though I wonder if it was just the distraction aspect of it.

    For lower GI gas, you can try this position.  Take his legs by the ankles and push his legs up towards his face.  You want them in a pike position, but his legs don't have to be straight.  I usually put DS's feet to the side of his face.  It puts pressure on his guts and DS often grunted in this position.  You're supposed to hold it for 20 seconds, but DS always held his breath, so I only held it for 5 seconds and did a set of 4 holds with breaks in between.  We call it "farting  him" because it was so effective at making him fart. 

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  • Thanks for all of your input.

    My letdown is heavy, but though I have a lot of milk, it's not excessive I don't think. I think it's just the overwhelming letdown. I don't know why I can't express my milk - I looked it up to see how to do it properly, but still, despite the amount that is in there, I can't get it to spray out.

    I'm not sure why the doctor doesn't want me to try these products (Ovol must be the Canadian version of some of the other products that some have mentioned) - and I can't believe I didn't ask why. Will call tomorrow and find out.

    I've tried the various bf positions, but not the one where he's propped on my leg, so I'll try that tonight. I tend to do the lean back so he has to suck and gravity is on my side. I do move the baby's legs and put gentle pressure on his middle, and it does help. He's such a tooter! I burp often and upright, too.

    We had a good day today - and I feel much calmer about it than I did a few days ago. I also started using my Moby wrap which is helping when I need to walk him with his being upright. Also, doing the tight swaddle, shushing, etc. (Harvey Karp stuff) seems to help calm him. It would be nice if he could sleep a little longer during the night.

    Thanks again for your input. The lactation consultant said that our bodies would work it out when we get used to one another, so hopefully that is sooner rather than later!

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  • Our Pedi actually suggested Gripe Water. But we use the all natural one. Target sells the one that is not (Little Tummies is what I think it is called). Walgreen's has the all natural one. We use it mostly for hiccups and if her belly is upset and nothing else is working. It seems to work a little. We use gas drops more though. 
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  • Did the Dr say why you shouldn't be using them?  I would ask for a reason.  Did they give you any other suggestions?
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  • What is Ovol? I've never heard of that. . . I used Colic Calm gripe water--the only one that is FDA regulated. I don't know why your pedi would say no--Colic Calm is often carried in Dr's offices. If you go to their site and scroll down to the bottom of the site, they say they're (colic calm) are featured in the American Academy of Pediatrics buying guide. All reasons why I went with the Colic Calm brand.

    https://www.coliccalm.com/index.html

    Good luck!

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