Hi there Heidi!! (((hugs))) for the bad day! You've definitely got a lot going on. Let me see if I can help some, at least with your solid food questions.
Starting solids is usually thought to improve reflux, because the solid food helps keep the contents in the stomach instead of coming back up. But reflux is a funny monster, so who knows what causes flareups a lot of the time! Often certain foods can make the reflux worse. If your LO has certain food intolerances, like dairy for example, eating that food can make the reflux worse. Here is a link about solids and reflux:
http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=68459.0I'm not sure about the gaviscon. What does your LO's doctor recommend? You could also ask some of your more reflux related questions over on the reflux boards, found here:
http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?board=13.0In terms of BFding, usually by this age LO's are BFding every 4hrs during the day, some will have no BFds at night, others may still have one or two. So 4-6 BFds a day would be right around normal. These links might give you some ideas of how to work BFds after starting solids:
http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=68458.0http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=57483.0When you move to 3 meals a day is really up to you and your LO. If he is doing well and enjoying it, and solids are not affecting his milk intake, then you can start to move towards 3 meals a day. Some moms go a little slower, especially if their babies have sensitive tummies. You are the best judge of whether or not your baby is ready for more.
Milk is still the primary source of nutrition for your LO and will be up until a year. So you should offer the breast first, followed by solids 30mins to an hour afterwards. You want to make sure your LO maintains his milk intake.
Absolutely teething can aggrevate reflux or cause increased spitting up. I'm not sure if this is proven, but many a mother have commented that their LO's reflux got worse during times of teething. But at the same time, teething often becomes the scapegoat for all sorts of things, including low grade fever, rashes, loose stools, as well as spit up. It's always important to explore all the other options first before assuming it's 'just' teeth.
One final thought, I noticed by looking at your routine that your LO is still BFding every 3hrs and is only up for 1.5hrs before going down for a nap. Are you familiar with Baby Whisperer or are you doing EASY with your LO? Usually starting at around 4mos LOs are able to go 4hrs between BFds. Often if you are feeding less they become snackers and don't feed properly. Also, by this time most LOs can handle 2hrs or more awake time. I think you could have a look at your routine and tweak it to make it more age appropriate. Here is a link with some sample routines, you can check out what other 6 month olds are up to:
http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=164253.0 And if you need some more help with your routine you can check out the EASY boards:
http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?board=41.0Hope I've been able to help a bit!
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