The scenario

“How’s your new granddaughter getting on?” Vicky asks regular patient, Rose as she picks up her prescription.

“Oh she’s gorgeous,” she says. “But she’s moved onto formula feeding and has been having a bit of trouble at night. She’s fine for the first few hours, but then she wakes up increasingly often and it’s like she’s in pain. She draws her legs right up to her chest, and the only way to soothe her is to lay her on me while I sit in the chair next to her cot. 

“We’ve seen the health visitor about it a few times, but none of the things she suggested, like giving smaller feeds more often and being super-careful about burping her, have really helped. She seems OK during the day, so I can’t see how she can be allergic to the formula. The doctor said she has reflux and has given us a prescription for Gaviscon but that’s ridiculous. Whoever heard of a baby needing medicine for indigestion?”