ETA - Sorry about the length of this!

My DD has been diagnosed with reflux about a week ago and we've been trying Infant Gaviscon (basically a thickening agent - not sure if you get in Australia - we're in the UK) which the paed prescribed. I'm hesitant to keep her on it, as I have established that it really alters her bowel movements, from having regular (6+) liquid poos a day to having 1-2 pasty-soft but formed green poos (but definitely not constipated). I worked this out after I took her off it for 24-36 hours and her poos returned to normal. I'm now trying out reduced doses (I tried half doses and now I am trying quarter dose).

The issue is that it definitely helps her reflux, but as her bowel movements change she strains more. And one of the things that seemed to make her reflux worse on a given day was the amount of straining she did. She already strained a great deal to get poo/gas out (she has a lot of gas). On the gaviscon she has less gas to pass, so that is great and it suggests to me that as things move through her digestive system quickly (i.e. normally) she produces a lot of gas, but as things slow down with the gaviscon the wind is eliminated a lot more. But she seems to work that much harder to strain to get poo out (it can go on for hours, but always did before also, just more violent now).

I'd like to find out whether anyone else has had the same experience - whether the amount of grunting/straining that their baby does affects reflux and whether how formed their bowel movements are affect how much wind they have.

Also, I have definitely established that citrus makes the reflux heaps worse (had a terrible 24-48 hours after having OJ for the first time since she was born) and I suspect other things make it worse too, but I'm having trouble working out what specifically, as I have just eliminated just about everything I think might be having an affect on her from our experience of worse symptoms after having combinations of these foods - soy milk, most (if not all) dairy, tomatoes, nuts, broccoli, bananas, mushrooms, apple, chocolate etc. etc. etc. I can't work out what's coincidence or not! And I can't work out what affects her gas and whether it's just the gaviscon helping or not, and what affects her reflux!

What foods affect your baby's reflux and/or gas when BF? And if anyone is able to share their experience, how do I start an elimination diet as I've heard of them but don't know a lot about it.

I'm quite overwhelmed and anxious about fixing things - or a least making things as comfortable as possible for DD - and would appreciate anyone's advice. I'm continuing to read as many threads as I can about reflux!

Thanks very much,

Miss C