Having a rough time :(

I honestly have no idea where to put this thread as it is a mix of different topics really.

DD is now almost 12 weeks old and all in all been a pretty good bub. Shes fully breastfed and that seems to be going really well. She was diagnosed (by a natropath) a couple months ago for having a lactose intolerance. All good, cut out dairy in my diet (it was making me sick anyway) and symptoms of her relfux vanished.

The past week she has had a cold. Just a yucky nose mainly. All good, just fed her lots and put a little BM up her nose to help clear it out (works great). 3 days ago she started doing this horrible scream and anything anyone did just couldnt get it to stop. Not a certain time of the day, just every time she was awake. Just scream scream and scream. She had a temp this morning so I took her to our local hospital for the nurse to check her out (small country style hospital). They checked her over (the entire time she just screamed). they said she doesnt seem to have anything obvious wrong with her... ear infection etc. they weight her... 4970 grams.. she was 4990 2 weeks ago :( they said they think its bad colic...

could it have just been their scales? what can i do for colic? does this have anything to do with the lactose intolerance? she just seems so miserable and its breaking me in 2 :(

I would get her checked out again - could be UTI? Colic is a cop-out 'diagnosis'. Different scales can certainly give different measurements, so I wouldn't worry too much about that on its own.
I know you've been over this in another thread, but if cutting out dairy has helped, then perhaps it's a [problem with dairy protein? Have you cut 100% out?

Sorry MM, I don't know much about this stuff but just wanted to give you a :hug: You're doing fabulously.

Yeah I have known about colic being a cop out diagnosis. Pretty much what they say when they have no idea. I have managed to calm her down after she did a massive fart/poo explosion and has been asleep for a few hours. Yep I have cut it out completley. No nothing with dairy (biscuits, cakes, sauces, milk, cheese, yogurt, bars and so on). Im also on breastfeeding support tablets and even though I am skeptical about my supply because I cant seem to express much and she still seems hungry after a feed, I dont think this is the case anymore. Im wondering if Im kind of over feeding her (she is a guts and will take anything you give her at a fast speed..). Which wont be helping any tummy problems. I will just go back to the good ol feeding small amounts often (if the tablets were helping my supply) and build it up the old fashioned way. I need to have more confidence in my boob's and know they they will be producing the perfect amount for her. If only boobs could talk, Im sure they could tell me whats going on regarding her belly issues.
The nurse did suggest a UTI but said because its the weekend they wont be able to test for that here and the nurses on staff dont deal with many babies (country town full of old people). She said if she has another "uncontrollable moment" and still seems generally unwell to take her to the emergency department at the next closest hospital (30 minutes away).

Thanks heaven, as always :hug: xx

If she's a bit of a guts you could maybe try feeding her a bit "uphill" - you lie back a bit so she's on top of you. She has to work harder so a lot of the time they slow down a little. Also gravity is helping a bit. I found this helped a little with DD2

Both my girls had protein and gluten intolerances so they were really distressed an enormous amount of the time. Explosive poos, completely rigid little bodies, screaming inconsolably etc. If you have already excluded everything dairy, maybe try cutting out gluten too. Can make it really tricky for you to find something to eat because basically you have to not eat anything that is refined.

I hope you find an answer and your LO gets some relief soon.

ETA: I got the reflux/colic diagnosis too - from several medical professionals. Wasn't until I saw a specialist paed that actually took the time to really listen to what I was saying and take it further that we made any progress.

Whenever my DD's had an upset tummy I used Brauer's colic relief, or stomach calm. Usually resulted in a nappy explosin and happier baby pretty quickly. Might be worth a try?

So she had a good sleep, about 3 hours I think. Woke up nice and happy :) Until I fed her :( From about the 3rd mouthful she started freezing up again. She kept drinking but was so tense and she was trying hard not to cry but she was hungry. She instantly started forcfully pulling her legs up. She finished that side (its a lower preformer that side so would have had about 30-40 mls I would assume) and sat her up to burp her and the screaming started again. I couldnt console her and she wouldnt feed on the other side even after she burped. It was horrible :( I just sat here bouncing up and down, holding her and trying to get her to calm down. Couldnt get any more wind up. I eventually (after about 20 mintues of going bright red screaming) managed to calm her down enough to take the other side which she did but was still stiff like every mouthful was making her tummy even sorer. Before the feed I gave her infants friend and colic relief.
I then went and had a shower with her and let the warm water run on her belly and that seemed to calm her down a fair bit. She then got dressed, I offered more boob, she had maybe 4 sucks and started crying again as soon as the milk started flowing. So I gave her, her dummy and rocked her to sleep. Shes been asleep ever since. Since putting some breastmilk up her nose, it seems to have sudden cleared up a hell of alot, so I dont think thats an issue and she doesnt have a temp anymore. Last check was when she got up and it was 35.5.
I have started to wonder about glutin aswell as Im not well myself. I have just had blood tests etc to see why my body is playing up aswell. (I too get horrid stomach cramps after eating). She is fed football hold on the right side (bigger boob) and cradle (sometimes football) hold on the left. So shes pretty much upright for all her feeds. I dont think the reflux is an issue anymore, at all. She couldnt care less if shes on her back. Shes cries then because shes sad and doesnt want me to put her down! lol. Shes cute, so I contend. lol

Did they check her throat?

Just yesterday my 6 month old suddenly started screaming and was so upset she was twitching and sucking air in. I was terrified and took her to the doctor, they said it was a typical reaction to pain and they thought ears, but checked her ears and they were fine, but the doctor said her throat was raw and her tonsils swollen.

Like your baby, she's had a cold this week but handled it well, just snotty and sleeping a lot.

The nurse gave her panadol for her pain and it worked well. They said to make sure she's feeding well and if she stops feeding because of the pain to take her to hospital.

They also said if the pain continued it could be a bacterial infection that would need antibiotics .

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Jude 07/10/08 | Lilac 16/06/11

Have you looked into wonder weeks? This sounds exactly like my dd around your age (and still occasionally now during one) she used to do EXACTLY that during a wonder week.

Either that, or could AF possibly be on the way? I've found my DD gets abit fussy around then too.

One more thing, possible teething? I know with that the swollen gums make it uncomfortable to eat.. (but then you said you have given infants friend before a feed, so maybe not...)

HTH Hun.. It's awful going through it all I know, so hard when they can't tell us what's wrong!

Oh the poor love!
Well I think there have been lots of suggestions here for possible causes.
If you're also unwell, then it could be that too. Aside from that, there are a few things you could 'eliminate' - throat/UTI, AF/pregnancy, other illness/teething, fast letdown - and then see where you're at.
With any luck it is a wonder week and you're through it soon. I think week 10-11 is a doozy.

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So she had a good sleep, about 3 hours I think. Woke up nice and happy :) Until I fed her :( From about the 3rd mouthful she started freezing up again. She kept drinking but was so tense and she was trying hard not to cry but she was hungry. She instantly started forcfully pulling her legs up. She finished that side (its a lower preformer that side so would have had about 30-40 mls I would assume) and sat her up to burp her and the screaming started again. I couldnt console her and she wouldnt feed on the other side even after she burped. It was horrible :( I just sat here bouncing up and down, holding her and trying to get her to calm down. Couldnt get any more wind up. I eventually (after about 20 mintues of going bright red screaming) managed to calm her down enough to take the other side which she did but was still stiff like every mouthful was making her tummy even sorer. Before the feed I gave her infants friend and colic relief.
I then went and had a shower with her and let the warm water run on her belly and that seemed to calm her down a fair bit. She then got dressed, I offered more boob, she had maybe 4 sucks and started crying again as soon as the milk started flowing. So I gave her, her dummy and rocked her to sleep. Shes been asleep ever since. Since putting some breastmilk up her nose, it seems to have sudden cleared up a hell of alot, so I dont think thats an issue and she doesnt have a temp anymore. Last check was when she got up and it was 35.5.
I have started to wonder about glutin aswell as Im not well myself. I have just had blood tests etc to see why my body is playing up aswell. (I too get horrid stomach cramps after eating). She is fed football hold on the right side (bigger boob) and cradle (sometimes football) hold on the left. So shes pretty much upright for all her feeds. I dont think the reflux is an issue anymore, at all. She couldnt care less if shes on her back. Shes cries then because shes sad and doesnt want me to put her down! lol. Shes cute, so I contend. lol

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I forgot to mention! This last post sounds exactly like my DD when she was your DD age and going through a wonder week. She was exactly like this for upto a week roughly, then literally overnight she changed and was back to her normal happy self! Babies are funny creatures lol. I'd read up about wonder weeks, (there's an iPhone app if that helps, or even google "wonder weeks"?) and see if that seems to match your DD.
I know with feeding, my dd would suck maybe 3 times, scream and cry, go back on for another couple sucks, scream and cry, and it would go on like that. Eventually I just put it down to she was comfort sucking but not wanting milk and didnt like she was getting it. I also took advice from the WW app on different things that can help during each specific wonder week, and sure enough when she was upset those things would help. Have you tried distracting her with a toy or teddy of some sort when she's upset? Or even TV? (just to see if she stops) I've found with DD if she does, it's more of a behavioral cry than a pain cry ITMS?

As for her weight, unless it was where you usually go, I wouldn't pay any attention, I know at the doctors surgery where we go for DD, the scales there say she is around 300g lighter than our MCHN... Which is a big difference for a baby! Also it depends how much they've drunk (fluid loss) if she has a soiled/wet nappy, even different clothes account for weight! But BF babies also tend to gain weight in patches, sometimes barely anything for a couple weeks, then BANG, like 500g in 5 days lol.

Anyhow, I hope things are picking up! I hope I've helped somewhat :hug:

i hope you find the cause soon huni. huge hugs xxx

MM - I gave both my DDs lots of deep baths because floating seemed to help a little. The rest of the time they were upright on my shoulder - almost 24/7. I felt a bit like a pirate with a parrot eventually :shakehead:

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Did they check her throat?

Just yesterday my 6 month old suddenly started screaming and was so upset she was twitching and sucking air in. I was terrified and took her to the doctor, they said it was a typical reaction to pain and they thought ears, but checked her ears and they were fine, but the doctor said her throat was raw and her tonsils swollen.

Like your baby, she's had a cold this week but handled it well, just snotty and sleeping a lot.

The nurse gave her panadol for her pain and it worked well. They said to make sure she's feeding well and if she stops feeding because of the pain to take her to hospital.

They also said if the pain continued it could be a bacterial infection that would need antibiotics .

--'--,--'--<@
Jude 07/10/08 | Lilac 16/06/11

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Yep, she did check her throat and said it was fine.

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Have you looked into wonder weeks? This sounds exactly like my dd around your age (and still occasionally now during one) she used to do EXACTLY that during a wonder week.

Either that, or could AF possibly be on the way? I've found my DD gets abit fussy around then too.

One more thing, possible teething? I know with that the swollen gums make it uncomfortable to eat.. (but then you said you have given infants friend before a feed, so maybe not...)

HTH Hun.. It's awful going through it all I know, so hard when they can't tell us what's wrong!

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AF has been and gone. But your right, she wasnt abit horrid the days leading up to it. I have thought about teething and have ordered her teething necklace. She is already grabbing blankets and some items and chewing on them like mad.

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Oh the poor love!
Well I think there have been lots of suggestions here for possible causes.
If you're also unwell, then it could be that too. Aside from that, there are a few things you could 'eliminate' - throat/UTI, AF/pregnancy, other illness/teething, fast letdown - and then see where you're at.
With any luck it is a wonder week and you're through it soon. I think week 10-11 is a doozy.

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My letdown is fast. She pulls off during it every now and then and it soaks her face! lol. I too have thought about the wonder week and I know she is in one or due for one but Im still more leaning toward shes in pain. Shes looks very uncomfortable when shes screaming and usually in her wonder weeks she doesnt sleep too well (30 minute naps) but atm when she gets to sleep shes sleeping for hours.

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I forgot to mention! This last post sounds exactly like my DD when she was your DD age and going through a wonder week. She was exactly like this for upto a week roughly, then literally overnight she changed and was back to her normal happy self! Babies are funny creatures lol. I'd read up about wonder weeks, (there's an iPhone app if that helps, or even google "wonder weeks"?) and see if that seems to match your DD.
I know with feeding, my dd would suck maybe 3 times, scream and cry, go back on for another couple sucks, scream and cry, and it would go on like that. Eventually I just put it down to she was comfort sucking but not wanting milk and didnt like she was getting it. I also took advice from the WW app on different things that can help during each specific wonder week, and sure enough when she was upset those things would help. Have you tried distracting her with a toy or teddy of some sort when she's upset? Or even TV? (just to see if she stops) I've found with DD if she does, it's more of a behavioral cry than a pain cry ITMS?

As for her weight, unless it was where you usually go, I wouldn't pay any attention, I know at the doctors surgery where we go for DD, the scales there say she is around 300g lighter than our MCHN... Which is a big difference for a baby! Also it depends how much they've drunk (fluid loss) if she has a soiled/wet nappy, even different clothes account for weight! But BF babies also tend to gain weight in patches, sometimes barely anything for a couple weeks, then BANG, like 500g in 5 days lol.

Anyhow, I hope things are picking up! I hope I've helped somewhat :hug:

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Thats what I thought with the scales, so Im not paying much attention to them. She doesnt look underfed and shes growing like a weed! I do try and distract her when shes screaming. Usually with a toy, the tv or my mobile phone. It works for a few seconds until shes over it. But today I managed to get her to watch my phone to calm down enough to put her on the boob. If shes screaming she wont have a bar of the boob.

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i hope you find the cause soon huni. huge hugs xxx

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Thanks babe :hug:


So we have had a good night. Honestly, the nights really arnt much of an issue. Lastnight when I fed her during the night she cried abit when I sat her up to burp her but it didnt turn into a screaming session. Mothers intuition tells me thats shes in pain. Her belly goes all stiff, she arches her back, she brings her legs up and clenches her fists. Then she gets even more upsetting because shes exhausts herself from crying. Poor little poppet. Theres no possible way to slow her down when she feeds is there? She only feeds generally 5 times a day (shes been like that since the day she was born) with the odd feeding frenzy of (well, I have no idea how many times because I dont count lol) about 9ish.. Ive tried feeding her smaller amounts more often (just one boob and then the other 1-2 hours later) but she wont have a bar of it.

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MM - I gave both my DDs lots of deep baths because floating seemed to help a little. The rest of the time they were upright on my shoulder - almost 24/7. I felt a bit like a pirate with a parrot eventually :shakehead:

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She does LOVE her baths :) and is a little calmer up on my shoulder with her belly pressing against me.

Is there fenugreek in the BF support tablets? Some (by no means all) babies get very windy from it. Can you try without the tablets for a few days and see if things get better?

If it's the fast flow, it is likely to get better as she gets bigger. Mine have both taken around 12-ish weeks to grow big enough to handle it ok. Have you tried triggering the letdown and letting it settle down a bit first before feeding?

There is KMN. I have taken nothing today. Usually my scedule consists of 1 Vitamin D tablet, 2 Breastfeeing support tablets, 1 Calcium tablet and 2 multivitamins per day. Shes been fine today. A little bit of a belly ache but no screaming what so ever. Dont know if its connected or not.

I cant seem to ever trigger my letdown by hand expressing. I really suck at it. lol.

I'm glad she's happier - I hope you never work out what it was because it never comes back!