Does this sound like reflux

Well as some of you know (from other posts)... DS has been crying up to 8 hrs a day (sometimes in 2 hr non stop fests)!

Last night was another horrible night.
Fed 730, 10, 11 , 1 , 330 530 7
- Fusses and arches his back when ever he is flat on his back in bed for about 1/2 hr until i pick him up.
- Needs constant burping and often possetts
- During feeds he will continuously pull off and scream, arch his back, pull his knees up, cough and splutter
- sometimes vomits after feed when burping
-heaps of belly pains where he will kick his legs for an hour and there is nothing i can do
-settles better on his tummy


or is this just a normal baby behaviour?

Hi PP, this does sound like reflux to me.
Are you breast or bottle feeding?

If bottle feeding try Karicare Thickener from chemists, my DD gets reflux bad she was on a reflux medication and also half thickened EBM.

If you are breastfeeding bubs might have an intolerance to something you are eating? I found that DD got the symptons you listed when I ate Broccoli, I started to eliminate things from my diet to see it if was something that I was eating that was giving her such bad wind pains and it was broccoli.

Some people like it others don't but have you tried gripe water or another brand of wind drops? Gripe water works well for my DD - your bubs might be too young for this yet, I think you can start using from 1 month of age.

I suggest going to your doctor they may be able to confirm for you.

Deanne.

Yup sounds like what Miss M was like before getting her the homeopathic drops and getting her sorted out at the chiro.

thanks girls :)
i have tried infacol and it helps get big burps but he still screams badly with feeds.

I might try some of that gripe water but that wont help if it is regurg?!

Poor little fella

PP - I tried Infacol, gripe water and brauers stuff - all worked for about a week and then she started being just as bad as before. The homeopathic drops were the only ones that seem to have continued to work...

Hopefully you will have more luck cos its really awful to hear them screaming..

I agree with the diet thing - have a look at it and see if there is anything in there that effects you - ie makes you regular or gives you wind.

For me, I have had to give up bananas :( The best fruit for on the go handy breakfast or snacks - but as soon as I cut them out Zander settled better - I had one the other day otherwise I wouldn't get a chance to eat with school etc - and he had a bad night. Co-incidence? Maybe, but I won't take the risk again at the moment!

Have you tilted the cot/mattress where he sleeps so he is slightly head above feet etc?

Good luck - that is hard work so you are doing a great job even being awake ;)

Sound like reflux to me too, I also agree with the diet thing, bananas affect my little man too.:doh:

My Paed told me to express the fore milk before feeding bubs. Cant remember what it has in it that is bad for reflux babies. Baby brain;)
If you want to try something natural, a great product that I have found is stomach calm by Brauer. You find it in any chemist.
It does sound like your bubs has reflux. Maybe see if you can get into your paed and get some advice. Its not easy having a reflux bubs. I sympathise with you but it will get better.
Good Luck with it.

Hi,
Sounds the same as DD1 and now DD2. both diagnosed as silent refluxers.I was also told to express off about a tablespoon of the foremilk. Apparently it is much higher in lactose and that can also affect them. Seems to help a bit. Half the time I have bub sleeping in her bouncer as keeping her in an upright position seems to help a lot. Am just trying to cut out all dairy for me now also (have been told this may take a couple of weeks to have an effect but this is Day 2 and I think she already seems more settled). Was prescribed Zantac this time for DD2, but this seemed to make her scream even more so stopped that after a day and half. Child Health Services (if available in your area) had a lot of good suggestions also, but would see paed for definite diagnosis. Best of luck.

there are great suggestions in this thread PP .. unfortuneatly some of the symptoms sound like reflux .. but it could just be the food you eat ... grapes cant be eaten by me or dd will scream the house down ... he could be full after a feed and once hes been laid down , the tummy is so full it hurts ... not so much reflux as an immature gastic system ... hence the arching of his back and discomfort...

also falling asleep on the boob then being placed in a bed , then waking up screaming is a sign of reflux too ... often i will put dd down (head eleveted) and she will sleep for 10mins then wake up screaming covered in milk (digested or fresh feed)

also check how he holds his head, does it lean to one side .. its another sign of reflux ...

constant feeding at his age , is normal .. he is prolly in the middle of a growth spurt ... try keeping a diary of what you ate/how he fed for a few days and see what his patterns are ..

the milk high in lactose is a big one too ... try waiting to feed after the letdown so the flow is strong a steady .. he wont splutter so much ... it help soo much .. it may seem like a hassle but its worth it .. dont ever rush a BF .. relax totally and he will too , a poor sitting positon by you can result in a poor feed .. hence trapped wind from gulping too much

its common for a bub to splutter at letdowns... if he is feeding fine then splutters or winces his face and starts crying in mid feed then they can be symptoms of reflux..

colic and reflux are 2 different things .. BUT they have some of the same characteristics .. which is why some babes go undiagnosed and some babes are mis diagnosed for reflux .. but do seek help for wind . infacol is great .. but is sort of like pain killers for a broken bone ... it will only mask/help the pain but wont actually do much other than that .. you have to fix the source of the pain ...
try massage (free , easy , fun and it works) then go on to other methods .. there is something called donnalix .. its powerful stuff and works well . but dont overdose bub on it .. chiro is good and so is cranial ostepathy for a cranky bub .. natural alternaives are wonderful ..

have you seen the RISA website ?? it will help you understand if hes a refluxer or not ... you dont want to go to a gp and get medicated for a problem that can easily fixed by starting with you .. GPs want to write scripts , they want you to come back to them , so they can make more money , and not give a toss about how you may be feeling ...

a good gp will go through an elimination diet befoer and meds are dispensed !!
its soo stressful being a mum to a relfuxer . Gabriella can spit up - up to 20 times a day .. and most times more than that ... about 6-8 times an hour there will be a reflux ...

she is over the crying for 3 hrs non stop , but still has her days ... she is still a twice hourly feeder ( NB she was a 20 min feeder , just to soothe the burn) i cant move her and have to be careful of sudden movements ....

ALSO contrary to belief UPRIGHT is NOT the best postion for a refluxer !! its on a SEMI upright positon ... placing them in a swing/bumbo/ chair just palces stress and pressure on the tummy causing more vomits ! semi inclined is best ... like a reflux wedge , its at the best angle .. their head is elevated , they are lying flat and their tummy is strected longer , hence the milk stays in ...


if you have anymore questions , just ask ! i have just started Gabriella on LOSEC as her previous meds ZOTON was not working for her .. i hope theres an end in sight for us ...


hope it settles for you soon !

wow, i have just read this thread and looked up risa - this sounds exactly like little matisse - always pulling at the breast when feeding, crying when feeding, etc etc etc (all except the vomiting)

i hope we can all work it out ladies - half of my diet has just been eliminated!

risa is a great site .. my BIL's brothers girlfiend's Mothere (got that lol) is one of the main ladies who help run the site all 3 of her kids had GER ...

do you need a script to get losec or can you buy it over the counter?

Hey Ladies DD has been very similar at night with her feeds ok when cuddled but when layed on her back will become unsetelled within about 30 mins crying and quite uptight.

Also she is getting 3-4 dirty nappies mustard yellow in colour and small amounts is the normal and what can I do to assist her

I have been on an antibiotic since the CS and finished today which they said could give her wind. She is being given expressed breast milk every 3-4 hours and drinks around 60mls

Are we talking reflux and what can we do for a 1 week old like this?

linda i dont know much about reflux, but have you tried rasing the end of the cot/bassinette?? DD still has the head of the bassinette raised, might help stop any milk coming back up

tigger- Try waiting till about 2 mths to get reflux diagnosed .. (i know its a long time away , but generally a nb can have symptoms of reflux then it can dissapear all together)

if you are finding its getting serious , mention it at your 6wk check up ... otherwise a GP can help ..

another thing is your milk will be coming in at full force now so its likely there may be so much foremilk (high in sugar / lactose ) which could be causing the pain ... exp till you get a let down , let the let down happen then feed ( your boob will be less full and attatch ment is easier ..)

and keep up the swaddling as she could be startled , lying on their backs makes them feel like they are falling and can scare them .

I would def give it about 2 weeks for the AB to get out of her system then reasses .. as AB can cause havoc on NB's systems ..

try a bit of infants friend , or infacol ...

if she vomits alot and is not gaining wieght , the nurse will pick up on it and talk to you about it ..

her poos sound fine ... DD could poo up to 10 times a day in the begging .. ugh


and congrats on your sweet baby girl . xx

Thanks Team got the hospital crib yesterady so we can raise her head and things have been heaps better she was only upset between 2-4 and just needed cuddles

CUDDLES are the BEST medicine :)

Pinkpalace that does sound like reflux to me, maybe take him to your gp or MCHN to get him checked out.. DS was diagnosed with reflux at about 5 weeks old, because of the fussy feeding, poor weight gains and vomiting. my MCHN recommended giving him about 1ml of milanta before each feed for a 24 hour period to see if it helped, which it did, it made a huge differance, like a different baby. he was then proscribed zantac and is still on it now, will probably try and take him off it soon and see what happens? the zantac definatley helped with the pain and screaming but we still had to put up with a fair amount of vomiting, its amazing how they can put on weight when it looks like they've lost there whole feed, but they do, DS is a very healthy happy bub now and yours will be too!
if you have any questions let me know if i can help?
all the best, i know what your going through.

RAINFOREST - you need a script ... but you can get infant Gaviscon for around $8 over the counter .. it works well , but not as concetrate as losec so it has to be give regualry ... hth .