Reflux/wind/colic help!

[Sukhino]

Please can anyone help?! My baby is 3 weeks old, for the last week he has started suffering with really bad wind and reflux but the last 70 hours have been torture. He has hardly slept (about 6 hours a day only) and when he is not asleep he is crying/screaming.
He is breast fed and the cycle has been:
Feed - where he falls asleep but then 1 min later is woken up by wind
Burp - he looks like he is in total agony, red face, arching back, thrashing or curling up - this can last for hours and he does not settle. I try all the positions, and massaging tummy etc and it doesn't calm him. He often (80% of his feeds) vomits up like a volcano.
If he does calm down and fall asleep when I lay him down, even in a raised cot/basket he vomits or wakes again screaming.
But now it is time to feed him again and the cycle continues with no sleep for either of us. The only way to calm him is for him to feed but that starts the cycle again. I never know when he has finished burping/puking or if there is more to come as it can happen an hour later.

I went to the docs who said it was reflux and gave me ranitidine, and I just started INFACOL yesterday. No change yet. He has dirty nappies and is putting on weight no I'm not worried there.
I have all his sleeping areas raised.
I keep him upright after feeds for up to 30 mins and feed slightly upright.
I've tried swaddling (which helps for a nap but I have to make sure he is burped out first), white noise.
Nothing has been working, he now wants feeding every hour which triggers the cycle, I am sore, I get no rest bite.

I am feeling so desperate and depressed. I'm scared to leave the house and go out as he just cries and we don't have a car. I don't know how I can continue like this. He was so happy the first 2 weeks and now there seems to be no moments like that.

Has anyone got any ideas? X

[fabulous01]

My twins had reflux. Both different issues but had to use neocate formula as they had dairy intolerance. Might be worth excluding dairy

[lovelygirl17]

My DD was the same, I totally understand what you are going through. It is an absolute, utter shock to the system and it will make you exhausted. I tried everything myself (raised bed, dairy free, holding baby up) and nothing helped. I couldn't put her down for a sleep because as soon as she was flat on her back she brought up some liquid that drenched her clothes. I didn't sleep for months. It however gets better at around 4 months until then it's hell and you will question your own abilities. In my experience, no one understood or took me seriously, whispering: "She is not coping very well, is she?" In fact none of these people knew what I was going through. When the health visitor arrived when she was having one of her massive crying fits she sent me to A&E straight away as she didn't think it was normal (she stayed with us for 2 hours and she didn't stop crying!). At the hospital I was called a neurotic mother, end of investigation. I also got ranitidine, which only helped for a week I'm afraid. Not sure why. It didn't help when people said: "All babies cry, don't they?" I was also scared to go anywhere with her for the same reasons. So my best bet is: don't ask for advice from mothers who never had a colicky baby (they will just look puzzled and think you must be doing something wrong making you feel worse), talk to health professionals however; and see if you find someone who takes you seriously and willing to investigate (if that's what you want of course), accept help from all your relatives (holding the baby for a couple of hours, or helping you to get out of the house to air your head), clench your teeth and carry on, (it will get better, soon...), of course feel free to try any of the suggestions, like dairy free as it won't do any harm (but I think the most important thing is for you to stay stable and sane - psychologically...). I went on to have another DC who wasn't colicky and it was like a breeze. In fact waking only every 3 hours in the night to feed felt like a holiday! That's when I understood that mothers with "non-colicky" babies have absolutely no idea and there is a massive difference between a crying baby and a colicky crying baby. My DD is beautiful and smart 5 year old, still not a good eater but oh well. I hope I managed to make you feel better, if not then I'm sorry :( but I do really feel for you!

[fabulous01]

We had all of that too but highly likely it is dairy. One puked all time and one screamed. Been to hospital numerous times. Cut the dairy and get them on a dummy. I saw many consultants and all said dummy was best thing as it encouraged baby to suckle and push wind down. For me I was just pleased for peace and quiet as it was tough with both suffering. Neocate made a massive difference

[1sttimemama1986]

I can really relate OP, started ranitidine today with my 3 week old. I'm preying it works. I am devastated for ds and not coping well not being able to soothe or comfort him. Hope for us both things get easier!!

[notagiraffe]

OP I feel for you so much. DS2 had chronic reflux and it was torture. One thing that helped a little bit (and everything only helps a little bit - nothing cures it except outgrowing it!) was baby massage classes, as the teacher taught us how to massage wind out of their stomachs. He used to arch and scream and refuse to eat but when I did that massage he'd giggle, and you could actually see the hard wind bubble move down and out of his stomach.

Apart from that, lying him on his tummy across my knee helped a bit (after the 30 mins upright after feeding or the feed would just come straight out)
And hours and hours of walking him in the buggy. the upright, joggling position and the fresh air seemed to soothe him.

If I had my time again I would have tried every formula milk under the sun to see if he found it easier to digest.