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Need help baby throwing up after every feed

18 replies

lexidev83 · 13/05/2017 10:00

Our daughter is 3 weeks old today. It took me a few days to get into breast feeding after wanting to give up but we finally cracked it and she was putting on weight well. Then my milk came in and i noticed at feeds she would cough and choke where she was guzzling so much ...she then started to throw up after every feed.ALOT We find it hard to get a burp out of her so are now trying infacoil and we have been to the doctors and health visitors and they want us to take gaviscon but my instinct tells me it's not reflux but the fast let down along with all the wind in her tummy which at night causes her discomfort
I am now at my wits end and feel really exasperated and exhausted as she was getting 2-3 hours a night sleep but now she's not getting that as i will feed, try and wind her, keep her upright fir 30mins then try and put her down and she will throw up sometimes immediately, sometimes a while later which is such a worry when it's at night. She is losing weight whhvb is the real worry she pooing less so i know she isn't getting enough of the hind milk. I have tried expressing the first few minute off before putting her on, tried raising the moses basket at the front, tried different burping techniques, tried taking her off after 5 mins burping putting her back on. I'm completely exhausted from feeding her and making the milk for it only to come up again then she be hungry ang wanting food again and i'm worried about her
I would be grateful of any help
as the community team have been calling but it's all generic and i'm turning
more and more into a zombie unable to function

Sent from my iPhone

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CatsCantFlyFast · 13/05/2017 10:07

Can you clarify - is she losing weight or just not gaining as fast?
Is she uncomfortable/in pain? Is she sick after every feed? What happens if you don't wind her? Do the feeds go better if you hand express until the let down calms down?

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CatsCantFlyFast · 13/05/2017 10:13

Also - don't worry about hind/fore milk - if she was getting an imbalance the poo would probably be green. Your body balances hind and fore milk pretty well so it's rare for this to be an issue.
As babies get older they do poo less frequently, so I'd use the poo frequency, in combination with the weight and the amount of wet nappies, to determine if she's getting enough.
If she's losing weight then thats the strongest indicator that she's not getting enough/keeping enough down. (Just the fact she wants to go back on after a feed/vomit might not suggest she's still hungry, for example some reflux babies will feed for comfort as it stops the acid burning sensation). I'd worry purely about the weigh situation until that is under control - lots of babies vomit a lot without it having any impact on their weight or development. What makes you think it isn't reflux? Have you been advised to top up?

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lexidev83 · 13/05/2017 11:29

After the usual initial weight loss she was gaining well then she stared being sick ang i thought her clothes seemed looser so took her to get weighed and she had lost some ...hv coming back monday to weigh her again ...yes it's after every feed and sometimes uts instant sometimes it's after 2 hours ...obviously she is very young so she has never slept amazing but as the days pass she is more and more restless even in the day we can't get her to rest even though she is yawning ...i guess i don't think uys reflux as it's only been since she has been guzzling as ny milk has come in loads plus the fact she isn't winding and she isn't too upset by the vomiting she only gets upset ehen it chokes her ...i do they feed fir comfort too so it's hard to know if she wants food again and feed on demand or if to leave it abd just cuddle her ....only getting an hour sleep and body is so tired and i feel like i can't look even her nutrients in her poor little body xx

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pastabest · 13/05/2017 11:49

Breast milk is a complete food for babies and there is very little waste. It isn't unusual for them to sometimes go a few days between poos. At around 8 weeks old my DD didn't poo for 6 days once!

Some babies are sticky babies and will posset after feeds. This is normal. Often it looks like they have thrown up a lot more than they actually have.

At three weeks she will be starting to wake up from being a sleepy newborn so will probably be more restless naturally.

Wait and see what the health visitor says but try not to worry too much. It's terrifying at times having a newborn but they really are more robust than they appear.

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MiniAlphaBravo · 13/05/2017 11:55

Sometimes bf babies don't need to burp, have you tried not winding her? Keeping her upright for 30 mins sounds exhausting, is that necessariy?what if you don't do that?

You could try cutting out dairy from your diet as maybe it could be cmpa? My daughter had this and had some similar symptoms. Sounds like you're really trying your best and really hope it gets easier for you.

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StiginaGrump · 13/05/2017 11:56

For a young baby it is very unusual to go long without a poo or to lose weight after initial gain. Your baby needs a GP appointment and you both need face to face support from a feeding specialist. Any baby cafes or groups near by?

The NCT helpline is good and there area thes too, should be open today I think. You need specific and knowledgeable support x

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babynugget · 13/05/2017 12:04

My DD was the same and ended up being admitted to Hospital. They suspected reflux but I didn't want to put her on meds. In the end I gave up breast feeding as I was finding it too stressful knowing how much she had had. In the end I decided that she was feeding for comfort and simply didn't know when she had had enough and was throwing up because she was full. The neo natal ward asked if we could introduce a dummy. That combined with bottle feeds so I knew how much she was getting allowed us to control it enough that she could gain weight but she was still very pukey and we ended up holding her all the time to avoid her being sick. She never got time to lie on the floor with toys/mobiles as she would projectile vomit all over herself. When she was about 3 months old I eventually conceded and tried infant gaviscon. HV reassured me that it was simply a thickener and not medication as such (not sure if that's true but that's what I was told). It took a week or two before it made a difference but I wish I had tried it sooner. She was able to hold down her feeds and I didn't feel the need to be constantly holding her. The consequences of my reluctance to try the gaviscon are a sofa and carpet that permanently stink of baby puke and a super clingy DD that needed to be held to fall asleep until she was about 18 months old. We live and learn! Hope you find a solution - it's so stressful not to mention exhausting. I bet your washing machine is never off!

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JaneEyre70 · 13/05/2017 12:08

My youngest grandaughter was exactly the same, but was diagnosed with reflux. The gaviscon made it even worse, and the only way DD was able to get baby to feed well was using expressed milk in a special anti-colic bottle and a slow flow teat so the baby couldn't gulp. She also found a sleepyhead really helped as the baby wasn't led flat. It's been a really hard few months for both of them and baby is still really small on the 9th centile but she is slowly getting there. I'd really push for a paed referral if you're not happy with your HV and GP on it. I hope it gets better for you both soon.

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babynugget · 13/05/2017 12:11

Oh and I should have added - I was terrified at the thought of thickening her feeds due to increased risk of choking but it really sorted out the problem so that the risk of her being sick was completely reduced. I totally understand the stress when they are being sick, especially through the night. The Neo natal ward also showed us how to safely support her to sleep on her side to reduce the risks of choking and that allowed us to relax a bit. A rolled up blanket sausage behind her back and another rolled up blanket sausage at her front (chest level) and bent between her legs (in an L shape). We alternated sides every couple of days to avoid any risk of flat head.

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welshweasel · 13/05/2017 12:11

You need to take her to see a doctor this weekend. A 3 week old vomiting after every feed and losing weight is an emergency. She's a bit young for a classical presentation of pyloric stenosis but that needs to be ruled out, along with severe reflux.

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CatsCantFlyFast · 13/05/2017 13:38

Can I ask how much weight she lost and whether the two weights you are comparing were done on the same scales? (And how far apart were they taken?)

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SometimesItRains · 13/05/2017 13:54

Second the pp saying take to a dr. DS2 threw up after every feed and failed to put weight on. After several visits to the dr they eventually suggested we go to a&e and it turned out he had pyloric stenosis, it was diagnosed by a blood test I think as several drs had said he didn't have it as they couldn't feel a blockage when examining his tummy. As a girl your DD is less likely to have it, but I think it needs to be considered given her symptoms. Good luck OP Flowers

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SometimesItRains · 13/05/2017 13:55

Oh and DS was a bit young for pyloric stenosis too (symptoms started at about 3 days and he was operated on at 3 weeks old) hence the drs dismissing it at first, you just need to keep pushing if you feel something isn't right.

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lexidev83 · 13/05/2017 13:58

we took her straight to dr after weigh in and he said try gaviscon ....the hv said try infacol as she thought it was wind combined with fast flow so we are trying that first and she is having another weigh in on monday ....i thought about laying her on her side but read everywhere about that being a side risk...the reason we keep her upright after feed is cos the hv told us to do help minimise the risk of her sickonh up ....i can handle a little bit of sick as that's normal but someone's it's a lot it just pours out straight after a feed ....i read that about breastfed babies and burping ...i think she does have trapped wind thiugh as at night she kicks legs out and you can hear her tummy popping

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CatsCantFlyFast · 13/05/2017 14:12

How much weight had she lost?

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Nifflerbowtruckle · 13/05/2017 14:23

My partner had pyloric stenosis as a baby and was operated on at 5 weeks old. If she's losing weight and sucking up pretty much all her milk it does sound like it could be that.

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lexidev83 · 13/05/2017 15:18

yeah i think depending on the weight on monday will push for a peod ...she was gaining then lost a few oz from the last visit done on the same scales ...she has discomfort in her belly before she does a number 2 ....even know her belly is gargling lots like there is water dripping through ..that may be general digestion or wind do you all think i shouldn't be keeping her upright after a feed then ? thanks for all your advice it's really helpful

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CatsCantFlyFast · 13/05/2017 19:01

It's really difficult to answer because;
Most young babies are windy and have noisy digestion. Lots of babies are very uncomfortable. Lots and lots of babies vomit, a bit or even a lot, without it causing any issues. Newborn digestive systems take time to settle down, and normally wind and discomfort and even posetting in quite big volume will pass with time without any need for intervention or medication.

It's also difficult to answer because you're saying a few oz weight lost but over how long? There's a reason the recommendation isn't to weigh babies too regularly, and it's because weight gain isn't linear. If your doctor wasn't concerned then I wouldn't panic.

If I were you, while you wait to get her weighed again I would;
Hand express before every feed, until after the forceful let down has stopped, before you let her feed. Wind her for a few minutes between breasts and after but don't worry if she won't/can't burp. Keep a careful track of wet and dry nappies (write it down) as this is a good indication of what's happening. If she wants to feed, let her. Outside of your other issues, small babies like to cluster feed a lot - that is entirely normal.

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