ff DD (7 weeks) really fussing during feeds, any advice as to what this could be..?

[wolfcubEm83]

DD has been FF exclusively for 3 weeks now and recently she has started to make a sound like she is clearing her throat about a third of the way through her bottle. She really wriggles, goes bright red in the face and sometimes pushes the teat out of her mouth only to cry as she wants it back in again. It almost looks like she is straining for a poo but she hasnt done one.

I have been trying to wind her when this happens as she is quite a windy baby but a burp doesnt always help her settle. This new development means that feeds take about and hour and a half due to burp/wriggle breaks.

Its worst between 5pm and 11pm (when she finally goes to sleep) but doesnt happen when she has her night feed which is between 4am and 5am.

Doctor said it was wind but im not so sure, any advice would be appreciated as i hate seeing her sad face.

(She has Dr Browns bottles and we tried infacol for a week but it didnt do anything except make her burps really sicky)

Thanks

[Gillybean73]

This sounds really like silent reflux. My son had this from when he was two weeks old and it is basically acid coming back up their food pipe which burns the inside of their throats and oesophageus which is what causes the squirming.

My son used to arch his back and wriggle around during his feeds and he used to go the colour of a tomato at times I kid you not!! It is not normal for babies to be uncomfortable during their feeds like this and you must go and get help for your wee one as they are probably in agony. The redness in the face is purely caused by the stress they are enduring and my son used to start sweating during a particularly bad attack which again was put down to stress.

Reflux goes largely mis-diagnosed as colic and I had to battle with various doctors and trips to hospital for weeks until finally they agreed it was GOR (gastro-oesophageal reflux) and don't be fooled into thinking that if nothing comes up by way of sickness or possetting that it isn't reflux as it can be what's called silent reflux i.e. no evidence coming back up!!

My son was put on a combination of Infant Gaviscon and Omeprazole which was a bit of fiddly hassle with each feed but it changed our lives dramatically!! All babies grow out of reflux once they start to sit up more and start taking more solid food and my son was off all his medications completely by the time he was 11 months.

If you are not using a dummy, then I'd recommend that you start using one as the sucking action really helps keep the reflux down. Personally I hate dummies but it really helped my son and then it got tossed out as soon as he came off all his medication at 11 months!

You may have to be tenacious with this as it goes untreated and mis-diagnosed every day which is really sad as I've read statistics that as many as 1 in 5 kids suffer with this and it largely goes untreated which is traumatic for the child and also for the parent to see your wee one so uncomfortable and screaming.

My son hardly cried at all after he got proper medication for it.

Good luck and let me know how you get on or if you need any more help or info.

[wolfcubEm83]

Thank you so much for this info, ive had a look at the symptoms for silent reflux and she has most of them - sticking tongue out a lot and a white tongue - so im going to ask the doctor when i see him next (waiting for a scan on dds kidney as she only has one that functions) and see what i can get for her.

Im so glad theres an answer and some medication, she only ever seems totally comfy when shes sitting upright in the burp position.

Thanks again x

[ledkr]

Just to second that silent reflux theory,my dd is 6 months and mostly over the worst now but is still on some hefty meds which have helped her completely,good luck.

[Gillybean73]

You may want to consider buying a small wedge to go under your wee ones mattress which really helps too, even elevating their sleeping position by a couple of inches can help and make a big difference.

I bought a wedge but I know of people who just used a rolled up towel or blanket to give the mattress a slight tilt. You want to try and prevent the wee one being completely flat at all times, even during nappy changes which can be a bit awkward at first. The more they are flat, the more uncomfortable they will be apparently which makes sense.

I have this problem too lying down sometimes but only when I've had too much wine and get acid reflux haha!!

[wolfcubEm83]

That made me laugh Gillybean as i have exactly the same problem when ive had red wine, doesnt stop me drinking it though!!

Is there any combination of bottle and teat that makes in easier?? As ive recently switched to bottle feeding im still wondering whether the Dr Browns bottles are the best, i know people rave about them but i havent noticed a bit of difference from when i changed from MAM bottles and teats.

I gave her a dummy this morning, she did take it for a while and went to sleep in her buggy but it fell out and she wouldnt take it again, she kept doing her disgusted face. I might try warming it and trying again later.

I have noticed that she sleeps better when upright (held in the burp position or over my shoulder, or even in the pushchair as it is very slightly inclined) but it never occured to me to tilt her basket whilst shes sleeping, i will definately raise her moses basket a bit tonight, currently she is in it in the cot so i will just put a book or something underneath one end or maybe fashion some sort of wedge for under the mattress. (Shes a long baby and needs all the room she can get in the moses basket).

Thanks again, im so glad i found mumsnet x

[wolfcubEm83]

Oh and i should add that she refuses to sleep on her back (which is probably for the best and is her way of helping with the pain now i think of it) and will only sleep on her side - much to the disgust of the MW!!

[ledkr]

yes it sounds like reflux,my baby never slept on her back untill i got the wedge either. Have you got a drs appointment,you should do cos the acid can cause a bit of damage if left a long time and this can take a while to repair itself when the meds kick in.

[NicholaGriff]

My DD was put on a prescripton formula milk to help with her silent reflux after Gaviscon didn't work for her. She was like a different baby. Within a day all of the symptoms pretty much stopped. The one she is on is Enfamil AR which you can buy over the counter at your local chemist. It may be worth a try if you can't get an appt quickly. It is basically a thicker milk which stays down.

We also used the Dr Brown bottles and had to get the Thicker liquid teats as the normal ones block up.

Good luck!