Colic or silent reflux

[charley3005]

My DD is 18 days old, last week she was fantastic sleeping well, eating well etc. This week however has been really hard, she still eats fairly well although some feeds she will have 2oz others 4oz but she is putting on weight. Now the problem is between 12am and 4am, she becomes really unsettled and then stiffens her whole body straight as a board and screams, there's no real way of consoling her sport from being stood up with her on my shoulder but this doesn't always work, at first I thought it was because she was hungry but when I offered her the bottle she'd drink a little bit and then throw her head around so it comes out of her mouth.
I spoke to my midwife about this who said to try her on infacol, she definitely brings up wind great with the infacol but the whole screaming etc hasn't gone, I'm thinking it is more silent reflux rather than colic but then again I'm a FTM so just guessing really.
I had the health visitor today who told me to get Dentinox and put her on comfort milk, basically I'm just wondering if this sounds similar to anything anyone has experienced with their LO's? Please help as I feel like a really useless mum not able to console her

[Heirhelp]

Don't worry about some times having less milk than other times as some times you want more food than other times.

This does not sound like my DD experience of reflux. Have you tried doing anti colic massage?

[FATEdestiny]

It might be that she wants to suck for comfort, but isn't hungry.

Try a dummy?

[charley3005]

No I haven't tried anti colic massage, didn't actually think that was a thing, how do I do it?

She has a dummy as we realised pretty early on that sometimes she was just wanting to suck and not feed but unfortunately that doesn't help when she's going through these 'episodes'

[FATEdestiny]

How about a swaddle?

Swaddles recreate the tight, secure feeling of the womb and can be very calming for a newborn (especially if teamed with a dummy and some gentle rocking)

[charley3005]

Swaddling definitely worked when we were in the hospital (in for 7days) and then for a few days and then I reckon my swaddling skills disappeared as she can now escape from it 😔

[FATEdestiny]

What were/are you using to swaddle? If it was working, is try again.

I cut a cot sheet along the short edge to make two very long, thin rectangles. One for use, one for the wash.

The fact it's so long means that each side of the swaddle go all the way underneath, around and out the other side of baby. So the baby's weight keeps it tight.

[Ineedanewbody]

Sounds like wind. DD was such a windy newborn and it was a nightmare.

I would do baby massage as much as you can. I massaged DD's tummy quite firmly, then pushed her knees up to her tummy & repeat. It was amazing how much air came out, she was like a sneaky toy!

I think lying down at night for longer periods traps the wind, which is why it's happening at 12am.

http://www.babycentre.co.uk/x1042921/can-massage-ease-my-babys-colic

[seven201]

Hmm it could be but I do agree with the person who said it could just be wind. My dd is 6 months and is the windiest thing imaginable, has colic, silent reflux and cow's milk protein allergy. It's only recently really that she's settled down and less screamy. Maybe try and keep her upright for the last 2 hours before bed? A carrier saved us. My dd hated lying down with an absolute passion. She also hated her pram, car seat, swing chair etc. Have you tried propping her cot up at the head end? Do some leg cycling and gentle clockwise tummy rubbing and obviously back rubbing to burp before putting her down. I use infacol still but to be honest I don't think it actually does anything! Is she breast or bottle fed? If bottle have you got colic bottles? My sister kept suggesting reflux and cow's milk protein allergy to me but I just thought some babies are just difficult so decided I should just keep holding the screaming baby and one day she'd grow out of it - wrong! I felt so guilty when we actually got the diagnosis that I could have helped her sooner. Sorry, that was all a bit rambly! Why don't you try her on some anti reflux medicine? They'll give you gaviscon probably. Didn't work for us but ranitidine did.

[kelj2]

My DD had normal reflux not silent but she'd also scream for hours on end as well. Thinks that helped us were sleeping her on her belly (we had a baby monitor that monitored her breathing), a dummy (I know some people hate them but it's been a life saver for us) and we also got infant Gaviscon (an antacid) from the pharmacy that also helped. Hope that helps

[kelj2]

Oh I should add that around 10 months old we found out she also had a cows milk protein and soy allergy

[Funnyface1]

GP and midwives tried to fob me off that it was colic, try infacol, try dentinox, try comfort milk... The end result was she was no better, just put off diagnosing the real problem and trying all the various stuff made her constipated. In our case it was silent reflux which just gets worse and worse if left untreated. She started with it at 5 weeks. I knew something was wrong, colic to me means "we don't know what's wrong". I was being asked to let her grow out of it. So persevere if you're not happy. Once my baby got over the constipation and got on the reflux medicine she was like a different baby.

[charley3005]

Last night I raised the head end of her basket and we seemed to have a better night just an hour of screaming, however today is a completely different story, she has almost been crying and screaming none stop!
It does seem as though she is constipated sometimes but then her dirty nappies seem fine! I was told if the comfort milk and dentinox don't seem to make a difference to go and see the GP when they are open again on 4th, I'm thinking of asking OH of filming her when she's screaming as describing it can be difficult, do you think it would be worth it?

[Funnyface1]

Well yes we filmed her and the doctor watched it. If she's upset all the time then I would see the gp, that's exactly how my baby went, just got worse and worse.

[EstelleRoberts]

Could well be reflux, and possibly CMPI. My DD's silent reflux began around 2 weeks old. I knew there was more going on than just colic, and luckily saw the best GP at our practice, who straightaway suspected silent reflux and prescribed Gaviscon. We needed to add Ranitidine, which helped a lot more, but it was not until we got the diagnosis of suspected CMPI at 10 weeks, and tried a hypoallergenic formula, that things turned around. The pain and screaming stopped literally overnight, and it was wonderful.

Go and see your GP this week. Gaviscon and Ranitidine can be prescribed in primary care. You may also be able to try PPIs if necessary, and also trial hypoallergenic formulas, but they will want you to try one thing at a time, so it can be a frustrating process of going backwards and forwards to the GP numerous times until you get to the bottom of it.

[EstelleRoberts]

Oh, and if you get a prescription for Gaviscon, make sure you also get lactulose, as the Gaviscon causes constipation.

[charley3005]

EstelleRoberts

[charley3005]

EstelleRoberts
Sorry posted too early!
I have had the health visitor around today as things haven't got better, in fact they may have got worse, DD was screaming almost none stop from 12-8 this morning, drifting off for 20mins and then waking up screaming again!
HV has said she suspects CMPI and prescribed some different milk! All a bit confused at the minute though x