OK, please help, this is driving me slowly insane

[bean612]

DS is 8 weeks and currently goes to bed with me at around 10.30, waking for a feed around 1.30, maybe 2am if I'm lucky. This is fine. What is less fine, however, is that after this feed (sometimes straight after, sometimes an hour or two after) he starts grunting, straining, writhing and rolling about and generally making a total racket, which lasts the rest of the night. He isn't really awake, but I can't sleep through it, which means I'm basically awake, apart from the odd 15-min stretch here and there, from about 3am onwards every morning.

Why is he doing this?!? Winding him doesn't seem to help; feeding does a bit, but only while he's actually feeding, then he reverts to grunting and writhing again. He just sounds really uncomfortable, but not enough for it actually to wake him. Any advice?! It's been going on for about a month now, and only seems to be getting worse...

[HubbaHubbaHubbaInHoobLand]

perhaps try some infacol before his feed or gripe water after his feed. Sounds like it could be wind.

[sydlexic]

Acid reflux ?

[Wishfulmakeupping]

Sounds like reflux my dd had it from 3 weeks- been on prescription of gaviscon has settled quite a bit she 8 weeks now and sleeps better when she's had it (can only give it when I have enough expressed milk)

[MummyWeatherwax]

My DD did a similar thing, it was as though in the early evening she was tired, and slept more heavily, then after she'd rested a bit, slept more lightly, with the wriggly grunty soundtrack you describe!

If it is reflux, unless the baby isn't gaining weight adequately, the treatment is basically to wait until they grow out of it, which DD did, from three/four months. The noisy second half of the night gradually become a couple of hours, an hour, half an hour.

Or maybe I've learned not to hear it

Drove me up the wall at the time, but as I keep reading, this too will pass.

[Wishfulmakeupping]

Meant to say that my baby was gaining weight but because she was being sick -thick cottage cheese like sick and it was more than 1/2 hour after feed the doc gave us prescription.
I tried other things first- raising one end of Moses basket, if your bf burp in between breasts then again at end, to burp rub in circular motions NOT up and down as that pushing sir back in, and sit baby upright for half hour after feed- they might help enough that ds doesn't need medicine :)

[bean612]

He does have suspected silent reflux - sorry, I didn't meant to drip feed information. DD had it, but much worse, so we recognised that he had some of the symptoms, but he's been on ranitidine for over 2 weeks now so I thought it would have helped if it was that. I can't prop up his Moses basket unfortunately as we're co-sleeping, but that might have to change if this goes on for much longer. Last night was appalling - I held out till 6am and then handed him over to DH so I could get a couple of hours' uninterrupted sleep (thank god for the Easter holidays). Am feeling a bit despairing now, as it's just getting steadily worse and if I knew when it would end I could grit my teeth, but even waiting till he hits threeish months seems like a lifetime away. That's another 30 days of this.

[NothingsLeft]

My DS did this, as did lots of other LO's I know. I think it's annoying but normal tbh. HV said it's there immature digestive system getting going and would improve at 14 weeks ish. She was dead on. Can you get some ear plugs? Won't stop you hearing them but does help muffle it a bit.

[DangerMousey]

I know this will be an unpopular post because it is directly contradictory to the current SiDs advice, but I put my DS out into his own room at 6 weeks because of this :(

I ws literally on the edge with exhaustion. It really helped me - and consequently him. I was so tired I was stumbling around in the day and kept making silly mistakes when driving was so scared of harming him. He didn't have reflux though: he was just a very windy, writhey baby.

First night we moved him out I got a 2.5 hour block of sleep (my first one in the 6 weeks since giving birth, he was still having 2 night feeds at that point) and I nearly wept with happiness.

Obviously I know this is not what the SIDS charities would advise and it certainly prompted a raised eyebrow from my HV but I made the decision in full knowledge of the risks and it was the right one for us. To start with he was in his Moses basket inside his cot. Then at around 9 weeks we moved him into his big cot.

It kinda helped that he was a big boy, 9lb+ at birth, holding his head up at 2 weeks etc etc...so it didn't feel like I was putting a really tiny baby out, iykwim?

[glorious]

bean are you me?! My DD has been doing exactly the same for about a week. She was a great sleeper before

I only have sympathy to offer