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Convinced my baby is seriously ill

53 replies

newmummieworry · 26/03/2023 20:35

I think my two month old is seriously ill I just have a gut feeling something is wrong but we’ve been to hospital 3 times and GP even more and they aren’t concerned. He has an ongoing cough, he doesn’t cough a lot but when he does it’s like he coughs so hard it’s raspy and he chokes on it, he holds his breath, he foams at mouth sometimes, you wipe it away it looks like froth but feels like mucus. He cries a lot, streaming tears arching his back etc. He sleeps almost all the time and doesn’t have any alert time really. He screams through every bath and nappy change. He can’t be put down for a second. He is very unhappy and seems to always be in pain or unwell. I’m sure he has a serious medical condition or illness or syndrome something that isn’t being picked up. I don’t know what to do?

OP posts:
titchy · 26/03/2023 20:37

Reflux? CMPA?

nomoremerlot · 26/03/2023 20:38

Oh my goodness, I've no idea if you're right or wrong, but I'm sorry about how you feel.

Newnamenewname109870 · 26/03/2023 20:39

I’m so sorry what do they say?? Have you been to a&e? I’m guessing they’ve checked vitals?

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Fluffodils · 26/03/2023 20:39

Have you seen the same GP each time?

Fluffodils · 26/03/2023 20:40

Tbh I'd go back to the gp and show them your OP if you find it hard to speak about it and ask them to tell you exactly why they are sure it isn't something serious.

piedbeauty · 26/03/2023 20:40

Reflux is the most likely answer. How is he when feeding? Is his pain worse then?

What did the hospital say? What has GP said?

mummywithtwokidsplusdog · 26/03/2023 20:42

Would it be possible to take a video clip / photos when your little one is coughing etc and show it to the GP? Really feel for you x

newmummieworry · 26/03/2023 20:42

He was admitted to the paediatric ward for monitoring and they said nothing of concern, mentioned an immature digestive system. They've ran blood tests and found nothing. GP wasn't concerned about the cough and was quite dismissive, he hasn't smiled yet either but I was told that he was early and it'll come, I've said he's barely awake and they've said he's gained so much weight there's no cause for concern and he'll wake up in his own time. They didn't think he presented with symptoms of CMPA, I've cut out dairy and gluten to no avail, I'm convinced it's something bad. The cough doesn't sound like a normal cough. I just have a really bad feeling

OP posts:
BearKey · 26/03/2023 20:46

Could it be silent reflux? It can be very distressing for babies but is not serious. Especially when they are lying down as that's when the acid raises up. Babies with reflux tend to cry a lot, be very hard to settle and seem in a lot of pain. They often arch their tummy's. Do they make grunting nosies when they are asleep? They do grow out of it eventually. My baby had this, we raised his moses basket up at one up so that he wasn't lying flat, and gave him Lansoprazole prescribed by his Dr.

I hope you find the solution xx

LunaTheCat · 26/03/2023 20:49

i am sorry that you are going through this.
Is he immunised? At 3 months he won’t be fully immunised.
A cough that is severe and paroxysmal and does he change colour? Could it be whooping cough?
A child who is gaining weight is not likely to be seriously unwell.
The monitoring in hospital is very reassuring
Make sure that you have some support for yourself. 💐

saveface · 26/03/2023 20:49

Try cutting out dairy & soya. 40% of children with a CMPA are also allergic to soya, the protein is very similar. Reintroduce gluten if it's made no difference as it's unlikely this is causing a reaction.

Keep going back if you think something is wrong. Better to be dubbed a neurotic mum than miss something.

However, I agree, it's probably reflux related, which although is very distressing for you & the baby, isn't usually 'serious' in that it probably won't cause lasting or significant harm. Can you ask the doctor about reflux and start trying some treatments to see if symptoms improve?

Try to keep a diary / note of symptoms and see if you can notice any patterns etc.

The lullaby trust have a good app called 'baby check' and takes you through a questionnaire and tells you if baby is showing signs of serious illness etc. I'm not saying nothing is wrong but it might help you get perspective on weather the symptoms they're presenting with right now are considered serious.

If in doubt always get medical attention, always better to be safe than sorry.

I hope you get to the bottom of it or it passes soon

GiltEdges · 26/03/2023 20:53

Cutting out allergens without specific medical advice to do so isn't necessarily the best idea.

If it helps OP, DS was very similar at that age and I remember being worried sick, but at around 10 weeks he suddenly "woke up" and was far more alert.

HelloNetMums · 26/03/2023 21:01

You need to get your baby coughing on video, for the doctors to get a true picture of what's happening.

My son would pass out with no warning and wake up every night cos he couldn't breathe. I got the all-clear from doctors for months until I filmed him sleeping, he got referred to the hospital as he had enlarged tonsils and adenoids that would swell stopping him from breathing properly.

SprinkleRainbow · 26/03/2023 21:13

My first DC was very similar to this, and like you I was in and out the hospital, doctors, out of hours etc. And nobody would take me seriously.
She ended up admitted to hospital for a week at 4 months old.
Given the right milk (amino acid which is no protein) instead of hydrolysed (protein is there but already broken down) and omeprazole I brought home an entirely different baby!
It was CMPA and Reflux mixed together. The cough, mucus, back arching, constant crying are all major red flags for reflux!
What about nappies? Are they normal? Have a vinegar smell, or green, gloopy?
You need to get it on video. I still can't wait the videos back of my baby's screams when they were tiny.

BocolateChiscuits · 26/03/2023 21:46

My DD seemed to be full of loads of mucus for the first few months. It used to wake her up at night in distress, and I think she must've swallowed lots because she would puke up snotty sicks. I don't remember her coughing, but when my kids got to toddler age they would often breath their snot in, and that would result in coughing - thought I'd mention because you said about the mucusy foaming.

Always, always listen to your gut, and keep talking health professionals - could you try a health visitor, because if you get a good one, they can be amazing. They have seen a lot of babies, so will have a feel for if something is not quite right, and they would give more weight when talking to doctors.

Hopefully, this is reassuring, rather than something that will stop you seeking the help your DC needs, because you definitely should pursue it. Everything you say I can think of examples of that from my own two DC. My DD slept constantly, was full of snot, she wanted to be in constant physical contact with someone (even in deep sleep, she somehow knew), and she had a month where she woke up for about an hour in the evening just to scream unconsolably, and then went back to sleep. My DS was crazy alert, needed constant movement, screamed at any toys for not doing what he wanted, was continually fed-up and generally hated being a baby. When tiny, both of them screamed murder at nappy changes, and I really didn't bother with baths because they were a palaver and they both hated it.

BeautifulWar · 26/03/2023 21:50

This instantly screams silent reflux me - my baby had it and had those symptoms.

grapehyacinthisactuallyblue · 26/03/2023 22:00

My dc was a difficult child. He was always screaming and crying, I was never able to put him down. Turned out, he had multiple food allergies, he was hurting every time he was fed.

It was really difficult to get diagnosed, since the doctors don't see him all day. They said it was reflux etc. It took us 8 months to get him properly diagnosed.

typopro · 26/03/2023 23:48

Two of my babies had these exact same symptoms. It was silent reflux in both cases

Coffeecoffeeinmytummy · 26/03/2023 23:52

I agree it’s silent reflux. Explains the coughing and the mucus and having barely any alert time, they wear themselves out so much with the screaming that they then just pass out and sleep.

newmummieworry · 27/03/2023 03:56

We're awake again now coughing spluttering screaming writhing in pain/discomfort

OP posts:
newmummieworry · 27/03/2023 04:00

Does that sound like silent reflux?

What can they offer for that? I'll get back on to GP in morning. Fed up of seeing him so upset and uncomfortable Sad

OP posts:
passiveaggressivenonsense · 27/03/2023 04:34

My Dc caught whooping cough at 5 weeks. They call it the hundred day cough, she never got the serious whoop cough but just coughed for ages. You could ask for a test to rule it out.

Coffeecoffeeinmytummy · 27/03/2023 08:55

Yes that does sound like silent reflux. The GP can prescribe carobel or ranitidine or omeprazole. Some babies with silent reflux like my eldest actually gain weight very well because they comfort feed to try to soothe the pain. they can seem like they’re constantly hungry but they’re actually just trying to stop the reflux pain.

Dairy and soy can make it worse so definitely cut those out. There’s no evidence that gluten passes through breastmilk so reintroduce that immediately.

piedbeauty · 27/03/2023 08:56

Have a look at www.nhs.uk/conditions/reflux-in-babies/, OP.

AbreathofFrenchair · 27/03/2023 09:27

newmummieworry · 26/03/2023 20:35

I think my two month old is seriously ill I just have a gut feeling something is wrong but we’ve been to hospital 3 times and GP even more and they aren’t concerned. He has an ongoing cough, he doesn’t cough a lot but when he does it’s like he coughs so hard it’s raspy and he chokes on it, he holds his breath, he foams at mouth sometimes, you wipe it away it looks like froth but feels like mucus. He cries a lot, streaming tears arching his back etc. He sleeps almost all the time and doesn’t have any alert time really. He screams through every bath and nappy change. He can’t be put down for a second. He is very unhappy and seems to always be in pain or unwell. I’m sure he has a serious medical condition or illness or syndrome something that isn’t being picked up. I don’t know what to do?

Sounds like reflux. Have you spoken to your Midwife? I found them more useful than a Dr at that age.