Convinced my baby is seriously ill

[newmummieworry]

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, they can be given meds to assist.

It could definitely be CMPA. Any rashes or eczema? How are poos?

Same for my daughter & it’s anything but “silent” my son had reflux where he vomited constantly so easier to diagnose. My daughter was always worse but no vomiting. Poor feeder, slow to gain weight & cried constantly in pain. Got worse about 8’week mark - finally after a few weeks of badgering the gp (having looked into it more & taking videos of her) they agreed to try ranitidine & she was like a different baby. (Until the dose needed upping slightly as its weight dependant & then she’d start to get bad again then settle when we could up it by like 0.5mls!)

keep going back to the doctors and push to try something. They tried to fob me off as colic at first then wanted to try all sorts of different milks but i pushed for reflux treatment!

Just left the GP they said they don't prescribe ranitidine anymore but they have prescribed infant gaviscon and if that helps but he's needing a lot of it that's a sign he needs omeprazole and that would be the next step so to see how we get on. Thanks for suggesting I didn't think it could be reflux as he wasn't sick and gains weight well but fingers crossed this helps

He had his first dose of gaviscon and then a feed and he projectile vomited the entire feed up, which isn't like him, now I'm worried to give more

To be honest we never had any success with Infant gaviscon, it just made my son constipated.

I would suggest asking your GP for liquid omeprazole/lansoprazole - what you're describing sounds like reflux to me.

I would also suggest CMPA as that was the cause of my sons reflux. You would need to have cut out dairy completely from your diet for at least 6 weeks to notice any difference so If you've not reached 6 weeks yet it could well still be cmpa.

I bottle fed my son so was easier to see rhe difference once we stopped normal formula and tried amino acid.

Its so hard to see your baby in pain but you're doing the right thing by taking him to the GP to be checked over - sometimes you just have to shout very loudly until you're listened to.

Also I found my son didn't like lying down so we tilted his next to me (it had the option to do this) and that helped a great deal.

Hang on in there, it does get easier 🌸

Another who never had success with the gaviscon so it wouldn’t have been a predictor at all. I had another who also had no response to ranitidine. Omeprazole was a hit all round though and I even had one put on it at birth by the surgeon (major operation at birth). The hospital protocol was failure of ranitidine before progressing and the polite version of his response was ‘stuff that’.

Apologies, picking up on mis-information. -

Studies have shown CM protein peaks after 2 hours of ingestion, and is undetectable in breastmilk after 6 hours. So no need to stop BF. The advice to stop is out of date practice. It is safe to continue to BF through elimination diet (for 3-6 days; according to journal of paediatric gastroenterology & nutrition) however symptoms in baby (reaction and damage in baby's GI system; residual inflammation) can last longer than the actual protein in mum or baby's system, sometimes weeks. So don't be surprised if babh is upset longer after elimination. I recommend working with your health professional/expert if CMPA is being considered (eliminate dairy and soy) alongside reflux considerations.

Also factually, there are over 30 different things that can cause/contribute to reflux and allergies in babies.

Take care OP, well done for advocating for your baby :)

Looks like Froth but feels like mucus.

This is without a doubt reflux, it explains the arching of the back e etc as well. Your babies stomach acid is spilling out of hood stomach and going into his oesophagus. This is irritating his lungs and causing the cough, the frothy mucus is the lining being coughed out to rid him of contamination. I'm going through the exact same thing myself at the mint with a hiatus hernia.

Lift/raise the head of his cot or crib. Leave him to sleep in his bouncy chair in the day time, or on you in an upright position. Get reflux medication from the DRs.

How annoying! Ranitidine completely sorted the issue out, although the dose needed frequent revision.

Infant Gaviscon did nothing but cause constipation.

@HVPRN calm down and please read my post properly before you jump down my throat and quote me as sharing 'misinformation'.

I didn't say to stop breast feeding! The OP mentioned she had eliminated dairy, which is what I was talking about NOT stopping BF - I was given the information i posted (to wait 6 weeks to notice a difference in CMPA symptoms) from a dietician LAST YEAR when my son was under them for CMPA.

Having had a very unsettled baby and having to medicate him and give him amino acid formula I was just trying to help the OP.

I hate mumsnet sometimes - so many people eager to make someone else look bad.

Sorry OP but this was my experience - this poster clearly knows Best 👌

Gaviscon is pointless for silent reflux, it annoys me so much that they prescribe it. Go back and insist on Omeprazole.

It's hellish when they won't listen to you OP. I totally get it. DD was like this and it was awful. Once she was on Omeprazole and milk protein-free formula she was like a different baby. I knew there was something wrong and nobody would take me seriously.

@Hellohellomrt

No throat jumping. You provided a lot of good information with your advice. Apologies for mis-reading & thanks for picking up on my mistake. However BF was not intended to be my main point, another thread was pointing to stop, I've got mixed up. Rather the elimination aspect/journey.

Sorry my reply was not on point; the mis
-information was that it would need to be cut out of your diet for at least 6 weeks.

I believe we both provided good information to help regarding CMPA. I'm glad your elimination journey was successful for your son.

How early was your baby @newmummieworry?
My DS was 8 weeks prem, and definitely had these reflux issues in those first weeks.
It also meant the newborn stage lasted longer - his smiling and alertness came around in line with his corrected age.
So I’m not dismissing the fact that you feel really concerned and worried, and he is obviously in a lot of discomfort. But it could be connected to his prematurity, and may reduce over time - perhaps this is what the GP / Paed is thinking.

I phoned back and said the gaviscon made him sick twice and with the choking and coughing I don't want to do anything that looks to be making it worse and he reluctantly prescribed omeprazole but said that it is jumping the gun in his opinion. Not sure what to do now

His cough is so nasty, it's horrible to hear and happening so much now. I'm worried he has cystic fibrosis with the mucus and cough. I just have this horrible feeling in my tummy. Don't know whether to try the omeprazole after the doctor seeming reluctant to prescribe it. It's so hard when you don't know what's hurting them

Oh goodness. I could have written this myself a few years ago
Classic cows milk protein allergy symptoms

Cystic fibrosis is screened for in the newborn heel prick test, isn't it? I know no screening test is 100% accurate but they are highly accurate. Did your baby have this test and have you had the results?

I don't have any comment on your baby's health except to say that I have two children, I suffer from anxiety generally which includes an element of health anxiety, and I've had loads of thoughts like yours about my kids. They are 4.5 and 1.5 and are yet to be diagnosed with any underlying conditions other than eczema. My 4.5 started to become much healthier thankfully around the age of 3, before then she had a permanent cough from being 5 months old and even the doctors thought she might possibly be asthmatic, but she did grow out of it. My DS is ill at least every other week with fevers and like DD has had a cough for months. I do still worry but I try to use my experience with DD to remind me that the likelihood is that he will be fine and grow out of it too. I know when it's your first, you don't have that reference point, so it is harder. Definitely get your baby medical attention when you are concerned but a lot of the time there actually isn't any underlying condition for babies and young children being unwell or having symptoms. My eldest cried for the first 9 months of her life for example and she was never diagnosed with anything and nothing tried out of desperation helped (including omeprazole).

Omeprazole is what you need. Fab is on pretty pointless to be honest. Omeorazole is expensive which is why the GPs are hesitant.

If is a bit faffy as well. I was prescribed the tablet form and had to crush it up and find a way to make my baby take it.

But it works

*gaviscon I mean. Hate that you can't edit posts!

We went through similar and it turned out to be reflux and multiple allergies. Omeprazol helped so much with the reflux.

Honestly. Get him on the omeorazole. He sounds exactly the same as my DD was. Omeprazole sorted her out.

She was much more sickly with reflux, rather than silent, so she also tummy slept, which I appreciate is against all the guidance, but we talked it over with our consultant after cot wedges, lifting cots and upright sleeping didn't help us much.

He is now having projectile vomit with every feed.. this hasn't happened at all I don't know why it's suddenly started

OP, if you're concerned, absolutely take him back to be seen, either by your GP or at urgent care. If he's floppy, sleepy or distressed, take him in. Most likely this is all caused by the reflux and the omeprazole will help, given time, but the most important thing is to go by your instincts as his mum. Nobody EVER minds seeing a baby.

Have you started the omeprazole?
In our case, the projectile vomit never stopped until she was walking.
But the omeprazole controlled the pain and discomfort so it was just more a pain to me dealing with constant sick!
If you are now using the omeprazole and he's projectiling, he could be overfeeding from habit but it's actually not unusually for reflux to go from silent to projectile as they get bigger they try to feed more and more.