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Silent reflux at 3 weeks?

48 replies

DairyNips · 14/07/2012 12:47

My ds2 had silent reflux and was on ranitidine from a few months old (iirc) till abound a year old.

Ds3 was born just under 4 weeks ago. He was so placid and settled and fed well for the first few weeks. Gained his birth weight back at 2 week weigh in plus an extra 1lb 2oz.

Over the past week he has become Increasingly fussy and is showing some of the symptoms ds2 did. This has coincided with me starting to have a bit of an oversupply/fast let down problem. I looked on kellymom and advice was to feed one breast per feed and try keep him higher than my breast when feeding so gravity will slow the flow. I'm also having to burp him during feeds as he swallows air when he gulps. He was pulling off and screaming when let down happened but this has improved since I have been following this advice.

Anyway, the fussing that I think could be silent reflux starts just after a feed usually. He will be sleepy from the hormones in the milk for a minute or two then his face crumples and he starts to cry. He jerks his legs and hands and if I try to sit him up to burp him he arches his back/goes stiff like a board. He seems to gulp and swallow and chew like something is coming up his throat. He get hiccups a lot. Most of the time since this started the only thing that stops him crying is if we hold him with one hand under his bum and one behind his head and kind of suspend him in mid air in a semi reclined position. In this position he goes quiet and sometimes falls asleep. If I try to move him even just to cuddle him in more of a cradle hold he cries again. If I wait a long time, about half an hour then I can sometimes transfer him on to my lap as he's in a deeper sleep then. Once he's asleep properly he seems ok. He sleeps for a while then wakes wanting a feed and the whole thing seems to start again. There are a few periods where he's awake and not crying. He likes to lay on his changing mat which is unusual if he has reflux? Although sometimes if he is laying there quite happy he will suddenly start crying as if pained by something.

Is it possible for reflux to start after a few weeks like this? It's like someone has swapped him for a different baby to the one I had two weeks ago. I was coping well and getting things done, making lunch for eg. Now I can hardly put him down and can only get things done if and when he sleeps. I feel like I'm neglecting the other two too as I'm holding ds3 a lot of the time Sad

Not sure what to do. I'm a bit reluctant to get gaviscon from the dr as I seem to remember you have to make it up before every feed and it can cause constipation. This seems like such a faff when I'm breastfeeding. Ideally, if he does have it I'd like the dr to prescribe ranitidine straight away without me having to try gaviscon first but I don't think they'll do this Confused

Another thing to mention, don't know if it's relevant at all. His poo is normal colour (yellow and seedy) and he goes frequently. Only thing is, when it comes out it's very foamy, kind of like hair mousse! Is this ok? I've asked other mums and they say their baby does foamy poo's too but I can't remember the other two being so foamy!

Any advice or info welcome!!

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DairyNips · 14/07/2012 13:18

Anyone?

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janey223 · 14/07/2012 13:45

Ds has reflux and he loved (still does a bit) to lie flat and play.

Had screaming from day 2 so no help there sorry.

Sounds very uncomfy tho, ds loved over the shoulder, was the only thing that would comfort him.

DairyNips · 14/07/2012 13:48

Interesting, thanks.. He was liking over the shoulder and was even falling asleep like that but the last few days the only thing that will calm him is this mid air position?!

He's been so unsettled todaySad it just seems to be getting worse.

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DairyNips · 14/07/2012 13:58

Anyone else?Sad

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DairyNips · 14/07/2012 16:41

Bump..

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DairyNips · 14/07/2012 17:23

He just had a nap for over 2hrs. Before he woke my breast was really full so I hand expressed 3oz off do it wouldn't overwhelm him once he woke. He fed but not for long then started the reflux/fussing again. I offered him the other side to see if he wanted any more and again he had a small feed but then just cried and now has gone straight back to sleepConfused

I'm starting to worry that the possible reflux is putting him off feeding nowSad

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DairyNips · 14/07/2012 18:07

Hopeful bump..

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DairyNips · 14/07/2012 19:27

.

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DairyNips · 14/07/2012 21:08

He has been taking really short feeds all afternoon then just crying in pain and eventually falling asleep again in the 'suspended in mid air' positionSad I'm worried this is going to affect his weight gain, is there anyone out there who can advise??

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janey223 · 14/07/2012 21:37

Sorry, not much help, reflux (eventually diagnosed 8w, allergy finally at 4 months) killed bfing here :( I did use the hair dryer to calm him so he would feed a bit which worked a bit, he loved white noise.

Definitely get to doc ASAP, you got an on-call or even a paed a&e nearby? I went to our a&e couple of times as gp was useless and they were great even though it wasn't technically an emergency but Bubas in pain shouldn't have to wait!

Hopefully you can get something, even when he got on meds (I'd long given up bfing but was expressing and would still try) he screamed because he associated it with pain.

Rollerbaby · 14/07/2012 21:49

Just wanted to say this sounded v similar to my 17 week old at 5 weeks. We were doing v well from birth to 5 weeks and then suddenly he exhibited the symptoms you describe. He was my second so I knew this wasn't normal bf. we sought help and he was diagnosed with silent reflux with poss cows milk protein intolerance., only when I went dairy, soy and egg free along with a decent dose of omeprazole did we see normality. We are since on dairy free formula and off to allergist on 9th aug. he is so much better now but still not a great drinker of milk... It's so hard and the early days nearly did me in. Please get help early and support. You will need it xxx

DairyNips · 14/07/2012 22:01

Thankyou janey and rollerSmile

I just can't believe the change in him, he was so settled and now seems so unhappy a lot of the timeSad He has just now had a long feed and fallen asleep. He started the feed, got annoyed at my let down, pulled off and screamed for a while so my dh burped him and held him in his favourite position. After about 15 mind he was calm and I tried again and he actually fed properly. I think he was hungry due to the last 3 feeds being so short.

I haven't even registered him with the dr yet and our A and E is virtually non existent. We have a tiny useless hosp here.. Think I will have to see the dr soon as it seems to be getting worse by the day.

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gingerbubs · 14/07/2012 22:05

My dd had silent reflux and it started at 3 weeks. Up until then she was an angel baby and it was such a change. Hope you get it sorted our quickly!

Suckeddry · 14/07/2012 22:08

Sounds like there are a few things going on here. I've had similar problems with DS (now 14weeks) so will try & help as much as possible.

DS was also v chilled but started struggling with feeding around the same time. My let down was ferocious & this was definitely part if the problem. I feed from one side per feed, lay back was much as possible & wind throughly. What has helped the most though was DS getting a bit bigger, he just seems to be able to cope with it better. DS was also tongue tied which contributed to the wind problem as his lat h was crap.

A good winding technique I was taught is to have the baby sat up on your lap, support the body so the back is straight & rotate them in clockwise in a wide circular motion with the bum staying still IYSWIM. Works brilliantly for us.

There is also a growth spurt around this time. I've found these cause huge fussiness in my otherwise contented baby. These also include for us appetite loss & fussing around feeding, which stresses me out massively. They always take me by surprise & I feel like someone has swapped him for another baby but it settles after a week or so. Kellymom has good advice on this & The Wonder Weeks book is my new bible!

DS was diagnosed with silent reflux at 6 weeks & is on ranitadine. We sit him up a lot. 30 mins after each feed, including nights & it makes a difference. I was also advised to cut diary & soya from my diet as they suspect the reflux is due to a cows mill protein intolerance.

Gaviscon was a faff & I couldn't get it I to him with the breastfeeding. Was told it was a waste if time anyway but the gastro doc we saw. GP still insisted we try it though.

We've had all sorts of poos including the hair mouse kind. Have been reassured it's normal.

Have you tried a sling/carrier in the day. Helped me get more mobile & jobs done. I found the sitting up business, esp when he was feeding so frequently really time consuming. just as I could put him down he was hungry again.

Hope some of this is useful. I'm sure if you post in breast & bottle feeding you'll get loads of good advice. Smile

DairyNips · 14/07/2012 22:33

Thanks ginger and sucked.

sucked I have started following the fast let down advice from kellymom you describe over the past few days and it does help a bit when he feeds. Doesn't do much for the crying afterwards thoughSad

I have been reclining, one breast per feed, expressing a bit off to slow the flow first an lots of burping. I kinda do the sitting rotating burping thing you describe although he won't let me sit him up, he goes rigid if i try to sit him up striaght and I can only do it whilst he's semi reclined. Does work though.

I have suspected a slight tongue tie also but as he seemed to be getting plenty milk and the pain ha gone for me I haven't done anything about that. I still think his latch could be improved though.

I really don't want to have to try the gaviscon as I feel it'll just be a waste of time. I just want to the dr to prescribe ranitidine for us to try but I think it'll be a battleConfused

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Suckeddry · 14/07/2012 23:16

DS goes stiff too & tries to straighten out which is how i know there's wind in there. Once it's out his little body relaxes & he'll sit comfortably. It can be quite awkward to do when they are like that & it involves lots of crying but gets results!

Didn't get the Tongue tie snipped until 6 weeks as i have a good supply & he was putting on weight, it didn't hurt etc. I do wish we had got it sorted sooner, it really made a difference to the latch. If he does have reflux it's one less thing for them to deal with feeding wise.

I might be worth cutting out dairy & soya although it can take a while to see results. Again kellymom has some good info. Hope you have some joy with GP, we had to hobirivste in the end Sad

DairyNips · 15/07/2012 04:27

Hobirivste? Was that a typo?

Will have a think about the tongue tie, not even sure he has got one, if he has it's very posterior...

Is it hard to cut our dairy? Does it mean cutting out chocolate too, I'm a little addicted to toblerone at the momentBlush

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Saritabean · 15/07/2012 05:13

Hi dairynips, my DD periwinkle is exactly the same... She was born prem at 29+4 weeks, now 19.5 weeks old (9 corrected) and have had the same problems since 2-3 weeks corrected. Unfortunately she's not gaining weight well and we really need to try and get her to take a bottle.... But despite having one frequently at the start whilst I was trying to establish BF, she now refuses it. As a result of the upset this causes, she gets even more windy and fussy, and then feeds v badly from me :(

It's weird though because sometimes she feeds v well with little fuss, and then it'll suddenly change Confused. Usually worse when she needs a poo. She also had hair mousse poo at the start but not anymore.

She's been put on ranitidine and domperidone, day 6 today, as yet no real difference, in fact awful day yesterday :(

So sorry not to give you any helpful tips, only to reassure you you're not on your own, it sounds like you're doing brilliantly, especially with other DCs, and as soon as I have a breakthrough I'll let you know what has worked!!!! Wink

DairyNips · 15/07/2012 05:56

sarita thanks for posting. Sorry yore having such a hard time. I hope the meds start to work or if not you find something that does work.

He seems to feed a bit better in the night as we are laying down and gravity slows the milk flow. He still fusses after the feed though. The last night feed he had, dh had to hold him semi reclined for quite a while till he fell asleep then put him in the cot.

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sleepywombat · 15/07/2012 06:27

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

pommedechocolat · 15/07/2012 06:41

I was going to post that forum sleepy - a great support. Dd2 is on omeprazole. Her reflux made itself known at about ten weeks but she is also atypical as she liked her back and hates tummy time.

We had most success in a and e. gp terrible.

DairyNips · 15/07/2012 09:26

Thanks sleepy and pomm.

Not tried any drops with him. I'm a bit confused about lactose intolerance as I thought cutting out dairy was only for milk protein intolerance as breast milk still has lactose either way?

I just want him to be okSadHe fed at 3.30 and 5.30 last night and needed held in semi reclined position both times till he was asleep and could be put down. He has just woke again at 9 and had a small feed then just fell asleep Confused

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pommedechocolat · 15/07/2012 09:41

lactose intolerance is really rare - cmpi is much more likely. However pre 3 months or so they can have difficulty digesting lactose (but not actually intolerant iyswim) and that's where colief can help.

DairyNips · 15/07/2012 09:43

Ah I see! ThanksSmile

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DairyNips · 15/07/2012 12:33

Another small fussy feed at 11 so we gave him some infant gaviscon we had left from
Ds2 (still in date). He had a nice long feed about 25 mins later and is asleep now. Could be coincidence as he would be hungry by now after his short feeds so will have to see how it goes. Will help me work out if it is reflux maybe anyway..

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