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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 · 15/07/2012 16:41

He had gaviscon again before a feed at 3ish. He was a bit more settled after the feed, feels like it definitely has made a little difference.

He got a bit unsettled again after a while but overall was better.

I went to the pharmacy to try and get some more infant gaviscon to last us till he see's the dr. They wouldn't sell it to me as he's under a year old and has to be prescribed by the dr before a year oldSad Now I'm worrying he's top young to have had it. Is 4 weeks old ok to have it? My ds1 wasn't much older when he had it but I can't remember exactly how old he was.

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pommedechocolat · 15/07/2012 17:26

I don't think he's too young to have it but I wouldn't expect to be able to get it over the counter for such a little one.

That's great that it's helping.

DairyNips · 15/07/2012 18:05

Ah thanks. He had had 3 good feeds since I've been giving it to him and has been generally more settled although still some periods of crying. He just fed now and is laying on my knee quite calm instead of immediately screaming. Surely this must mean he has reflux?

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DairyNips · 15/07/2012 20:47

Ok so he just wanted a feed an hour after the last one. I didn't want to give him gaviscon again as I don't want him having it too often. I fed him without. He was definitely more fussy whilst feeding and cried afterwards then fell asleep eventually when I held him semi reclined. I guess the gaviscon is helping. Still rather have ranitidine as its just once or twice a day iirc and doesn't cause constipation. Also a lot smaller amount to administer too..

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DairyNips · 16/07/2012 11:49

Got a drs app for later this aft. Not given him any gaviscon today to double check there's a difference and he's a bit more unsettled again. I kinda want to tell the dr I've tried gaviscon in the hope he'll give me ranitidine but I'm worried I'll get a lecture about giving unprescribed medicines so might just keep schtumHmm

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DairyNips · 16/07/2012 11:50

By the way, I am aware I'm talking to myself but thought I'd update the thread in case anyone in a similar situation searches for such info Smile

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pommedechocolat · 16/07/2012 12:03

I would tell doc that gaviscon has had an effect.

They seem to prescribe it willy milky themselves to be honest.

pommedechocolat · 16/07/2012 12:04

Willy Nilly even!

Good luck

DairyNips · 16/07/2012 12:51

Lol thanks Grin

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DairyNips · 16/07/2012 18:15

The dr believed meSmile Said as I had a ds with reflux already he ha to listen to me and trust I knew the signs. He prescribed gaviscon to try till Friday and said to go back if it's not helping enough and he will prescribe ranitidine if needed.

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DairyNips · 21/07/2012 11:08

Ok so we tried the gaviscon and it kind of worked on and off but made him constipated. Not severely but he was struggling to poo and trumping a lot and seemed uncomfortable. Got ranitidine from the dr yesterday and gave ds his first dose this morning.

Only thing is, reading through the list of side effects I'm a bit worried about giving it to him. He is acting like he has silent reflux but I'm worried I might be giving it to him and it might end up it wasn't silent reflux after all then I will have given him strong medication for no reasonSad I guess if we try him on it for a week and notice a difference then that will prove it is silent reflux and of it does nothing we can take him off it..

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pommedechocolat · 22/07/2012 20:05

Gaviscon made dd2 constipated too even though I really struggled to give it to her!

When I went to a and e with dd2 we were given omeprazole and told that if it was reflux it would work in 2 days. It was almost immediate so we knew.

DairyNips · 22/07/2012 20:48

Interesting. It's ds's 2nd day on the ranitidine and he seems to be mostly feeding well and has only cried just before a few bit trumps so farSmile

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ProtectingMyNormalNickname · 24/07/2012 23:04

Have only just seen this. We've had two refuxers - one classic and one silent. None of the meds have worked tremendously for DS2 - don't assume that if the meds don't sort it that it's not reflux. I made that mistake and went through 4 months of unnecessary hell wondering why I couldn't breastfeed without making my baby scream!! It finished both off BF for us at 4 and 5 months respectively. We had to keep both ours up for 90 mins after a feed day and night (luckily I had a v.supporive DH or I might not have survived!!) Most babies jus need time to grow out of it in the end. Unfortunately, my wo have bucked the trend and we are still dealng with it at 2.5 and 4 years old!! (We do have family history of it though, so don't panic!!) I found wind (Top and bottom end) was quite troublesome with both mine - I think that it is worse in refluxy babies. We never had the foamy poo that you mentioned -I seem to remember that it might be a symptom of CMP but I'm no expert. PM me if I can be of any help.

DairyNips · 24/07/2012 23:09

Thanks protecting it does feel like a bit of a mystery the last few days. I'm now thinking that overall, since starting the ranitidine he's not been much different. In fact he seemed to be more bothered by windy guts and kept doing green poo's. I didn't give him ranitidine today to see if any difference and he has had quite a settled day, only refluxy behaviour was after tea time, he cried for a bit, kept straightening himself out and fed quite a few times then eventually fell in to a peaceful sleep and is still sleeping now.

I really can't work out for certain what the problem isConfused Is it reflux, wind, colic, cmp?

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ProtectingMyNormalNickname · 24/07/2012 23:16

The going still as a board sounds very refluxy to me, as opposed to pulling knees up which would suggest colic. However, both my boys have ended up CMP intolerant so I don't know if there was a difference I should have noticed here. The yellow/beige baby whisperer book did a good page comparing reflux and colic - unfortunately I bought the blue one and only saw the other one once we had solved the conundrum!! Maybe you could read that bit in a bookshop?

ProtectingMyNormalNickname · 24/07/2012 23:17

p.s. I think at this stage you'd only find out about the cmp bit by going dairy free yourself and doing it properly for a couple of weeks.

DairyNips · 25/07/2012 07:49

Ah I see, will try find that book. Forgot to mention, he pulls his knees up too. He basically jerks his knees up and keeps straightening out and he cries then calms down a bit then seems to jerk as if in pain again and starts crying again. This continues for a while and we have to hold him in the semi reclined position. Sometimes of we rub his tummy in a clockwise direction he trumps a lot then calms down but last night for example that didn't work. Sometimes I try to feed him again in case he's still hungry but he will fuss and pull off, often though, after we've tried to settle him for a little while longer he will then feed again fineConfused

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pommedechocolat · 25/07/2012 17:20

I think me being dairy free has helped dd2 lots.

With you on the feeding/settling/feeding/fuss/settle/feeding thing. Drives me mad in the middle of the night!

DairyNips · 25/07/2012 17:47

It's so difficult to work our what they want isn't it. Considering the dairy free thing, does that mean giving up chocolate?Blush

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pommedechocolat · 25/07/2012 20:56

There is dairy free chocolate but it's a pale shadow of the real thing... Penny sweets my saviour.

messtins · 25/07/2012 21:05

My DS2 has silent reflux and it started at 3 weeks old. We went through gaviscon, ranitidine, omeprazole...and he turned out to be milk and soya protein intolerant. He's now 2 and controlled just by diet.
Can I recommend the support site Little Refluxers and the book Colic Solved by Brian Vartabedian (ignore stupid title it's about reflux and CMPI) between them they saved my sanity.

DairyNips · 25/07/2012 21:39

Pommed Oh god. I have such a sweet tooth at the moment!

mess if he is cmp intolerant does that mean he'll have to avoid dairy for life? My older silent refluxer grew out of his when he was about 1 and has always eaten dairy but interestingly would not take to cows milk do even now at 2.3 doesn't drink milk, just has cheese, yogurt and milk on cereals.

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