To request a second opinion after doctor said baby is attention seeking

[Infinityandbeyondx]

DD was born June 2023 and was a great sleeper almost instantly (much to my delight as DS(3) was terrible!). She would go to bed around 9pm and sleep for 11-13 hours with 2-4 quick feeds inbetween.

When she was 4 months old she was unwell with a virus for 2-3 weeks. Following that (around 4.5 months) old she began suffering with terrible gas and stomach pain at night. Some nights she will wake every 15 minutes crying, writhing around, arching her back and sometimes passing gas. This has been happening EVERY NIGHT bar a handful since early November. GP prescribed gaviscon then omeprazole but neither had any effect. Stool sample came back clear. I also tried cutting out dairy and caffeine. GP then referred us to the hospital for further investigation and we had our appointment last week but I found the consultant to be extremely unhelpful and condescending. Other than feeling her stomach no other tests were carried out. He asked how do I know she is in pain, and said that he believes DD is just attention-seeking. He suggested reducing night time feeds as he believes she is using the breast for comfort, and said that I should offer more variety of solid food instead. She is on the 75th centile, eats 3 small meals a day as well as her milk. He prescribed laxatives which are helping her pass stools more regularly but this makes no difference to her tummy issues at night. Breastfeeding is the only way I can settle her back to sleep most nights. I'm so exhausted but starting to doubt myself and wondering if hes right. But then when DP and I see how uncomfortable and upset she is we know she must be in pain.

The consultant said he will see her again in 4-6 months so I guess we're expected to just carry on like this until then.
Is this normal? WIBU to ask for a second opinion? Or should I just accept that she has a sensitive/gassy stomach and get on with it?

Oh and just to add we have tried all of the following:
•Belly massages
•Bicycle legs
•Upright feeding
•Extra winding
•Bath before bed
•Extra tummy time
•Jumperoo to help move excess gas
•Cut out dairy and caffeine from my diet
•Probiotic drops
•Baby heat pad on stomach
•Raising head of cot
•Gripe water
•Infacol

Coaeliac disease is my immediate thought.

My DD was terrible from about 4 months with stomach pain, used to dread feeding as I knew within 30 mins she'd be screaming. the only thing that worked was colief. We started with infacol that worked for a week or so, then suddenly didn't. Colief was like a miracle substance!
I would also be asking for a second opinion. A baby is not "attention seeking".

Hey. I agree that what the consultant said about breastfeeding is nonsense. (For context) The world health organisation recommends BF until two years. Of course they use the breast for comfort, that’s completely natural. We are expected to think of using a dummy for comfort as normal but a boob that is giving perfectly tailored nutrition that changes to meet your baby’s needs as it grows as ‘attention seeking.’

If constipation is an issue breast milk is much easier on the stomach. My DD would occasionally get very bad constipation during weening and the baby yogurt that contains prune would be quite helpful.

My best advice would be to go over to Breastfeeding Yummy Mummies on Facebook (don’t let the name put you off lol) as I’m always surprised how much misinformation and lack of understanding there is around Breastfeeding but the community on that site will have a lot more in depth knowledge around bfing, weening, colic, reflux etc

I hope it all resolves soon and your DD feels much better x

Have you tried Ashton & Parsons powders?

Apologies if it's been asked and you've replied and I've missed it, but where is she sleeping?
My buba woke EVERY 45 mins throughout the night from 4ish months to 7ish months, it was horrific, I was a walking zombie - also breastfed so I was the only one getting up with him. I too thought it was tummy issues, and tried all you said above 🤷🏻‍♀️
I moved him from his bedside cot, to a cot-bed (with cot sides obvs) in his own room at 6.5ish months. He instantly slept better. (I now believe that's because he could roll on to his front to sleep, which he couldn't do in his bedside cot). He only woke once or twice a night there after, from 10 months he slept through & has done since

Are you saying fizzy drinks effected your breast milk? In what way?

Do you eat a lot of garlic and/or spicy food? When DS1 was a baby he was in such pain once that I actually called out the doctor. She - an Indian lady - asked what I'd been eating, and on hearing that we'd had a (hot) curry, said 'even I, as an Indian woman, don't eat curry when I'm breastfeeding!'

I know a PP upthread said there is't evidence/much evidence that what we eat can affect breast milk, but I suspect that there are many of us who would contradict that view! It was certainly true in my case.

OP, try cutting out garlic, chilli and onions from your diet.

@Infinityandbeyondx "will try looking at other options for her diet"

Vegetables? Sounds like a good idea for an 8 months olds...