6 wk silent reflux unhelpful hv....

[ElleyBear13]

Hello all, i have a six week old bf baby boy who was 8'7 at birth now 12'5 so is putting on plenty of weight (but he does feed every 50 mins through the night!) since around 10 days he's been fussing, arching and crying/bobbing at the breast this started at night but now is all the time and has got worse to a point where i wake up to find him chocking in his sleep. He's also coughed and hiccuped after feeds from day one, but again the coughing is worse and hiccups make him very unhappy. If we managed a normal none bobbing/screaming feed it sounds like he's being sick but no milk comes up. At first i tried infacol and dentinox but this had little affected and the dentinox seemed to make his symptoms worse (if thats possible?) since a month old we've tried gripe water with no improvement. The only time i can stop the screaming is when he's in his sling or layed on mine/husbands chest however if hes got himself in a bit of a pickle with crying i cant soothe him with these techniques. I spoke to the health visitor today who told me as he's putting weight in and no sign of thrush he's probably got a cold as his chest sounds wheezy and will phone to check on his progress in a week. And to keep going with gripe water, this was between his screaming! I don't know if im being a pfb mum but these screaming cries are as if he's in alot of pain he's normally a contented happy baby but i feel like im causing him so much pain breastfeeding him im really unsure what to do. I'm also guilty of giving him formula as last week i was at breaking point -he hadn't fed properly (not bobbing at boob) since 8am and had cried constantly all day so my mum came over at 4pm after work as i was in tears and little man was going hoarse and gave him 2oz of formula which he took happily and fell straight to sleep for two hours! I haven't done this since then but he seemed so much happier and took my breast back with no issues.. I also couldn't get the routine mum and baby six week doctors check till the 30th when he'll be 8 weeks old so I can't even ask the gp until then. Help any suggestions?

My LO had silent reflux so I really feel your pain. The first six weeks whilst I waited for my check were a complete nightmare and I really should have gone to the GP earlier. He was my second child and I convinced myself that it was because no two babies are the same etc!
I formula fed from day one so don't know about breast feeding but I was just wondering from your comment about how he took the formula so well whether there is a problem with him latching on or anything? Again apologises if that's not the case just something that occurred to me as I read. Although I guess he must be getting the milk as he is putting on weight.
If it is silent reflux, and much of what you describe sounds just like my DS, I would suggest you make an appointment with the GP now rather than waiting for your check up. The HV sounds very unhelpful! Silent reflux babies do put on weight because the milk comes up and then goes back down. Each time it does this it causes them pain though. Carry on keeping upright as much as you can as it helps prevent the milk traveling back up into the throat.
You mention she said his chest sounds wheezy. This is sign of reflux as well. My sons wheezing always got worse when his medication needed reviewing (incidentally he has since been diagnosed with asthma).
Good luck with it, it's not easy but the medication helps and he will come through it.

I can sympathise I had exactly the same with both of mine. The difference being my second was diagnosed with silent reflux at 2 weeks (different health visitor who spotted it immediately). She was put on infant gaviscon and settled almost immediately. It's definitely worth pursuing as I kept asking with my first (had never heard of silent reflux then) and was fobbed off as a first time Mum. Go with your gut.
A suggestion that might help is holding him in 'bear in a tree' or sometimes called the 'rugby hold' where he is facing away laying across your arm. It's tiring (as mine insisted I had to rock constantly whilst doing it) but it worked.

Good luck!