Should I try an elimination diet? Try formula? Help run out of ideas

[Daya]

DD1 is nearly 12weeks, she has had either colic or reflux from day 1 if that is possible? She was born by cesarean at 40 weeks and came out screaming and hasn't stopped really .

I remember the first night on the ward I couldn't stop her crying after many hours and the midwife came and took her to the nursery so I could have a few hours sleep and apparently she was so unsoothable they thought she was having a drugs detox and I was asked the next morning if I'd taken anything in pregnancy. I haven't of course.

It's been 12 weeks of hell really, she is exclusively breastfed but when she is awake she cries all the time and is I think in pain from wind? She pumps a lot.

I have tried cranial osteopathy and a chiropractor as I thought maybe trauma from the birth - didn't do anything.
Also coleif, infacol, colic calm, homeopathy, a sling which she hates, - all to no avail.

The one thing that has some effect is a probiotic called biogaia which for 4 days was magic and she was fine but now for some inexplicable reason has stopped working.

I think now because the probiotic worked it must be some kind of tummy pain? Shall I do an elimination diet - I have already cut out dairy, wheat and soy at week 3 but it didn't help so I went back to eating it after a month. Is it likely that it some other product in my diet that is causing this? Should I pump and try formula? I have had no problems breastfeeding and don't really want to stop?

Any ideas very gratefully received.

oh daya I feel for you, ds (now 18 months) was very similar, he screamed for 3 nights and days when born and on post natal ward and I worked out I got 4 hours 25 minutes sleep when we were in hospital for 4 days! He wouldn't latch but was a very sucky baby do we cOmbi fed.

And really bad when he got home, I would still be sat in pjs when hubby walked in at 7pm as if I tried to put him down he'd go hysterical and he wouldn't sleep during the day.

We ended up at out if hours doctors when he was 4 weeks old as he was in do much pain and had screamed constantly for 6 hours and they diagnosed reflux and gave us the medication, the next day after 3 or 4 doses of gaviscon we ended up at drs as nothing had changed and they sent us to hospital who couldn't find anything wrong and sent us home with domperidon and something else!

6 days later we had a call from the hospital to say that he had a urinary tract infection. We were prescribed anti biotics for 2 days and then admitted to children's ward for 48 hours for Iv antibiotics and that did the trick.

After coming out of hospital he was like a new baby who ( although didn't sleep much) didn't scream and was very content. He finally learnt to nap when he started getting on the move and absolutely loves his sleep now!!!

I would ask your drs if they can send off a urine sample just to rule it out as we kept telling the hcp there was something wrong and all we got told was, baby's cry, that's what they do!

Trust your instincts and keep going back to drs,

Good luck, I hope you both get it sorted very soon

thanks Pootle78, that sounds incredibly stressful with your DS. I haven't thought of getting a urine sample tested and will get that sorted out asap.

It is so frustrating to be running out of ideas of what it could be but knowing that she is not right, crying all the time and I am getting more and more sick of never leaving the house because she screams.

I have tried zantac for reflux but I might give gaviscon a go if I speak to the GP about getting a urine test.

It is really isolating to have such a difficult baby so although I wish it on no one, it's nice to hear about your experience whilst I type this still in my pajamas at 3.30pm

I feel your pain. Dd was a very cranky baby, cried all the time for the first few weeks. She also barely slept! All I got from the gp was "babies cry, it's normal"
Finally at breaking point I did a video diary of a normal day with her. I asked the hv to watch it. According to my calculations she cried inconsolably for on average 14 hours a day. Another 6 or so hours of grizzling/grumpy, I'll cry if you look at me the wrong way stuff, the rest feeding and sleeping.
I did get some help after that funnily enough. Sadly by then I was already in a massive downward spiral of pnd. I also regret that i wished most of her first 6 months away.

thanks rogersmellyonthetelly , I already feel sad that I am wishing the days away with DD. It's so disappointing to not be enjoying her when she is so little but I'm not at all.

I spoke to the health visitor who is sympathetic but very pushy for me to try formula which I have resisted. Although if it is an allergy and i know it isn't a dairy allergy I suppose I can see the logic.

What kind of help did the GP offer? I keep on telling myself the next thing will work and it doesn't and it is getting very depressing.

They offered to send her to the paediatrician, as she was also slow in gaining weight, I accepted but by the time the appt came through she was 6mo and improving. A big breakthrough came when she started crawling, she was much happier then, and also weaned onto formula at the same time as we started solids as I was back at work.
I haven't noticed her having any allergies since, she is now 6, but I have to say her temperament as a baby is similar to what it is now, she is stubborn, feisty and opinionated, if she doesn't want to do it, boy do we all know about it!
I think she was just one of those babies, but if you think your dd has an allergy/reflux you could try feeding formula for a couple of days to see if it improves things, pump in the mean time to keep your supply up . Unless its a allergy to egg or something, it's unlikely to make a lot of difference but it's worth a try just so you feel you have tried and eliminated it!