What is this? New mum advice

[homemadegin]

Hello

Looking for some guidance please. At breaking point here.

6 week old baby. Combination fed. Was BF till week 2. Massive weight loss. Formula introduced and now on mainly that with BF offered before every feed.

Cow and gate. Feeds 3 hour max usually 100 to 150ml. Very greedy and windy.

Last few days been getting grumpier. I spoke to HV and she suggested different bottles. I got mam anti colic. Things got worse. I asked GP Wednesday and started infacol. It's got worse again.

We feed. Then have up to 2 hours of screaming. Bright red. I mean bright bright red. Knees up. Rigid. It's like it comes in waves. So will settle.for few minutes then back again. Today choked during winding and scared the hell out of me. Milk out nose. It's absolutely worse afternoon and evening. Nappies are getting worse. Now usually more than 24 hours and see explosive and bath worthy every time.

She seems so sad and upset. It breaks my heart. Her sleep is awful but always had been. I just want her to be ok. I get that she will try but this is something else.

I had thought colic but now wonder about reflux or silent reflux. She's not sick as a rule. She is hard to wind. She won't be put down in day time and likes to be held or cuddled.

I think.i should.go back.to GP. DH thinks we should ride it out. I am very anxious as a rule with difficult history, seventh pregnancy first baby.

What do people think? Many thanks.

Forgot to add

Lots of hiccups but was like that in pregnancy. Also chokes alot during feeding but that has got better with different bottles. Until choke today which was when winding

Can you get to a baby group with health visitor or a breast feeding group with peer supporter/trained person to get in person advice?

The massive poo’s & straining seem like the baby is disagreeing with something in their stomach. Could be the combination of breastmilk & formula as formula is a lot heavier & thicker than breastmilk.

Have you changed formula?

What colour are the poos? Does baby have any dry skin?

Go back to the gp if you think you should.
I don't really know what it could be, someone more knowledgeable will be along soon but could it by cmpa - cow's milk protein allergy?
Or Could you slow down the bottle? Give her less more frequently?

Babies don't really sleep well so don't worry about that, she's only tiny still, unless you feel there's been a change in her sleep that might be worth mentioning to the gp.

Oh and just to say, just because you're usually anxious doesn't mean you're always wrong! You know your baby isn't happy and it sounds like she's in pain so you're right to want to investigate it further

Could you try baby massage? I was recommended it by our HV- not been able to get on a course yet but just googled it and found this. We were recommended it to help with wind
www.johnsonsbaby.co.uk/baby-massage/six-weeks-plus-massage-guide

Thank you. The new bottles are slower and I think that does help.

I posted before about BF group. They won't see me as she has had formula. That was a low point and another story.

Poo is yellow and seems normal? Just explosive. Not changed formula.

I did some massage today and still no poo. Booked on course for January. She does like a bath. That's when she is happy. I get that she will cry but this is heart wrenching.

Maybe cows milk protein allergy?

OP that’s awful they won’t see you because you are using both methods. Can’t stand snobbines around feeding. We are all trying to do our best. I feel for you so much as my DD is similar but seems to have much milder symptoms than your baby

A 6 week old baby needs to be pooing at least once every day but preferably more. You need to go to a GP and have your baby checked out. In the mean time offering more breastfeeds may help as breastmilk is a laxative.

This sounds just like us. Cows milk protein allergy along with reflux. At his worst. He would scream for about two hours straight we are now on nutramigen milk prescribed by the doctor and omeprazole for the reflux

If you’re worried then go back to your GP or health visitor. Keep going back until you’re not worried anymore.

It might be nothing, just a tiny baby trying to figure out how her tummy works, but it could be something that’s easily helped.

Thank you all. It's so good to have someone listen. GP tomorrow then. That's interesting re poo. Hv said formula babies sometimes go longer without pooing. I find every hV here tells me something different. It's all so confusing.

Have just fed her. She's burped and is sound asleep. She did scream but for ten minutes maybe. Her tummy is big but no wonder.

I'm sorry they were mean to you at the bf group. That's so unfair. You'd think any bf would count.

I think bf babies poo less as the milk is more easily digestible by the body so therefore there's less residue to form poop. But one poo a day anyway is what you want to see.

As a pp said, could you increase the bf?

Sounds like what my daughter was like with silent reflux. I booked a private appointment with a paediatrician who immediately helped us manage it with prescription neocate formula and ranitidine and omeprazole medications. If you can afford it, it's definitely the quickest way of helping them. I found the gp was reluctant to accept anything other than colic and would only prescribe gaviscone which made her even more constipated. If you can't afford to go private then be persistent in asking for a referral from your doctor.

I wonder about silent reflux, she seems to display that.

She's awake again, i take that back re sleeping.

I am trying re bf. I have managed to stop shields and offer nearly every feed. She usually will take. She's so so hungry. The weight loss was a massive issue which has now turned around. Always something though it seems.

I will try a different GP tomorrow. Just cried at my sister and she said mine is not paediatric background and hers is. I like mine for me but wasn't overly sure if him with her at six week check.

Explosive is very normal, my dd2 (bf) went 5! days between movements and I daren't leave the house that day - I actually kept day 5 clothes. Dd1 went 3 days but she had a bit of formula at the beginning due to mastitis and was weaned onto solids younger.

The other things concern me more, worth considering an allergy.

Ps, dd2 had reflux, was given Zantac, I have it pretty bad myself so seems it's hereditary (she still gets it but can manage it through diet)

Get her checked for tongue tie too, just with the wind. Sounds worse than just that tho...poor baby and poor you

Just to add our reflux turned silent when I stopped giving him breast milk. The silent reflux seemed to make him scream so much more than when we could see him bringing the milk back up. And his breath smelled rotten when he had the silent reflux. After a week on the omeprazole the silent reflux stopped and his breath didn't smell anymore

It's ok to go to the GP. I hope you find something to settle your baby. Seconding people who say maybe look at cmpa, worth a try. Hang in there.

My daughter and most of my friends’ babies really struggled with grassiness and explosive poos and general fussiness from about 5-8 weeks. For sure speak to a pediatrician if your gut (haha...) tells you something is really wrong, but you’re quite likely to find that things gradually improve on their own over the next couple of weeks as your baby’s digestive system matures. I remember babyhood up to about 8 weeks was quite a challenging period... and then all of a sudden it wasn’t! Hang in there!

It's not unusual for nd babies to lose weight in the first 2 weeks, in fact it's normal. It could well be that the formula doesn't agree with her but it's going to take time to up the breast milk supply, which could involve almost continuous feeding - I was really shocked at how much a bf baby could spend feeding - up to 12 hours a day in my case for one of mine.
It's a real shame that the bfgroup won't help you, that seems really unkind. It can take a lot of support to establish breast feeding properly, and you need to be well fed and watered yourself.
It's worth going back to go to check for tongue tie, and to rule out any other problems, and do try the stomach massage, it really can help.
And remember, we all struggle with first ba bies, I well remember thinking something must be seriously wrong with DS1 because of the evening crying. I did take him the doctor a few times and they were always kind, I was never accused of time wasting, even though as it turned out there was nothing wrong.
Evening crying is a thing, colic is a thing. My Dh had colic as an adult and was able to verbalize how painful it was. Keep in with the winding,tummy rubbing and carrying. Explosive poonami s are part of it.
I think the period up to about 3 or 4 months old can be so h ard, you feel so unsure of yourself, not sure what the baby is trying to communicate, or how to deal with it.
I found long walks at night helped, the movement seemed to be soothing. If there's someone else on hand who can do that so you get a break so much the better!
But if you think there's something else, reflux / tongue tie, be persistent, go back to the gp, go back to the hv, ask them to refer you.

I'm sitting taking notes and this is all so helpful.

The weight loss kept us in hospital a week, along with jaundice. I think the fact it happened under their watchful eye made it all the more scary. Then when we got home she lost again.

She has been checked twice recently for tongue tie but will ask again. No smelly breath. Just lovely baby breath.

Bf group nearly put me over edge. I called for help and they agreed to come out. I had section due to history for her safety. I was crying down the phone, the manager rang back and said with shields and formula I was not bf and they could not help. Dh just about lost it and he's a patient man. I had been bf all day and night and she was losing weight, at that stage tiny bit if formula. It's done now though and despite all of this I want to enjoy herald our time together, I've waited so long.

Thank you

I don't have any advice, but I'm awake with my 3 week old and I just wanted to say it sounds like you're doing an amazing job in really tricky circumstances. I hope baby feels better soon.