Newborn struggling hours after feed

[addler]

Can anyone offer advice?

DS is 5 weeks old and sometimes struggles after his feeds. He's combi fed with formula supplemented at the breast with an SNS. Sometimes he's fine and doesn't seem to struggle but other days like today he'll have hiccups 5x a day, will posset and will start gurgling and swallowing and coughing as soon as he's laid down in his bed even if he's been held upright for half an hour after feeding.

He'll also sometimes go down fine and silent but then 1.5-2hrd later he'll start the gurgling/swallowing/fidgeting and I'll pick him up and he'll burp or be sick a little. This will repeat for hours in the night.

I don't understand why it's not every day, I can't work out a pattern.

His poos are normal and bright yellow, we already have his Moses basket tilted and I feed him in the rugby ball hold so he's not lying down.

Sounds a bit like reflux. Infant gaviscon might help

I thought about reflux and was convinced that was it last weekend when I had 1-2 hrs of sleep over a few days but this week until last night he's slept pretty well and has been quite settled, it's just since yesterday he's been having issues again. He seems to not quite get the hang of Thursdays.

Could it still be reflux if it's not constant?

Well I know I dont get heartburn all the time and is that not what reflux is like? Babies are awkward creatures tbh. Glad mine are older now

Could it be a reaction to your breast milk depending on what you've eaten? Might be worth noting what you're eating/drinking and seeing if it correlates to baby's symptoms. (Sorry, I don't know what an SNS is.)

@dementedpixie Very true!

@misty1000 thank you, that's a great idea. I hadn't thought of that. SNS stands for supplementary nursing system, so he gets the formula he needs via a thin tube that he sucks on at the same time as breastfeeding as my milk never came in properly.

www.medela.co.uk/breastfeeding-professionals/products/feeding/supplemental-nursing-system

Its for supplementing with formula at the same time as breastfeeding. Do they have the same amount of formula each day? Could the formula be contributing to the reflux?

Yes he normally has 840mls over the day, sometimes an extra feed but that day he didn't have any problems at all, he has it in 120ml bottles and sometimes he can finish it in 15 minutes and sometimes it's 35, depending on how sleepy he is. I haven't noticed a pattern with the speed he finishes corresponding with how he is afterwards either.

He's now got hiccups for the second time already and normally the only way they go away is if he cries, but I can't just put him down somewhere by himself so he cries to get rid of bloody hiccups. But they're so strong and he can't fall asleep even though his eyes are closing in between them

Sounds like reflux - my DD used to get hiccups 10+ times a day with it!

It didn’t affect her 24/7, sometimes she’d be fine other times she’d be a nightmare. Might be worth asking the GP to try gaviscon.