DD2, screaming at night, going to be a long one!

[CharCharGabor]

I am feeling fairly dejected about this issue I'm having, after having been dismissed by the dietitian yesterday and could really do with some insight from anyone to whom these symptoms seem familiar in any way.

-At 8 weeks DD began to scream. The worst period was between 12 and 5am, but continued through the day. Went to GP, who prescribed gaviscon. After 5 days, the screaming suddenly stopped.

-Since then, she has had episodes of this screaming. worst at night, she is completely inconsolable and you just have to walk her around until she stops. Refuses feeds also.

-Since 10 months it has been almost constant, every night. She is pretty happy in the day but once night starts she is screaming, thrashing around, rolling and spinning around, arching her back. However, it is slightly less intense than previously and don't always have to get up with her.

-She sleeps with a very arched back and her head tipped back. Occasionally can hear her refluxing and swallowing a lot, but this is sometimes a lot and others not at all.

-She has a rash on her chin, usually comes up when she is eating and stays for a few days before drying out and healing up.

-Tried gaviscon again but all it did was constipate her.

-She can have a quiet night about once a week where she feeds and sleeps fairly normally.

-Went to a dietitian who said it wasn't dietary, sounds refluxy, use gaviscon more even though I told her it doesn't work.

-I am exhausted, feeling depressed, really worried as I just don't feel her behaviour is normal and when she starts this particular screaming I am sure she is in a lot of pain, sounds very frantic.

-Although I originally thought it was reflux, I now feel doubtful as it hasn't been constant.

-She is now 13 months, a good weight and a very happy baby when not screaming, who is meeting all developmental milestones normally.

Does any of this sound familiar to anyone? I was desperately holding on for the dietitian appt in the hopes something would help and am gutted now to be faced with more screaming and exhaustion.

Really long post, thanks for anyone who has managed to get through it! :)

Bump

You need to see a paediatrician

If you can hear her refluxing then it needs to be treated

A paedeatrician can prescribe very good meds which can help

In the meantime can you raise the head of her cot a little?

Deffo get some help - you will need to be referred by your GP

i would go back to the GP and ask for a different reflux medication if the gaviscon isn't working.

She doesn't reflux all the time, it's just some of the time. It seems to come and go in cycles, you will hear it frequently and then not at all, for example I haven't heard it today at all. But because she's mobile obv she isn't near to me all the time for me to hear it.

The dietitian said she didn't think it was worth looking at other meds because if it was bad enough for that it would have needed to be dealt with when she was younger, and she is a good weight so doing ok. She doesn't hear her at night though :( I'm tempted to video her when she's doing it. People seem to see a smiley daytime baby and don't believe what I say.

Can reflux come and go? I thought it would be a constant thing. She was sick a lot and in vast amounts as a littley but since 5 months or so has only possetted a little occasionally.

I'm on my last legs tbh. I had pinned all my hopes on yesterday, I struggled through each night thinking I might get even something helpful to try but no. Her only advice was to stop feeding her at night and get DP to give her cows milk. So I should turn over and ignore a screaming, arching baby who is desperately trying to soothe herself? I feel like she spoke to me as if I was stupid and even when I said she refused feeds and things I might as well have not spoken. I cried all the way home and most of the day, so desperate. I will go to the doctors and ask for a paediatrician referral, I am so worried that they will tell me there's nothing wrong too though. I know my DD, that kind of screaming is not normal, I'm sure.

Thanks for your replies :)

Forgot to say, she sleeps with me, have never been able to get her to sleep in her cot. I can get her to sleep next to me in the evening and then slip away though.

It does sound like reflux.
Gaviscon doesn;t always help- ranitidine (?sp) or omeprazole (?sp) may help more.
Try elevating the head of her bed by 12"- use books, and use a sheet tied to the bars each side and running through the middle of her legs so that she doesn't slide down IYSWIM.

My DD screamed from 8 weeks until 14mo, when she calmed down, and started enjoying life a lot more- she was a very happy toddler.

She spent the whole first 14mo overtired though. [exhausting]

You have my sympathies.

Does she stop if she comes into bed with you and you rub her back/ tummy? My dd had mild reflux as a baby and used to cry a lot/ puke a lot, but it helped if I lay her on her side, slept in bed with her and just stroked her back. Seemed to be the comfiest position. I know it is not ideal, but you need some sleep.

The dietitian mentioned those drugs CaptainNancy but said she didn't think dd was bad enough to warrant those. I disagree! Hopefully a paediatrician might be able to prescribe something for her then if I get a referral. I worry as well that it could be something worse, like something physically wrong inside her. The sound of her is horrific :( she actually cried herself hoarse a few times and could only squeak.

I will give the raising the cot and trying her in there a go, I'm unsure as to whether she'd stay asleep and think she would wiggle out of the sheet as she's v mobile but will try anything now.

I try rubbing her tummy and back MerryMarigold as she is spinning and arching next to me. She is so tense and doesn't even seem to see me sometimes, her eyes are glazed over and panicky looking. She used to sleep better next to me but now she doesn't anywhere. Often the sheet has come off the mattress in the morning from all her spinning.

Thanks again all.

It doesn't happen in the day? I know this may sound very weird and far fetched, but I can sometimes get bad tummyaches and bloating at night. I find an apple (acidic?) really helps. It somehow seems to neutralise something, often go toilet as well. Maybe try a little bit of apple before bed, it could be worth trying anyway...

Not so much, when she was younger it did to some extent but mostly now in the day she just has the usual whingy clingy behaviour. I will try the apple, I am willing to literally try anything to help her, thanks.

I feel so damn guilty for not pushing for someone to help sooner. The thing was, as it came and went I felt like a fraud taking her when nothing was wrong at that moment. Now they seem to be assuming that as she's older it can't be that bad.

Also food diary for yourself and for her, because I assume she's intolerant to something.

MM i was thinking intolerance too, dairy is a common one, and ds2 displayed similar symptoms
but i would have expected it to be similar during the day too?

def keep a diary tho

I kept a food diary for two weeks before this appointment and the dietitian didn't want to see it. I can't say anything in particular jumped out at me but that's why I took it along to someone who I thought might work it out! sometimes it does seem as if she is worse when she has a lot of dairy in a day but others it doesn't seem to make a massive difference. So confusing!

Cross posted with you tiy. I too am confused by her being better in the day, she is slung a lot though and there are a lot of distractions, don't know if maybe that helps her. She is quite clingy in the day and whinges quite often but I feel that's fairly normal behaviour for a just 1yo.

When my dd was in pain, the HV actually said that during the day gas builds up and so night is worse. But that was for a very young baby. Does a bath help? That's another thing helps me. Also hot water bottles on tummy.

Yes, I've heard that before MM. She is quite a windy baby, always burping etc. she usually has a bath before bed, haven't tried one in the night as I didnt want to disturb DD1, but the crying does that anyway so may well try it. also a hot water bottle, I hadn't thought of that.

You poor thing, didn't realise you had a dd1 too. I think you need to get pushy with the GP. If nothing else, this lack of sleep (for this long) must be having a severe impact on your family life. Push for something quickly and just refuse more Gaviscon because if it constipates her there will just be more pain.

it might be worth cutting all dairy out of her diet and seeing if there is any improvement at all.

if it makes no difference then you can re-introduce, but it won't do any harm to cut it out for a few weeks and see...

i hope you find some answers cos it sounds really distressing for all of you :(

I don't know what a dietician could do tbh, they deal with nutritional issues and this sounds physical/medical.

You need a referral either to a paediatrician or a paediatric gastroenterologist. There are better drugs than gaviscon and there can be physical reasons why a child suffers with reflux that are treatable.

Hope you and you wee girl get what you need soon.

Thanks both of you. I do have a dd1 yes, she is 3.8 and the sweetest child, she seems to be feeling quite insecure at the moment unsurprisingly, and is a little clingy. Poor thing hardly gets a look in which of course makes me feel even guiltier. It is having a big effect on all of us tbh, I am feeling so low but can't tell if it's depression or just the situation. I don't want to exist, or do another shitty day :( Obv we're all snapping at each other too as we're so tired and the girls aren't getting hardly any fun times at all although we try.

I think I will send DP to the docs with her on Monday, I am busy as am doing a bfing helper course right now. He is less likely to dissolve into tears than me and can push for paediatric referral too. I think I'll give going dairy free a go too, anything that could help her.cIts all so bloody overwhelming, wish I could just go to bed on my own forever. Will push though because you have to. Right, dairy free. I have dairy free spread already, will get some oat milk. We try to cook everything from scratch anyway so can just adjust ingredients and plan some dairy free meals.

Thanks again for all your help, it's been lovely to be 'heard' when all around me seem to have their ears plugged :)

Thanks rancerdoo, it was the hv who suggested seeing a dietitian as she thought dietary issues could be exacerbating her symptoms. I can see that probably I could have been referred to someone a bit more relevant though.

Sorry CharChar. I do hope it gets sorted quickly. Dd1 will bounce back, but must be hard for her at the minute. You must be shattered so understandably depressed...and seeing your child in pain, plus unable to help. It's really difficult, and it's been going on a long time. I don't think it matters if you dissolve in tears on the GP. It may speed up the process of getting some help.

Thanks MM, am hoping there is some solution which will end all this. Doctors on Monday!