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Toddler with trapped wind at night

217 replies

Tellytub · 02/03/2009 09:16

Hi, I am new to mumsnet. I have a ds 18 months, who has suffered terrible tummy pain and trapped wind since birth, being unable to sleep for any length of time at night. He has seen so many docs but we are told that he will most likely grow out of it. We have had trials avoiding all sorts of foods but it seems that all food upsets him. I am constantly searching the internet on information on toddlers with abdominal pain and trapped wind and came across a message on mumsnet from Fimbles who has dd, same age as my ds, with near exact symptoms. Alas the message was posted at the end of 2003. I am desperate to find out if fimbles found a cure for her dd but unable to contact her by CAT messaging. If anyone knows or is in contact with fimbles I would be most grateful if you would let her know of my message. If anyone else has any advice to offer please help. My son has recently been started on Lactulose 10 ml twice daily and Senna 10 ml at night. Initially he passed a lot of wind and slept pain-free for 5 nights but his symptoms recurred and he has been in agony again for 2 weeks. There is also a question of silent reflux and he has been on Ranitidine syrup for quite a while but again we are not really sure if this helps. He also now seems to be in pain, holding his bottom, when passing stools which is maybe once or twice a day.

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Justgotosleepnow · 02/08/2014 08:58

Hi I can't believe I've found all these families going through what we've been through too.
My dd is 15mo and wakes in pain every night. Usually every hour or 2 hours. 3 if I'm lucky. I'm just about surviving Hmm
I'm still bf as it's the only thing that settles her back to sleep.
And when she wakes she's in pain and sometimes farts and then goes back to sleep.

Loads of ideas to try from reading this thread. I'm going diet & alternative first as western medicine is not suited to this type of problem I feel. And I don't have the energy to fight with docs like others have had to do.

Plan of attack (sequentially not all together)
Switch from cows milk to goats
Smaller chunks of food (she's only got 8teeth)
Try the probiotic mentioned up thread
Cut out banana before bed
Wheat free

Cranial osteo
Kinesiology
Homeopathy

And by the time we've gone through that list she might have grown out if it eh?

As I've heard so many times of babies finally sleeping when they get to 20 months ish.

Justgotosleepnow · 02/08/2014 09:24

Just googled asafoetida. Wow this is an obvious herb to try. Thanks for that recommendation.

Jo2007 · 03/08/2014 14:31

Hello, just to update. My DD is now 6.5years. You will be pleased to know that slowly but surely things have improved. Especially since she was very poorly in March with lots of sickness and not eating for a week - this may just be a coincidence but following this illness she has tolerated vegetable casserole and hummous which has really improved her diet overall. She also does well on organic porridge oats cooked well with water for breakfast with 4 large sultances in pieces for a sweetner. It really has been a case of finding what foods suit her best and this may vary between children. I have also continued with homeopathy treatment 2 or 3 appointments a year as I personally and friends have had a lot of success with this for hayfever etc but you do have to see a very experienced and qualified person. She has continued with hospital appointments but more for monitoring as I declined endoscapy and barium swallow as we have seen improvement which to me justifies avoiding anything just to check - it would be different if the procedures were to confirm possible issues which could then be treated, but this is not the case.
Anyway, all the best to everyone as this is such a tiring and life consuming issue. PS as I'm sure everyone would - take care with herbs etc as they are not all suitable for children and it is always difficult to check a reaction when they can't explain and can react quickly.

talic · 13/08/2014 19:25

Hi all!
I'm pleased I've come across this post. I'm at my limit.. my 11.5 month old girl had always been windy colicy.. like many others on here. Was told it would pass at 12 weeks then 6 months etc.. but still no change. We discovered tongue tie at 4 onths, got this treated thinking all would improve but no such luck. She is always burping or farting .I was interested to see if the person nic0 had Amy luck with the speech therapist. I feel like my daughter has a dysfunctional sick and takes on loads of air. Even water from a nuby sippy cup hives her burps, you can hear the air bubbles and gurgles. All food seems to do this too. A long time ago we tried different milks with no help. Could it be due to her suck swallow or is it an intolerance or reflux? The doctors think she's findnb but we have an appointment in 3 months for a gastro paed but seems ages away especially as I'm due with baby 2 in 2 months, only a 13 month gap and was wishing it would have passed by now.
Any tips really appreciated! Hope you're all coping ok.
Thanks.

EJNR1234 · 14/08/2014 21:45

Hello,
We are sure our almost 4yr old has fructose and fructan malabsorbtion.
Early on in his life we had problems with the infant formula. We had constant diarrhea which we put down to weaning, vomiting we put down to colds.
When he had all his teeth we couldn't put it down to teething! We realised he had too many "Colds"
We took him to the Dr's, tried two types of antibiotics, asthma inhalers, and as seen above, he was "fine in the day"
He would cough through the night which
would eventually lead to vomiting, he would sweat profusely, body aches, possibly nightmares. He generally had wet stools. Many other symptoms too.
We tried him (aged 2 1/2) wheat free as my second son was born.
We had vast improvements. Until the night of the onions!!! We then put him on a low fodmap diet out of sheer desperation and he was then fine!
(getting up in the night for a newborn and dealing with a vomiting 2 1/2 year old was not fun)

Im wondering if our youngest has the same problem. We weaned him on a fructan and fructose free diet giving small amounts of wheat and fruit but now im giving him bigger portions hes, waking upset in the night, having diarrhea.

When should a babies gut deal with fruit and wheat happily, how long do they have diarrhea for after eating it, or should they not have diarrhea at all?!

I need to be able to deduce whether he has it or not quickly. We as a family are not going through torture for years again, i dont think we could cope.

Other pointers we had it was fructose and fructans was that calpol made him worse when ill, infant toothpaste made him ill, abidec syrup made him ill but the drops are fine.

I can list our sons food he can tolerate on one a4 page, so as you can guess and may experience meals can be bland, repetitive and boring. We can do a simple curry and Chinese now. Anyone got good recipes to liven a limited diet up?

Thanks

EJNR1234 · 14/08/2014 21:49

Our eldest also has a mild lactose and egg white allergy, but we decided all he gets from these is a snuffley nose, and if we cut these out his food really would be basic!

We are eagerly awaiting his stool sample results!

EJNR1234 · 14/08/2014 21:55

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

LMS66 · 15/09/2015 16:17

Trapped wind...
I know this is such an old thread... But did anyone ever find a cure???... We are going through exactly the same thing... Doctors don't seem to be able to help and we are driving ourselves mad trawling the Internet for a cure... Is anyone able to offer any advice or ever found a cure for this... We are at our wits end... Thanks...

Shan3214 · 07/11/2015 13:05

PLEASE HELP. Can anyone update on this thread please? Did anyone find a cure?? Did anyone find out what is wrong with their Bub....

My son sounds EXACTLY the same as these. I can feel his tummy gurgling and bubbling and I can actually feel the wind! He is constantly thrashing around in his sleep.

Please please please can anybody help?

It's been 13 months of this.... Since he was born.... I don't know how much more we can take...

Lucielou2015 · 14/11/2015 23:50

Hi, we are going through the same thing.
Our boy is 11 months and our second baby.
Same symptoms that everyone has been talking about. Things seem to get better then back to screaming all night.
We had two nights with just one waking followed by this week of crying in pain all night. It's heartbreaking to see him in pain.
We have been to doctors and paediatricians but none have helped.
We had a posterior tongue and lip tie lasered at 9 months which seemed to help with the wind and He could breast feed much longer. Things had been slowly improving since then although when he wakes at night I felt like he was still in pain.
We tried dairy free and probiotics at 8 months but in that month he got two teeth, had the flu and was unsettled as we travelled.
We are two weeks into dairy free again and thought it was working. But this week has been hell.
Thinking we will go back to the paediatrician.

LMS66 · 15/11/2015 22:04

Hey...
Since posting last on 15th sept we have followed a low FODMAP diet and for us it was literally like a light switch result... We still have issues now and again when trying different foods etc... But definitely worth a try... It's all to do with how different foods release gasses in the stomach... Our son was in so much pain every night with trapped wind... He was breast fed until a year and would react to foods I had eaten!!!... It is so much easier to keep track of just his diet now he is on cows milk and my diet is not an issue too...
I obviously can't say whether this will help you guys but worth a try... We are still waiting to see a paediatrician/dietician... Our Gp is aware of the diet and was happy for us to follow it whilst waiting for the appt with the hospital...
The diet also restricts wheat but our son can tolerate small amounts... So best to follow it and introduce things slowly...
Good luck... It took us months and months for the docs to even show an interest after being told it was colic and he would eventually grow out of it...
Try this website IBSDIETS.ORG it has all the info and lists of foods that they can/can't eat...
Please let me know how you get on as I would be very interested if this helps you as it has us...
I also suffer from IBS and my symptoms almost disappeared whilst I was following the diet when breast feeding...
Good luck!!!

LMS66 · 15/11/2015 22:08

I forgot to say... If our son has onion or garlic he is in agony... These seem to be his biggest triggers but probably varies from person to person...

Lucielou2015 · 17/11/2015 01:33

Thank you so much. I'll have a look at the site.

I suffer from a sore tummy too which has been on and off for the last 4 years and have had so many tests. I've just given up on it.
I'm still breastfeeding but very ready to ween as I'm so exhausted.
I saw a naturopath who suggested to try dairy and wheat free for a month which is hard to do for both of us. She told me about the food combinations and how I shouldn't eat starch with proteins. It can get a bit overwhelming when tired.
We have an appointment with our paediatrician in a couple of days. So we will see what happens there then try the diet again.
I will let you know what happens.
Thank you

Lucielou2015 · 17/11/2015 01:43

Wow! I'm just reading through that website and looking over the list of foods to avoid. How horrible! It would be hard for a baby. Fingers crossed we don't have to do that!

Lucielou2015 · 17/11/2015 01:48

Also, is he ok with cows milk? I thought that was something that wasnt tolerated very well? Only asking as I want to wean my little boy.

LMS66 · 17/11/2015 20:41

Hi...
Ahhh... I just lost my long message to you...

LMS66 · 17/11/2015 20:42

Here goes again...

LMS66 · 17/11/2015 21:11

Basically he is absolutely fine with cows milk... (We use organic)... I was worried too but at just over eleven and a half months he went straight to cows milk and he had been exclusively breastfed until then... He is now thirteen months... I was worried he would react badly to it or the bottle would add air to his stomach but so far so good... As I said earlier it is so much easier just keeping track of his diet rather than both of ours...
I think it's easy for us to think of the obvious ones like a dairy or wheat intolerance but for us it was certain fruit and veg releasing to much gas in his stomach... We are hoping that as he gets bigger he will just grow out of it...
I can't explain the difference in him... He has gone from waking all through the night and screaming in pain to sleeping through from 7.30pm-7.30am... Obviously we still have the occasional teething nights etc...
I think the LOW FODMAP diet seems daunting at first but you can adapt it to everyday life and include things you know he is ok with... Instead of pasta and cous cous etc... He has rice, buckwheat noodles... (Lucky boy... Haha... They are so bland... But ok mixed with bolognese etc...) potatoes and rice pasta etc... And we never give him fruit after lunchtime... So instead of having his fruit at lunch and dinner, he now has it at breakfast and lunch... We also make all the normal dishes like bolognese, stews etc... but replace the onion and garlic etc... with a veg base that he can have... We batch cook for him and have it all portioned up in the freezer... So once it's all cooked it seems easy to feed him everyday... And he can have proper bread at breakfast as he is ok with it... We are so happy just to be sleeping and that he is no longer in pain!!!... We also give him Neuners baby organic tea which we make in the morning and he drinks throughout the day...
Obviously this is our experience and your son could have a different problem or intolerance but I wanted to share our experience in case it helps someone else...
Please keep me posted...
Xxx

Lucielou2015 · 18/11/2015 00:33

Thank you!

Such an amazing difference.

If the paediatrician can't help on Thursday then we will try that. I'm guessing she will do a few tests as we have been 3 times already about his crying and pain at night and the next step was to investigate further.

How is your boys weight? Our boy is small for his age although he was born an average size.

Thanks, I'll keep you updated

LMS66 · 18/11/2015 20:12

Hi...
Our son is big for his age and on the 99th Centile... But his dad is 6ft 2 and I'm 5ft 7... Please could you let me know what kind of tests they offer as I'd like to go armed with info when our paediatrician appt finally comes through...
Good luck tomorrow...

Lucielou2015 · 19/11/2015 06:21

Hi,
We are in Australia so things might be slightly different.
Our paediatrician appointment was ok. We are doing stool and urine tests to make sure he has no tummy bugs. Also having a blood test to check Iron levels. That's going to be horrible!
She suggested to go on soy formula as he needs to put on weight and I want to stop breastfeeding.
She said to stay dairy free for 3 months and do a food diary.
She also suggested he might have a sleep disorder but I don't think it's that.
She said there aren't any reliable food allergy/intolerance tests you can do at this age.
My neighbour went to a naturopath and they did a finger prick test for allergies so I might try to find out more about that.
Good luck!

Lucielou2015 · 19/11/2015 06:23

She also felt his tummy and said it feels fine and as as he is healthy in all other areas she doesn't think that we needs to have an ultrasound on his tummy.

LMS66 · 19/11/2015 19:59

Ok... Thank you...
Good luck with everything... Try not to worry about the blood test... Easy to say but our little one had to have an op at only a couple of months old so I know how hard it is... He will be fab... They are brave little things... We were way more upset than him... (Beside ourselves actually)... I think he just thought he had a little sleep...
Let us know how you get on...

Lucielou2015 · 27/11/2015 11:16

Hi,
Our test results have come back and our boy has a tummy bug. Our peadiatrician said it can cause tummy cramps but usually diarrhoea so doesn't think it's the problem. She said that people are full of bacteria that doesn't cause any problems. We are about to start 3 days of antibiotics and I'm trying not to get too hopeful. The blood tests also show that something is happening but he has a cough and a cold at the moment so it could be just that. We have to do another blood test in a month when he isn't sick to make sure everything is ok.
I'll let u know how we go.

LMS66 · 29/11/2015 21:52

Hi...
Yes please let me know how you get in once he has finished the course of antibiotics... I hope it makes a difference for you... But does that mean he has always had this tummy bug if the meds help???... It's all so confusing...
Look forward to an update...