SEVERE trapped wind from birth to date (19 months!!) HELP!!

[fimbles]

Hi, I'm new to mumsnet and have ds, 19 months who has suffered from severe trapped wind from birth. She seems to be worse with dairy/fatty foods. She is unable to sleep until the wind comes out which means I have to massage her stomach for approx 1-2 hours every evening (if she lets me!). Will then sleep for approx 3 hrs and will then wake every hour twisting and turning her body in the hope to release the wind. Of course I am awake with her and there appears to be no solution to the problem. Visited 4 consultants,3 doctors, 1 homeopath, tried infacol,gripe, colief etc -all of no use. Even been dairy free for 6 weeks - no improvement. She has been very constipated in the past and takes lactolose solution every day to help soften the stools. Is there anyone else who might know of any child with this problem or can maybe offer me some much needed advice. Thanks for reading the message!

Fimbles, sorry to hear of your little one's troubles. Did the doctors check for other food intolerances such as gluten? Just a guess though...

Hi, efmach, thanks for replying, my ds saw a senior gastro consultant, and they ruled out gluten, ibs, dairy intolerance (although my dh is sensitive to dairy - not intolerant)They said that once she was eating a proper diet (meaning fruit, veggies,proteins carbs etc etc)the bowel would work more efficiently. My ds is a very fussy eater and refuses most things, like alot of others I suspect. I hope she will grow out of it but until then it is the same routine every night,she sleeps really late because of her bloated tummy - resists sleep until she can fight it no longer! Probably just my bad luck - Thanks anyway.

My ds2 suffered terrible trapped wind from birth and also used to wake twisting and turning for a couple of hours at a time - usually from 3-4am. It was a nightmare and I took him to a cranial osteopath who was recommended to me. I noticed a difference after the first session and we returned weekly until there was a marked improvement with my ds, then monthly until the osteopath felt there was no more to be done. I know this method has worked for friends babies/children although like most things it's not guarenteed. I know some clinics around the country offer this service free to babies and young children. The theory behind the practice is quite interesting if you loo into it can can help a number of ailments. My ds1 saw a cranial osteopath as he was a very tense baby who did not sleep well and it also worked for us on that occasion.
Hope this gives you an alternative to look into.

Fimbles, what exactly is ds eating? If he is eating bananas, stop giving them to him immediately. In addition to constipation, I believe for some little ones, bananas cause gas. Also, have you tried prunes/prune juice?

Thanks mistletoes, I never thought of bananas being a possible cause. my ds eats pureed bananas from a jar!! will not eat fresh fruit (although used to). Will try straight away to see if there is any improvement. Yes, have tries prunes/juice, seemed to make ds more windy.

Good to know, fimbles. It's amazing how many mums give their babies bananas, not realizing that it could cause sever constipation and wind. Babies do like the taste, and I guess that is why. Please follow up and let us know if cutting out the bananas does help. Good luck and happy new year!!! By the way, I have also been told (although it was not the case with my DD) that apples also cause constipation.

Fimbles, forgive me if you've already done this but keeping a food/bowel diary might be helpful. You might be able to identify foods that really make your little one uncomfortable.

Hi QZmum, thanks so much for the info. My only concern is that my ds will not remain still. He does not like ANYONE to touch him (even me to certain extent. What does the osteopath exactly do? If ds has to be perfectly still then this is probably easier with a younger baby rather than a toddler, correct me if I'm wrong.

Thanks efmach, I kept a food diary for one full year and then gave up because nobody was interested in the info I had collected and also because ds ate such a limited diet, it was quite easy to pinpoint the culprit foods. The thing is ds has wind EVERY day (much worse at night)Some nights are extremely bad and I could have given the same food the previous day and ds did not seem to have the same reaction. I don't know why ds can sleep on the whole, relatively quickly and without discomfort in the day time and not at night. It would appear that the wind seems to build up as the day goes on. Thanks for your interest!! I appreciate it.

I found that the osteopath I saw was very expereinced with babies and children so during sessions where my DS was irritable and restless and once even sobbing due to tiredness, the osteopath could find various positions to carry out the procedure. Sometimes I even sat holding my DS while the osteopath gently massaged my sons back and diaphram. Both my DS's seemed to become much more relaxed during the sessions as the manipulation is like gentle massage really. With my DS1 (who had cranial osteopathy for tension and bad sleeping patterns) he actually fell asleep during a session. When he was older and had a few follow up sessions the osteopath could virtually carry out the manipulation with my DS sat playing with bricks.
I think it depends on the experience of the therapist so you need to get a recommendation from someone who has already used a good therapist locally.

thanks qzmum, will seriously look into this now to find an experienced osteopath. Many thanks for your input!

I have exactly the same problem with my 25 mth old. I am at the end of my tether. He is dairy intolerant and therefore has no dairy in his diet (since 1 year). He has always suffered with terrible wind since a small baby. He has seen consultants about his food difficulties (he eats very little variety) and they have all so far been ineffective with any suggestions of help. To make it worse he is a big boy (dad is 6ft 3) and all they say to me is 'he is growing well you just have to look at him'. It is completely infuriating. To watch him in so much pain in the middle of the night is the worse thing in the world. If I find a solution you will be the first to know.

@fimbles @CBJune I realise this is quite an old thread, but wondering what was the outcome for your DC? My DD (15 months) is similar, has CMPA and thought we'd gotten to the bottom of things with a full dairy elimination but now having horrible cramps with hours of screaming and thrashing about at night again. The only thing that's changed is she had a bite of banana yesterday which she usually doesn't like. I'm at the end of my tether from lack of sleep and worried about poor DD.

Like your DS she is a big girl (she is >95%ile) and everyone says she's growing alright but I hate to see her suffer and not be able to help her. xx