Reflux/unsettled baby. Am in hell, please help!!

[pevie]

Here I am again, whinging on about my possibly 'reflux', unsettled baby!!! Sorry I didn't update all of you who helped last time, but a big thank you if you replied. Unfortunately I didn't get much time to reply as seems to go from bad to worse. My DD is now nearly 6 months and is still arching, writhing, screaming at night. Some nights she is only up 2 or 3 times but will struggle to go back down from about 4 or 5. Last night she seemed in pain from the off and was up about every 1 to 2 hours!!! It seems like trapped wind but she doesnt seem able to bring it up if it is. Have now been to hospital several times to be seen by Paediatrician who first off prescribed ranitidine, which didnt really help. We are now on omezrapole (??) which I heard was holy grail for reflux but so far after taking for a week have seen little improvement. Possibly not screaming after feeding so much I guess but still a nightmare at night. Anyone any experiences?? She hasnt had Ph test for reflux, just barium which didnt really work as she wouldnt swallow it!! Doc does think it sounds like reflux but if it is why is it not responing to meds??? Am trying dairy free again as I bf. it doesnt really seem like milk allergy but who knows?? Will try anything? Am worried this is now also becoming a bit of a habit which will be v.difficult to break. Will Need to go as she always wakes after half hour of going to bed, has done since young. Can sometimes settle right away, sometimes not. By the way did any particular weaning foods make a difference to your LO, as she has been weaning last month and wondered if this also making difference. Sorry for ramble.. any help, infor. much apreciated.

I think if you really think it's pain, and not habit, with her, you need to take her back to the hospital and ask for more tests. Don't let them get bogged down in reflux only. My dd was struggling with trapped wind the only time it released was when we pushed up under her armpit . All children are different. Sorry I think it was you I answered before(?) No particular foods made a difference, it just did get better then. Maybe it's was also a combination as she got older she was ble to move about more and she just grew out of it. I hope you get sorted soon. p.s meds made no difference to her reflux

Give the meds a chance, most take longer than a week to take effect. As far as food is concerned, maybe avoid the more acidic things like tomato based food/sauces etc. Reflux is a hellish condition.

You have my deepest sympathies, we struggled with dd until at 6 months they said perhaps it isn't colic and shall we try infant gaviscon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Long after the gaviscon turned our baby from hellish to much happier night waking was a big issue (have not have any problems with my other 3 at all) she used to wake up screaming and bring up trapped wind etc.

Finally at 4 we took her to her cranial osteopath which really improved things for us and then onto a neurodevelopmental therapist which again is improving stuff.

I think after suffering with acute acid reflux for such a long time it will take time for them to get the meds correct and sort it all out, perhaps ask for the ph test etc?

Sorry I can't be of more help but the night/sleep wakings were horrific and we sort of lost a year of our lives to the fog of despair that it caused!

Am so sleep deprived and feeling sorry for myself that your messages of kindness almost made me weep. My DD1 is also ill at the moment and up in night so we're having particularly hellish time. Just need to know it will get better!!! Will need to experiment with trapped wind thing. In night is really difficult as she drops off then struggles again hour later as still hasnt released it. Seems to help a bit if we feed her well before bed, give her lots of time for wind to come up and also massage her belly with oil when she invariably does a massive green poo!!! Osteopath said I should take a sample to doc, but they've never asked and I dont just want to turn up with poo!!!! Dont have wedge but have put up mattress a bit and a few weeks ago started her sleeping on stomach which seems to help a bit!!!

Hi Pevie,another one here that has shared your 'hell'
I can give you some pracical advice until things are more sorted for you.
When feeding dd have her as upright as you can,then when she has finished try and keep her in an upright position for at least ten mins,I used to put my dd in a car seat.
A postion they find relaxing when in pain is imagine a lion laying along the branch of a tree with their legs hanging down!!
My DH used to lay her along his arm on her tummy with her head in his hand,arms and legs hanging free and sway her from side to side gently. If she is too big try and lay her over something,but obviously don't leave her!! Hope this helps a little bit,try everything that people advise until you find what works or you. I know how hard it is,but it doses get better.

Your mention of poo just remined me off something. A few months ago I had dd checked out as when she poos, she will go and then 2 minutes later go again and then usually again shortly after. And I mean go!. Turns out her bowel is longer than usual, so she will have a least 3 poos formed and when 1 comes out that leaves room for the others to come out until her bowel is empty. I wonder now if this caused some of her problems when a baby, she's 6 now. Hang in there it will get better.

I haven't seen your other messages, but from what you've said here, it sounds like milk intolerance. My dd had this and silent reflux. When you say you are giving up dairy 'again', how long did you give it up for before? It needs to be 2 full weeks for it to clear from both of your systems, and obviously make sure if you are weaning her that you don't give her anything else with dairy in it.

Oh, and have you tried giving gripe water when she is up in the night? It was the one and only thing that used to help dd.

do you put her to sleep flat on her back? If so try putting a pillow under her mattress to raise her head up a bit [works when they have a cold as well].Other than that I have no further advice and wish you and your dd all the best.

Oh yes gripe water is good. I also gave suger in water as it's a natural pain killer, apparently, but I found after a feed if she took some it helped her wind, come down, not up, but as long as it's out!

pevie how awful for you all. ds fed every two hours round the clock until he was 6m or so and whatever he had - cannot bring myself to call it 'colic' - didn't go away till about 7months. he screamed for hours and hours every night. we didn't go as far as paediatrician for that (he did see one for not sticking to centiles) although did try infant gaviscon as reflux is in my family.

the reason for my posting this is to ask do you really think there is something medically wrong, or is it possible that your dd is just majorly unsettled? we were so desperate for a reason for his misery to solve, but in the end there just wasn't one. it didn't stop overnight, gradually dwindled.

one thing not to worry about is making habits, time enough to sort that out in the future. ds co-slept till 9m and has always been ok in own cot and bed.

Did try gripe water before and felt it helped a little but so fiddly to give her. any tips? Will maybe try sugar in water but she isn't very keen on bottles although trying to persevere with giving her cool boiled water. As to comfy positions, we do try her on stomach at present and seems to help. Sometimes when she wont settle back in cot, take her inour bed but is difficult to put her on stomach here as afraid she might suffocate. Tend to prop her up on bfeeding pillow but she does jerk around as if sore. Have her in sleeping bag so difficult to have her on our arm. I guess we need to keep experimenting. Has been settled so far this evening which is a bonus!! Am a bit worried about feeding her in night still as I think this makes her more windy. However this seems to be the only way to get her back to sleep sometimes. Manage to only do it twice at most usually but sometimes makes things worse!!

green poo is really not normal, are you fully bf???

dd lived on my hip facing outwards slung over my arm, or suspended in the aeroplane baby bouncer with her tummy pressed on the plastic rim when I was desperate to have a break from her!

Waking up at night/evenings, sitting up for half an hour before finally burping and/or farting was so so common.

Maybe try her out of the sleeping bag so she can move about a bit. Have you tried a dummy instead of feeding her in the night?

Cargirl and others, how long did it take to go and was there anything significant that helped? At moment difficult to get her to get farts or burps up as she keeps dropping off and then starts all over again. If we wake her can be up for hours!!!! Is she just incredibly windy or is this reflux, who knows????? when do windy babies stop being so windy??? Also has bad cough which am told can be part of reflux so this can wake her too.

As for green poo, not sure what to do with this, nobody seems interested, but I dont think it seems normal either.

fullmooncupsugar, just read your link tonight so hope you look back at this!!! It was really helpful as was feeling that the weaning was sometimes making it worse, particularly wondered about fruit and babyrice. Wondered however about what are gentle veg. I know carrot is okay, have also tried butternut squash and sweet potato. did other potato before but she balked at that tonight, possibly too lumpy as i know her throat is definately sore. Really hope you read this thread again, sorry took so long to get back but you know what its like.

Sorry if this has been suggested before

Have you seen a Cranial Osteopath? Had a NIGHTMARE baby (reflux/unsettled/blah blah blah - screamed all day and night) and he cured him!!!

Can't recommend enough.

I second cranial ost. and have you tried a dummy?

Been to osteopath several times, unfortunately no miracle cure!!! Went when she a tiny baby and not so bad, then back again last week. Osteopath said she was very tight but was a bit stumped!!!! At beginning she had been much more optimistic. Feel like we're running out of options.

Miracle cure for wind/reflux please!!!!!

Have tried dummy in day, doesnt really keep it in, should maybe persevere.

Green poo is not normal. I would start by keeping a food and sleep/pain diary and get referred back to the paediatrician. Giving up dairy is a good idea, but as a previous poster pointed out, it does take 2 weeks to clear. One of the things I would be worried about is some sort of intestinal delay/constriction, and only a referral back to hospital can investigate that.

Tummy massage can help, as can warm baths, bicycling exercises (you lay baby on her back and gently bicycle her legs - helps to shift the wind). Massage with warm olive oil, following the direction of the large intestine - up from the lower right, across under the ribs and down to the lower left - gently.

Taking turns to be the one that gets up at night canhelp to ensure that one of you gets a night's sleep.

HTH

Hi Pevie
I smiled when I read your post. Iam a mum with the same problem. My d is 5 months old and has all the same problems as you listed above. We have been to see consultant paediatrician and were given infant gaviscon and omezrapole. Also we are on specialist milk neocate and nothing works. Done the Dr Browns bottles, massage, cranial massage,physiotheraphy etc. At wits end. Today just had x ray and waiting for PH/bariunm and ultra sound to be done in next few weeks. At 1st they thought it was mill allergy or colic, now they are saying it could also be silent reflux but in reality still not really sure. I keep saying the same thing if she has reflux why isnt the medication working. Also she is getting into the habit of screaming full throttle. I have been told to wean her early to see if it helps. Iam really worried that after all these tests what if they still dont know. Then what. We lived for the originally 12 weeks when they said colic would go. But there seems not end in sight . We love her till the ends of the earth but it is really affecting our whole lives.
Its just nice to know that Im not on my own, some one else understands. Hope u get it sorted.

DD had silent reflux and was prescribed ranitidine and domperidone - the domperidone was the miracle worker for us, that and changing her formula to Omneo Comfort (as recommended by someone here, I vaguely remember) - I know that you're bf-ing, but thought I'd throw in the info anyway.

She was still windy, but it settled down very well once she was on the domperidone, which takes a few days to kick in.

DD had a dicky tum from day 1, I bf to begin with but soon found that I couldn't eat anything even mildly spicy/garlicky without it having big repercussions in her bowels. I was advised to stop bf-ing at 8 weeks because she was badly jaundiced (it was the middle of winter - wish I'd found MN then!) and when we went onto formula that was the beginning of 3 months of Hell.

The medication and change of formula calmed everything down a lot and she was able to sleep lying down (bliss!) but then when I began to wean her (at 6 months), it became apparent that she couldn't stomach gluten, because her tum became so hard and distended after the tiniest amount of baby cereal, that I took her straight off it and we didn't try again with it til she was about 14 months, by which time she had no problems. I seriously believe she was born with an immature digestive system and couldn't cope with anything too difficult.

It does get better. I'm not sure I've been any help here, but you have my sympathy