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Original poster

Does anyone recognise this behaviour? (Video clips of DS)

52 replies

BritishBeef · 28/10/2007 13:02

Some of you may be aware of my post on the Feeding forum - see here for background.

Basically our 5 week old DS is very unsettled and sleeps about 5 hours in 24. He is now FF and we have been to GP and are currently trying him on Colief.

Here are a few video clips of the problems we are experiencing - do they ring any bells with anyone here?:

Video 1: The 'gulp/squeak noise' - This noise seems to often precede DS being unsettled. Especially after feeding or being put down in the cot at night after he's fallen asleep. Does anyone recognise this sound?

Video 1

Video 2: Unsettled/crying - This is how DS usually is after a feed. This is often accompianied by him thrashing his head from side to side. Often the only way to stop it is to stand up and walk around with him in an upright position.

Video 2

Video 3: Waking after being put down in cot - This is how he usually is after he's just been put down in the cot after finally falling asleep in my arms after a night feed following video 2. He does this for up to 5 minutes then will wake up.

Video 3

OP posts:

omeN666 · 28/10/2007 14:25

Is there a baby massage course in your area?? Can be great help with wind. contact your local sure start.

Slacker · 28/10/2007 14:28

Bristol Craniosacral Centre Dom Ker has been recommended to me but would be worth you trying any of them IMO, one session could make all the difference.

Original poster

BritishBeef · 28/10/2007 15:16

There's cranial osteopathy available where I live. Is there any reason why I shouldn't try them?
Walnut Grove Clinic

OP posts:

bunnyhunny · 28/10/2007 15:31

ahhh what a cutie!
video 3 is the startle reflex thing in his sleep. ds did this, and it used to wake him up, so we swaddled him. They can't excape from the miraqcle blanket btw. But if he doesnt like swaddling, then maybe he'll just get used to it?

ds was also hard to wind, so we used to wind him by sitting him on our knee, holding his chest and bringing it around in a circle so his waist was kind of wiggling. iyswim

and we used to tilt the head of his cot up so he wouldnt get reflux. apparently its common as the valve at the top of the stomach isn't that strong in young babies so food often comes up again...

hth

macdoodle · 28/10/2007 16:34

My bet as a medic is reflux and your GP is on right track a trial of gaviscon infant sachets will tell soon enough - if it helps then its reflux if it doesn't then probably not though there are stronger meds...
Cranio osteoptah please avoid - quacks why on earth would it help - NO evidence at all and bet she had lots of suggestions to keep you going back at what £30-40 a pop preying on desperate parents thats what that is!!!!!

Original poster

BritishBeef · 28/10/2007 18:33

I think we may try the Miracle blanket. Is it Houdini proof though?

OP posts:

DumbledoresGirl · 28/10/2007 18:41

Get your hv to show you again how to swaddle. I think parents often don't do it firmly enough. It is a very tight wrap IIRC.

I think he has wind problems myself but I am no expert, just another mother. Have you tried winding him by sitting him on your lap, holding him under the armpits with one hand and gently rubbing his back with the other? That was a very effective way of winding our youngest child.

MeMySonAndI · 28/10/2007 18:52

Just read the OP but I have a question for you, does anything in his breathing makes you think of Darth Vader? can you hear him from another room?

DettaJnr · 28/10/2007 19:03

I would definitely second the osteopath. It worked really well with all three of mine but especially DD2.

She was a c section and osteo felt that she had a crick in her neck also. She was snuffly, couldn't suck on a soother, has sticky eye and terrible colic. She only held her head one way and appeared to have no neck but after one treatment was a completely different baby.

Give it a try. You have nothing to lose.

Original poster

BritishBeef · 28/10/2007 19:18

MeMySonAndI: He sometimes sounds like Darth Vader yes and many other strange things too. You can definately hear him in another room. Why do you ask?

OP posts:

Elibean · 28/10/2007 19:34

Curious too...

My dd sounds like Darth Vader/squeaky door. She has a floppy larynx (laryngomalacia) and 80% of babies with that, also have reflux. At least.

LadyTophamHatt · 28/10/2007 19:46

I always had a magic winding trick with my 4.

Hold him under the arms so that his body is hanging freely and very gently wobble him from the chest down. Kind of in circular movemnets. Just time one, his head/shoulder don't need to be moving.

Thsi always released the wind with mine and after a few patts on the back they would do a lovely big burp.

Also try sitting him on one knee, raise the other leg and lean him against your other knee/leg, with his arms over your leg. Rub/patt hisback, quite firmly. IME if you pat to gently the wind won't come up.

I'm not saying wallop the poor little thing but harder than a tap IYSWIM.

Now, the only bells your videos ring with me are the ones attached invisibly to my overies making me reallllllly broody!! He's gorgeuos!!!

Heated · 28/10/2007 19:46

Don't know if you've tried it, but both Infacol (in a dropper) and Dentinox worked in helping bringing up wind.

Aldo are you putting your lo in a warmed cot at night as that can also help? Used to warm ds' cot with a hot water bottle and he used to sleep on dh's old t-shirt so had a comforting smell as well.

He's gorgeous btw!

MeMySonAndI · 28/10/2007 21:21

I was asking because that's how DS sounded, he had Laryngomalacia (floppy larynx). Aparently the Darth Vader's breathing is quite common between babies with Laryngomalacia.

I found your other thread (about baby feeding for ages at a time) quite shocking, basically because you were describing our problems with DS to the letter. Wonder if they are related... does he squeaks loudly while being BF?

Elibean · 28/10/2007 21:27

MeMySonandI, see my post below....my dd is exactly the same. And the ENT team at the hospital that diagnosed dd's laryngomalacia said they treat ALL babies with it for reflux automatically, as most of them have it and the reflux makes the laryngeal problems worse.

So any Darth Vader babies may well have reflux, on that basis...

peggotty · 28/10/2007 21:28

Just wanted to add - be careful with the gaviscon as it can cause constipation in babies, and I noticed in your other thread you've had some problems with him being constipated. Infant gaviscon is not actually an antacid, it only forms a sort of 'barrier' on top of the stomach contents, to supposedly keep them down.

MeMySonAndI · 28/10/2007 21:32

Hi Elibean. DS had surgery at 5 months to correct the problem, and after that was when the reflux really hit us. I remember that time as an endless repetition of the following: Baby wake up from his nap, change nappy and apply emollients for eczema, feed him (for an hour), keep him sitting up so he didn't bring all the milk back (for another hour), change nappy, apply emollients, let baby have a 2 hrs nap and repeat the sequence... some times 6-8 times a day.

MeMySonAndI · 28/10/2007 21:33

BTW Gaviscon only made the constipation problems DS already had far worse, hence the sitting up after his milk.

oops · 28/10/2007 21:36

Message withdrawn

Elibean · 28/10/2007 21:38

Ditto with the Gaviscon.

MMSandI, that sounds pretty rough...I'm glad things are better now (or sound it, since you're talking in the past tense about it all!). dd's laryngomalacia is only moderate, but was enough to land her in HDU on CPap for a week at 4 weeks when she caught RSV bronchiolitis from her big sister. Very scary. She's still squeaky and refluxy at 11 months, though not a patch on last year

FunkyGlassSlipupandyouredead · 28/10/2007 21:38

Gorgeous baby.

I saw your feeding thread too. The first few weeks are so hard.

My DD2 was quite sicky at the start but would thrash about for seemingly no reason. She would also writhe around in what seemed like pain and there seemed nothing we could do other than walk around with her and cycle her legs and try winding. My preferred winding method was sitting them on your knee holding them under the chin and leaning them forward then rub in circles on the back, and pat quite hard.

Have you tried a crib or moses basket? He looks so tiny in the cot and I found my DD slept better in the basket as there wasnt so much room. She would put one arm out and lean her hand on the side of it.

It sounds like some people have experience of reflux. I dont I'm afraid so cant advise. What I can say is that my DD seemed to get through the 'pain' phase at about 8 weeks so her'es hoping for you.

Kalooooooooooooooooooo20 · 28/10/2007 21:40

he looks fine but for goodness sake swaddle him. The baby has been wrapped tight in your tummy for 9 months, and that's a big and un-cosy cot he's in. He can jerk himself away with involuntary movements as he has no control over his gross motor skills and nothing wrapped round him that smells familiar and milky and of you to help him stay soundly asleep.

Swaddle tighter. try using a moses basket too - I used the base of the pram (like an old fashioned carry cot, with a soft cotton blanket underneath a sheet for dd to lie on swaddled in a celular (sp?) blanket for the first 3 months.

The early days are such a worry, but he will be fine

MeMySonAndI · 28/10/2007 21:46

Ds is almost 5 years old now, so yes, we are past it. We also found out about the laryngomalacia after he ended up in hospital at 4 weeks with a cold.

BTW the other thing to check about laryngomalacia is the baby ribs, if they are very visible when he breathes even when he is not upset (like sleeping) chances are he also has it. This doesn't have to be continuous, we kept changing DS position until the airway was clearer (or the floppy part was out of the way I supose)

royKinnear · 28/10/2007 21:51

as a multiple baby motherer i SWEAR by swaddling and i do em TIGHT
people laugh when they see my babies wrapped but it works

FunkyGlassSlipupandyouredead · 28/10/2007 21:58

Yes, swaddling worked for us from about 6-8 weeks. Then not long after she discovered her thumb and has been a dream sleeper ever since.

Go with the swaddle. You dont need a fancy blanket either. See swaddle instructions here

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