Is there something wrong (silent reflux/colic) or is he just being a baby?

[AlZi]

Hi! I have a 9 week old baby boy. Overall he is a healthy and happy baby.

Just wondering if anyone else has experienced this:

At night I breastfeed him to sleep, let him sleep on me for a while and then put him in his bed. He stays fast asleep, hardly makes a sound or a movement. Sleeps for 4 hours or so then wakes up for a feed. He usually falls asleep while breastfeeding and I let him sleep on me for a while again - just to make sure he’s fast asleep. However. Within 5 minutes of putting him in his bed he starts squirming, grunting, pulling his knees up to his chest (sometimes farting but doesn’t seem to settle him) etc but seems to be asleep. Eventually he does wake up though. I breastfeed him again, he falls asleep on me and sleeping very quietly (usually lying on his side or tummy) but as soon as he’s put back in bed (on his back) the squirming etc starts again. I just find it strange that the first sleep he’s fine, the next ones he seems to struggle.

He is exclusively breastfed - I drink fennel tea and take probiotics to (hopefully) help with his tummy. Anyways, just wanted to see if anyone else has experienced this and if there’s anything I can do about it?

Just to note he doesn’t cry during this whole process, and doesn’t seem to be in pain - maybe just uncomfortable. I know babies are noisy sleepers

He sounds like a normal baby with wind to me?

I think babies like to know where you are all the time. The first deep sleep, they're zonked out, after that its a lighter sleep, and they're able to keep tabs on you.

The squirming, grunting and knees to chest does sound like wind, though. Can you sit him up up to wind him without him waking up?

Wind or just a normally baby who wants to be cuddled.

No he tends to wake up 😞

Ah. Feeding does seem to alleviate wind though, or takes their minds off it. I gave up trying to put mine down in the second half of the night and co-slept, I was desperate to sleep in the end.

Yeah maybe I’ll just do that! Thanks xx

No worries. Congratulaions, btw

It sounds like typical rubbish digestive systems that babies have at this age. Its normal yet annoying but it's something they usually grow out of. They also seem to sleep more deeply the first part of the night so maybe they aren't as bothered by it.

They’re just a bit crap at digesting for the first few weeks. You could give him probiotics direct, that helped my second. But also they just grow out of it about 12 weeks.

Sounds normal. Probably needs winding (I know some people say bf babies don't need winding but not my experience at all with bf-ing both my dc!).

Thanks all! It’s my first baby so I’m just super anxious about every little thing 😂

Try to keep him on you/avoid laying him flat for a little while after feeding. I had two babies who hated being laid flat, especially after a feed. My first DS did what you described loads. My second didn't at all, but we kept him upright as much as physically possible after feeding.

Yeah I try to do that as much as possible. Just don’t know how to burp him when he’s fast asleep without waking him!?

I have a 3 week old (my second baby) who is the same. He is bottle fed, takes a bottle and falls asleep straight away on me. The second I put him down he wakes, fusses and cries and acts like he is hungry. It goes between 8-12 pm so a typical witching hour. During the day he sleeps lovely. Just normal baby behaviour, I sympathise with you and I wish us both a good night sleep tonight :) you (just like me) must be wrecked but it shall pass, everything with babies is only a phase

Our 9 week old does very similar. I agree with previous comments re sleeping more deeply for the first half of the night then light sleep second half. When she wakes in the middle of the night I feed, wind, nappy change if needed then feed again and then put her down. The restlessness usually starts once in her basket so I pick her up after 10 mins or so if she hasn't settled (occasionally she does) and wind again, then feed again, and then put her back down with her dummy in. This seems to do the trick most nights 🤞 I think it is a mixture of wind and just sleeping more lightly, but the combo of winding and feeding (which helps with discomfort) seems to help.

Yeah silent reflux is more arching their back, distress when feeding. Sounds normal - try to keep upright after a feed even if asleep before putting them down

He does that sometimes (arching back etc) during the witching hour but most of the time feeds calmly.

Unfortunately my little boy does not take a dummy 😞

I guess I’ll just try winding him more!

I could have written this about my four week old. The first half of the night I put him in his crib but the second part, after a feed, he sleeps propped up against me in a more upright position.

He sleeps, I don’t really because it’s like having a miniature baby dinosaur next to you- limbs, squirming, grunting.

Also.. how upright is upright? When I feed him I try to told him so that his head is higher than his belly. Is that upright enough for when he’s finished feeding or do I have to change his position so him holding him totally upright?

It’s because he’s on his back. Babies HATE it because it’s not a good position for them in evolutionary terms. It’s safest in terms of SIDS of course.
For my second baby, she literally could not sleep on her back. She would cry within 5 mins of being put down every single time.
We had to sleep her on her tummy with the paediatrician’s blessing.

Op I am propped up on a pregnancy pillow. So I’m pretty uptight and the baby is sort of nestled in a slightly reclined sitting position leaning back on me, at my side with my arm supporting him. Yeah the Lullaby Trust would probably have a fit but he can’t go anywhere, I can’t roll, he can’t flop forward from that position and there’s nothing obstructing his face. Plus I’m only dozing not conked out so I’d be aware if anything was to happen. He’s safe like that.