Unsettled baby with tummy troubles. Tried everything. How many of you FINALLY got to the bottom of it?

[pevie]

Am posting this here and on health for maximum exposure so PLEASE reply if you can.

Have been on here so many times I should have shares in it. Anyway, am still at wits end. DD2 is now 9 mths old and has been unsettled since outset. Diagnosed as reflux initially and treated with gaviscon, ranitidine and omeprazole. None of these were miracle cure we hoped for, although the reflux symptoms (vomiting, screaming after feed, etc.) did lessen a little. However, she has had various other symptoms that have caused varying levels of discomfort including constipation, excessive wind, stomach cramping, sleep problems which are ongoing. They can lessen for a few days at at time and come back with a vengeance. Have tried dairy free on two occasions (including present time) as am bf but again no miraculous difference. Last time I was a bit hit or miss but this time round I have been fairly vigilant (apart from 1 or 2 minor chocolate lapses) for the past 6 weeks or so, unless I have unwittingly ate the odd thing. She got a little better initially but then it deteriorated again (although she was sick and hospitalised in the middle of this so not sure if it true reflection). My question to you is, did you have these troubles and did someone eventually find out what was wrong and help you or did you just have to wait it out (I know a few of you did) And before I finish, yes we have tried cranial osteopathy cos I know many of you swear by this, but after at least 3 attempts it did not help and in fact made it worse initially. Help please we feel so desperate.

can you afford a private appointment with a top paed as they may be prepared to think/try/test outside the box? Can they test for colieac (sp?) this young, have you tried going wheat free?

I really really really feel for you, been there it's horrid.

Cargirl, did call BUPA the other day in desperation but got confusing answer about going private. They said I need to get referral from GP, this seems wierd. Did you get to the bottom of yours or did it just go eventually?

hers was just acid reflux so we started on meds at 6 months and there was a massive improvement however she was well over a year before the random screaming in the night stopped (but was occasional etc) she has NEVER been a good sleeper until we took her back for cranial at the age of 4 which then worked very quickly.

So even when the meds were sorted it took time for everything to calm down.

I guess back to the gp and ask for a referral letter tell them you're prepared to go private if need be? Perhaps have a hunt on the internet for paeds who specialise in this area? Have you tried wheat free/had that ruled out?

just read what someone else has posted about pursuing help. I was too depressed to do that in the end to get proper medical help for her.

Speak to your HV they may be good/helpful yes I think you have to fight for urgent referral etc but they can't be in pain for no reason. It took 5 months for our paed appt, I was fobbed off by the registrar who was from a culture that is sexist. I was told she was overweight/obesse (errrr 95th centile for height and weight?????????) so i gave up although she was on improving on the gaviscon by then plus eating solids and not much milk etc.

BTW she is the funniest, happiest, liveiest 4 year old now a delight. She is absolutely worth it.

I guess the meds did help a little and we maybe expected too much. Reflux did get better. But her tummy still seems really pained at times. Had look on internet for wheat allergy and could find v.little infor.on babies and what there was didnt seem to fit her symptoms.

Have been referred to paediatrician in childrens hospital who has tried various tests although his attitude is generally unhelpful. He gets really annoyed if you ask things or suggest things.

presumably a baby can have reflux and acid reflux at the same time and it's the acidic reflux causing the pain. I was told that acid reflux cold come at any age and go again. I wonder if once the acid production calms down it will still take months for them to adapt to that plus the slightest poor food choice could be painful???

I really don't know but it did took a year probably from when she suddenly improved for all the screaming to completely do IYSWIM. I remember when she did finally nap (until she was medicated at 6 months she only slept 8 hours out of 24!!!!!!!! and that was a collapse through sheer exhaustion I think) she was always horrid when I woke her and used to have a bottle ready to give her!

I bf her until 6 months then switch to formula within a week of starting gaviscon because I couldn't get the gaviscon mixed with the water to get it into her. I'm a big bf supporter but perhaps it was the formula as much as the gaviscon that helped I just don't know. Also because I was returning to work and can't express and also I was just too depressed, tired and caved in to care (did I mention I really hated her at this point in time )

Thanks for responding cargirl. It seems from lack of replies that few people do have eureka experience of getting to bottom of it. Sounds like yours was even more extreme than ours. At moment she probably gets 11-12 hours all in and is quite demented at times from lack of sleep. She nearly always awakes after 30-35 mins in day and sometimes at night. What kind of pattern did your LO get into?

I wasn't onine last night. Hmmmm I struggle to remember her routine. The first few days or so she was irritable and didn't sleep well but the cranial seemed to help and sorted out her latch problems (something all of mine had) then for the next 6 weeks she woke fed and did little else, then the screaming and no napping started.

She didn't nap during the day at all, she would be drowsy/tired/exhausted I would put her to bed she would drop off to sleep and then wake up sometimes as soon as 10 mins screaming she would sit up and bring up loads of burps. I stopped trying to get her to sleep tbh it was pointless. In the evenings we would put her to bed 8/9ish and she would reapper several times until 11/12ish at which point she would sleep until 7ish.

After she was 6 months and started gaviscon she started to have a lunch time nap and go to bed at 7ish but would regularly wake in the evenings with trapped wind. It was almost like she needed to relax to burp then she would lay back down quite happily.

During the day to stop the screaming I would let her hang in the baby bouncer - it was a fisher price aeroplane one so her tummy would lean on the front plastic bar or carry her on my hip facing outwards with my arm on her tummy. When Dh came home his job was to carry her and give me a break! She didn't learn to sit independently until she was 11 months old - she was heavy enough to move car seats at about 8 months but had to wait until she could sit!

Pevie, my ds had silent reflux (was on gaviscon, ranitidine and domperidone) and I tried a dairy free diet for him. It wasn't a miracle cure but it did help. Anyway, if your baby is very sensitive to dairy, it's really important that you don't have any at all for at least 2-3 weeks. Kellymom has a list of "hidden" dairy ingredients here so you need to check the back of all packets very carefully, eg I found some bread contained milk products. And digestive biscuits unfortunately! I made my own fairy cakes using stork pastry margarine, which is dairy free, to lessen the pain.

Really hard to do I know with sleep deprivation and small people to look after, but if you're going to do it I think you need to do it properly otherwise you might be depriving yourself for no reason.

more info from kellymom on food sensitivity If you scroll down there are resources on dairy free or elimination diets. Good luck