Is this colic or is something very wrong?

[Sprinklerainbows]

Sooo… second baby, 5 weeks old, a DREAM for the first 2 weeks (some feeding and poo issues… I’ll come back to this), week 3 screaming whenever awake essentially. Much worse in the evening pretty much constant between 6-10/11pm.

she’s a breastfed baby but will scream on the boob, her latch deffo isn’t perfect (clicking when feeding) I hear her gulp air, and she chokes on the strong let down. It’s pretty traumatic she just is inconsolable on the boob. So I started pumping and giving her a bottle, seems to have helped somewhat but will still come off the bottle and cry.

she has always pooed every 3-4 days after the first week. She farts CONSTANTLY and looks like she’s trying to poo but only tiny stains on the nappy. She does occasionally have extreme blowouts where there’s just PILES of poo. Some is even slightly firmer, as if it’s been in there a while. most days she seems in pain and will bring her knees up and tense (while crying I will add 🤣)

the health visitor was completely unhelpful as I expected and said it’s all perfectly normal… but I did arrange for myself to be seen at the breastfeeding clinic.

so does this sound like colic? or is something actually wrong? I don’t know if I should be pushing for more help etc!

I so feel your pain!! Please see my post that I posted just a little while before you. 2nd baby too. No advice to offer, just solidarity. Hoping things improve for us both soon x

I think colour and consistancy of poo may be relevant here.
I had 3 all EBF, I seem to remember that the rules around poo went - some will poo once every 5 days, some will poo 5 times per day, either is fine as long as it is right colour and consistancy?

If not then there may be some milk intolerance going on?

I'm so sorry to hear that you're going through this. We had the same with our DD - started from week 3, she had excessive gas that was painful to pass. It really affected her sleep as it would constantly wake her up. The poor thing would be climbing the walls in pain and we were at our wits end not knowing how to soothe her. We tried everything - comfort formula, infacol, gripe water. She was tested for CMPA too but that was negative. What actually worked for us were probiotics. I was sceptical at first, seeing as nothing I had read mentioned them for colic (and I had spent HOURS online looking for a cure). But within 2 days of taking them, we had a happy baby. The crying reduced dramatically and she was just comfortable and at ease. It was like night and day. We ordered Optibac from Amazon and it came the next day. I'd definitely recommend trying them. Good luck!

@Emmaflo oh bless you. I read your post, sounds awful! It’s so so hard 😭 sending hugs x

@steppemum thank you I didn’t know about the poo thing. Colour is deffo fine, consistency can we like water (and shoot out her bum across the room) or like toothpaste, very thick!

my son had cmpa so I do wonder…

@CurlyChoi thank you, I’m going to order the probiotics now because literally anything is worth a go at this point!! X

Every 5 days for a bf baby is fine after the first 6 weeks. If you can afford it I would start with a private lactation consultant and then consider allergies.

I’ve just seen your comments about older sibling with cmpa. I would consider going dairy and soya free.

My daughter was just like this and had multiple allergies and reflux. She would SCREAM all evening, feeds were a nightmare and she was really constipated. I would definitely look into it being an allergy, especially if you already have one that had CMPA. Sending lots of solidarity!

Sounds to me like she isn’t latching on well and so is gulping in too much air and making her tummy full of wind. Has she been checked for a tongue tie? X

@Summerishereagain that’s what the nhs website seemed to say. That before 6 weeks it should be about twice a day!? I asked the HV about it and she said up to 10 days is normal!? So conflicting!

I think I will cut the dairy. My son got very ill with cmpa but very different symptoms!

@UtterlyTerrified1 oh god sounds very similar. I forgot to mention in the post she’s very sicky too…
deffo considering cmpa being a cause

@HarrietStyles yes I’m deffo going to ask at the feeding clinic about tongue tie. No one’s looked as of yet

Unfortunately some HV are very uniformed about bf.

This screams cmpa and tongue tie to me.
I'd do what you're doing with going to the clinic and seeing about that first then see how it goes after that then explore cmpa.
Both mine had cmpa very different symptoms but my second sounds more like this and also had a tongue tie. Was reacting to breastmilk also so now ff. With tongue tie still struggled to feed effectively with a bottle but this was cut and no issues since

@Summerishereagain yeah I’ve definitely come to realise this 🫠

@Princesspeachee hmmm that’s interesting I’ll definitely ask when I go to the clinic… in a way I hope it’s that as I can actually help her!

Clicking when feeding is classic tongue tie. Are you sore? You might have allergy issues too (also 2nd baby, 4 weeks, older sibling with cmpa and questioning allergies. I would check the tongue tie first though

@Whentwobecomesthree oh that’s interesting. She does have a lip blister too so I know for sure her latch is terrible but weirdly I’m not sore… I do have tough nipples though because I only recently stopped feeding my son at 2 🤣

@Sprinklerainbows make sure you get the tongue tie checked by an actual tongue tie practitioner. I got told in hospital, no tongue tie and it was so obviously tied that it was connected at the very tip. Cut privately at day 6 and instant relief for my nipples! And no more clicking

Clicking while feeding and taking in air, causing loads of wind, are classic signs of a tongue tie. I struggled with breasted DS2 as well. The GP, midwife and health visitor all told me there was no tongue tie. I still wasn’t convinced so I paid to see a lactation consultant who was also a tongue tie practitioner, and she found a posterior tongue tie. Definitely get this checked.

Haven't read the full thread, but have you had them checked for tongue tie?

You have described my now 6month old who had their posterior tongue toe cut at 16 weeks. They were dropping weight, noticed at their 8 week check - is your DC putting on weight ok? Had to top up with formula and when I started doing that they went from poo'ing once every 5/6days to everyday.

They basically weren't able to remove milk from me efficiently!

Also my first also had CMPA, again different symptoms.

This one definitely doesn't! I would rule out TT first. Also ditto another poster the NHS told me they didn't have a TT so I paid privately!

Look at CMPA and other allergies

HV here - also a BF lead. It could well be a TT with all that wind and clicking. How has her weight gain been?

They say bowel movements slow after 6 weeks but in my personal opinion, a baby should be going at least every other day at this age. It is normal for EBF poos to be loose.

When bottle feeding are you pace feeding?

Hang in there, OP. I've fed through two CMPA babies - I feel your pain. sadly it is known that if you've had one with it you are more likely to have another with it. You may find though once you've sorted the positioning and attachment that the symptoms disappear and it may not be CMPA.