Help - newborn constant crying

[SophNx]

So my baby is now 7 weeks. All she seems to do is cry and be in discomfort. I can give her a bottle, check she has a clean nappy and also make sure she has naps and she still cries just is so unhappy. basically when she is awake all she does is cry or squirms.

I’ve been to the GP been prescribed Gaviscon and felt like it made no difference so went back and talked about possible CMPA, GP seemed to think it could be an option due to the rash on her face. We’ve been given Aptamil Pepti 1. My baby has gone from drinking 4oz bottle to 2/2.5 oz bottles! She’s drinking the small amount but is clearly not a fan. Also she seems in MORE discomfort drinking it than the last milk. We’ve been using the new formula for two whole days. I wondered if anyone had any experience, I wondered how long this took to work and kick in?

I honestly feel like I’m going mad. she is sick after some feed so possibly reflux but how bad does she have reflux? She’s putting on weight not lots but gp not worried. she does always look like something is bothering her but she doesn’t mind being lied on her back??

any advice or help? We’ve tried infacol, Colief etc x

Tongue tie? Sounds like my first born who had a tongue tie and it caused reflux and wind issues (bottle fed) nhs are shit with bottle fed babies so I'd recommend looking for a qualified private practitioner near you who can give an assessment. Also, some find woo but osteopath helped visibly with my incredibly fussy/crying first born in conjunction with tongue snip; many tongue snip clinics recommend it to ease muscle tension following procedure. Muscle tensions etc from birth can cause babies lots of pain. I really sympathise it is incredibly draining, you sound like a really lovely mum trying so much to help.

also, if it is CMPA (and I would investigate tongue tie first) then the pepti is likely not what you need. You would need to go back and demand a fully amino formula like neocate or SMA alfamino. These taste rank but alfamino is least bad. The CMPA Facebook group is brilliant and so helpful.

Final post as I really feel for you and thought of more to say 😂 7 weeks is prime time for baby acne which can be a really angry rash on the face, it was so bad for my second that I thought he had CMPA but it went away around 10 weeks. If baby doesn't have any dodgy poo symptoms or rash spreading over the body then I would be tempted to go back to the formula she will drink while investigating tongue tie or muscle tension. My baby that did have CMPA had a rash across face, chest, back, green watery poo, terrible wind and vomiting. Could never be put down or laid on back.

@birkenstockbabe thanks so much for your reply. I do not think it is tounge tie she never keeps her tounge in it’s always in and out of her mouth, plus she fed well on her other milk. Thanks for your help though I’m not convinced cmpa either x

Thanks for your help though I’m not convinced cmpa either

What makes you think it's not CMPA @SophNx? Doesn't she have any of these symptoms?

My son was so like this, I used to think unless he’s sleeping or eating he’s crying. He had silent reflux and we put him on omeprozole which helped so much, but time has been the best thing (sorry I hated hearing this but it really does go quickly). I think by 3 month he was significantly better. The worst of it was over by 10 weeks from memory!

This was what the feeding team said about my daughter but now she is 3 and has more tongue control that is a clear tie. It's not bad but I don't know if it would have improved our reflux experience when she was a baby.

Speak to the Dr about a different formula you might need an amino acid formula. The most commonly prescribed are neocate and alfamino. In some places you have to try a second hydrolysed formula. There are 2 proteins in dairy some formula break down caesin and some breakdown whey and if they will be affected depends on if they are allergic to caesin, whey or both. An amino acid formula is completely dairy free.

Reflux babies can overfed and milk soothes the reflux but then triggers more reflux so they want more milk. In a vicious cycle. So this might be why their volumes have dropped. Something to watch out for as you investigate formulas is some are very thin and can trigger reflux if given without a thicker

My daughter has pretty bad and stubborn reflux. It was under better control once I removed her allergies from my diet, used gaviscon as a thicker as well as lactulose for the associated constipation and omperazole. We ended up on domperidone later which got up to symptom free for a while before growth spurt triggered a relapse and keeping it under control has been a continued battle since but she is definitely not the norm in being like this.

You’re not alone! This was us and after 5 very challenging months of trying everything we had a tongue tie cut and that’s what made the difference. If you can pay to get a local IBLC to check for one I would highly recommend as GPs and midwives etc are not qualified to diagnose them.

other common things to try;

• changing from gaviscon to omeprazole which is stronger
• baby massage
• cranial osteopathy which many people seem to find revolutionary but didn’t work for us
• infacol/ gripe water
• CMPA but you’d need to try the new milk for at least 2 weeks to see if there’s an improvement

are there any other symptoms at all? When I looked back we had other symptoms of a tongue tie such as very gassy and clicking when feeding.

Babies can have underdeveloped stomach muscles - when you lie them flat they get acid burn which is why they cry - coupled with wind.

Make sure you never lie the baby flat - use a towel under the mattress - cushion for nappy changes - use a car seat or bouncy chair.

Have you noticed they sleep better head above stomach?