Born August 2013 - the heatwave babies!

[FoofFighter]

I have had a look and cannot see another thread is the last few pages but if there is someone please tell me and will get MNHQ to delete this one!

I can empathise too ditsy we are having real problems with our son. He has a lot of wind and is bringing nearly every feed back up (breastfeeds and top ups of formula/ebm). I thought breastfed babies were supposed to suffer less from wind but even before reintroducing 30ml formula top ups he has been distressed, screaming, going red and holding himself rigid after every feed .

I feel like we are flailing, trying to wind him and ease his pain without much success. The 2 GPs I have took him to say there is nothing wrong, but again haven't seen him really upset, just annoyed at being stripped to his nappy. My boyfriend thinks there is nothing wrong and people shouldn't be worrying me saying there is. The truth is my parents are very grounded, not hysterical at all and both say something is wrong and he's in pain. My mum says she has never known a baby scream so much and she has dealt with me as a baby who had colic, grandchildren with silent reflux etc.

I feel useless, like I can't do anything to help him. He brings some milk up straightaway after a feed, but ages later as well and we can hear his stomach gurgling as the milk hits it. He seems to burp right away but is in pain until he pumps. Does anybody with more experience have any ideas what the problem could be? We have been using colief and Dr Brown bottles for his top ups, infacol before breastfeeds and my brother bought us gripe water saying it really helped my niece.

Trenchcoat it sounds like he could have reflux from what you are describing. Poor little man (and poor you!). Have the GPs suggested trying something like infant gaviscon?

Is he gaining weight with all his vomiting?

Sympathy to others who have also had disturbed and unsettled nights.

bakingabubba the Health Visitor has been today and has phoned down for a GP to prescribe some infant Gaviscon for possible reflux. If that doesn't work (she said you can normally tell quite quickly) she will arrange for a paediatrician to look at him before the weekend to look him over and possibly prescribe ranitidine or similar. I am so relieved, hopefully we are on our way to a happier more settled baby.

He has gained 6oz in 6 days so I am really pleased he has gained despite the vomiting. He is gaining slowly, has dropped 2 percentiles from birth but we have had other feeding problems as well.

Trenchcoat Sounds like what we're experiencing - which is reflux. Had a week on infant gaviscon, but it is making him horribly constipated, so he's screaming in pain, but for a different reason. Much less vomiting though...

My son gained 11.5oz in 13 days, so was still gaining despite epic vomiting.

It's not fun, but with right meds, it is manageable.

DD is suffering from wind too, not all the time but quite alot. She poops fine but can struggle to bring wind up, this then means she becomes really sicky. We then get into a cycle of feed-scream-sick-feed until she tires out & sleeps for a bit, but then will cry loudly every now & then for a couple of seconds in her sleep. Just been & got some infacol, fingers crossed...

Glad you are getting some help from your HV/GP trenchcoat. The gaviscon is quite good - and there are other meds you can have as well if its not enough on its own. Reflux is horrid but the good news is that it does get better as they grow and usually more or less disappears once they can sit (appreciate this feels like decades of time away...!). Other things that may help are raising the head end of the Moses basket/cot (put some big books under the bottom of the Moses or cot feet). Not a guaranteed fix but may help a little?

Good luck - I really feel for you and your little one. Horrid reflux!

Another awful night, my only ray of light is my partner taking the baby through the night to give him his top up so letting me rest. This will have to stop when he goes back to work next week . People keep saying to me it will get better, he will settle. I can't wait!

I breastfed baby at 2am and was still up with him at 4 (when he was due another feed!). Had to change him twice, and change the sheets after he was sick despite waiting half an hour to put him down. He wouldn't settle, and then started screaming in pain. It is breaking my heart seeing him like this. He is so distressed. He had already had a dose of Gaviscon earlier so couldn't have another yet.

After the battle I have had with continuing breastfeeding, I am starting to fantasise about stopping. It would mean other people could help me more. The only thing stopping me at the moment is thinking formula may make him worse if it is harder to digest, although he cries and screams after drinking my breastmilk too.

Foof and those with experience of reflux, does your little one scream and arch their back during feeding? My son doesn't, the problems come after a feed, and a lot of it seems to be wind relieved by pumping. I am questioning if it could be lactose intolerance.

Well after 2 weeks of being a mummy to Henry I have finally found time to come and join you lot! The last 2 weeks seem to have flown by in a daze with visitors/ visiting/ appointments etc now we're trying to get into a routine which has been a bit of a struggle I am formula feeding and sometimes he goes 4hrs on 4 oz and other times he wants 2ozs every 2 hrs. He is another little one who refuses to bring up all his wind and is obviously in agony when he holds it back.
Overall hes a pleasure though and is very alert and strong already holding his head up and finding his feet.
As for me my episiotomy is healing well (so I'm told) but my tear is smarting every now and then, hoping it eases soon as my DH is now back at work and I can't rely on him during working hours.
Anyway off to feed my little man catch up soon!

hi trenchcoat sorry to hear of your tough night, pretty rubbish here to DH went up at 11.30 and came down at 5am to me in floods of tears feeling like a totally useless mummy! I got no sleep, it was just an endless cycle of feeding, unsuccessful winding, squirming and screaming nappy changes. just like u, max feeds ok but just does not settle over night...any helpful tips anyone? hopefully I'll build up my energy today with DS1 at nursery x

Nice to see u joining us liane
shentok have u tried swaddling baby before u put him down? It helps my dd settle, think its the warm snugness.

Trench (((hugs)))

DD doesn't arch her back during a feed no, what typically happens is that as soon as she starts feeding the gurgling tummy starts,, she will happily take a feed although I suspect she has a lip tie or tongue tie that affects her grip on the teat :/ and makes her come off "the latch" a lot - will ask HV this week to check - then after she burps (we don't wind her just sit her upright and let it do it itself as vigourous winding can agitate reflux I read - then if we lay her down too fast (and sometimes even if we dont) she'll start gasping and grunting and coughing and sneezing and hiccuping and bringing up milk (not full vomits hence the silent part of the reflux)

She has gaviscon in 6 feeds a day (what have they told you to give?) and coleif in them all too. I think she has a touch of milk intolerance too as the colief made a big change when we started on that alone and it's job is to start digesting the lactose.

if you're not happy get a second opinion. one of the other due daters boys had what they probably thought was wind/colic but turned out to be pyloric stenosis and needed an operation.

Shentok, make sure your DH is taking some of the strain too, especially if he is off on paternity leave

Trench coat, my DD1 had terrible reflux. We moved her onto Aptimil Comfort and it made a real difference. It's much thicker so would stay down better.

We bought a wedge for her moses basket and kept her upright at least 30 mins after each feed.

I found it very hard but it isn't their fault and I had to remind myself of that all the time. As soon as we moved onto solids it really helped.

DD2 is still very windy but we are 2 weeks into using infacol and now have newborn slow teats. We are also trying to learn her cries.

I highly recommend The Baby Whisperer book. Ive beenrreading it again and I forgot how good it is.

ijustwore and shentok sorry you both had a bad time last night. My night with DD wasn't great, but nowhere near as bad as Sunday night. Luckily, DD doesn't appear to suffer from reflux, although she can be very windy - sometimes shooting poo across the room during nappy changes (yuck). Maybe it's something I'm eating.
foof was it you that was using cloth nappies? How's it all going? We're pretty impressed with the ones we're using, and have not found the extra washing to be too much of a problem.
shentok I would second purpledana's advice re the swaddling. It was the only way we could get our baby to sleep in the first 2 or 3 weeks. After that, she decided to be a bit of an escapologist - managing to get out of the swaddle then getting cold - so we have now moved onto the baby sleeping bags.
Congratulations liane on the arrival of Henry - hope you're both well.

I should add, I noticed that Aptimil now also have a special Aptimil Reflux formula -it didn't exist when DD1 was born 3 years ago.

hi Ditsy, yes we are cloth bums :) what are you using and how are you finding them? We've got loads of different types, mostly preloved ones - am rating the Lollipop microfibre ones, the ebay chinese cheapy pockets boosted with a bamboo or hemp insert along with the microfibre one they come with(waiting on a new Star Wars one coming!!), the tots bots flexitots and prefolds, and wraps wise, can't beat Motherease ones, although the patterns are a bit crap

We use the 2 parter boring ones for nights and the funky ebay pockets for the days.

Washing isn't any trouble either, 5 mins to load up, ten mins to unload and peg out, and I LOVE seeing a line of them flapping in the sunshine :)

we're using washable wipes too which againa ren't any troupble laundering wise, just bought a load of baby flannels from Poundland and cut up some Tesco Value microfibre cloths, then have a plastic tub to hold them in and squirt over a solution of a half pint or so of water (some people use herb teas), tsp grapeseed oil, tsp burts baby bees wash and 3 drops tea tree oil - much prefer them to disposable wipes as the rough sides get poop off far better.

I've made a load of fleece liners for the nappies too out of a 10yo fleece blanket, so even if the nappy is sodden (which it should be!) her skin is dry to the touch, it's like magic!! I hear for the winter that you can also just use the nappy and not bother with a wrap, just put a fleece babygro on over the top, again magic!

hi Ditsy, yes we are cloth bums :) what are you using and how are you finding them? We've got loads of different types, mostly preloved ones - am rating the Lollipop microfibre ones, the ebay chinese cheapy pockets boosted with a bamboo or hemp insert along with the microfibre one they come with(waiting on a new Star Wars one coming!!), the tots bots flexitots and prefolds, and wraps wise, can't beat Motherease ones, although the patterns are a bit crap

We use the 2 parter boring ones for nights and the funky ebay pockets for the days.

Washing isn't any trouble either, 5 mins to load up, ten mins to unload and peg out, and I LOVE seeing a line of them flapping in the sunshine :)

we're using washable wipes too which againa ren't any troupble laundering wise, just bought a load of baby flannels from Poundland and cut up some Tesco Value microfibre cloths, then have a plastic tub to hold them in and squirt over a solution of a half pint or so of water (some people use herb teas), tsp grapeseed oil, tsp burts baby bees wash and 3 drops tea tree oil - much prefer them to disposable wipes as the rough sides get poop off far better.

I've made a load of fleece liners for the nappies too out of a 10yo fleece blanket, so even if the nappy is sodden (which it should be!) her skin is dry to the touch, it's like magic!! I hear for the winter that you can also just use the nappy and not bother with a wrap, just put a fleece babygro on over the top, again magic!

shentok that's just how it feels, a cycle of feeding, winding, sitting upright, changing and he is still always sick despite his basket being on an incline. It is so hard, I keep focusing on a point where it all falls into place.

He is just so unhappy after feeds, but at other times he is happy and alert and I feel I can enjoy him.

Foof yes I think my son has a tie too, maybe posterior though everybody who looks says not as he can get his tongue over his lip . He is the same with the gurgling tummy and he has lots of wind. Burps right away when sat up, then he'll posset but be sick again a few times later, gets lots of hiccups. He often starts with the pained crying which could be reflux or trapped wind. I am wondering if it could be lactose intolerance.

This morning was full on projectile vomiting, yet since then he has been fine. I want to see a paediatrician and my HV said she could arrange this but don't know if they'll think I'm time wasting! At my parent's today I fed him and my dad gave him a bottle of EBM he did a little burp and slept for 90 minutes...

Argh. Gaviscon, despite being on a TINY dose, has given my poor weeman such terrible constipation that the reflux screaming would be preferable... Back to GP I think.

Gave an impromptu cloth nappy demo at HV clinic this morning. Up to 7lb9oz now! Actually fitting some of the smaller OS nappies and size 1s instead of premie nappies! Yay!

Ditto the constipation from Gaviscon, back to the drawing board for us too.

I feel like my baby is in pain and I just keep getting told how well I am doing . I am not doing well, he is not doing well. Going to stop the Gaviscon for the time being I think.

The only place he slept last night was in my arms between mega feeds, I don't know if I'm doing him more harm than good . First time parent and feeling suc a failure.

Trenchcoat You're not doing anything wrong. This is my second, and you're doing everything I'm doing, and having successfully grown a confident, healthy, happy child before, I'm happy with the choices made so far!

We stopped it yesterday and this morning he EXPLODED. Dear me... More poop than ever. Such a relief for him.

I was told we were doing great by HV and to give him a bottle of water if he's backed up, but not to stop the gaviscon as that'll just be cruel. I told her I was going to respectfully ignore her and go to see someone who would listen to my concerns.

Oh, and a 3w6d, weeman has only slept in crook of my arm or on boob or in moby wrap. My daughter did the same and is an independent firecracker, so I ignore the 'you'll spoil him' claptrap!

RNJ3007 thank you for that, it's good to hear! He has had 2 poos so carried on with the Gaviscon for the time being. Been to GP again and he is referring us to a paediatric rapid access clinic just to be safe. People have mentioned colic to us, I would just like to rule other things out.

I am fine holding him all day, it's just a bit scary at night when I am dropping off. I have tried safe co-sleeping but he wants held although he sometimes will settle on my chest. I had him dozing happily in our close caboo carrier the other day, but the next day it made him scream and I had to take him out.

have you tried him in a bouncing chair type thingy? DD spends at least one chunk of the night in hers between feeds, it means I can put her down a bit faster than if she is going in the cot (travel cot with bassinet in and I cannot figure out a safe way to incline it)

today has been challenging, she will not sleep for more than ten mins at a time and is sooo so tired, she drops off no problem but "something" is waking her up, she's sleeping v lightly and fitfully.

Oh my god, nightmare shopping trip today!!! Dd would not settle in the buggy at all & I turned into one of those mothers u look at with a screaming tiny baby in the pushchair & u think how can u let your baby cry like that? Lol. I carried her in my arms as mum pushed the buggy alot of the time. She eventually settled after tiring herself out & a top up bf. she can be such a madam if u put her down when she just wants to be held ((tired))

A tad late to join the August thread but I can finally say William David was born 7:20am yesterday morning, weighing a completely unexpected and unprepared for 10lb4oz!

Two days of painful latent phase, eight hours of active labour and I think around an hour of pushing in the pool before it all got a little traumatic and his shoulders got stuck. Rather tender and struggling to get breastfeeding going but I'm utterly besotted :).