Is this a sign of gas or reflux/'silent reflux' in a newborn?

[birthofawoman]

My 1 my month old DS has been experiencing these symptoms from about 1.5 weeks onwards, although symptoms have gotten worse over time...

He grunts and strains often throughout the day, seemingly when he is having a bowel movement or trying to pass wind. He doesn't necessarily do the typical bringing his legs into his chest characteristic of wind (or colic?), but the straining is definitely related to digestion as it's often followed by the sound of a bowel movement or the passing of wind. He also arches his back and tilts his head back (which I know is characteristic of reflux) - really stiffens and contorts his body - even when you hold him to soothe him. He doesn't spit up that much, though (not more than what I'd imagine is normal, which is why I'd have to suspect 'silent reflux' if reflux were the culprit). Generally, it's just a lot of grunting, straining, whimpering, tensing/stiffening and arching of the back. At night it gets worse as he seems to spend a lot of hours doing this, which keeps him up. I often feel guilty because I wake up to him doing this, and then I wonder how long he's been awake in discomfort for, without my comfort. Where he doesn't usually cry from this but mainly just whimper (he only really cries - or shrieks - out in pain when it's really bad, which usually occurs during the day when I'm already awake), the sound of him whimpering doesn't tend to wake me anymore - not when I'm really really tired and sleep-deprived, which I've been lately. Strangely, though, he doesn't appear to need or want soothing (not that I don't offer it)... it's almost as if being held or cradled makes it worse because he seems to really want to arch his back.

I've tried belly massages and 'bicycling' but none of these techniques seem to offer much relief. Only once did a belly massage release some wind (because of that lucky occasion, I was really hopeful and thought the techniques were working/going to work really well). He mainly seems irritated when I perform these techniques, and I remember a woman on a YouTube video saying not to perform them if baby is resisting (for that reason, I don't tend to perform them for long - perhaps not long enough to be beneficial).

I hate seeing him in so much pain and discomfort and not being able to help relieve him. It doesn't help that it's not clear to me whether this is a case of gas or reflux. Nonetheless, I think his symptoms may be down to a few things:

• He often swallows my milk really fast (exclusively breastfeeding), kind of gulping it down
• I seem to have a really fast flow, often resulting in him choking (more so when he's swallowing fast)
• At first I wasn't winding/burping him, because I was told (by a midwife) that breastfed babies don't need winding/burping

I'm thinking about taking him to an osteopath in the hopes that it'll help - specially the Osteopathic Center for Children (OCC) in Wandsworth, London. Has anybody found that osteopathy helps for these issues (perhaps more so for gas?), or had their DC be treated at the OCC? What has your experience been like?

Also wondering what people's thoughts are - is it sounding more like gas or more like reflux/'silent reflux', or both? 😱

I also don't consume dairy (vegan), just in case anybody was going to suggest removing dairy from my diet.

Thanks, in advance!

Typo in the first sentence? 😱 I meant 'My 1 month old'.

It all sounds pretty normal to me, my month old DD is very similar. At this stage their guts are just really immature, I think it's mostly trapped wind.
On the otherhand my DS had silent reflux and he just screamed constantly and was inconsolable. It was horrendous, and unmistakable. Poor thing was just in constant pain.

We had this for a bit.
Can you try leaning back a bit when you latch him? This will make your milk come out a bit more slowly (something to do with gravity)
The bike legs will help. We also did cranial osteopathy which I swore made a difference but my DH was a bit more skeptical.
Also if you can raise the cot at one side to tilt it, then that will help when you lie your baby back down after a feed. Less discomfort.
The only thing that really helped was time. I must have bored the doctors with my endless videos of DS grunting and they kept saying he was fine.
We were prescribed gaviscon but that was more hassle than it was worth cos of BF. And I couldn't guarantee that switching to formula would help.
Oh also, what is your diet like. I switched to soy milk, vitalite, stopped eating cheese, grapes, tomatoes and that helped. It wasn't forever, and I'm sure that made a difference too.
It will pass xx

My now 4 month old baby was exactly the same. Like clockwork at 5am every morning. Used to wake me and DP up and we joked he liked an audience to have a poo. It only lasted a few weeks though and completely resolved itself. The HV and GP were not concerned at all - think it was down to the immature digestive system.

scaredofthecity It's reassuring to know that this may not be uncommon. One thing I've learned since being a mother is that there are so many things about babies that mothers/parents just don't mention, so you don't really hear about them or see them reflected in films/television etc. For example, my DS' eyes often roll when he sleeps, and when I first saw this I got really freaked out and thought he was having a seizure... I later learned that this is common. Not once had I ever heard about this. You usually just hear mothers/parents mention poo, endless crying and sleepless nights - never these strange little occurrences!

notanaturalmum I literally just recorded my DS having a grunting/straining episode, ready to show a doctor or midwife. I actually feed him laying down in bed with him laying adjacent to me, because feeding in that cradling position was really difficult on my back (not sure why). I have heard about that reclined position helping, though, so I will try it. I'll also try reclining his crib.

I'd hoped that time would help, it's just so hard seeing them in so much distress and discomfort! I'll still try the osteopathy! Diet-wise, I'm probably healthier than average. One of those 'vegan for health reasons' people, so I eat a lot of whole foods and tend to avoid things like white grain and refined oils etc. I do eat a lot of nuts and beans/pulses.

@birthofawoman you will find there is so much that your friends/family/media have not told you about being a mum.
It can mess with your mind a little but I guess just remember that these little phases will pass.
I was petrified that my DS would be like that forever but I think by 4 months it was all forgotten.
Do try the osteo - even if it just makes you feel like you're actively doing something to help.
The crying can be exhausting so if you can have someone hold the baby/take him for a week between feeds so you can get some downtime then please do.
Look after yourself