My four week old daughter has been very uncomfortable lately. I know that she is healthy, she is gaining weight and going to the bathroom regular and to the Dr. that means that there is nothing wrong. My problem is that she is in pain when she eats and after she eats. She is constantly choking, gasping for air , crying and arching her back while I feed her and is very uncomfortable after I feed her and painfully spits up. I burp her after every ounce and even have tried feeding her less and more oftten. I sit her up while she eats and after she eats. I have pretty much done everything that the Dr. has said and I still find myself in the same situation. I feel like I am beating my head against the wall and no one will listen to me. Yes I believe that my child is heathy but I also think that she is in pain. I don't think that people understand that I am with her all day everyday so I think that I would know best that something is not right. When your child can't sleep because something is bothering them and you have tried all the basics of changing the diaper, feeding them, making sure they are comfortable temperture wise and have even tried gas meds thinking maybe that is the problem and nothing seems to make them feel better I am not thinking, "Well her color is good and she is gaining weight so she must be fine" How do I prove to people and the Dr. that I am not crazy so that someone will give me some usefull advise as to what to do to help my child.
thank you so much for all the advise. I was finally able to get a referal to a gastro. so I am hoping that they can give me some answers. the thing is that my daughter doesn't have the symptems all the time. She has good days and bad days so it would be really hard to show the Dr. how she is. I took my older daughter to a gastro. and they were very good at taking their time and really making sure they understood what was happening. thanks again for the support.
Try a new Dr. I think there really is such a thing as a mother's instinct... and you need to listen to it. I wish you the best. Good job Mom!
You're not crazy. It sounds like she has a dietary sensitivity. My son had a lot of those symptoms, and they persisted until I eliminated all traces of dairy from my diet. I don't know much about formula, but I do know there are non-dairy options there too. And while dairy is the main culprit, soy, nuts, eggs, and wheat can produce similar reactions. Try getting a referral to a pediatric gastroenterologist.
Mira
I bet she has reflux. I would ask the dr about it and maybe tell him you want her on meds for it and INSIST if you need to.
I haven't read all the other responses, but this sounds very much like what was happening to my son who had acid reflux...and yes, it can be very painful. Honestly, if your doctor isn't responding to you, find another doctor. You are your child's advocate. You are with her all day, every day and you see what's going on. You have to follow your intuition. If your doc won't help you find answers, find one that will. Poor baby. Hang in there!!
Trust your gut. Something is wrong. Could be reflux, could be other things. You don't say if you are breastfeeding or formula feeding, but something needs to change. A lot of doctors are dismissive of new mothers. You may need a new doctor, a new formula, or a nutritional supplement to offset something in your diet that is upsetting her (if you are breast feeding). I hate the tendency to give newborns a whole bunch of meds for reflux when there are other options, but you need to find some support either from a doctor, a nurse practitioner, or a lactation consultant.
Pamela, Raven & son mentioned a "swallow study." My son had a swallow study when he was 1 month old. He would gag and spit up after every feeding. My husband and MIL told me that was normal and babies spit up. Yes, I realize babies spit up. He was my second, so I really only had one other kid to compare him to. But this was different to me. The best way I could describe it at the time was a wet gagging noise.
I was fortunate that I was feeding him in the office when his ped walked in. Lucky for us, he did his spit-up, wet gag routine for the doctor. She asked me several questions about his behavior and really took her time with him (listened to his lungs). She said she couldn't hear any fluid in his lungs, but she was concerned that he was aspirating.
We took him for a swallow study later that day, and he was aspirating. They tried different thicknesses, and determined that he needed a thicker food. He grew out of it, but we had to thicken the breast milk (and later formula ... hard to find time to pump with a 3 year old running around!)
I don't know if my story fits, but my best advise would be to try and get your daughter to do an "in office demonstration" for her ped. If your ped sees it for himself/herself, you'll have a much better chance of helping your daughter.
Do not let anyone tell you that you are crazy. You have a natural instinct that no one else has with you daughter.
This sounds so much like my daughter when she was little. She was miserable after eating, always spit up, and slept horribly. (still sleeps horribly) I tried several different bottles. The bottle that worked best for her was Dr. Browns. It helped a little bit. Well worth the money and time to clean it.
My daughter spit up until she was 8 months old when I finally worked up the courage to take her to the chiropractor. I have always been scared to death of the chiropractor but after soooo many people telling me that it would help I finally went out of desperation. Well, I should have gone from day one. It made a total difference in her comfort and spitting up. The very night she went she slept through the night for the first time. I take her every 6 months now. She was out of alignment and just need to be "straightened out." That was causing her system not to work properly. If I ever have another child, I will take them to the chiropractor right away to make sure they are in alignment.
Remember that at 4 weeks old a babies digestive system is not completely formed yet and they tend to get terrible gas. Weeks 4 through 8 were the worst for my daughter. Gas drops do help a lot during this time.
Hope this helps.
I have one sentence for you: get a second, third, and fourth opinion if you have to, until you get some answers & relief for your child.
My son had silent reflux....what you're describing is exactly how my son was for the first 5 months of his life. He was gaining weight normally and was "healthy"...but, oh my god - the poor baby...screamed 24 hours a day, hardly slept, but wasn't spitting up... I tried everything too - Mylicon, very frequent burping, changing my diet....until I tried a few acid reducers (trial by fire) a gastroenterologist prescribed (he finally ended up on Prilosec) and Alimentum. As much as I wanted my lo to have my milk, he couldn't tolerate it. The minute I had him on the most hypoallergenic formula out there, he was like a different child.
Good luck - i've been there, awful for you and awful for her - I get it.
Your doc is wrong on this. Switch to Alimentum. If that doesn't do anything (but I bet it does), get yourself to a gastroenterologist. You know what's going on.
.
Trust your instincts! When my dd was about that old, I had her to the dr 4 times in one week, sure something was wrong. They dismissed me and dismissed me, and at the end of the week she ended up hospitalized for 10 days with a very serious illness. Not saying that to scare you, I'm sure your daughter will be fine, but just an example of mommy intuition!
Something you might try before reflux meds (ask your ped first) is probiotics. They make them for infants, in powder or liquid form. You can add them to formula or breastmilk. When my daughter was having tummy issues, they made a huge difference for her.
Sounds like gas &/or reflux. If your pediatrician refuses to listen to you, find another one. Right away. That's a relationship where there has got to be a certain level of trust as they're in charge of ensuring the health of the all-time most important being in your entire life.
Are you breastfeeding or bottle feeding?
Breastfeeding - you may have a forceful let down and may need to pump before allowing her to latch. Also nurse one breast per nursing session.
Bottle feeding - sounds like she may be aspirating the fluid and I"d request a swallow study by your Dr. If she's on formula that may be part of the issue. For many babies, they have a very hard time digesting and metabolizing the synthetic and foreign species protein compounds.
A baby doesn't have to be spitting up to show signs of reflux. Since this is occurring during and right after feeds and the arched back and discomfort descriptions are classic reflux, I think that your baby has reflux or GERD. Some call it "silent reflux."
Get to a pediatric gastroenterologist. You can find one at your local Children's Hospital or call your insurance company for a list that's in your city and your network. They can run some simple tests and treat her properly.
Reading this, my first gut reaction is that your baby has acid reflux.
Write down the list of symptoms and when they happen and call the doctor & schedule an appointment and show them the list. (I did this when my baby was little because, if I didn't I'd end up forgetting something I needed to ask her & end up frustrated with her or myself about not having asked)....
There are safe medications that can be given to infants for reflux, if the non-medication options don't work.
Have someone videotape one of your feeding sessions and show your doctor a good representative clip of what concerns you. Sometimes seeing what you you are concerned about can help them give you more specific answers.
You're not crazy.
My mom used to have to make 2 bottles for my brother because he would ALWAYS toss the 1st one and then keep the 2nd one down. The drs told my mom that she was crazy cuz he was gaining weight so nothing was wrong. um. yeah, cuz I feed him 2 bottles! We think he had reflux or an intolerance but this was 22y ago before drs. talked about that stuff.
Just from what you wrote it sounds like she is having a problem or reaction to the formula. My daughter had similar issues. We tried 2 or 3 different formulas and ended up with Enfamil Soy. Try a few different brands, types. If you are comfortable with the house brands like Target formula, try those. My neice was on them. They are half the cost of brand and the same stuff. We used Enfamil Soy once we found it worked well for her, although my checkbook wished I had the guts to change to Target Soy. We had tried for 2m to find one that worked I didn't want to mess with it again.
Also, drs tend to get samples so you could ask your ped. for a few samples to try.
M.
Poor baby! If only she can talk.
No you aren't crazy. Trust your instincts. Doyou think the pain is just feeding related?
Try talking to a lactation nurse ifyou are breastfeeding. They are angels from heaven when it comes to bf.
If you are bottle feeding, try using a slower flow nipple.
I hope you find the answer. Keep searching!
If this were me I would straight to a chiropractor. They work miracles-both my kids go. Word of mouth is the best for those and the one we go to is trained specifically in dealing with babies and kids and has kids of his own so I really trust him. He has kept my daughter from having to go on antibiotics more than once.
Even if it is something like reflux you could benefit from chiropractic adjustments and wouldn't you like to try that before having to deal with meds that may or may not work?
If that doesn't do the trick I'd get a second, third, fourth, etc opinion until someone listens. Also, maybe you can find a DO instead of an MD--they are doctors who specialize in finding and treating root causes instead of just throwing pills at symptoms.
I will say a prayer for you and your baby. God bless you both!
BTW: I was wondering about your let down, too if she is breastfed. You could be producing more milk than she can keep up with--my daughter would behave similarly sometimes when she was a baby--she'd pull off and get sprayed in the face with milk bc I just made so much milk and the flow was too much for her. If you're breastfeeding, definitely go to a LLL meeting. Those women are very sweet, knowledgeable and helpful.
Trust your instincts and keep looking for a doctor that will listen to you. Every single time my son has been getting an ear infection/flu etc... I commented at least 3-4 days prior to the REAL symptoms that he is so cranky, he must not be feeling good, only to have his father tell me I am crazy and that the kid is not sick, that I alwasy think he is sick. Then a few days later he is throwing up or spikes a fever, we go to the Dr. and get a diagnosis of whatever. Just trust your gut. It has been serving mothers for thousands of years.
Hi, my cousin had the same issues with her first child. In the end it turned out to be reflux. It took a lot of trial and error but finally she was able to feed the baby while the doctor listened to the baby's chest. The ped. Was able to hear the baby swallow and then it would come back up. It does sound a bit like your ped is not too concerned but at times mother knows best and that intuition does kick in. Mom trumps dr. I would mention it to the dr. Reflux seems to be very common these days. I wish you luck.
What is she being fed - how is it prepared? Just curious!
Well, maybe you are - we all are when it comes to our kids;)
somtimes babies are just colicy - it stinks, but it is a reality and not much fixes it except to get your mind right and bear down and take it. they do grow out of it.
Talk to your doc and try the reflux meds, but if she isn't spitting up a lot, that, in my untrained mind, rules out reflux and points to colic. Which is a phase and you can try warm baths, rocking, walking - really anything to keep your sanity.
So sorry, I hope you get better recommendation from others, but immediately what I thought when I read your post was - colic.
Best,
My first child had a milk allergy, and my second had reflux (both outgrew it) - this sounds similar to reflux. I've heard that this used to be dismissed except in extreme cases - maybe you need a younger doctor.
In the meantime, for what it's worth, take a beach towel and roll it, and put that under the crib matress to elevate it just a little bit on the end where her head is. Roll a hand towel and do the same thing to the changing table (or bassinet crib, if that's what you are using). The angle may help keep the stomach acid down long enough for her to fall asleep, anyway. If reflux isn't the problem, it might not help, but it certainly won't hurt.
Your doctor didn't talk to you about acid reflux? That is strange. It sounds like classic symptoms. Both my kids had it and it also made them both uncomfortable lying down flat when they were infants (not all the time...but at times). I would go back to the Dr and get your baby some kind of relief/medicine for acid reflux and see if that helps.
sounds like gas to me how about a new dr for second opion maybe change formula if not breast feeding
my oldest had a problem with the formula we were givig him. he had colic problems for about the first four months. Is he nursering or bottle fed? If your eating something like garlic then nursersing him it could bother him
Perhaps she has reflux. You didn't mention if she is breastfed or formula fed. I would change pediatricians if your child is showing discomfort when feeding and choking and throwing up a lot.
You are not crazy. You are a mama who knows her child. Keep advocating for her. That is your job. I agree with Melissa. It sounds like acid reflux (or something else?). Change doctors if you are not happy with what is happening.
My oldest daughter's pediatrician was great until I realized that she wasn't answering my questions. It took me a year to figure out I needed someone new. We now have a GREAT pediatrician.
Best of luck to you and new baby. Call around today and make an appt. with someone new.....maybe someone who has better knowledge of acid reflux. A friend of mine's baby had to take an acid reducer (zantac?).
