# What's wrong w my newborn?Pls help!!



## greenapple (Jan 15, 2006)

Hi everyone,

I am a new,1st.time mother of a 5 week old.Since we came home from the hospital she has these horrible crying spells, along with her kicking w her legs, arching her back.All these occur mainly after each breastfeeding.First,w thought, she was colicky, but realized it is not the case: she does this all day long- not only in the evening - and since she was 2 dys old - not 3 weeks old-and it doesn't last for 3 hours / luckily / Then I thought she mayb allergic to milk, so I didn't have any dairy for 10 days:didn't work, she was still crying.Then I gave her Mylicon o/a Gripe water, thinking that she might b gasy: din't change anything.Then followed my nurse practitioner's advice: didn't feed her every hour, wait at least 2 hours between 2 breastfeeding.I was told that she gets much of the front milk, if i don't wait for 2 hours. Unfortunately this still didn't change anything: same amount of crying, frustrated parents, etc.....

Can anyone help me??


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## True Blue (May 9, 2003)

I don't have a real answer but wanted to offer a







! You poor mama. I do have a couple thoughts...does she spit up a lot? Maybe she has acid reflux? And I would still look into allergies. Dairy actually takes 5 weeks to get out of your body, and you have to avoid EVERYTHING with dairy, including ingredients like whey, casein, etc. Search around online for more info on that. It could also be sensitivity to soy, nuts, chocolate....any number of things, really. Is she burping well after each meal? Have you tried pumping her legs to see if you can force gas out? I remember with DS, every time I folded him in half with legs up at his chest he'd pass gas LOL. I know there willl be some more btdt mamas here soon to help you out!


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## greenapple (Jan 15, 2006)

Thank you True Blue. Well, she does spits up, but mainly when I put her down.If she has acid reflux, then what can I do...? Also, I burp her after each feeding, but sometimes its hard to get burp out from her....


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## guitarmama (Jul 7, 2005)

Do you have a really strong letdown? Does she cough and choke at the breast? Can you hear the milk hitting her stomach? Many mamas have an overactive let down. I'd rule this out before assuming it's reflux. There are lots of ways to combat it. Go to Kellymom.com if you think this might be the problem. Lots of good info there.
Good luck!!!


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## Houdini (Jul 14, 2004)

Two of my four kids had gastroesophageal reflux (fancy way of saying reflux/acid reflux). My kids were diagnosed with an Upper GI. Seth was started on meds at 3 weeks and I took him off at 6 months. The doctor we had at the time refused to re-do the Upper GI and I felt the meds were no longer needed. I decided to just take him off of the meds and see what happened. He did fine, if he had not I would have started the meds again. Madison was on Zantac from birth (she was a NICU baby for a month due to surgery when she was 2 hours old). We took her off of the meds at roughly the same age.


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## babygrant (Mar 10, 2005)

with the dairy intollerance through breast milk it can take somewhere up to 4 weeks for all of the milk proteins to be gone. you also need to cut out ALL dairy, including hidden dairy in things like crackers, cookies, processed foods. some babies (50%?) also react to soy. i cut out all dairy and soy for 6 months with my ds because of an intollerance.


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## Valian (Oct 16, 2005)

Sounds a lot like reflux. Get thee to a Dr. We ended up going in to the urgent care folks on a Sunday because he was in such pain and so upset.

Reflux looks different in lots of babies. Mine has it and never spit up very much, gained plenty of weight, but would cry, cry, cry and arch his back after eating. My understanding is babies arch their back to elongate the esophagus and try to move away from the pain. Laying down brought on pain too.

Our LC is the one who said be sure to rule out something physical before messing with your diet, because although some babies are dairy, wheat, etc. sensitive it is not super common.

With medicine its often not difficult to control the pain. We've been told most babies out grow the need for medicine by the end of their first year. We started pain meds and within the first few days saw some relief for him.


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## Momto1and1ontheway (Sep 10, 2005)

I would agree that it strongly sounds like reflux. Since your dd doesn't spit up much, she'd probably be considered a "silent refluxer". My dd projectile vomited until put on meds at 3 weeks (she was an extreme case and was on meds off and on (mostly on) until the age of three). My ds is a silent refluxer and we've started him on Prevacid (but a low dose for his size). We've decided (with the help of a ped GI doc) to not increase his dosage any as he grows to see how quickly we can get him off the meds. BTW, most kids start showing signs of reflux between 2-6 weeks of age.

As for relief (and you'll see this advice almost everywhere): definitely burp and burp often during a feeding. Refluxers tend to swallow more air. You may find that she spits up even less by doing this, as you're not introducing milk on top of an air bubble. Then, keep her as upright as you can after feeding her. Do this for between 20-40 minutes (you'll have to figure this out and tweek it according to how quickly your dd shows signs of comfort). That will give her system a chance to start digesting. Otherwise, if you lay her down flat, it increases the chances of the milk flowing back out again. You may even want to elevate her bed (or wherever she's sleeping) to increase the chances of her comfort while sleeping. A bit controversial here, but some mix some cereal with the bm, as some (but not all) kids are able to keep down thicker textures. We occasionally do oatmeal, since it's not as binding as rice for my ds (but that's another topic! LOL).

Okay, enough rambling. Hope this helps some and feel free to PM me if you'd like more info or just want to chat about things I've tried.

Good luck to you mama! Keep up the good work!


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## NiteNicole (May 19, 2003)

Two other things to look for in reflux babies - does she make a swallowing motion a lot? And does she do a little throat grunt that sounds a lot like throat clearing (because it is). These were the big signals in my baby, she wasn't a spitter. She could NOT sleep on her back or stomach till after the meds kicked in.

If you even kind of think it might be reflux, see your doc. It hurts and it doesn't get better on it's own for a WHILE. And while you can make some environmental changes, the right meds will help a lot more.


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## GooeyRN (Apr 24, 2006)

It sounds like Reflux to me. My daughter had it but thankfully grew out of it. You can get meds for it. We tried Zantac, but it did not help her at all, so I quit giving it after a few weeks. Testing can be done, and there are surgeries that can be done if it is SEVERE reflux. (Surgery is only done if there is risk of permanent esophogeal damage) A lot of babies have it, and most just out grow it on their own. Mine seemed much better with the reflux by 6 weeks. I wish the colic went away that fast! She was also colicy, but that lasted 4.5 months!


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## lonestarmommy (Jun 3, 2006)

I've been there too. I couldn't figure out what was wrong with my DS either. Tried the same things as you, plus Hylands colic tabs., warm compresses, elevating him while sleeping and keeping him upright as much as possible when awake...nothing seemed to be a real solution. (some brouught temporary relief, esp the folding his knees to chest. Woo! That sure got things moving!







) Food elimination didn't really make much difference either. Poor babe would still writhe in pain and wouldn't sleep longer than 30-45 mins. at a time. It seemed to really peak and get worse this past month. We were both miserable. Finally took him to the pedi. this week and he was diagnosed with reflux. We started Zantac and already I see a difference. I didn't suspect it bc he rarely spits up and I thought that was the major symptom. I felt so sad after the dr. explained t to me and I read more about it. I didn't recognize the things he's was doing as being signs of reflux. Here's a few you might want to look for in your dc:

arches back as sign of pain (they actually come to realize this is a way to relieve the pain as well. When they arch their back,the spine constricts the esophogus and it helps stop the acid from traveling up.)
wants to nurse frequently (they also find this to be soothing bc the milk neutralizes the acid in their esophogus and brings a little relief)
coughing or wheezing (I kept thinking he might have some congestion







)
regurgitation or reswallowing
heartburn, gas pain, abdominal pain, or colicky behavior (fussiness and frequent crying)
crying during feeding
arching back, coughing, or difficulty swallowing during feeding
frequent night waking
constant nursing or disinterest in nursing

there are a few others. You can google and find a lot of sites that list the symptoms and read more about it.
My heart goes out to you. It''s so hard to see them in pain. Hope you'll find some relief soon.


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## CryPixie83 (Jan 27, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *greenapple*
Then followed my nurse practitioner's advice: didn't feed her every hour, wait at least 2 hours between 2 breastfeeding.I was told that she gets much of the front milk, if i don't wait for 2 hours. Unfortunately this still didn't change anything: same amount of crying, frustrated parents, etc.....


Definately look into the reflux. I wanted to comment on your nurse practitioner's advice: throw it out the window! Babies (especially breastfed babies) NEED to be fed on demand. No one should have to wait becausethe clock says it's not time to eat. Nursing by the clock will also be detrimental to your supply. Listen to your baby. If she tells you that she needs to nurse every 20 minutes for an hour at a time, then that's what she needs. Tiring I know, but baby knows best.

Good luck with the reflux, I hope you get things figured out so your little one can eat without pain







:


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## thedevinemissm (Apr 9, 2004)

I have to chime in that I think it is probably reflux. My DS had this very bad. Everyone said it was colic at first ~ but he would cry ALL DAY, EVERY DAY. I didn't sleep. It was really bad.

I also agree w/PPs. Burp a lot, burp often. I would even "interrupt" feedings, burp him and then let him nurse more. I also second the motion that you should NOT schedule feedings. It's a raw deal for everyone and doesn't really fix anything.

The other thing that REALLY helped was letting him fall asleep semi-upright in my arms, on me, or in a sling, then putting him to sleep on his tummy. (you will find me under the "don't really buy all the SIDS stuff about back-to-sleep" group) It "cured" his reflux almost instantly.

Good luck ~ I know it is difficult to see your baby in so much pain.


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## Pynki (Aug 19, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Valian*
Our LC is the one who said be sure to rule out something physical before messing with your diet, because *although some babies are dairy, wheat, etc. sensitive it is not super common.*

I'm going ot have to argue this. I think A LOT of babies with colic have sensitivities to something. Usually dairy. There is a reason it's the 1st thing suggested to be removed from a diet. As a PP stated. Dairy takes a LONG time to leave your system. You won't usually see an improvement until you've removed all dairy for 2-3 weeks.


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## Mama Poot (Jun 12, 2006)

I'm pretty much anti-medication unless its an absolute last resort and you have TRULY tried everything. There was a post a while back about a baby who was treated for reflux by either a chiropractor or similar practitioner. Anyhow, the doctor was able to determine that the baby's stomach and gut were too high up, so he adjusted them and pulled them down, and the reflux went away. I would consider a procedure like this before resorting to chemicals. You can search for a pediatric chiropractor in your area at this website:

http://www.icpa4kids.org/find.htm


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## Shanana (May 11, 2005)

I second the suggestion for chiropractic. I give more detail below and on my blog about the difficulties I faced with my dd, but we also had lots of screaming, and I was sure it wasn't colic (it was related to breastfeeding, but was NOT reflux).

I wrote the following response on a recent thread that was somewhat similar in nature:

Quote:

A few things you might want to consider:

This article from Mothering on crying for connection is excellent, and talks about the fact that sometimes babies need to cry to release stress, process trauma, etc.

Craniosacral therapy literally saved my life. You can read more about my experiences with my dd here. I cannot recommend this stuff enough. It's amazing. If you're interested, you can find a practitioner through this site. Find someone who has lots of training in CST and somatoemotional release (you can see what classes they've taken on the search page), then call and ask if they work with babies. We see a massage therapist who specializes in CST and charges $30/session (for kids), so it's not outrageously expensive. I have an untested theory that a lot of colic in babies could be resolved or greatly improved with CST. And I truly believe that my dd will be much healthier for the rest of her life because the CST helps her release negative emotions / experiences, instead of allowing them to sit and fester in her body forever. I've had it done myself as well, and was blown away. I continue to take dd even though she doesn't have emotional releases anymore, but I would say the bulk of the emotional work was done in the first 4-5 sessions. So don't think you have to spend hundreds and hundreds of dollars on this.

My dd is the queen of digestive problems. She was incredibly gassy as a small babe, and kept me up all night kicking me (we had to stop co-sleeping at 9 months because of this







). I did a total elimination diet (nothing but rice, potatoes, squash, turkey, lamb and pears for several months), and lost 60 pounds but saw no improvement with dd. When I stopped drinking our well water that helped some, but things still weren't great. Then when we started solids, she kept getting constipated. This can be because a baby isn't ready for solids, but I also believe it can be because their digestive system needs some help (e.g., she is now almost 12 months, and still struggles with constipation, and she is MORE than ready for solids -- that girl will eat anything!).

This is what I've done to help her digestion:
* I think the CST helped, although it didn't totally resolve the problem.
* I bought some baby probiotics at Whole Foods and put her on those (mixed with water or a small amount of pureed food -- she was ~8 months old), but they didn't seem to help.
* I took her to a holistic ped, who has her on probiotics (WAY stronger than the ones from Whole Foods) and several homeopathics. At her second visit, she changed up the homeopathics a little, saying you can't keep hammering away at one system of the body all the time. But she agrees that dd's main problems are digestive in nature. We go for our third visit next week. We pay out of pocket, and it ain't cheap.
* I just started seeing a homeopath (who also does a bunch of other stuff, including irodology and auricular therapy) to help with my own digestion (which has never been that great). DD is still nursing, and we are still so intimately linked, I have a sense that working on my digestion will help hers (if for no other reason than I will improve the flora in my gut, and therefore pass more beneficial bacteria to her in my breastmilk). She confirmed that most of MY issues are digestive as well. I'm on several homeopathics, as well as probiotics and enzymes. She also has me on a gentle detox regime, including drinking warm water with lemon, a little apple cider vinegar daily, avoiding wheat when possible, etc. Nothing too aggressive, because we don't want my body detoxing into my breastmilk.

We started with the holistic ped about 7 weeks ago, and dd's gassiness seems to be gone for the most part (she used to wake once or twice a night fussing, and would only settle back down after I gave her some Colic-Ease, so that told me it was gas/digestive upset). She still isn't pooping as often as she should be (probably about 5 days out of every 7, when she should be pooping at least once a day), but it's a lot more often than it used to be, and she has only gotten constipated once since seeing the holistic ped.

I hope this helps, and that your little one is doing better soon







.
FYI, many docs won't do any kind of diagnostic testing to look for reflux (it's fairly invasive). They will just prescribe Zantac to see if things improve. We did this briefly, but I was very uncomfortable with medicating her when I didn't even know if that was the problem. But frankly, I felt in my gut that she didn't have reflux, which contributed a lot to my reluctance.

In the end, it was the chiropracter who resolved the screaming ... and in one visit, too. We saw someone who practices upper cervical correction (http://www.nucca.com/) as well as CST, and she was amazing. But I think going for the CST on a longer term basis was also helpful, because it really allowed my daughter to let go of _all_ of the trauma from her birth.

Good luck, mama. I know how hard this is, and sometimes wonder how I survived those first few months.


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## BelgianSheepDog (Mar 31, 2006)

OK, let's back up here and try some basics first. Before anything else, try feeding the baby from the same breast at each feeding until that breast is empty (soft and flatter.) Nurse on demand, don't worry about the clock. If the problem is foremilk/hindmilk imbalance and letdown problems this should help. Also, if she starts getting fussy or wiggly while you're feeding her, unlatch her, hold her upright, lean her over one arm and pat her back and let her have a couple good burps. Then put her back on the same breast. If you have overactive letdown she's swallowing a lot of air with the milk and doing this will make more room in her stomach and prevent GI gas later.

Also, have you tried some of the basic gas relief techniques with her? Lay her on her back and bicycle her legs, lean her forward over your arm or shoulder, rub from right to left in an arc over her bellybutton (this helps squeeze gas out of the intestines.) Let her lay naked on a blanket for a while (obviously keeping the room warm enough she doesn't shiver) or stand in a gentle, lukewarm shower with her.

Gas is a problem for most newborns, they lack the mobility to work it out themselves easily so it hurts and they need our help dealing with it. I wouldn't assume that there is something wrong with your child just from what you have written, it sounds fairly normal. Most babies have fussy periods and cry, sometimes for no obvious reason. You said the spells are less than three hours, but how long are they? Are they at the same time every day? A lot of newborns get fussy in the early evening hours, for some reason. Again, I wouldn't assume there's something wrong with her, sometimes babies go through rough stages like this and it's normal.


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## veganf (Dec 12, 2005)

Sounds like my second son. Colic can be an all day deal. It's terribly exhausting. Despite gas drops, tummy massage, homeopathy, special tea for me, feeding all the time or waiting 2 hours, change in diet, restricting my already vegan diet, nothing worked.
In my unprofessional opinion it was a headache due to very pronounced cranial ridges that smoothed themselves back out a little after 2 months old (exactly when the colic stopped), as we can see in the almost daily photos. Many people have recommended "cranial sacral therapy", but I honestly don't buy into many of those alternative remedies; I don't know that the problem wouldn't resolve itself any faster with or without someone rubbing baby's head, YKWIM?
Sorry you're having to suffer through this with your new baby. It must be even harder as a first time parent.









- Krista


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## joliebebe (Jul 8, 2006)

BelgianSheepDog said:


> OK, let's back up here and try some basics first. Before anything else, try feeding the baby from the same breast at each feeding until that breast is empty (soft and flatter.) Nurse on demand, don't worry about the clock. If the problem is foremilk/hindmilk imbalance and letdown problems this should help. Also, if she starts getting fussy or wiggly while you're feeding her, unlatch her, hold her upright, lean her over one arm and pat her back and let her have a couple good burps. Then put her back on the same breast. If you have overactive letdown she's swallowing a lot of air with the milk and doing this will make more room in her stomach and prevent GI gas later.
> 
> Also, have you tried some of the basic gas relief techniques with her? Lay her on her back and bicycle her legs, lean her forward over your arm or shoulder, rub from right to left in an arc over her bellybutton (this helps squeeze gas out of the intestines.) Let her lay naked on a blanket for a while (obviously keeping the room warm enough she doesn't shiver) or stand in a gentle, lukewarm shower with her.]
> 
> ...


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## Shanana (May 11, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *BelgianSheepDog*
rub from right to left in an arc over her bellybutton (this helps squeeze gas out of the intestines.)

Just to clarify that this is from the BABY'S right to left, and YOUR left to right. Also, sometimes it helps to start on the right side (your right), rubbing downward, then move up and across the bellybutton, still rubbing to the right, and then move to the left side, still rubbing to the right. The massage therapist who taught us infant massage said that gas can sometimes be like a traffic jam. You can't move it forward by starting at the back. You have to move the "cars" at the front of the line out of the way first. And this is based purely on human physiology (not "alternative remedies") ... there is a part of the intestine or bowel that terminates at that point.

Quote:

Many people have recommended "cranial sacral therapy", but I honestly don't buy into many of those alternative remedies; I don't know that the problem wouldn't resolve itself any faster with or without someone rubbing baby's head, YKWIM?
I would like to politely disagree with the idea that CST is just rubbing on someone's head, although as I'm not a practitioner myself, I won't try to explain the details of exactly how it works (just like I can't explain many allopathic procedures). I included links in my post above for those who want more information. Everyone has the right to be skeptical, though. I was skeptical of chiros for my whole life because I've been to many (I have fairly severe back problems) and they all either made it worse or didn't help. You hear so many people say how awesome they are, and I was just left scratching my head going WTF?! But I took dd to one anyway, because I was so incredibly desperate I would have done ANYTHING to make things better, and lo and behold, she helped. I even went to see her myself, and she helped me too. I really like her approach, which is different from any other chiro I've encountered, and why I included the link to NUCCA.

I realize my story is a testimonial, and as a scientist, testimonials inherently make me skeptical. And there are a lot of crackpots out there, that's for sure. All I can say is that CST -- coupled with SomatoEmotional Release -- were truly amazing. Not just from the changes I saw in my dd, but also from my actual experience -- in the room with her, and also when I sought the treatment for myself. I have long believed that our physical and emotional health are intertwined, and that emotional issues left undealt with can manifest themselves physically. The body doesn't like acting as a toxic dump, so that stuff is going to leak out one way or another, although not always in a manner or pace that's desirable. Somehow, in ways I don't fully understand, CST seems to work to allow the mind AND body to release that emotional burden. And I say this based on my personal experience of having it done on myself. As I said, you can read more about my experience with my daughter by clicking on the link in my previous post.

That doesn't mean it will help the OP's dd, but since none of us knows what's going on with her baby, I thought I would share my experience in the hopes that it might be helpful to her, or someone else reading this thread. It took over 5 months of hell on earth for me and dd to really get things straightened out. It would give me great pleasure if my story helped even one mama/baby pair shorten that path







.


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## ~member~ (May 23, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *greenapple*
Hi everyone,

I am a new,1st.time mother of a 5 week old.Since we came home from the hospital she has these horrible crying spells, along with her kicking w her legs, arching her back.All these occur mainly after each breastfeeding.First,w thought, she was colicky, but realized it is not the case: she does this all day long- not only in the evening - and since she was 2 dys old - not 3 weeks old-and it doesn't last for 3 hours / luckily / Then I thought she mayb allergic to milk, so I didn't have any dairy for 10 days:didn't work, she was still crying.Then I gave her Mylicon o/a Gripe water, thinking that she might b gasy: din't change anything.Then followed my nurse practitioner's advice: didn't feed her every hour, wait at least 2 hours between 2 breastfeeding.I was told that she gets much of the front milk, if i don't wait for 2 hours. Unfortunately this still didn't change anything: same amount of crying, frustrated parents, etc.....

Can anyone help me??

Could it be a vaccine reaction?


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## CryPixie83 (Jan 27, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *MamaInTheBoonies*
Could it be a vaccine reaction?

Ya know, that's the one thing I always fail to think of... but we don't vax... That would be really scary.


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## anonymous4_20 (Nov 3, 2005)

I also agree with BelgianSheepDog about covering the basics first. My DS had colic badly, but he only had it during the day, not during the usual colic hours. He slept well at night, even through the night, but he screamed all day long. Colic can hit at any hour. The block feeding (staying on one side and nursing on demand) gave us some small relief. Our baby was also very upset and afraid to poop, as funny as that sounds. Do the screaming fits have any relation to her bowel movements? You could try a warm washcloth on the abdomen to move things through easier.


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## Party*of*5 (Jun 26, 2006)

Don't know anything about reflux, but like some pp's I would try everything before medication.

But have you tried baby wearing? I've heard most babies are fussiest in the evenings. Try an upright position, especially if you suspect reflux. You can find tons of help and every kind of carrier you can think of at thebabywearer.com. Just stay away from those horrible bjorns and snugglis. Terrible for baby's hips and spine! Oh, and you have to move while wearing. Go for a walk or pace around your house. I even did this while baby and I were topless (in the house).


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## Fanny1460 (Jul 1, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Shanana*
I would like to politely disagree with the idea that CST is just rubbing on someone's head

I second that. CST did wonders for my back, my hips and the general alignment of my body when I was pregnant and soon after the birth (I got very tense in the back and neck during labor). Still, I cannot explain how it works but I can feel it works.

Also, thank you for the replies to the OP because I think my newborn has those problems, thus on a lesser degree, but she's quite gassy and yesterday's night has been awful.... I'll definitely burp her more and maybe see for CST... thank you


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## greenapple (Jan 15, 2006)

thank you everyone for trying to help me.I appreciate it!!


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## eirual (Mar 21, 2006)

greenapple...do you have any thoughts on any of these posts? Do any seem to fit your situation? I'd be interested to know if you've discounted over-active let down, or other things mamas have mentioned- that is if you wouldn't mind sharing.


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## annarosa (Aug 30, 2004)

I tend to agree with BelgianSheepDog - sounds like good old normal gassssssssss to me !
lots of babes take it in and can't get it out - so try the burping techniques and see if this helps
also - take a check on what foods you are eating and eliminate any that make YOU gassy - this could also help - I know for instance when I eat garlic my babe can't really deal with it and it makes her very uncomfortable in her tummy


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## greenapple (Jan 15, 2006)

We went to the pedi 2day, and yes, many of you guys were absolutely right: she has acid reflux. He prescribed Zantac, and suggested to mix bmilk w rice cereal, what i try not to follow / don't want her to be big, also I think it would b too early /. So I prefer to try w Zantac first.

Thanx for everyone again, I love this wsite, sometimes i think its more useful coming here, than to the doctor's office.....


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## BelgianSheepDog (Mar 31, 2006)

Wha? The baby is how old again and the doctor is recommending rice cereal? I'd definitely get a second opinion, that sounds seriously messed up.

And, I may get flamed for this, but if we question vaccines and all kinds of other stuff, I'd say it's fair game to be skeptical about an Rx for Zantac for a newborn. Eek.


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## Shanana (May 11, 2005)

I would be interested to know how the pediatrician made the diagnosis. He/she may be correct, but if the diagnosis was made based on symptoms alone, it is not necessarily a sure thing. When I took dd in because of all the screaming during nursing, he said, "Well, it might be reflux. Here's some Zantac." He did not KNOW it was reflux (IME they can't really know unless they do one of the available tests, which are rather invasive). His idea was to try the Zantac and "see if it works". I was really uncomfortable with this, although we did use the Zantac for a few weeks out of desperation. But it turned out it wasn't reflux. Just be careful, mama. The reflux diagnosis may be correct, but if it isn't, then you're medicating your child unnecessarily.


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## eirual (Mar 21, 2006)

I agree with the previous posters about being leary of Rx.s. for a newborn. Are you willing to try alternatives before you start??

Here are some I can think of that might help:
-nurse leaning back a bit (semi-reclined) to help gravity hold back over-active let down
-Express a bit of the foremilk- too much can cause reflux-like symptoms
- Keep babe uprright after eating
-Burp babe frequently throughout feeding (especially in the begining- in case it's a gas bubble at the begining of the feed that's making the whole feed come back up)
-Cut out caffein including chocolate
-and like you've tried already, cut out dairy, like PPs said- for up to 4 weeks including 'hidden' dairy

Edited To Add: Belgiansheepdog covered most of this in her post on pg 1- sorry, I didn't see it earlier!


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## *Karen* (Jul 28, 2006)

My ds was "diagnosed" with acid reflux and prescribed medication and I was told to stop eating dairy as well. I did everything that I was told to do by the dr, but in the end I am pretty sure the problem the entire time was just gas. The dairy thing seemed to help, but I think that it was just him getting older. The older he gets the more he is able to regulate his gas. He is 3 months old now and is starting to pass gas on his own. I have a strange way to relieve him of his gas: I bicycle his legs and then I push his knees into his stomach. I usually get some gas out. Then I repeat until I no longer get any out. He will SCREAM when he is full of gas and after I get it out of him he calms down. It is just like burping a baby from the other end! I guess he is just special! I am so glad that I learned that it makes him feel so much better and I wanted to pass it on! He still vomits a lot, but it doesn't seem to bother him!


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## greenapple (Jan 15, 2006)

When do I have to give Zantac? Before, during, or after breastfeeding?? Also, the taste is soo nasty, and she usually spits it up...I wonder if any of it stays inside...


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## Pandora114 (Apr 21, 2005)

Dont bother with the Zantac till you tried eliminating dairy and the other gas moving techniques. you'd be messing with her newly develloping digestive system if it really is NOT reflux.

I also found that laying a babe on my lap and letting some restless leg syndrome jiggling take over REALLY makes babe happy...belly down just jiggle your legs a bit

break out your vacuum cleaner and turn it on and lay the babe on it.

Walk around in a sling..

stuff like that...

Messing with her stomach acid production at this early stage, when she might not HAVE an acid production problem but a gas problem, could cause some concequences later down the line with Adult GRED..


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## Nora'sMama (Apr 8, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *greenapple*
Then followed my nurse practitioner's advice: didn't feed her every hour, wait at least 2 hours between 2 breastfeeding.I was told that she gets much of the front milk, if i don't wait for 2 hours.









greenapple

Just wanted to address this part of your post: it is untrue that waiting longer between feedings will increase hindmilk...in fact, the opposite is true. Frequent feedings will increase the fatty content of your milk.

One thing you can do if you suspect a foremilk/hindmilk imbalance that actually works: feed completely on demand (even if that means near-constant nursing), but do "block" nursing. For a 3-hour period, just nurse on the left breast. Then for the next 3-hour period switch and just nurse on the right breast. Etc.

I did this when my DD started having green poop and a lot of gassiness and fussiness. It really helped a lot.

ETA you might also want to check out "The Happiest Baby on the Block" (DVD or book) by Dr. Harvey Karp - good suggestions for soothing the baby. We used 'em all and it helped a lot, but I think many babies are extremely fussy at this age.

Karp in a nutshell - the five "S's" for soothing a baby:

--sucking (breast, clean finger, or paci)
--swaddling (he recommends a tight swaddle, my DD hated swaddling, go with what your babe needs)
--side-lying or stomach (lay babe on your lap on her side or on your forearm with slight pressure applied to tummy, helps w/ gas)
--shhhh (white noise, shhing loudly in ear, vacuum cleaner, fan, or go to www.iserenity.com for some free white noise environments)
--swinging (sway baby back and forth in your arms, put baby in a sling, anything that is rhythmic movement tends to calm them, but it may take a while)

Good luck - it's a hard period, around 5-8 weeks. But then it will get better, maybe suddenly. I agree with Pandora that you might want to try some non-medicinal things before assuming reflux and using Zantac. It never hurts to cut dairy out of your diet but be aware that it will take time to see results and you have to cut out ALL dairy - anything containing whey or casein. I did this for about a week and didn't see a change so I added dairy back in, and I don't think dairy was a cause of my DD's fussiness. She responded really well to the block nursing.


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## greenapple (Jan 15, 2006)

can


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## RedOakMomma (Sep 30, 2004)

s on the Zantac stuff. It IS awful. Ds2 had to be on it while he was undergoing medical treatment at 4-7 months, and choking down was pretty tough. They do spit up a lot, but they get some down. As time passes, you'll find that she takes it better. Try giving it in a thin oral syringe, and putting drops of it (or very small squirts) between her teeth and cheek toward the back.

As far as when to give it, I'd ask your ped. or a pharmacist.


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