GER, Colic/Gas

Hi, D..

I went through exactly that with my now 6 month old daughter. I couldn't breast feed due to a jaudice issue at birth so I had her on formula. She was so uncomfortable she could not sleep, even in my arms. She cried, screamed, squirmed and spit up non stop. I switched her to Soy formula and she slowly got better over several weeks. She's now fat, happy and in very good health. Have you asked her pediatritian about putting her on soy if she's not already on it? It may not be perminent. I am able to feed my daugther regular formula again.

From 3 weeks to about 12 weeks things improved greatly.

Good luck!

It sounds to me like she has reflux. I have an alomost 9 month old little girl. She was put on zantac at 2 days old while in the NICU. She was having "fitts" which they finally associated with the reflux. I can give you the name of my daughter's GI specialist if you like. I would suggested going back to the Ped that said it was reflux and ask him for a referral. The symptom that you described...the arching the back, fussiness, spitting up, and generally crankiness are symptoms of reflux. We were told to hold her upright for 30 minutes after she ate and to keep her inclined in her bassinet. We just put a towel folded up like a wedge under her and a blanket rolled up on each side. We also slept her on her side which will help too. If you have any more questions, just let me know. If it is reflux, it will get better. Good luck and let me know if I can help in anyway.

I would look into the reflux. Go see another doctor of the 2 that have discussed that issue can't agree on anything. Good luck
M. C

D.,

My son also had terrible gas when he was younger, but not to the extent that you seem to be having. There are also many factors that can contribute to the problem. In my particular case, I produced too much milk and my son wouldn't breastfeed for more than 10 minutes before falling asleep, thus receiving too much foremilk. I ended up expressing about half an ounce to three-quarters ounce before feeding him. I also cut out any gas producing foods and most dairy items.
Another thing that really helped was GentleCare Gripe Water. As another mother mentioned it is all natural and when we gave it to our son, we could literally hear his stomache rumble and girgle. It really helped a lot.
It can be very frustrating when your child is hurting and you feel helpless to fix it. Just know that we all have been there. If you need to talk to anyone or have any other questions, I would be happy to help. Take Care!

Yes, all babies can have gas issues, but this is extreme. Don't listen to that doctor's partner, this is not normal. A friend of mine has two girls who both had major stomach problems. She had to feed bottles with medication (might have been some form of mylanta) in them and keep them upright for 1 hour after eating (she would put them in the bouncy chair after the middle of the night feedings). If your doctor's are not willing to help you out, find another. Call today and demand they see you and help you. I wish I knew more about what my friends girls were on, but I know the second one was one at least two different things plus a really expensive, special formula (after she stopped breast feeding). You know something is wrong, so find someone who will listen to you.

I am so sorry you have to go through this. My daughter is now 19 months old, but when she was younger she had a lot of gas and would cry a lot at times, in pain. Try Gripe Water by Baby's Bliss. It's an herbal supplement used to ease the gas and stomach discomfort associated with colic, hiccups and teething. It is WONDERFUL! I use to call it the "Happy Juice". I'm not sure where you can find it in your town though. Try a health food store or something like that. The only place you can get it around where I live is Stork Land. You can order it off of the internet too. Good luck, I hope this helps!
Jenn

My daughter had horrible gas issues when she was a month old and it was related to what I was eating and how that was translating into my milk. I had to get off dairy, hummus, anything spicy until the problem was solved and it took a couple of days but it worked. It was hard on me, but SO much better for her that it was worth me going without anything dairy, anything citrus, anything with spice. I ate meat and potates and no brocoli, beans or anything gassy! She is not lactose intolerant, her little digestive system just wasn't mature enough to handle it. She couldn't nap on her back either and cried and cried... of course, the more worried and tense you are (as well as exhausted), they pick up on that too. I hope this helps... it was a hard time but it passes!

Go to a different doctor. Dr. Jimenez is great and he's in wesley chapel ###-###-####. You know when your baby is sick or not feeling well. Trust your instincts.

My daughter had all of the above symptoms and we ended up finding out at about 9-11 months of age that she was allergic to Wheat,Soy, Dairy, Eggs,and Peanuts. Once we took these foods out of her diet the reflux magically went away and now we have a twenty month old who sleeps all night in her on bed. I would definitely stick with it. You know your baby best and if something is not right. The reason why our daughter was refluxing is because of the build of the allergy. Her body would try to refuse it. THis may not help,but atleast know you are not alone. Youknow her better than the doctors do!

sounds like the exact thing I went through with my daughter 4 years ago. They treated her for GERD and she did much better. I feel for you, it is really tough. They did not diagnose my daughter until around 4 months old and it almost killed me. Go with the GERD treatment...it can't do anything but help.

Did you try and change her formula? My son was the same way and we changed his formula, it cost us more money 15/25 dollars a can to be exact, nutramagine (sp?) It works wonders, and she gets everything she needs, it's just gentler on her belly. I would ask a doctor about it. And as for the post-partum, I had that as well and you don't just feel upset about your baby, don't let them tell you that without blood work from you GYNO. That is a major thing and is to not be taken lightly. Try to take shifts with her. Your husband sleep some and then you sleep some, try driving around at night, or putting her on a dryer, these things may sound crazy but they do work, I have been in your shoes, I did it alone, for three months and it is hell. But if you ask her doctor about the formula that might be better for you. Let me know how it works out.

First .. Try another doctor. My son had colic and from I believe 6th or 7th day, it started .. he would cry and cry (made me almost insane and in tears ...and i was told -- Just live with it for 3 months and he will be fine). I thought after a week, I will loose it. I was nursing him. I am from India and vegetarian, and I called my uncle in India ( No pediatrician here told me to Alter my Diet .. I consulted three) -- My uncle is a great doctor in India ..he told me to take out most of dairy, cauliflower, beans, broccoli, potato, onion, Beans .. Basically I was on a strict diet with, may be 4 vegiies on my list and wheat and a bit of yogurt (not Milk at all) -- and boom -- within 2 days, my son was fine. After 4 months, I slowly introduced the veggies back in my diet. I told my pediatrician here about my diet change, and he said .. Generally Diet has nothing to do with it .. and I was like Common .. then why the nursing moms are told not to drink alcohol.
Basically if your daughter is on formula, try differnt one and if you are nursing, then change your diet.
Also get Gripe water, it helps with gas. Make her sit up as much as possible.

I hope it gets better soon for you. I know the agony and pain, mom has to suffer with the crying child.

it could be the formula.. the first 2 formulas we had mine on made her semi constipated and it took a while to get it all straightened out (mine is about 4 weeks tomorrow). You may want to do an ounce of prune juice to an ounce of water (my pediatrician recommended that for mine before switching formulas) to help alleviate the built up pressure and help to empty her bowels.. I ended up having to put her on the enfamil nutramagil (sp?) for colic and allergy and its working fine for her but its about $25 a can for the 16oz powder.

Dear D.,

My youngest was in NICU also and had many problems with gas and crying, etc. I tried everything on the market and it would only work for short periods of time, then back to the crying and screaming. I read everything I could get my hands on and I found and old out of print book that said to use "enzymes". The book said that some babies do not have enough in their system and these enzymes are the catalyst for digestion. I went and bought a really good all purpose enzyme at the healthfood store. Then I gave my baby 1/4 capsule in a bottle. I waited 12 hours and gave her another 1/4 capsule. The next day I did 1/2 a capsule the same way. On the third day I gave her the whole capsule. What I did was break the capsule open and got the powder in her mouth. On the third day, with the whole capsule, all pain and gas was gone!!!

Are you breastfeeding or bottle feeding? If you are bottle feeding try changing the formula. I ended up making a home made formula from scratch.

The ENZYMES WORKED! I am not a doctor or medico. Just a desperate parent who was trying to help her baby. Desperation lead me to this. I gave this tip to a friend and it helped her baby as well. You need an enzyme that covers all foods, like protein, milk, etc.

I hope this helps you.

D.

I also have a newborn - 23 days old. She is a very gassy baby too, but not nearly to the same extreme. She definitely prefers to be held, and I spent a lot of time in the first week sleeping on the couch with her napping on my chest. Our pediatrician said this was a very bad habit so I started swaddling her really tight and putting her in the crib. Big swaddling blankets and a tight swaddle have saved us.

This will not solve the gas problem, but I watched a DVD while I was pregnant called "The Happiest Baby on the Block," and it teaches a specific method of swaddling, along with a few other techniques, that supposedly trigger an infant's "calming reflex." It doesn't get rid of gas, but there might be much more to her fussiness than just gas. Our baby will NOT sleep on her back unless she's tightly swaddled. And if she manages to kick herself loose, then she starts screaming until we wrap her up again. Some infants just need to feel like they are in the womb, and they can't stand to have their arms and legs flopping around. I highly recommend the DVD, but in the meantime, I'll do my best to describe their method...

Get big swaddling blankets - 36"x36" seems to work. I found one set of these at Target. (Most are 30x30, which is way to small for my now 9lb baby.) Fold one corner down about 6-8 inches, and line that new edge up with baby's shoulders. Pin her right arm to her side. Take the corner of the blanket on that side and wrap it over her arm, tucking it under her body on the opposite side. Make it tight. Then take the bottom corner and pull it all the way up to the shoulder of the uncovered arm. Tuck it under the shoulder and arm, while holding the arm to the baby's side. The baby's legs and feet should now be covered. Now take the last corner and wrap it across the front of the body, securing the 2nd arm to her side. Wrap it all the way around her back to make her as snug as possible. The DVD actually shows one extra step which is hard to describe - When you are wrapping that last corner around, you are first supposed to pull it down from the shoulder area, create a fold, and then pull the rest of it up around the body. This makes it a little tighter and keeps her from pulling her arm out.

Once you have swaddled her, the DVD says to turn her on her side, gently jiggle her, and go "sshhhhhhhh" in her ear until she is calm. This is all supposed to simulate the feeling of being in the womb. I tell you - it's amazing. Our baby will be screaming at the top of her lungs, and the process of swaddling doesn't help b/c she thinks she hates having her arms pinned down. Then we turn her on her side, jiggle and shhhh... and it's instant silence. After about 5 minutes, we put her in her crib, and she's usually fine.

I know this was a really long post, but I can't imagine what we would have done without these techniques, so I wanted to help. Good luck!

-L.

hi D. my son was like that they found out he had something called - illeus- not sure how to spell it but just sound it out that what your child might have so ask your doc..

D., that has got to be awful. The only suggestion I can offer you is mylecon drops. I have used them with both of my children and they work wonders!!! Also, if you hold your baby up and use your other hand to kind of rotate their bottom half, that can release the stuck bubbles. Hope this helps!!

Hi D.
I am sorry you are having these feelings and problems. First I would say, trust your instinct and get a second opinion. The doctors may be right, but does it hurt to ask again to be sure.

Secondly, my daughter had acid reflux when she was born, and stopped breathing everytime she ate. She also had major spit up going on. Some things that worked for us were propping a blanket under her crib/bassinet. Also, for her naps, she slept in the swing. Try a swing that swings side to side and front to back. My daughter hated the front to back but the side to side worked for her. She hated the bouncy seat, I think it jiggled her gas too much.

Finally, if you are formula feeding, I would definately try switching. We went to Alimentum, which was recommended by her ped. It's expensive, but cut her gas down in half. I would definately get a peds advice before switching formula if your daughter uses formula

Finally, another thing we did was hold her almost sitting straight up when she ate, and kept her upright for at least 30 mins afterward

PLEASE let me know if I can be of any help to you. I live in Bradenton, not sure where you are.
R.

Hi D.!
It is wonderful to hear you have a little one at home! You sound like a wonderful mom! Are you breast or bottle feeding? Sometimes the things we eat can affect the baby when breast fed. Formula can also give the baby tummy problems. I believe you will do great with your new little one ( it shows by your concern!)I hope you get some sleep and the baby too!

D.....it is Wednesday the 28th
i am writing to check on you and see how things are today
please let me nkow how you and baby are!
I hope you are both doing better and can get some rest atleast alittle. take care and talk to you soon. ~M.

D., I am So Sorry you are having to go through this 1st of all and 2ND are you a first time mother?
I know the baby blues and Depression can be really bad and get to you...you certainly need to think about someone helping you out so you don't get over exhausted and upset.
I know my neighbor had this same problem and she almost committed suicide YES it gets bad when you don't know what else to do and i offered my help one day after i over heard "her crying and saying i just don't know what to do baby i don't know" "what do you want from me" "STOP CRYING" these are some things i was hearing so i went over and helped her...she went to take a nice shower as i asked her to and then to sleep right away, she slept for almost 6 hours LOL she just was over exerting herself and didn't know how to deal with baby so yes you may need someone to help you alittle so you can learn how to deal with this, Not saying your crazy or would do what she did but it comes a time that when your to your wits end and nothing else can be done their is a intervention whether it be some family member or Hubby which i am sure he might feel the same. so i offer my assistance to you if you are near me and if not i hope that another mother here would offer the same thing to help another mother (YOU) in need ! P.S. Gripe Water by Baby's Bliss is the Best ~M.

My kids acted like this for a spell as younger babies; there's medication available for all of the conditions you've mentioned, so I'm assuming your baby has already taken them, if not, get another opinion (from a different pediatrician or pediatric specialist...I'm also assuming you've contacted the nearest children's hospital for an appointment with their pediatric specialists).

Although it wasn't indicated for allergies or lactose intolerence, I switched my babies to soy formula and it really helped. Good luck; I remember times when I just wanted to lock myself in a warm, cozy, dark closet and just hide from the world!

on the formula issue try Nestle good start, my son was on it and it was better than all the others i tried( he had spit up problems). it sounds like the reflux medicine is working just give it time. on your issue, when you can find the time (and i suggest you find the time) have a me day. go to a massage therapist even if you can only afford a 1/2 hr service it will do you a world of good. if you live in Ocala i can recommend a great therapist. you need to realize that you are only one person and give youself a break. i hope that you get to feeling better.

This sounds like a really bad case, but we used Gerber Gas Drops constantly, gave tummy rubs, warm baths, laid her on us tummy to tummy and when my son had it we tried Gripe Water and I swear by that stuff. It's an overseas remedy that has been around over there forever. He was really bad and I did research and found it. Good luck to you.

K.

D.,
My first thought when I read your request was acid reflux. My friends daughter had it and they went through a tough time but I don't know all the symptoms. My second thought was lactose intollerent. But my daughter had neither so I can't say that I can relate. If she's formula feeding then change formulas till you find one that works. Good Start was the brand I ended up using. It's suppose to be similar to breast milk. If I were you I'd get a third doctor's opinion. The one thing I found out early on is that when you call the doctor they often make lite of what your child may have. There's something going around is their standard response. If you don't like the third doctor's opinion get another until you find one that helps.

Whatever you do, change that doctor, especially if he didn't even suggest soy, or check for GER. Ditch him.

Hi. I have a 3 1/2 year old who had bad acid reflux and who would cry after eating like he was cramping. He would actually throw up (more than just regular spit up). We switched him from milk based formula to soy (non-milk) formula....you could see the difference pretty quickly! He just could not tolerate the milk product. Now I have a 2 1/2 month old. He started some of the same characteristics in the hospital. You could actually hear his stomach rumbling after feedings. We switched him right away and he's fine. I'm not sure if you're breast or bottle feeding, but that's what was wrong with my two boys!
Good luck :).

J.
Jacksonville,Fl