I really need some advice concerning my baby, who is ten weeks old. At four weeks he was diagnosed with reflux, and was put on a thickened formula, so that he would keep his feeds down. Before that, he would literally throw the entire bottle up after being fed, and was not gaining any weight. Now he is keeping his feeds down, but he has another problem, that I just can't get a doctor to take seriously. He screams all day and night, and when picked up, he will burp, and will scream in pain when passing the wind. He goes stiff and arches his back, and his face goes bright red. This goes on all day, and also all night. He only catnaps, he never sleeps for more than a few hours, as he wakes up screaming in pain. I am at my wits end at the moment about what to do for him. I have tried to give him boiled water to drink, warm baths, and also medication from the chemist to help with the wind, but nothing does any good. The first doctor I took him to said to shut the door and ignore the crying. I cannot do this when I know my baby is in pain. The second doctor said that my baby was seeking attention (at ten weeks!!) If this was the case, wouldn't he stop crying when picked up, and why would he burp so much? The third doctor told me that all babies do this, however my first didn't. I feel like I am going mad from having no sleep (my husband is in the military, so I am alone coping with this). I just want someone to help my baby stop screaming with pain. If anyone has any suggestions, I would be very happy to hear them. Thanks everyone.

Sorry, just thought that I would mention that I was involved in a bad car accident when I was twenty weeks pregnant with my baby. A lady came straight through a give way sign and hit the car on my side. I was in hospital for a while, as I went into early labor, due to the stress of the accident. After this I had contractions every day (up until he was born). Does anyone know if a huge amount of stress while you are pregnant can cause problems like this for the baby?

I'm sorry to hear you baby is having a rough time.

It sounds like wind that is causing the screaming, I know wind pain can be quite bad (even adults). You could try some peppermint water. I live in Australia and we can buy it over the counter here.

Do you ever put him on his tummy on your lap and rub his back, this may also help. Would he be getting his food too quickly? Sometimes a slower feed can help decrease the amount of wind.

You could try burping him more often through a feed rather that at the end.

Changing his position often can also help the wind move through easier.

You said he had reflux, is there any chance he has a hernia, if so you may see a lump on his tummy, especially when he is crying.

I bet the doctors you saw were male and never had children of their own. I also would never shut the door on a crying baby. Attention seeking behavior? At that age all a baby wants is comfort and security.

Do you have a maternal/ child / baby clinic or similar that you could contact? They usually have good advice.

I am not sure if the accident / stress would have contributed to the problem, it could be possible, but hard to convince people, unless there is documentation on other cases.

I hope you can find some answers, my baby days weren't that long ago, I remember what it was like...
Sue

yellowrose my daughter also did nothing but cry all the time, day and night The said she also had reflux but also irritable bowel. The put her on medicine and I had to watch all of her sugar intakes. What kind of formula are you using? Are you giving him juice yet? Find a dr. that will go and have test done on him. Any other questions just ask.

My son and daughter used to do this at times. It was usually gas and I would relieve it with Gripe water(smells like dill) or Oval(smells like peppermint). My son screamed his head off for hours once and it turned out that he was constipated(we should not have had him on iron fortified formula until he was 6 months old).

My son also had surgery for pylorixstenosis(opening to his stomach was too small,causing formula too come back up)when he was 1 month old. He would throw up his entire bottle at every feed and the doctor wouldn't take me seriously because there were no signs of dehydration. We rushed him to the hospital that night when he became lethargic! I don't think this is what is wrong with your child however because he seems to be keeping his formula down now.

Let us know if you find out what is wrong! Good luck!

Your baby could have developed colic (sp?) My daughter did the same thing for weeks, stiffn'd up, arched her back, red in the face, screaming for a couple hours at a time....even burped, or passed gas. Shes starting to grow out of it now, but every once in a while she will have an awful belly pain and it really hurts her and makes her scream.....I try taking her into a warm bath with me....it calms her until the tummy ache passes.
Or you could try these drops, mylecon (sp?) drops, you can get them over the counter and they are for gassy babies, they work great on my daughter, shes almost 4 mo. and I give them to her from coming in from outside too incase she gulped air.

This sounds very much like colic to me and is not that unusual in babies of this age. Some babies do not get it if they are breast fed, but sometimes formula is hard to digest and they get it because their stomach cannot break this down quickly enough and so they get this terrible tummy ache and will scream until it is relieved by passed gas or having a bowel movement.

What the other poster suggested is a good idea. Lie him on his tummy over your knee and gently rub his back. This will help relieve the gas and sometimes some gentle pressure on the tummy will help the pain too.

You could also put him to sleep on his tummy for a short time too. This is the pressure again that could help the pain. If you don't like this idea, then when you are in the same room, you could lay him in his cot for a cat nap, but put him on his tum for the pressure and have him where you can keep an eye on him. Also, when you pick him up try very gently massaging his tummy for him. Just do this very gently with one hand in a circular motion all around his tummy. This should help to dislodge any built up gas and could help his pain.

Also, gripe water and Peppermint water is very good for cramping colic type tummy pain.

You could also try giving him the homeopathic remedies Chamomilla or Colocynth. These are both very good colic remedies and are perfectly safe to give to babies with no side effects at all. Try putting the pressure on his tummy and if this helps, then try the Colocynth. Otherwise, if this does not help fully, then try the Chamomilla instead. The fact that he is screaming all the time and is red in the face, would indicate Chamomilla more strongly than Colocynth at the present time.

Good luck and hope this helps?

I agree with L i ..sounds like constapation to me too ..yellow u dident mention how often he #2..that is an important in a healthy and happy baby...the babys sounds gassy to me as well milacone drops( sp) helped my son alot..when u see his face turn red.. hes pushing.. when u see this try layin him on his back and bending his knees with ur hands up..and bring them up to his chest a lil.. kinda helps em pass gas.. good luck..

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They saw a child "in a world of his own". I see the most the most brilliant star. They saw a child "who may never speak". I see a gift that didn't need words. They saw a child with "limited possibility". I see a child, my child, who can soar past the sky.

mommy to Ryan and countless foster children...

Sounds like colic to me. I had 2 with colic. My 1st from around 3 weeks till 4 months. Always between 6:00pm and midnight while my husband was at work! My 4th was much worse as it was a 24/7 thing with her. She cried and screamed from 2 weeks until 9 months old! At 3 months old my husband left me and I did it alone, so I know how that feels (at that time my kids were dd-3 months, dd 17-months, ds 3 y/o and dd-almost 6 y/o). Let me confess I wanted to throw her against the wall (but I didn't dare tell anyone how I felt!). My mom took her for a night to relieve me and ended up bringing her back because she felt like smothering her, it was just awful! So if you have these feelings don't worry you're not alone, and if you do and can confide in telling someone it'll help you feel better. She used to drink about 3 ozs of formula (I burped her at every oz) but she should have been taking 6 ozs. She spit up her bottles also. I originally had her on a soy based formula (prosobee) because my 1st was lactose intolerant (I put all my babies on soy after the 1st for precaution). Then I read somewhere that soy based formulas can actually cause more gas. So I switched her to a milk based formula but with the lactose removed (Enfelac LF <LF = lactose free> ). I tried Gripe water and peppermint drops. Peppermint drops can be bought at the drugstore and you just add 2-3 drops to the formula, I went up to 5 drops. I put her in her infant car seat and ran the drier with her on top of it. I went for car rides, which usually puts any baby to sleep, but it didn't help her at all! I did on occasion put her in her cradle and step outside the house for the length of time it take to smoke a cigarette so I could collect myself together to deal with her some more.

My mother and I still talk about and wonder if she was that way because my marriage was not in good shape while I was pregnant (lots of argueing and screaming at each other!) and somehow it could have affected her. They say babies can feel the stress once they are born so why not in utero?

The strangest thing is that when she was just turning 9 months I couldn't get any more formula that month (I was alotted a certain amount per month which was mostly covered by the government but because she was feeding so often and not drinking it all, a lot got wasted). I had to switch her to regular milk because I couldn't afford a case of formula and it was soon after that, that she stopped screaming and crying - coincidence? I'll never know!!!!!

She is now 6 1/2 y/o and is a wonderful child, extremely affectionate with a wonderful smile. It will eventually get better. I hope my experiences and things I've tried will help you http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/smile.gif

mommyof5

i know how ( well not exactly) you feel. my name is elise i am 13 years old. when i was a baby i had reflux and it sounds alot like your son. i know you must be thinking " oh a 13 year old girl what can she do to help me" but please try this it might just work. when i was little to stop me from screaming my mother would rock me back and forth to some music in a carrier ( like the ones with the handles that you cary infants in) she would make sure i was on my back at all times and propped up. this might sound crazy too but ask your doctor about adding rice krispies to the formula. it keeps the food down alot better and is semi- nutrisious. i hope this helps. i know what you are going through. and believe me your son will be fine. the best of luck to you!
elise

I agree with most, it sounds like colic to me. My son had colic at 2 weeks of age. The dr. told me to give him some mylacon (you can buy it over the counter) it works wonders! I have to say this its funny, before I would give my baby anything, I would taste it, and I took one drop, and in a few minutes, I passed gas! They also told me to take room temp. coca cola, put it in the bottle, shake it up till all the fizz is gone, and give that to him. If you try this, be careful, or the nipple will blow up!I ask if the coke would hurt him, they said definately not, back in the 60's I think it was, they used that before meds were available. Make sure you try burping him about every ounce. Laying the baby on your lap rubbing his back is a good suggestion too. You can also put the baby in the car, go for a ride, or put him in his carrier, set the carrier on top of the washer, turn it on spin cycle, (dont let go of him of course) this causes the carrier to shake, and it soothes him. I hope some of this helps you, it has been 10 years ago for me, but I know exactly how you feel!
Just to add something else that happened, at the time I was scared to death, but it was funny. One night my daughter woke up screaming, holding her breath, face red, she was about 6 weeks old, I couldn't get her to stop, and I didn't think she was gonna breath, I called 911, within seconds paramedics were there, they walked over to her, she lets out this huge burp, and then grins. They looked at me and said your a new mom?
We all thought it was funny. But needless to say, it was scary at first. Hope this has all helped you, and cheered you up a bit. Good luck and God bless

[This message has been edited by MonicaAlabama (edited 05-25-2003).]

I had the same problem with my son, who's now almost 5 months old. I too can relate to feeling angry at my child when he would scream all night until the early morning hours when my husband would wake (none of this EVER woke him up!) and head off to work. It can be pretty depressing when you're an exhausted new mom.

As for advice, I think Dylan's problem was that I wasn't burping him often enough on the bottle- every oz. or two is really necessary for the babies who are affected with bad gas... my son also spit up CONSTANTLY (still does but not nearly as bad) and I thought he was sick, but he also never got dehydrated. Personally, though, I would try to give your baby regular formula (not thickened), because that has got to be hard on that little gassy tummy. I never thickened my son's formula and he didn't suffer any (still gained lots of weight despite the spitting up). It's worth a try, anyway. Also, I would check with your pediatrician before changing the baby's diet, esp to a low or no-iron formula... I've read that although it's hard to digest, babies younger than 6 months still need that iron. And even though my son spit up pretty badly, I stuck with regular formula instead of soy, and he's still on it without any food allergy or excessive spit up, so it must have just been that he his esophagus was not fully formed when he was very young...

This is just my experience, and of course every baby (and mom) is different, but it helps to have lots of things to try when you are in that situation- believe me I know!

I wouldn't let my baby cry in his crib either (even though the doc tried to convince me to)- tried it and my son let the whole apartment complex know how he felt! Never again... it makes them feel abandoned and they're so scared of everything as it is! That being said, 5 minutes in a cradle to step outdoors and compose yourself is PERFECTLY understandable, if not downright necessary sometimes.

Good luck, and hang in there- it gets better!
Jules

It's amazing how many different things can cause the same symptoms isn't it!

As for us, my son was exactly the same way! Would throw up his feedings and scream all the time. A lot of times the only way he would sleep was sitting up.

Turns out he was allergic to milk. Any type of milk - either through my breast milk or through formula. We cut it completely out of his diet and within 2 days everything was back to normal.


My daughter was this same way but she had a more serious problem - her bowels were twisted. And she wasn't digesting food properly.

Keep fighting with the dr. You know your child best and if you feels there's a problem keep fighting. You are all your child has!

Good luck and let us know how it's going.



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My daughter did that for 2 months. It is so frustrating. She would start crying at about 4 in the
evening ang cry till 2 or 3 in the morning. THere is not much to do if colic is causing it except wait as most babies will out grow it in a few months. Go to the doctor and make sure it is colic.
A friend of mine would put a peppermint disc in the botom of a bottle and fill it up with warm water and disolve the candy. Then let the baby drink the bottle when her stomach hurt. Ask your pediaitrician first.
Good Luck
I ran the vaccum cleaner when she got bad and she would stop crying and go to sleep. All babies are different but you might try it.

[This message has been edited by Emily123 (edited 05-27-2003).]

Another remedy which might ease the stomach pain is fennel tea. It is obviously tea made with fennel seeds and can be purchased in most grocery stores. Make it like regular tea and add about a tsp of honey to sweeten it. My family has been using for upset baby tummies for generations and it works almost every time.Good luck
Melissa

I really want to thank everyone who replied to my post. I took my son to a paediatrician, who has finally diagnosed what is wrong with my baby (i finally got my point across to a doctor who took me seriously, and who actually investigated the cause of my baby's problems!) It turns out my son has sleep apnea! This is the reason he only catnaps, and then wakes up screaming - he was screaming because he could not breathe. As the doctor explained it to me, the more he screamed because he couldn't breathe, the more wind he got, which would in turn make him scream as well because of the pain. The sleep apnea is now being treated with a nose spray designed to open up the airways, and he is a completely different baby. He slept for 11 hours the other night, but I still had a sleepless night, I kept having to check on him to make sure he was ok, because I wasn't used to him sleeping so long! I guess I have learnt that if you are not happy with a doctors opinion, to keep on trying until one takes you seriously. My boy has changed completely now, and with the new nose spray, he is feeding and sleeping properly, and rarely cries. Once again, thanks to everyone who replied to my post, it's nice to know that people care!

Thank Goodness you found out the problem.
I wish you and the baby the best.
God Bless.

Good for you for listening to your own heart. Mother's know better then anyone when they feel something is wrong with their child.

I had to fight a lot of dr's to get my daughter taken care of when she was 2 month. Turned out she had a mal-rotation of her bowels and couldn't keep anything down. Now, after surgery 5 years ago, she's doing great!

Good luck with the apnea. At least it can be taken care of.



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