Something is wrong

mleighw · May 2013

My DD is 11 weeks old and I am in need of some advise. She is FF and we have had feeding issues since about 2 weeks old. She is very fussy for the majority of the day and night, only sleeps aboput 2 hours at a time. There are times when she is just inconsolable. She spits up multiple times a day. She is not constipated, typically has 5 to 6 BM per day. When she is having a BM she does cry and kick her feet. She is also very gassy. She acts like she is always in pain and is only content when she is held.

We add Mycloin drops to every bottle. We have tried regular, sensitive, and Soy formulas with no change. The pedi reccomended adding cereal to her bottles, we have since 4 weeks no change. We have also given her Zantac for 2 weeks now with no relief. I have voiced all my concernes to the pedi and either she does not know what it is or she is not concerned. Has anyone else experienced this or have any suggestions? TIA

mleighw · May 2013

I should also add that she gaggs and cries when I give her a bottle. After she is done eating she makes a wheezing sound. The pedi said it could be reflux but like I said we are having no luck with the Zantac.

MrsT0514 · May 2013

Have you seen any mucus/blood in her stools? Any rashes/hives on her skin? My next guess would a possible milk protein intolerance/allergy. This was pretty much my son until he was diagnosed with a milk protein allergy and then switched to an elemental formula. But his symptoms were also in addition to blood/mucus in his stool.

If her stools are otherwise normal, I'd talk to the pedi about other options for reflux meds. Some babies just aren't responsive to zantac.

JJ_13 · May 2013

kbruington:
Get a second opinion?

This. Giving an 11 week old cereal sounds crazy to me.

mleighw · May 2013

Her stools do not have any mucus or blood. Im curious is an elemental formula different from Soy? I do have another appt. for a seccond opnion but its not for another week. I really hope its nothing serious, we have been wating it out but it seems to be getting worse. Its really starting to bother me that she is always in pain.

sbevmc09 · May 2013

I'm sorry you and your LO are going through this. Sounds like a rough time overall.

I think you're right to get a second opinion. In a situation like this I think it's important to trust your mom instincts. If you feel like something is wrong you need to get to the bottom of it.

At the same time, some babies have colic. It's something that is sometimes overdiagnosed, but it does exist. Really, they're going to have to outgrow it and there's not much you can do.

Either way, you definitely need an answer so you know if there's something you need to be doing. I would just try to hang tight until your next appointment.

Heidi2004 · May 2013

Have you tried Prevacid? Zantac didn't work for us... Sounds like the same issues we had with both our dd and ds and it was reflux

also similac sensitive worked best for us

sashy831 · May 2013

Sounds almost exactly like my little guy. He has silent reflux and a milk allergy. He is in Pepcid and we use Similac Alimentum. We tried EVERY sensitive formula before we started with the hypoallergenic. It took a few days but what a difference it made. He's feeding are SOOO much better and his gas has also improved. The reflux stil comes up but the Pepcid and gripe water help. The formula is not cheap but insurance covers it.

With reflux I also just started having him sleep on his stomach and he is so much more comfortable that way and has been sleeping through the night now since starting that. It was hard doing it but once I saw how much more content and comfortable he was I had to let him. We also have a wedge in his crib to keep him elevated. He never had blood in his stool and is 12 weeks.

Good luck.

LSU628 · May 2013

Prevacid worked wonders for our DS. Zantac did nothing for his reflux. Hugs to you mama, it's so tough seeing your LO in pain. I agree with PPs though, trust your mommy gut and keep trying and get second opinions if necessary.

maven212 · May 2013

Hmmm..it really sounds like reflux though. The struggling to eat while eating...that really sounds like it. does she latch onto the bottle, drink for a few seconds, jump off, cry and try again over and over?

zantac doesn't work for everyone. Maybe your pedi can try another med? I've heard some people have success with Prevacid.

i just went through four months of this. In our case it was a mix of serious colic, reflux and gas. LO was insanely uncomfortable, and barely slept...couldn't be put in a carrier...couldn't be soothed. One day it just stopped.....like a bang, if you can believe it.

in anycase, if you can see your pedi that might be best.

MrsBigTime · May 2013

I don't have any experience with colic or reflux, unfortunately, but the wheezing after eating is worrisome to me. I wonder if she's aspirating (some of the milk is getting into her lungs instead of down her throat) when she's eating. I think if I had a patient in the hospital like this, I'd ask for a speech evaluation.

I'm sorry you (and your LO!) are struggling right now! It does take a while for babies to adjust to new formulas, but she should not be miserable all the time. I tend to really discredit physicians who don't validate a parent's concerns, and that combined with the advice to give your baby cereal in her bottles - which is really poor, outdated advice - leads me to encourage you to get a second opinion for a different provider.

Good luck!

st.augbride · May 2013

The GI system is still maturing at this age, so this probably all will "magically" go away at some point not too far off. I will say that ds had horrendous reflux as an infant and even still needs meds for it as a toddler. Zantac did nothing for him and only prevacid made a difference, so you might want to move to prevacid as it really sounds like you guys are dealing with bad reflux, and I would make sure it's a large enough dose--might be worth seeing a GI for proper dosing.

(Ma'iingan) · May 2013

Our son has MSPI (milk soy protein intolerance) and reflux (presented a lot like your DD). We are doing Prevacid, gas drops in every bottle, Enfamil Nutramigen, and were also recently advised to add some rice cereal into his bottle (the rice cereal did help as well). The next step would have been Neocate formula, but luckily the Nutramigen is working great.

His diapers did not look bloody or mucousy; however when we took a diaper in to be tested (need one with a fresh stool), the test indicated he was a classic MSPI. If it is MSPI with you DD, the sooner you test and get on the correct formula the better. According to our pediatrician it can take up to 6 weeks to heal the intestinal track and it's very painful. Each day he was a little better, and we finally were able to see his "true" personality 5-6 weeks after we corrected his formula. He did a 180 and is such a happy, little guy right now! He still has some reflux issues and some spit-up, but it is much improved and he can now comfortably sleep.

MrsT0514 · May 2013

mleighw:
Her stools do not have any mucus or blood. Im curious is an elemental formula different from Soy? I do have another appt. for a seccond opnion but its not for another week. I really hope its nothing serious, we have been wating it out but it seems to be getting worse. Its really starting to bother me that she is always in pain.

Yes, an elemental formula is purely amino acid based, containing absolutely no cows milk or soy proteins. Basically is purely hypoallergenic, and is usually only given to babies that have severe cows milk protein allergy/intolerance or multiple food allergies. Its ridiculously expensive though. Luckily my son's pedi deemed it medically necessary so our insurance covers it for us, but in your case I'd make sure to pursue and exhaust other options before moving onto this.

TBH, your LO's situation sounds morr like reflux. I would talk to your pedi about other reflux meds to try.

2moms2b · May 2013

It sounds to me like a reflux issue and I completely second pp about prevacid. Zantac was completely not effective with one of our boys who has GERD. Just be warned that prevacid takes two full weeks to be effective and it can get worse before it gets better. I would definitely ask your ped for a referral (if you even need a referral) to a pediatric gastroenterologist. They are much more versed in the treatments available today while pediatricians seem to stick with Zantac as it is one of the only FDA approved reflux med for children under 1.

Good luck as this can be very rough. Hang in there!

novmomtobe · May 2013

We went through similar situation with DS. Zantac did not work for us and we tried every type of formula you can think of. The final combination that made a world of difference for us was Pepcid 2 times a day and Nutramigen formula. You may want to give either Nutramigen or Alimentum a try.

workerbee82 · May 2013

test for laryngomalacia. Our little guy has it. It is VERY similar to reflux, but it's not reflux.

abornhoff · May 2013

Sounds like our LO. Listen to your mommy instincts! I KNEW something was wrong at 3 weeks. Our LO would scream horribly after feedings, wheeze, vomit, you name it... But no mucus in stool until he was 3 months and no blood until he was 4 months. We went to Alimentum and Prevacid with some relief, but he is a brand new child with Prevacid and Neocate. Be persistent!! Hope you all find relief soon :