1 week old newborn with silent reflux?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m sorry. Unfortunately I don’t think the medicine I gave my son 14 years ago is allowed now. Try buying a wedge to put under his crib or a thing to sleep in where his head is elevated.

DS was probably on the same med that is now no longer in use. It did help at the time. That was 22 years ago.

I slept sitting up in a recliner for a solid 6 months with DS and did the same thing with DD who was colic-y.

I am sorry OP that your baby is experiencing this. This phase will pass believe it or not. Split up the baby care duties amongst the 3 of you and make sure you all get rest as well.

[Anonymous]

Definitely see pediatrician. Our dd had reflux (not the silent kind). She was always uncomfortable except when she was eating, but then after eating, she’d arch her back and scream and cry and she could never keep her food down. We were referred to a pediatric gastroenterologist who put her on medication and had me cut some common allergens out of my diet since I was breastfeeding, and switched her to special formula ($$$) since I was also supplementing. With all of these changes, dd became a new baby. She still spat up, but she was so calm and content, always smiling, slept better.

It’s great that you’re doing research and reaching out for help. You’re doing everything right.

[Anonymous]

I found eliminating dairy when nursing had a huge impact on the baby’s reflux symptoms. Maybe have your wife cut all dairy for a few weeks and see if that helps?

[Anonymous]

Definitely talk to your pediatrician about reflux. But, it can also be colic not related to reflux. Our oldest had terrible colic. It’s not well understood even though it is very common and seems linked to a baby with an underdeveloped nervous system that gets overwhelmed. He did scream for hours every evening until about four months. It was terrible and we did spend hours every day just walking him around in the carrier while he screamed. Around 4 months, it just stopped as his nervous system matured. It is a blip in your parenting journey, but it does feel so hard when you are in the thick of it. I didn’t realize quite how much until I had another kid who didn’t have colic and was just sleepy and content. Hang in there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Could be gas, could be overtired, could be reflux.. any chance you have a fast let down? When I have over supply my baby has those symptoms ( 10 weeks old but your description could describe our night tonight)

OP’s wife here — yes, I’m pretty sure I have a very strong let down (milk literally pours from them by just bending over) — any recs?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Could be gas, could be overtired, could be reflux.. any chance you have a fast let down? When I have over supply my baby has those symptoms ( 10 weeks old but your description could describe our night tonight)

OP’s wife here — yes, I’m pretty sure I have a very strong let down (milk literally pours from them by just bending over) — any recs?

DP but this doesn’t sound like a fast letdown issue. That said, get a *good* lactation consultant quickly if you want to continue breastfeeding. Some of the advice here is why - people love to blame breastfeeding for baby behavior because the truth is some babies just have colic and it’s easier to just tell mom to do SOMETHING even if it’s not science based at all. A LC will help you figure out what you should and shouldn’t try before you kill yourself on diet changes, pumping the letdown, etc.

Bottom line, don’t do anything differently unless/until you start working with an expert 1-1.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Definitely see pediatrician. Our dd had reflux (not the silent kind). She was always uncomfortable except when she was eating, but then after eating, she’d arch her back and scream and cry and she could never keep her food down. We were referred to a pediatric gastroenterologist who put her on medication and had me cut some common allergens out of my diet since I was breastfeeding, and switched her to special formula ($$$) since I was also supplementing. With all of these changes, dd became a new baby. She still spat up, but she was so calm and content, always smiling, slept better.

It’s great that you’re doing research and reaching out for help. You’re doing everything right.

+1 same issues here. Get on baby Pepcid and consider cutting out dairy. If you think you have a fast letdown, try giving expressed milk in a bottle and see if it’s the same.

[Anonymous]

Nothing with a newborn is forever, it’s usually a week or three days. They also get https://healthcare.utah.edu/the-scope/kids-zone/all/2021/03/helping-your-newborn-get-through-painful-pooping

Bring it up to your ped but don’t jump to meds again nothing is permanent and they also go through spurts a week, three weeks, 6,9 wks and four months. Note if your kid is early or not.. you will 100% think your kid is broken.

[Anonymous]

Definitely talk to your pediatrician. They can tell way more with a physical exam than anyone on the internet can tell from a description.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Nothing with a newborn is forever, it’s usually a week or three days. They also get https://healthcare.utah.edu/the-scope/kids-zone/all/2021/03/helping-your-newborn-get-through-painful-pooping

Bring it up to your ped but don’t jump to meds again nothing is permanent and they also go through spurts a week, three weeks, 6,9 wks and four months. Note if your kid is early or not.. you will 100% think your kid is broken.

I think every parent of a newborn thinks this at least once.

[Anonymous]

Colic.
I got out of this by changing my diet radically (I was breastfeeding), raising the mattress so that the baby’s head and torso was raised at an angle, using infant colic drops, infant oil massage and the most important was using asafetida gum (Hing- a spice used in Indian cuisine)) dissolved in water spread over my baby’s belly and using warm cloth napkins to give gentle heat.

The last one worked miraculously and usually colic resolved with 15 minutes. After it worked a few times, I started using it prophylactically even before the colic started. I had a happy baby who smelled like an Indian grocery store.

You can buy Hing from your nearest grocery store. Google this remedy. Magic cure.

[Anonymous]

Oh also, do the Hing remedy away from the umbellical cord. Entire belly.

[Anonymous]

If you can afford it, highly recommend a postpartum doula for night time. Ours helped us with lactation issues and understand how to relieve or baby with various discomforts. Check your benefits to see if this is included - we only learned about it as a result of a coworker of my husband who used it. Wish we would have had the support for our first!

[Anonymous]

Talk to pediatrician and take videos to show them. We dealt with this and it was scary (choking at night). It helped when I stopped eating certain allergens but a huge pain to figure out which ones. Stopped dairy right away which helped a lot but we still had it and now I know my daughter had an egg allergy which likely contributed. If you use formula, try the ones designed for babies with milk allergies (talk to pediatrician). Examining stool might also help identify it it’s caused by food allergens - there are things to look out for. Owlet sock gave me peace of mind at night after the choking incidents. Could also do slow flow bottle nipples

[Anonymous]

I see mom's reply about the strong letdown. I had similar issues. See a lactation consultant if you can, in the meantime you can adjust your position while you feed baby--almost recline while you feed, so that gravity helps the situation.

You can also give baby some breaks mid-feed.

Be cautious with any advice you read on boards like this. There are lots of things that "didn't hurt my baby" but are not considered safe sleep.

Most importantly, know that even thought the nights are long and you feel may feel totally helpless at points, every day you figure out a little more, and every day your baby also figures out a little more. He's only been outside for a week!