OK - I need help (vent)

I just don't know what to do for Joseph...and I'm not even sure that my problems are out of the ordinary...but when it's YOUR kid everything seems exacerbated...

He has trouble pooping. Not all the time - but mostly in the AM and sometimes at night. He'll SCREAM until he goes. So, I've given him the thermometer a time or 2 and that seems to help about 1/2 hour later. But, I don't want him to rely on that method. It's not hard poopy - it's always soft...but could there be something wrong with his bowels??

At 3 weeks one of the dr's diagnosed him with a virus because he was weezing and choking through feedings. At 5 weeks we went back, saw a different dr with the same symptoms and he diagnosed reflux and put him on Zantac. Now he's been on that since Thursday and honestly, I'm not sure that's the problem. He does spit up a little now and then and he seems to choke on it - but is that severe enough to put him on Zantac? And am I off base here - but is it the poopy pain that bothers him or is it reflux pain??

Then, he's such a restless sleeper. Daytime and nighttime. His gas wakes him up, he gets the trembles and that wakes him up... we don't go more than 3 hours at night... is that normal at almost 6 weeks?

I just feel like there's something we're not picking up. Could he be allergic to my milk? Should I try a formula? What if that opens a whole new problem with gas?

He's only been around for a short time and already he's on Mylicon everyday - now zantac, we've tried prune juice (as per the PA at the dr's office) and pedialyte. I just feel like we're putting this poor baby through the ringer!!!!!

Re: OK - I need help (vent)

Awwww, Danielle, I'm sorry you're going through this! If it's any consolation, Alex has very similar problems. She always, and I mean ALWAYS strains and grunts right after or during her feedings, and it's either to poop or toot At first I thought it was reflux because sometimes she would scream out in pain, push up on her legs and really strain, and she has been spitting up more often. Though DH and I noticed the spitup usually coincides with her straining so I think the straining causes the spitup. It's also because the only thing that comforts her when she has the gas pain is to nurse, and then she overeats and then it causes spitup. We talked to our pediatrician and he was fairly certain that it's not reflux, but just typical newborn gas problems. Part of hte problem is that with Alex she eats SO much that it's hard for her tummy to digest it all and that's when the pains start. He said there's really not a whole lot we can do except to wait for her digestive system to mature.

With Alex, it also wakes her up during naps. I have to rock her to sleep for about 40 minutes because if I put her down before that the gas pain will wake her up.

If it's any consolation, I've noticed that it's getting much better lately. I think her system is starting to get the hang of it. We had a stretch of 3-4 good days, though last night was pretty bad, but most likely because of all the chocolate I ate I've heard that chocolate aggravates the gas. I've also cut dairy out of my diet just in case that's causing the gas, and I've cut back on anything else that commonly causes gas...

Hang in there, it should get better soon!

Re: OK - I need help (vent)

I can't give any insight into reflux questions, but I just wanted to make sure you know that it is expected for fussiness to peak at six weeks. Nearly all babies get worse and worse in terms of unexplained crying from weeks one to six, and then gradually decrease on their own from weeks seven to twelve.

Re: OK - I need help (vent)

Thanks Beth - it's just hard because I have IBS and am lactose intolerant so I wonder if he has any of that too. And if it happens while he's nursing he gets SO agitated - he shakes his head, screams and CLAWS at my boob. So then he gets more gassy and is so freaked out he won't burp. The only thing that helps him is to sleep and he's been doing SO much of that lately I worry.

I think I'm just so scared about whether or not I'm doing the right thing - I have a call into the dr's office to talk to a DIFFERENT dr because I don't want to medicate him if he doesn't need it.

Do you give Alex the mylicon at all?

Re: OK - I need help (vent)

Re: OK - I need help (vent)