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Wind so bad at night keeping her awake for hours! Any advice

Hi,

My LO is 15 week on Mon, she started medication for reflux last week. She's had colic since week 1 and has always struggled with terrible wind which makes her cry and thrash.

She thrashes in her sleep (eyes closed but very unsettled) from around 2am till morning but this improved slightly with reflux med but the last 2 nights her wind so bad she was awake thrashing/crying from around 2 am till morning. Im exhausted she was so over tired yesterday at one point her crying/screaming was like a fit and I was in tears (luckily my Mum was with me so helped me calm her down). I then had to watch her sleep for over an hour as her breathing was really strange, although sorted itself out as she calmed down in her sleep.

Does anyone have any advice for feeding at night for very windy babies? I ended up feeding her last night to calm her down but would this make her worse? Shes been on comfort milk for 3-4 weeks now not making any difference(and she has colief, infacol dr browns etc)

Thanks
(One very tired Mummy) Inka xxx

Replies

  • Hi Inka

    I wish i knew the answer, then my little man would be happy aswell. He started thrashing at 2am and didn't stop. before that he was relatively happy in his cot bed. He is also on gaviscon, dr browns, renititdine and comfort milk. We have cranial osteopath tomorrow so am pinning my hopes there as have been in tears this morning and 3am as nothing I was doing was helping.
    Not much help. just wanted to let you know you are not alone.

    sarah
  • Hello, I'm in much the same position with my LO, now nearly 11 weeks. I have really been hoping that once he hits the 'magic' 12 week mark his wind will improve but I guess not.

    Hugo wakes himself every hour or two at night at the moment with bad wind and then gets so upset that the only way to calm him is to feed him - like you Inka I'm not sure that this helps but the alternative is him screaming. When I pick him up he's rigid and I can tell he's in real pain. I breat feed him as it seems to relax him instantly.

    If anyone has the answer I'd be so happy to hear it.

    Peeptoe and Hugo (10+5)
  • Lyvi also suffers from bad wind pain and silent reflux. Like your lo she would be awake literally all night in pain and I was in tears feeling so helpless. I discovered that she was much more comfortable on her side and after about 20 seconds of me holding her on her side she'd fall asleep. However, after about 10 minutes she'd roll back and be moaning again so I's have to roll her back - this would go on all night long and I was getting no sleep! She was also feeding frequently through the night to ease the pain from the reflux. Then last week I ordered a wedge to go under her crib sheet and a sleep positioner to keep her on her side and the difference has been amazing!! Of course it isn't a complete cure but now she sleep 6 hours at night and then I have to wake her for a feed and she doesn't moan anywhere near as much as she used to.

    Obviously every baby is different and not all babies would be comfortable on their side but this has really helped us. We've tried infacol (made her worse) and gripe water (helps a little but not a lot) and I've changed my diet (BF'ing) but none have really made much difference.

    Love NN and Olyvia xxx

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  • We're just about to start using colief. If it the same colic as James appears to have, the wind builds up throughout the day, when James passes wind when I am bouncing him about in the evening, it's trumping. I have seen on here ladies have used baby massage, rubbing baby's tummy, and bending their legs up like they pull them up in pain. I have tried this a few times with James and it stops him screaming for a minute, and if we're lucky he trumps! :\) Gripe water seems to help as well, I give it when he's screaming, and within half an hour he's usually calmed down, although still appearing to want to pass wind. Hope you find something that works for your lo's. xx mithical and James 6 weeks today.
  • Thanks for replies, support and advice. So sorry so many of us watching our babies literally suffer!

    NN - Funny you mention laying baby on their side for comfort this was the only thing that stopped her crying last night but not something Ive had to do before might look into a wedge/positioner next.

    Peeptoe - Well done on still BF I found it too much with everything else so admire you x

    Lillykitt - I think of you often and the hard time you're having, fingers crossed something changes for us soon xx

    Inka xxx
  • Hugo is in his cotbed tonight in the nursery for the first time - he was in a moses basket in our room but the way he was writhing around in pain from his wind, I was getting worried he'd tip it over. Like you NN, I ordered a wedge for his cot but it didn't fit in the moses basket so for that reason also, it was time for the cot. Not sure if the wedge will help with wind (the Dr doesn't think he has reflux) so we'll see. I've tried lying him on his side propped up by rolled up towels but he hated it.

    I'm hoping that being in his own room will mean that he's not disturbed as much by us moving around when we come to bed, get up for the loo etc and he'll sleep more heavily and so not be disturbed as much by his wind.

    Inka, I am determined to stick with breast feeding for a few reasons, one of which is to stick it to my MIL who is pressuring me to formula feed. Also, I'm worried that switching to formula will upset his tummy even more.

    Fingers crossed we all have a better night tonight
  • Hi

    Well Tyler is down, for how long remains to be seen. He is swaddled, propped up and has a full belly. The only thing that will disturb him now is either his snotty nose of his wind/reflux.

    Good luck....

    sarah
  • I remember watching the baby whisperer once a while ago and there was this little baby who just wouldn't sleep. Ever! He'd been awake for days at a time because of colic. The mum was loosing her grip on reality she was so tired the poor thing!

    The baby whisperer had this large wedge cushion it was the width of the cot and had quite a steep slope. It had a five point harness near the top of the slope, the baby was strapped to it, and because it kept the baby upright - it fell asleep. She also was using that funny looking extra long teat bottle but I cant remember what it was called, she also advised NOT to pat baby on the back as it aparently makes reflux worse/can cause it! Instead she put both arms of the baby over her shoulder so that his breast plate was on her shoulder and just waited, he burped on his own.

    After a night with the wedge he was a different baby! I have no idea where they can be bought though! When my first Son had a bit of wind, I used a normal pillow under one end of mattress and it helped, however in severe cases I think the higher they are propped up the better!! but would need strapping in though so they dont roll down!
    Good luck hope things are better asap! x
  • While our situation is definitely minor compared to some of your poor little ones, monty does suffer with wind. Advice I've received has been:

    - feed him upright as possible (more than 45 degrees if possible)
    - burp before, during and after a feed
    - try drinking 3-4 cups of fennel tea a day and taking pro and prebiotics (breastfeedng moms, not babies!!)

    not sure if an if these have made much of a difference to be honest but they may work for you. We also have our first appt with a cranial osteopath on Monday (recommended as he was a forceps delivery). I've been using infacol too and didn't think it had done much but then we gave it a break for two days and poor monty had two v uncomfortable nighs.

    What does work wonders for him is also positional. His main time for discomfort is in the early morning - usually from 4.30/5 am. As we co-sleep and there's no sleep to be had when he's uncomfortable anyway I prop myself up in bed and put him on his front on my chest. He wriggles for a bit, farts and then falls straight back into a comfortable sleep. I just doze then but remain very alert as I'm so aware of him being there. Obviously this is not a whole night solution and will only work if you can stay awake/ doze but remain alert for safety reasons. So you could try this and if it alleviates their discomfort it could indicate that one of the positional devices might be worth buying.
    Anna

    [Modified by: babybarbarella on February 27, 2010 06:53 PM]

  • This may be irrelevant now but feeding slightly sat up. Regular breaks every 60 ml or so and winding, keeping baby sat upright 40 minutes after a feed, and laying on her tummy across your knees and rubbing/patting back can help a great deal. Also yes baby massage and gently bicycling her legs are all methods that can help hope this helps x

    I am a mum of three and a qualified nurse.

  • we have found that instead of just rubbing up and down or patting on the back, also go round and round in a circular motion and this seems to help get the wind up

  • We still have this problem at 13 months, the gp keeps saying it's nothing to worry about, but a) I need sleep and b) I'm sure he should have grown out of this by now? He would sleep really well if he wasn't constantly woken by wind. He has gripe water, Infacol, belly rubs, leg wiggles, jiggles....it all brings some gas out but he seems to have an endless supply. Every night. We tried the enzyme drops but they gave him the runs. Sometimes I am lucky but usually he only sleeps for 40 minutes at a time and I'm spending every night with him on the sofa so my partner can sleep and get to work safely. 

  • Lie baby on his/her back grab the ankles and crunch knees to babys chest then stretch legs out... rep a good few times... then still holding the ankles move legs in a circular motion so its moving the pelvis. Then lie baby on his/her tummy or hold baby and sounds weird but massage where the hips n bum meet with some baby lotion or any moisturiser tht wont effect baby. Do this for a good few days and add gripe water when baby has the feed. Not too much. my baby had it but i did what i just told u for i think it was 2 weeks and she was fine. She had reallly bad constipation some nights she just cudnt sleep. if baby is having wind then obvs its probs giving tummy ache as well. And keep up with the water supply too. Totally forgot about tht hehe xx 

  • @Inka I understand the feeling, especially when at 15 weeks wind should be getting better for babies.

    My story was a bit similar but I was breastfeeding and topping up with bottles. From day 5 baby was suffering from bad wind will trash in sleep at night, make moaning sounds, wake up crying and screaming this was worse at night, he was a lot calmer during the day but it gradually got worse and one Sunday morning he woke up crying for a prolonged period fortunately for me like you, my mum was with me which helped. .We tried colief helped first few days/weeks then got worse  (colief also causes cramp one of its side effects)

    I went from aptamil profutura to apatamil comfort and then aptamil lactose-free.He was much more settled on aptamil lactose-free (expensive) and crying was mainly at 5 am instead of what it was but after 3 weeks he had severe skin rash (eczema).They only prescribed lactose-free milk NHS is SMA brand was tricky at the time as wasn't comfortable changing mil for the fourth time in a young baby. By this time already using infacol, cows milk, gripe water (we started earlier than 1 month in smaller dose) and colief on a daily basis. We were initially given Gaviscon for reflux then was changed to ranitidine.The reflux wasn't affecting his sleep was more the wind and discomfort. I stopped giving these as well.

    I pushed on with breastfeeding and boosted my supply expressing and gradually we started exclusively bf this seemed better with his bowel motion but still had the trapped wind issues but a lot better than it was. Some odd days when I needed a top up, we went back to using apatamil profutura which didn't help. 

    What helped: We attended baby massage course found some manoeuvres helpful as he was also pumping during the sessions.I also found cooled boiled water helped and a soak in a hot bath.

    Our solution: Then I went on a dairy free diet and 3 weeks later had a completely different baby starting sleeping for longer stretches no more crying and early morning waking. The prescribed version of diary free for formula feed babies is neocate or nutramigen. The version with a little cows milk protein is Aptamil pepti (this one your GP can issues to try) the others may need to be referred.

    I also gave him a month of probiotics this sorted out his constipation issues and made him more regular. (it has also be proven to help the gut heal)

    Although still breastfeed, even if he has few ml of formula at nursery or with his Dad. He has no discomfort or trapped wind.

    (Neocate has an awful smell and doesn't taste as nice.We got given one to help with his weaning cereal he wouldn't drink)

    I agree with above it helped when I drank fennel tea also helpful with boosting milk supply 

    It will get better as baby grows the gut matures.

    I hope it helps

  • Sleeping position also helped he was unable to sleep for longer than 1-2hrs on his back but when supervised on tummy did longer stretches or on his side so I got a wedge for his cot.

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