Reflux - or Bust!

E.A.S.Y. This is what Tracy Hogg, author of the Baby Whisperer, tells you should be your life with a newborn. Eat. Activity. Sleep. You time. This is how each cycle of time should go with your baby…about 8-12 times a day. I am struggling with the Sleep and You time part of this formula. I am convinced that Sven has silent reflux. My daughter had it, so I think that has helped me to self-diagnose his condition at such an early stage. I think everyone around me thinks I’m jumping to conclusions, but I firmly believe I am right. I am the only one who basically spends 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with my baby.

Before I was pregnant there were a number of ailments I had heard of, but never really knew or experienced what they were. One of these was heartburn. My heartburn was what I consider the mild kind, uncomfortable to say the least and the only position I could sleep in was on my left side. This was because gravity would keep my stomach juices away from the entrance of my stomach. It was a constant burning sensation…the kind you get when you throw up, except that its not over after a heave…it’s the constant burning kind. To say the least, its no fun. So I can only imagine what it might feel like to a tiny baby who is repeatedly heaving and swallowing the contents of his stomach. This is what I have noticed from Sven, which convinces me of his reflux:

- He can’t sleep. He’ll go 8-12 hour periods without sleeping because he is so uncomfortable. Initially I thought this was gas…I thought the same thing with my daughter, but must’ve been too sleep deprived to remember this fallacy…but really, it is sometimes the result of gas. He’s pushing so hard to get the gas/poop out that he pushes his stomach contents up the other way. We have already put his bed at an incline, but this doesn’t seem to help much. And of course, he’s on his back…wouldn’t want to chance SIDS…which for those of you who have had heartburn is a terrible position to be in, even at an incline. He gets so exhausted from not sleeping, but is so uncomfortable. This pain and sleep deprivation cannot be healthy! Especially for a newborn who needs up to 16 hours of sleep a day.
- He always gets the hiccups. I try to burp him, and usually I’m unsuccessful. Usually he gets the hiccups whether or not I burp him. And let me tell you, I have studied up on burping. You should see all the crazy ways I try to burp him. I’d call myself a burp expert except that I can’t get him to burp!
- Gagging/choking/constant swallowing. Sven oftentimes gags and chokes. Not necessarily provoked in my mind. This will oftentimes happen after a yawn. Or I’ll have been holding him in a comfy position for 10 or so minutes, and he’s definitely drifting off to sleep when suddenly he starts gagging…the kind you see your friends doing after too many drinks. Also, sometimes he’ll start gagging at the breast, so I’ll pull him away (scary) and sit him upright…and he’ll continue swallowing many (10+) more times. I don’t know what he’s swallowing. I’m guessing it’s the contents of his stomach. I think his body is trying not to let the stomach acid get into his lungs, and is trying to coordinate the opening/closing of the valve from the esophogas to the lungs (don’t know the name of it) and swallowing of the fluids. He doesn’t breathe much during this time, so its always scary to watch.
- Bad breath. My poor son’s breath smells like vomit…or like stomach acid, which is a nicer way to say it.
- Overeating. Sven has definitely been putting away some good milk since his birth. He was 8lbs 5oz when born and got down to 7lbs 10oz before he started gaining again. I have an infant scale at home (this is the topic of another post) and his latest weight is 10lbs 7oz. He is 3 weeks and 2 days old. This means he has gained almost 3 lbs in 3 weeks. Babies are supposed to gain about 0.5-1oz a day. He is gaining over triple that! I guess milk is a good neutralizer of stomach acid, so while some babies are so uncomfortable they lose weight, Sven is overcompensating and gaining big time.
- Pulling away at feedings. So obviously Sven has been drinking lots of milk, but I wouldn’t say this process is always comfortable for him. He oftentimes pulls away, like “I don’t want this ‘cause it hurts, but I want this ‘cause it makes me feel better.” Its really odd to watch him eat sometimes.
- Sinus congestion. So I’m not sure if newborns should still be having this much congestion, but it seems unusual to me. It almost sounds like he has a cold. But this is mild and not the primary symptom.

There are other things I’m beginning to notice as well. My daughter ended up with a flat spot initially on her head because she always turned her head the same way. So I’ve been watching this very closely with Sven. And when his head is pointed to the right (when he’s on his back) he sleeps better than if I point his head to the left. I don’t know if this has anything to do with the problem, but I think it might.

All in all, I probably spend 45 minutes to an hour with Sven after every feeding, listening to him wimper in pain, trying to find a position that’s comfortable for him. Once I’ve found one and he’s finally sleeping, I gently lay him in his inclined crib. About 50% of the time I have about 10 minutes to get a bite to eat, go to the bathroom, before he is wimpering in pain again and I have to pick him up. The other half the time I get a cycle or two before he’s up. What this all means is that the S and Y part of EASY do not come “easy” for Sven or I. So I’m having a tough time. I think my hormones have regulated a bit, but this constant sleep deprivation is hard…on the both of us I’d say!

So Sven’s doctor did prescribe some Reflux meds, which he has been on for a week now (Zantac) without any marked improvement. I told the doctor we tried this medicine on my daughter and that it didn’t help her, but she insisted that we try this one first. So we must wait a couple weeks to prove this didn’t help…someday our family will get some sleep eventually. And I can’t help but feel envious of my friends who have “easy” babies. I wonder what they do with their S and Y time?

Newborn Notes

Two and a half weeks ago, I had my second baby, a son, Sven.  My first-born daughter, Anika was only born 14 months earlier and I was surprised at how much I had already forgotten.  Anika was not an easy newborn and we ended up spending 3 days at Children's Hospital when she was only 6 days old...so needless to say it was the most stressful time in my life.  So maybe I just couldn't put anything in my long-term memory banks.  So with that in mind, I thought I would take a few notes...to help me remember my experience and answer questions my sister or other friends might have once they start having babies.

Must Have Newborn Items

-       Good swaddling blanket – We have a fleece Halo Sleepsack/swaddler.  Yes, its summertime, but I've found that this is the only one strong enough to keep his arms inside.  The others seem to let him move around too much and then he wakes himself up.  I admit I have not tried the Miracle Blanket, but a Swaddling friend of mine swears by it.

-       Pampers Swaddlers Sensitive Diapers – its hard to tell when newborn babies pee and at this point in their lives, counting the number of pee and poo diapers (besides weighing them) is the only way to ensure that they are getting enough nutrition (well if you’re breastfeeding like I am).  These diapers have a nifty little strip that changes color when they pee.

-       Infant Scale – I purchased one of these with my daughter when we had troubles with her gaining weight and feeding.  I struggled to get her to take a full feeding as she was really sleepy, so feedings were long and I was never sure how much she drank.  This was the only way for me to confidently know how much she drank and it also helped me to troubleshoot her crying.  If I knew she just had a full meal, then the cry wasn’t for food.  (Turns out she had silent reflux, which is a whole other post in itself)

-       Comfy rocking chair – We have a comfy (inexpensive) gliding rocking chair.  Seeing as I spend 8+ hours a day for many months in this chair, its important that I be comfortable.  I never thought I would need the ottoman that came with it, but let me tell you, it is so nice to put your feet up while nursing.  I gained a lot of water weight during pregnancy and I thought it would magically disapper with childbirth.  Not so!  I think I get rid of my water weight with a month long series of night sweats…but I digress.  The ottoman is nice because my feet swell due to gravity during the first month post-partum.

-       Healthy Sleep Habits, Healthy Child by Marc Weissbluth.  This is our “Bible.”  A friend graciously purchased this book for us as a baby gift with our first and after reading it we really understood the need our daughter has for sleep.  We centered our whole parenting priorities around getting our daughter sleep and we reference this book often as she got older and her sleep patterns changed.

-       Dr. Jack Newman – He is a breastfeeding expert.  He has written a number of books which I did find helpful…but what was most helpful for me were his ‘how to’ videos on YouTube.  Breastfeeding was not natural or easy for me with Anika.  Getting a good latch, looking for swallowing not just sucking, not using a pacifier, the importance of breastfeeding soon after birth…these are important things to make sure breastfeeding is sucessful.  Before I had a baby I was not interested in watching other women’s boobs and how a baby drank from them.  After I started having issues, I was devoted to making it work and my squeamishness disappeared.

-       Baby Log Book – I created a 3-ring binder for each of my kids.  It houses emergency info for any babysitter.  It also houses the handouts we’ve received at each well-child visits.  Most importantly I log each time my kids wake up, go to sleep, eat, how much they eat…and yes, if you can’t tell by now I’m a little neurotic.  So I weigh my new son each time he wakes up before a feed and then after a feed.  I know about how much he eats and I get an update on his weight gain.  I really only pay attention to that on a daily basis, but it is so reassuring to me to have this information especially after my experience with my daughter’s weight issues.  I also record each pee and poo diaper.  This is also handy as I bring it to each of the doctor appointments and I’m totally prepared when the doctor has a question.

-       Video Monitor – This is a new addition to my arsenal.  Maybe not necessary, but definitely nice to have when the baby is making all of his grunting noises.  I can just quickly look at the monitor…see if his eyes are open or closed, and assess the situation.  This tool will become more handy as Sven gets older for investigating sleep issues once he sleeps through the night.

-       Humidifier – So its summertime in Minnesota and our air definitely does not need to be humidified (at least not until winter), but we use this as our noisemaker (we don’t put any water in it right now) to drown out my daughter’s loud cries so she doesn’t wake him up.  Initially I did not want to have one of these as a sleep prop for our kids, but find it absolutely necessary if I want to ensure myself some reliable sleep.

Well, I’m sure there are others.  These are the main ones right now.  They definitely make this newborn experience easier, but its definitely not easy.  I can’t wait for the 3 month mark.  To me, it marks good nighttime sleep.  And when I have rest, I’m a much more reasonable person.