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?
No comments:
Post a Comment