my 3wk old grimaces and contorts body constantly

[preciousstone]

It's usually followed by a loud shriek/squeal. It may be just one squeal or a series. But if I'm not physically doing something to calm him, he launches into one of those tirades. He squirms even when swaddled, nursing or on a paci. Most of the squirming/body contorting is accompanied by grimaces that just break my heart. Is he in pain? Should I be concerned? Or is he just getting used to his own skin. I can't tell. He just looks so unhappy.

[newmothermary]

(((mama)))

I'm wondering if its gas?

Hope it goes away soon.

[odoole]

Probably gas. Be sure to burp him really well. If it continues beyond 6 weeks I'd consider reflux as well.

[CageFreeFamily]

Two of my three kids did this and it was food allergy related reflux.
A full elimination diet and a quality Infant probiotic really helped us.

[ktmama]

Sounds exactly like my little guy before I eliminated dairy from my diet. You are right - these kinds of things are not "normal".

[cristeen]

Sounds like what my little guy was doing before we realized he was allergic to the formula we were supplementing him with. It caused tons of gas, severe constipation, spitting up, etc. His tummy was rock hard.

You can try bicycling his legs, or gently rub his tummy in a clockwise direction to help pass the gas through his system. But I'd look at an elimination diet.

[preciousstone]

forgive me, but what is an elimination diet? is it safe to do while breastfeeding?

[merebella]

Hey mama, it's no fun to see your babe in apparent pain. Our ds was doing similar things from around that time. We found out around 8 weeks that he had reflux. 36 hours on reflux meds and his little body relaxed and he was a *much* happier guy - and still is! Does he spit up, have gurgly burps, arch his back, or make wheezy, congested type sounds? Those can be signs of reflux, too. It could also be gas caused from something you're eating.

An elimination diet means that you eliminate certain foods from your diet and add them back in one at a time, to see which is the culprit. Dairy is a common issue for nursing babes. You could try to eliminate it (and casein, which is a dairy derivative) from your diet for a few weeks and see if that works. Yes, it is safe to do while breastfeeding, because you're just cutting certain foods out.

I'd also try a probiotic for him. We were able to get a good quality one from our pediatrician that wasn't based on cow's milk. It was a powder and we just added it to about a half ounce of water (or breastmilk, or even just put it on your finger for him to suck on.)

Good luck. Keep us posted.

[cristeen]

If you're going to try eliminating dairy, you need to be sure to read labels and educate yourself on the milk derivatives. And it takes 2 weeks for your body to clear the dairy out of your system, so it would take at least that long to see whether or not dairy was the problem.

But also remember that it may be more than one thing - I know 2 women with babes who have multiple severe allergies - to the extent that moms diets are restricted to a handful of items. I believe you can find more about elimination diets in the allergies subforum.