Two Day Old Screaming, Gassy and Refusing to Feed

[BenimBebek]

He ate voraciously the first 24 hours (born Friday at 9:10), but now he just screams and has to be bounced and rubbed to sleep... often on his belly.  He will sleep for 30 minutes (without Mylicon), 2-3 hours with Mylicon... but he is absolutely refusing to feed.  Its been almost 24 hours since he even tried to latch.  He gets angry to the point of extreme screaming every time I try.  

Advice MUCH MUCH appreciated!!!

[coyotemist]

My daughter did this on day 2 and 3, and then got into a "normal routine of colic" until 4.5 months.  But she DID resume nursing.  Did you have a home or hospital birth?

If baby won't nurse at all you should get him checked out, dehydration isn't a good thing in a teeny one.

[Asiago]

It does sound like gas. I found that I needed to burp my son more often than I was doing  when he was a newborn.

Can you try nursing him upright? My son was often upset in the cradle hold trying to nurse.

Also I had to carry him upright, latched onto my breast and slowly dance around. I read in Dr. Sear's book that some babies need that motion in order to organize their sucking muscles. For a while this was the way he nursed, with me standing and gently bouncing around. I think it also helps to relieve the gas bubbles.

[Dootsmama]

We had this as well - I even called the doctor in the middle of the night our first night home because he wouldn't stop screaming. I had eaten some broccoli, and it turned out that caused him a great deal of gas and discomfort. At 10 months old I still avoid a few foods due to gas issues for him. It did get alot better over the first few weeks. Babies have to get used to the new source of food (breastmilk instead of thru the umbilical cord). 

If it continues and is accompanied by alot of spit up, check out kellymom.com for additional symptoms to watch for when it comes to reflux.

[carmen358]

Has your milk come in already? Is he having lots of wet/dirty diapers? Sounds like some good suggestions from PP re: dealing with gas...

[PatioGardener]

For my little one it was dairy in my diet that did it.  I happened to eat a huge amount in the day my milk came in - bad bad news.  He screamed for almost 2 hours straight.  I was frantic.

I talked to a pediatrician afterward (several months later) who said that anything over two hours of inconsolable screaming at that young age should be checked by a doc, as it is so hard to know what is bothering them, and they can get really sick really quickly.

Fortunately it was sensitivity and gas in our case, and I hope that's all it is in yours too.  I agree with a PP that dehydration can be a serious issue if baby isn't nursing.  How are poops and pees?  Anything in the past 24 h?

There should be some sort of warning about the discomfort that can happen at that age! 

[SpuglyRoo]

For me it was because of my overabundance of milk.  She needed to be burped a lot and I would have to pull out and let her breathe and burp her while the milk shot all over the place (get a cloth diaper handy if this is your trouble).  I still have a forceful let down and she gets quite gassy even now at 5 months.  Hope you figure out the troubles.

[elisheva]

Sounds like you're getting good advice. I've also found that fennel or caraway seed tea for me (i.e. the exact seeds you might have in your spice cabinet steeped for 15 min in boiled water) helped with gas for babe as it goes readily into your milk. I could even eat cabbage and caulifower if I followed it up with a cup of tea. In a pinch I would chew some seeds up but the tea is nicer. :)

[CookAMH]

How is it going mama?

See if you could help work the gas out gently by doing bicycles with this legs (if he'd even tolerate that position long).  DS had gas some as an infant and I was able to also gently push his legs back onto his belly, slowly, gently, firmly, and many times he'd just gas a lot.  He's so little his body is still figuring all that out :(. And like others said about burping, if you can get the air out on that end before it ends up as gas.

He does need to eat asap. Has your milk come in, is the letdown forceful? Hand express some if it's too much at once for him.  Will he suck your finger and can you slip some expressed milk in that way? Feed him by syringe asap if you have not done so already.

I hope you have gotten the help you need by now. I'm so sorry you're going through this, and your pp hormones don't help so don't feel bad if you have been crying a lot!

[Knitting Mama]

Originally Posted by CookAMH 

Hand express some if it's too much at once for him.  Will he suck your finger and can you slip some expressed milk in that way? Feed him by syringe asap if you have not done so already.

This is what I was coming in to suggest. Make sure he gets milk one way or another ASAP! Cup, spoon and syringe feeding are great ideas (you can use a shotglass for the cup since it's nice and small).

[mattiacem]

I truly hope you are doing better with the gas issues. The one thing that worked amazing for my newborn was chamomile tea, which was suggested by my doctor. I give her atleast 1 ounce a day and it was a dream come true. She started sleeping atleast 5 hours through the night at one month once i started giving it to her. She's not the same without it. My doctor also recommended peppermint tea but i stuck with the chamomile. 

Hope it works for you like it did for my baby. 

[skyewriter]

We cured colic with a two part combo (wish I'd had it for my daughter) part 1, acidophilus (the baby kind comes as a powder, put some on a spoon and wet with your milk -BE CAREFUL TO DO ONLY A LITTLE BIT at first.. the label should give a guideline dose, because too much gets rid of whats causing the gas.. but the die off makes more gas -all at once) I got started on this after a thread mentioned a study where colic eased up after three days of pro biotics... Part two, is homeopathic, we use a liquid remedy Lycopodium Clavicum at every feeding and at every fuss because it makes gas just escape quickly, instant burp, or nearly instant! And we top off with rescue remedy, because sometimes just relaxing a little bit lets a burp come right on out!! If you aren't used to homeopathics it is always the same dose (1-2 drops for a baby -or even three, its hard to hit their mouths sometimes!- 7 drops after around 3yrs, 10 drops adult) but while its always those two or three drops you might do it every five minutes during an acute episode. My son has had nights where we dosed 5 times in under half an hour, but you should have heard the burp he finally unleashed!!!!

Anyway, wish I'd had this for my colicy daughter!! She suffered so much, and to think I could have spared her the pain (insert sad face here.) The herbals helped her a little.... but after day one on this my son had a bad evening one in three nights for the first week or two (but no-where near as bad as before) and now at three months we still dose, but only as a preventative!

And I agree, spoon, dropper, finger... whatever, get a little milk in that wee one! God luck, hope things settle for you and your babe.

Oh, if you can't get liquid homeopathics (son made faces/cried at first taiste -is fine with them now) you can put the ball or tablet kind in a clean glass dropper bottle with clean good water and hand succuse it (rap the bottle bottom on a thick book or your palm 20 or so times)