Is it gas or reflux or heartburn? 2 week old twins ...

[JanineRivera]

My little girls seem to been in pain ... constantly wiggling and grunting.  Their whole body tenses up.  They fart quite a lot but for the last few days have not been pooing much.  What is it?  Could it be constipation?  Gas?  Reflux? (they spit up but not that much; maybe twice a day.)  I try to burp them often but just don't know what to do.  I am trying Gripe Water right now.  Any ideas?  Suggestions?  Thank u!!

[neonalee]

Are you BFing? I had over active let down that led to a lot of difficulties early on.

sent from my phone using tapatalk, please excuse typos.

[JanineRivera]

yes, BFing ... it could be an overactive let down.  What do u do for that?  

[Comtessa]

Don't do anything!!!!  This is the 2-week adjustment.  They're fine, and it should go away in a couple of days. 

This is the Single Biggest Secret that nobody tells you about breastfeeding, and I am mystified that new babies don't come with a warning label about this one.  Right around 2 weeks after your babe (or babes ) are born, your milk changes its consistency somewhat, and their systems suddenly have to adjust to the "new" milk.  For a couple of days while their little bellies are getting used to it, they suffer from an increase in gas, sometimes their poop changes, and they seem fussy and uncomfortable.  Then, after a few days, it goes away and that's that.  It happened with both my little ones.  Thank heavens I had excellent midwives with both babies who both reminded me that "it's 2 weeks, that's all this is."  Sure enough, that's all it was. 

If there's something else going on, you'll know -- it will continue for longer than a few days.  But give it 2 or 3 days before doing anything, and don't do anything drastic! 

[JanineRivera]

Thank u Comtessa for the reassurance!!  I have only given them gripe water and I did take them to see a Pediatric Osteopath who is great but nothing else.  We will just wait it out and see:)  I do wish that babies came with manuals, lol:)

[Llyra]

I have to second the suggestion to give it some time. The newborn period is so difficult-- they have so much to adjust to, and so do we, and it takes some patience and some time. I wouldn't go suspecting anything more than normal newborn fussiness, without much more cause than that.

My kids, in the first six weeks, were typically mostly miserable when they weren't sleeping or nursing. Their happy-alert moments came, but they were brief. They fussed inordinately with their poops, and seemed to strain horribly. They passed a ton of gas, and fussed and fussed and fussed. And they were all fine-- six weeks came and went, and the milk supply settled in, and their little systems adjusted, and all was well.

If you're still seeing excessive fussiness after about six weeks (or three months, if you have the misfortune of having a colicky baby), then I'd maybe look into causes.

Infrequent pooping for more than a day or so, at this age, would worry me, though-- mostly because it CAN be a sign that baby is not getting enough milk. Often it's not, but it CAN be. It's normal for babies past about a month or two old to stool infrequently, but in the first six weeks, you ought to be seeing multiple stools a day. So if that keeps up, you might want to look into it-- have weight gain evaluated, watch hydration, consider doing before-and-after weights on an accurate baby scale. Just in case.

Otherwise? Hang in there. It gets better, quickly. And congratulations, too-- twins can be a challenge, but they are worth every bit of it.