The situation:

Stats: 6 and a half weeks old, weighs 3.7kgs (born at 2.2kgs - underweight)

Feeds: Bottle fed and takes around 100ml every three hours. Formula: s26 Gold 'Newborn' tends to spew after every feed and often cries when being fed - always break the feed into two and get a burp after feeding each time

Situation: Lukas will only sleep between 6 - 8 hours in a 24 hour cycle with most of these hours being the night - sometimes does not sleep at all during the day 9am - 7pm

What we have tried: White Noise (helps at night), dummies (both cherry and orthodontic types), wrapping, double wrapping, rocking, holding (wiggles in my arms or chest, tried 'Baby Bojorn" tried a swing, tried 'infants friend' stomach drops also tried various routines including 'Save our Sleep' guide and many more. Tried playing music, tried quiet, I have also put him in a darker room - still doesn't work.

I have taken 2 months off work for the birth of my son and I am worried that it may all be too much for my partner when I go back to work in 2 weeks time. Currently we split the night into two and allow the other to get at least 5 hours straight sleep (which I will not be able to do when commuting to Sydney each day) Any help now would be greatly appreciated.

sorry that your going through all this.
There's only a couple of things that I can think of that you haven't already tried.
Have you tried swaddling with one arm out? my DS hated being swaddled but would be fine with one arm out.
Sometimes gold formula can be too strong for some babies have you tried changing to regular s26?
and have you seen a baby osteopath (I think that's what it is)? sometimes babies can be out of alignment after the trauma of birth and that can sometimes effect sleep and feeds.
good luck.

Hi Nadz27,

Yes, If he is swaddled with one arm out he will continually wave it around and this unsettles him even more. As for the formula I will try and change it today smile as that may help - I just looked at post http://www.huggies.com.au/updates/8964 and he appears to have every sign of reflux? Lukas was born via a C- Section so would that still induce birth traumas at 6 weeks?

Hey, So sorry that you are going through this... It will get easier I promise!!

Firstly, I would take him off s26 altogether and try a different brand. If he's crying during feeds and splits feeds into two aswell as spews afterwards then I would say he has a bit of reflux. Reflux and constipation are common with s26. Try keeping him as upright as possible when feeding and keep upright for about 20 minutes after aswell (over shoulder etc). If he's spewing big amounts- I would book a gp appt.

I would keep up with the swaddling and make sure to have him up for no more than an hour at a time. So bottle, nappy change, cuddles, swaddle and back to bed. Rocking and patting usually works.

Also, make sure to try one thing for atleast a few days before deciding that it doesnt work. If you're trying numerous things at once, you're less likely to see any major results. But as I said, I would be changing formulas first to see how you go.

You're doing a great job, keep us updated.

I would def try a different formula, my DD was bf, but I have heard a lot of people have trouble with S26 gold. I tried Nan whne my dd was a little older and it seemed to go down with no trouble.

It does sound a little like you your little mites is over tired. It might take a little time, but he needs to be taught how to sleep. I used to put my DD in her pram and push it over the strip where the lino meets the carpet so she got a bump with every push, I used to put her in a sling, (not a baby bjorn because that didn't work for me), and keeping her upright more kept her relux at bay.

I think the biggest thing for her was just having movement, and physical contact. It is nice to have a break from them, but the first 12 weeks of a babies life is 'the 4th trimester'. He doesn't realise he is a seperate entity from his mum yet and needs constant contact.

It will get better soon I promise!

Lukas was born via a C- Section so would that still induce birth traumas at 6 weeks?

you could still get it checked out, its not just being born but also when you think about it towards the end of pregnancy they are upside down squished into a space that's too small for them, and if Lakas started to go down the birth canal before the c-section then that's also cramped.
but I'd switch formulas first and see if that makes a difference.

Hey all,

Just back from the Dr and he believes it may be refulx and said to try a different formula so I got the Karicare AR formula for refulx and am giving that a go now. He was immunised today so may still be difficult due to the immunisation but will give an update, so far today though its been the same old same old... sad (feel mega guilty for getting frustrated with my little man..)

hi, most of the replies are similar to what i would have said, but another thing you can try, is loosen the top of the bottle till you feel it just start to tighten. the formula shouldn't leak out but you will notice a heap of air bubbles in the milk when ds is feeding. break the feed for burps still and you might find he won't spew as much as he's not sucking so much air in, and getting more milk and therefore filling up on formula rather than air. i had similar problems when my 8week old was a couple of weeks old and then the child health nurse suggested to loosen the lid and we hardly have any spews now, only when she drinks too much before a burp. and like others have suggested, change the formula, i have dd on lactogen and have had no problem with it, good luck

It will take a little while for there to be a change in bub (if there will be a change) since you've changed to the AR formula. What the AR formula does it thicken the milk. He may still bring it up and it will be thicker.

My DD has silent reflux and colic till she was 4 months old. We use Brauer's Stomach Calm and gave it to her before every feed. It worked well for our DD and may be worth a try. We also raised one end of her cot by putting chocks of wood under the legs to help elevate her. When she was younger we also had her sleep in her rocker as she was upright and it helped.

If you don't see any changes you should go back to your GP and see if they can put bub on some kind of medication or Infant Gaviscon. If they aren't willing to do it (some GP's won't) then ask for a referral to a Peaditirican.

Best of luck!

Hi there,
My DD1 is now 5months old & Im not sure if I can help but she has slept through the night since 9 weeks old, but before that was a NIGHTMARE!!! We worked out that she had severe wind & also wasnt getting enought breast milk so now she is supplemented with formula... Dont be afraid to try as many different brands as possible!!!! I tried 4or 5 before I discovered Nan Pro Gold... Its the only one she doesnt bring back up!!! Also with the bottle I highly recommend Tommee Tippee closer to nature bottles, They have this cool little vent on the side which means she seems to get less reflux!!! I was initially using Avent but found even with colic rings in place I was having to pull the teat out of her mouth to stop it collapsing, with the tt bottles I dont have to do this & it makes a hell of a difference, also I tried infants friend for colic but switched to Infacol, Its works heaps better, we used it for a month every day & now just occasionally when she needs it, the other thing to try is J&J sleepy time bath wash & lotion, she has a bath at 6.30pm & is in bed at 8pm for the night... Oh also for the sleeping we used a first years portable bed thingy and put her into our bed for the first little while (well kind of, she went into her cot 4 weeks ago lol) It was the only way we could all get sleep, she settled right down once we did so!! I know Im probably sounding like a walking infomercial but I really hope something in all of this might help,

If only they came with manuals. I was in same position as you. It took something so simple and I was told on this forum. Once baby has been awake for 1-1.5 hours its time o go back to bed. Took a couple of days for him to adjust and worked well sice this we have had no problem with an over tired bub. So I would feed play wrap sleep.

Hi Ladies,

Well what an update I have for you...

I went to the Drs on Tuesday (Lukas was due for his immunisation) and further asked questions regarding refulx. The Dr told me that it is worth a try and that it could not do too much harm. I also asked the Dr about a lump that Lukas had near his groin. He suspected that it may be a hernia and if the large lump returns then go to the Hospital straight away. Low and behold later that afternoon the lump returned. We went to the Hospital and the lump was indeed a hernia, so little Lukas may need to go in for surgery next Wednesday. Further to this the Dr at the hospital said that if anything changes with his feeding ect then come back to the hospital straight away.

So... Lukas began the other morning by projectile vomiting his entire feed on the AR refux formula. This happened again and again so we returned to the hospital and this is where Lukas has stayed for the last 48 hours as the doctors performed even more tests. At the hospital they believed that he indeed has reflux and he has been prescribed Zantac for this which will hopefully help. I have raised the bassinet with some angled foam purchased through clarke rubber so I can wheel him around the house without having to drag around text books.

- Will update more after the hernia operation - fingers crossed!

Hey all,

Just back from the Dr and he believes it may be refulx and said to try a different formula so I got the Karicare AR formula for refulx and am giving that a go now. He was immunised today so may still be difficult due to the immunisation but will give an update, so far today though its been the same old same old... sad (feel mega guilty for getting frustrated with my little man..)

Throw your guilt out of the window! You are only human!!

I have not read all the posts, so apologise if anyone else has posted the same...

I had 2 reflux children, and they sound like yours.

We did the following:
- prescribed medication - get a referral to a peadiatrician, GP will only go so far with doses (goes on the weight of the baby)...paed dr will sort it quickly for you! We had zantac for one child and losec for the second.

- angle the cot and change table. This will minimise flow of acid and reduce bub discomfort (reduce not eliminate). Head must be higher than feet. Phone books are good for this (cot). For our bassinette we took 2 wheels off).

- when feeding bubs, sit bubs up a little rather than lying bubs down, burb frequently.

- infants friend may help (natural product available from chemist) although there are several similar products available, I am sure one will help you.

- formula, every child is different, my DS preferred the plain karicare and had the least reaction ...er spew with it. Try not to swap and change with too many formulas though...

good luck!

Hi there, Just a quick note to say I hope your little man is doing better, Would love to know how you all are getting on, take care

My baby is 8 weeks old.I found a combo of Infacol and Zantac helped my bubs reflux and colic. But he was still awake for most of the day and night and was all over the place with feed times and nap times. We tried so many different ways to get him to go to sleep and stay asleep. In the end he was so over tired that we took in turns having him sleep on us just so he would get some sleep. He was exhausted and so were we.

We have recently (4 days ago) started using the self settling technique in the Save or Sleep book and he is learning and actually going to sleep in a few minutes now. He would wake after 40 mins but is starting to resettle himself too. We tried the suggested routines in the book and after a day or so of trying to stick to the suggested sleep/ awake and feed times when he is obviously hungry or tired, I've now adjusted it to suit him, with an extra sleep and feed during the day. So if you would like to try the routine thing remember that you & your partner know your bub the best and adjust it to suit you. Maybe try the techniques you initially tried from the book, it might work better once your bubs reflux is being treated
I've found that now that our baby has caught up on some sleep he wants to sleep more and cries because he is tired not because he is fighting going to sleep. SO there is a light at the end. Its just extremely hard seeing it at the time and I still feel anxious everytime I put him down for a sleep.
If you think the hernia is causing your baby pain, dont be afraid to give him some baby panadol While you are waiting for his surgery. When my baby had colic and was really pulling his legs up it helped. If your not sure on the dose than get a pharmacist or dr to work it out with his weight. Babies can have 15 milligrams per kilogram.
I really hope things start to get better for you smile

Forgot to add that you should get in contact with your nearest Child and Youth Health Centre. They are a wealth of knowledge and have sleep and settling day where you can spend a whole day there with a nurse looking at what you and your baby are doing and offering suggestions. My friend with twin who never slept found this very useful. Also if a day does not help than there are places such as Torrens house in Adelaide (other in other states) where you stay for several days to get you and your babies sleep issues sorted. You get referred to these places by the Child and Youth Health nurse. Having someone there to see exactly what is happening during settling and sleep time and then making suggestions and showing you have to implement these suggestions might be what you need.

Dont feel guilty about getting frustrated with your little man! I've done the same with mine and I'm sure many other sleep deprived parents have too. It only means that you love him and that you want to help him.

Child and Youth Health website is
www.cyh.com

Hi Ladies,

Well what an update I have for you...

I went to the Drs on Tuesday (Lukas was due for his immunisation) and further asked questions regarding refulx. The Dr told me that it is worth a try and that it could not do too much harm. I also asked the Dr about a lump that Lukas had near his groin. He suspected that it may be a hernia and if the large lump returns then go to the Hospital straight away. Low and behold later that afternoon the lump returned. We went to the Hospital and the lump was indeed a hernia, so little Lukas may need to go in for surgery next Wednesday. Further to this the Dr at the hospital said that if anything changes with his feeding ect then come back to the hospital straight away.

So... Lukas began the other morning by projectile vomiting his entire feed on the AR refux formula. This happened again and again so we returned to the hospital and this is where Lukas has stayed for the last 48 hours as the doctors performed even more tests. At the hospital they believed that he indeed has reflux and he has been prescribed Zantac for this which will hopefully help. I have raised the bassinet with some angled foam purchased through clarke rubber so I can wheel him around the house without having to drag around text books.

- Will update more after the hernia operation - fingers crossed!

Hi there, My son was also the same as yours, had reflux and i tried 2 different formula's before i found SMA worked wonders for him and he never spewed after that. But in saying that my cousin'd child had reflux and colic and was on a special type of formula she was not allowed dairy product while she breastfeed.

My son was born with undecended testes and I also noticed that above his groin was swollen wasn't until I was bathing him one evening and he started crying that his private area turned to rock, i rushed him to a & e and of course by the time we got there in the car he had calmed and the swelling had disappeared needless to say the nurses looked at me as to say there is nothing wrong with him and told me to take him home, I was just lucky that my aunty knew the symptoms and came with me to see my GP we were sent to Waikato that day and indeed it was a Inguinal hernia (on the left side of his groin) he was operated on at 4 months old so we had many sleepless nights before then after that he was a different child so placid lol, he is now 2 3/4 turning 3 this march and we took him back for a check up for his testes and the doctor found another hernia this time on the right side of his groin, so we are on a 6 month waiting list for him to have his operation for the hernia and his testes killing two birds with one stone as they say i guess, not looking forward to it as I cryed the last time but /i know its for the best in the long run. We were lucky we never had to stay in the hospital so turned out to be a day surgery basically, my cousin is a doctor and said it is a very common operation.

So my heart goes out to you, hope all goes well! God bless