Claire has hiccuped a lot since birth. That’s not unusual in babies. She doesn’t spit up hardly at all.
But she does cry a lot. And lately (the past five days) she has begun to pull off the bottle after only an ounce, maybe two, screaming. She’s clearly hungry but then sucks some more and pulls away again. We aren’t sure if she hates the taste of the formula (which stinks terribly, worse than wet cat food). We tried a different brand (Enfamil) of the hypoallergenic to see if it was less stinky, but that doesn’t seem to make a difference.
I’m beginning to wonder if she has acid reflux. I didn’t realize until I came across an article that gastroesophageal reflux (GER) doesn’t have to include spit-up as a symptom, and that hiccups can be symptomatic. The article that caught my attention is from a site called Pollywog, which sells yet another product to desperate parents. But at least I learned something that prompts me to call the pediatrician tomorrow.
Claire had a really good day today, with the exception of fussy feedings. She didn’t starting screaming inconsolably until 5 p.m. Poor Husband got to come home to that.
I’m trying not to worry. I can’t help but feel helpless and stressed that something is really wrong that we’re not attending to.
Saying service, saying service: reflux can go hand in hand w/colic, as I recall, and passes far far away on the blessed someday.
When I think that I’m screwing up my child for life and that I’ll never be a good mother, I remember that my son loves me. He’s going to know me for the rest of my life and he’s going to love whether or not I let him eat pizza or convince him to eat cucumber. This fact usually calms me down.
Claire will love you whether you hold her this way or that or buy this or read that or whatever. You’re her mother–the only one she has in the world–so be kind to yourself too.
It could just be plain old wind – if she’s hungry when she starts feeding she may need winding after about a minute….?
We do stop frequently to burp her, and she does burp. Believe me, we’ve tried many non-medical things (positioning, burping, keeping her upright after feedings) to help. That’s why I’m wondering if the matter needs more remedy than we currently offer.
I wondered about that after seeing a TV programme called The Baby Whisperer in which a tiny twin suffered the same symptoms. I seem to recall that there is a special feeding bottle you can get that helps to alleviate the problem but I can’t recall the details. I think it works with a vacuum in the teat but I’m not sure of the technicalities. May be worth checking it out?