Infantreflux.org | Sleep: Groaning, Kicking, Lifting Legs

This topic has 6 replies, 1 voice, and was last updated 19 years, 11 months ago by Anonymous.

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November 17, 2006 at 12:22 pm #18239

Anonymous
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My 8.5 week old son Emory (12 lb) was diagnosed with reflux 3 weeks ago. He has been on Prevacid 7.5 mg twice per day. I recently sent MARCI info to his pedi and asked for a dosage increase to 30 mg total per day, but haven’t heard back from the pedi yet. Since he started Prevacid, the first two weeks were still terrible, then 4 fabulous days, 3 bad days, 1 good day, 1 bad day. On this Monday morning, he will have a barium upper GI. The pedi says the next step is motility drugs, but I am reluctant to start them without trying increased Prevacid.

The worst part about reflux is the pain screaming during and after meals and for hours in the evenings. However, he also groans, kicks, lifts his legs and arches back ALL NIGHT LONG, every 5-7 minutes or so. It is so loud that I am sure he is awake, but I look at him (his crib is next to our bed), and his eyes are usually still closed and he goes back to sleep. I’ve been wearing ear plugs so I can block out some of the groaning, but it is so loud. I can’t imagine that this is quality sleep for him. It’s worse after his 2-3 AM feeding (he is breastfed).

Is this sleep behavior a symptom of reflux or something else? Does anyone else have similar experiences? Advice?

FYI – He sleeps strapped to an AR Pillow (30 degree incline) for the last few weeks. Before he slept in a slightly inclined co-sleeper and had the same sleep noises/movements.

November 17, 2006 at 1:23 pm #18249

Anonymous
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Hmmm….I can’t say for sure. But it does remind me of my middle child who had silent reflux and was (sadly ) never properly medicated. She would be in her bed pretty much all night, but she would wake up every 20 – 40 minutes on average (sometimes we’d get a 60 minute stretch) and just writhe around, moaning and groaning. Sometimes she’d cry and scream, but most of the time it was more moaning and groaning, squirming and flailing around and whining. I swaddled her for sleep for a long time because it helped some with the flailing, but she slept (or didn’t sleep) fitfully like that until she outgrew her reflux at 9 months of age.

I’d defintitely want to try the higher Prevacid dose before any motility meds as well. Myles did not improve until he was on the marci-kids recommended dose, but once he was things turned around quickly.

Good luck with your request for the higher dose. My fingers are crossed for you.

November 17, 2006 at 4:39 pm #18275

hellbennt
Keymaster

just a comment about the Upper GI:

During an upper GI, the baby swallows barium from a bottle. The barium coats the esophagus and stomach and makes it show up on the x-ray. It is a good way to make sure that there is no blockage causing the vomiting. It is often normal in babies with reflux, because they may not spit up during the test. On the other hand, an upper GI can show reflux in babies who don’t have significant reflux if it occurs during the five minutes of the test.

to test for Delayed Gastric Emptying (that’s what Reglan would be used for- but there are other drugs for this as well): there’s the Gastric Emptying Scan

November 18, 2006 at 6:18 am #18287

Anonymous
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Thanks for the info.

November 19, 2006 at 10:57 pm #18476

Anonymous
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What you are describing sounds just like my little guy. I put a video on you tube for everyone to look at and they said it just looked like he was startling. Let me know if you figure it out. Justice is now 6 months old and I am still waiting for a good nights rest. At least now he sleeps for about 2 hrs before he wakes up instead of every 30 mins. Also, what has helped me and him to sleep is just breastfeeding all night long. He stays attached to me all night long. He started having tremours and the doc said it was probably because he was so tired. Now that he has been attached all night long and getting sleep he doesn’t have them as much.

November 21, 2006 at 5:42 am #18584

Anonymous
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I talked to the pedi and she said this behavior is definitely from the reflux. He’s been better the last couple of nights – maybe from the increased Prevacid dosage we’re giving him. We’re lucky that Emory is mostly able to sleep through these episodes or go back to sleep by himself afterwards, but I still hate that he’s hurting at night and that his sleep is interrupted.

Good luck to your little one!

November 21, 2006 at 8:23 am #18589

Anonymous
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yep, my son has always done the same.. it has to be refux related. does he sleep on his stomach or back.. my son sleeps on his stomach.. i think its a lot easier to fall back asleep that way, because he doesnt startle as much.

and i feel soo bad for him as well!! we have a t.v monitor, and i watch it all night, and it breaks my heart!… he doesnt seem to be in pain, but has such a restless nights sleep, and hardly lyes still for very long. but mine doesnt groan… but my nephew used to groan in his sleep all the time, and his parents thought it was gas or constipation issues. but,i know how you feel! .. and it probably is the prevacid helping.. because when i added the pepcid at night time, it helped as well. also you should try baby acidphilus, it has helped him sleep even better!

is emory mspi? i dont think shane is.. but maybe that could be bothering him as well if he is.. if he’s on formula, what kind? well i hope u both get a good nights sleep soon!
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