Braelynn is choking and gagging.... - I am scared!

amberlynnie wrote: So for the first week, Braelynn did really well. I am breastfeeding, but pumping and feeding to her through a bottle. Around the begining of week 2, she began to cough and gag while feeding. As each day goes by, it gets worse! Now she even chokes pretty violently in her sleep. This is really scaring me, and when I looked up choking infants online, and also gagging, all that seemed to come up is Reflux. Now, Braelynn doesn't spit up. She just does that horrible choking, while eating, burping, and sleeping.(I do feed her sitting straight up, not layind down.) I took her today to the pediatrician, and she just said, yeah, probably reflux. I was told to go buy rice cereal, and add 1 tbsp to her 3 oz bottles of breastmilk to thicken it, so it can stay down better. SO...she has had 3 feedings now with the rice in the bottles. Nothing is helping, and quite frankly, this is scaring me. The only other thing she does differently from anything my other 2 kids ever did, is she does this really strange grunting noise, and sounds like a goat or sheep. I do not know if these 2 things are related, but if anyone else has gone through anything like this and has suggestions PLEASE!!!! let me know. I am so worried something might be really wrong with her!

Oh, and she is gaining weight really well. She was 7lbs 6oz at birth, and is now at 2 weeks old 8lbs 8oz.

amymom replied: I don't know just wanted to offer a hug. I hope all is ok. KUP

amberlynnie replied: Thanks for the hug. I am so frightened. She will be 3 weeks old on Monday, and this is just very scarey. This mornings feeding was one of the worst by far. She choked on the milk, even though there was cereal in it, then proceded to puke about half of it back up. There has got to be a better solution than just adding rice to her bottles!!! Grrrrr!!!

gr33n3y3z replied:
I agree

Do you think she is getting to much maybe the nipple holes are to big and to much is coming out?

If not maybe there is another problem
I would call the Dr back and tell them this isnt working at all
Keep us posted

my2monkeyboys replied: Yeah, I'd check the size of the nipples (in the bottles). It sounds like she's getting too much too fast when she's eating.
It happening when she's sleeping though is something I'd certainly be talking to the dr. about. ASAP.

Good luck, and keep us posted!!

ediep replied: Emma does this a little bit too. Sometimes she chockes on her bottle, but I think it is the hole in the nipple. The wierd thing is I have 10 or so bottles, all the same, and it only happens sometimes. I was thiniing of going to BRU today to get a few different bottles and nipples and next time it happens, try a new bottle

What type of bottle are you using? We are using the playtex nurser with slow flow silicone nipples

CantWait replied: Not sure what it could be, but I will offer my opinion on things.

Are you still breastfeeding? If so be careful with supplementing so many bottles or you may find later if you have a supply issue. Does she choke when you bf her, when you get your letdown this may be contributing to it, your let down may be quite fast for her.

At 3 weeks, her little tummy may be able to tolerate the rice cereal yet.

Also, she's gained just over a pound in two weeks, that's not bad, and as long as she's gaining and not losing try not to worry.

Also for sleeping. You can add a couple rolled up towels, or something that is raised under her crib mattress, it might help with the choking at night. I'm not a doctor, but might it be possible that she's still got gunk from birth in her lungs. Choking on saliva.....

Hope you figure it out and it gets better.

lisar replied: I say the nipple also. Maybe try the Red nipples I know they are hard to find. They are premie nipples. Raygen had to use them for the first 2 months. They helped alot though.

amberlynnie replied: I am using the Playtex Nurser system with the first stage nipples. All are rubber, not silicone, and brand new. They only have one very small hole, and I dont think this is what is causing the problem. It happens not only when she eats, but after, and then when she sleeps as well.
I am not breastfeeding directly at all. I only pump and bottle feed. I have a huge problem with pain when i nurse, and did with both of my boys, So with this baby, i chose to only bottle feed the expressed milk. As of right now, I am getting between 6 and 10 oz at a time, about 4-6 times a day.
I reduced the amount of milk today to 3 oz a feeding. The Ped told me to add 1tsp rice cereal to each oz, so here is what is going on today.
If I DO NOT BURP her, she doesnt choke so much. I know they said that reflux is the milk causing heartburn sometimes, and sometimes entering back into the esophogas, causing the choking. Soo, today, by not burping her, and letting her drink the full 3 oz on her own with no breaks, she rarely choked. I think she choked at only 2 of the feedings so far out of 5. I am still going to call the Ped back on monday, but as for right now, I am not going to burp her, and she seems to be sleeping so much better sitting up in her carseat, so for now this is how I am going to deal with this through the weekend.
I was just wondering though if anyone else here had a baby who had been diagnosed with reflux, and if the symptoms sound the same, and how long it lasts. The Ped told me its only because the muscle at the stomach that is supposed to hold everything in, is immature, and doesn't function properly. I also went on Web Md and looked up infant reflux, and everything on there is exactly what the Ped told me too...This is just all very scarey and frustrating for me. I had to deal with GERD problems with Bryce, My 4 yr old, so I feel like I just cant seem to have a normal baby...LOL...
I just want her to be healthy and not have to be so scared when I feed her that she may choke so violently and something really bad happens. Uhg. Thank God she sleeps so well in her carseat, the only bad thing about that, is she will probably have hair loss on the back of her head from the same position!!! better the hair than hearing that awfull choking!

coasterqueen replied: Well, IMO I'd call a pediatric gastrointestinal doctor bypassing the ped. I say that because we went through all of this with Megan, we still are. Her reflux is under control but we still deal with the gagging and choking. It is a scary thing and you loose a lot of sleep wondering if they are going to choke in their sleep and something bad happening.

ETA after reading more of your responses in this thread it really does sound like reflux. Megan would nurse and throw up immediately. The first time we encountered her choking was several weeks after she was born, she puked a lot before that too. She was sitting in her bouncy seat after I had nursed her and she starting choking and her face turned blue, she wasn't breathing because she was choking so much and we just freaked out. That's when we took her in (a few days later) and found out that it might be reflux. The ped gastro doc confirmed it as well. It was a long road to get the diagnosis, though.

amberlynnie replied: does your little one do the funny grunting too? tonight the choking was so bad after feeding she was breathing funny too...i am going to deal with this tomorrow instead of monday

amymom replied:
Karen knows!!! I agree that babies that reflux should see a pediatric gastroenteroligist. My dd had reflux badly as a baby, and it was when she was 9 yrs old that we finally saw a ped. gi guy. Looking back on it, I wish I had seen the gi guy when she was an infant. And I do not agree with docs who suggest Cereal in the bottles, IMO it makes the reflux/choking worse, for many reasons.