Worried about son...Please help!?

Question

My son is 8 weeks old. He threw up once Friday and once again on Saturday. His sleeping habits are completely off. He will not sleep by him self, and he seems as if he is restless. He isnt sleeping soundly at all. The rest of the time he just lays there. I cant really tell if he is dehydrated or not. Still wetting diapers normally. When I say throw up, I mean projectile vomiting. He does have acid reflux, could this be the problem? I dont know what to do! Please give advice if you have had situations like this.

Answer 1

Did your hospital do Newborn Screening tests at birth? The reason that I ask is that not all hospitals test for certain metabolic conditions such as Fatty Oxidation Disorders. My son suffers from a metabolic condition, known as MCAD and some of the symptoms you mention are similar to what he experiences.

I would certainly recommend discussing the baby's health with the doctor, and also confirm that you had the testing. If not, I would recommend having someone pull the blood work - just to make sure.

Good luck. And remember - Always trust your "Mom instinct"! :)

Answer 2

Have your son checked for Pyloric Stenosis. It causes projectile vomiting and has to be surgically corrected. Its more common in boys than in girls. The muscle that wraps around the tube coming from the stomach to the colon sometimes over grows and cuts off food from entering the colon. This is when the projectile vomiting will occur. The nutrients, minerals, and fats that the baby should be getting from the formula won't be absorbed because its not able to enter the colon. Enough will enter for the baby to wet his diaper, but bowel movements are usually lite and days sometimes weeks in between. Its a serious condition if not corrected, the baby will literally starve to death. A simple surgical procedure is required to cut the muscle to allow the formula/food to pass.

My son almost died from Pyloric Stenosis in 1996 when he was 3 months old. I kept taking him to the doctor looking for answers about why he was projectile vomiting ( like 6 feet across the room) and wasn't gaining any weight. He wasn't dirtying his diapers normally either. His pediatrician mis-diagnosed him as having reflux and told me to give him Mylanta and sit him up after he eats. I was getting quite ill by this time because I was taking him to the doctor 3 to 4 days a week and they would do nothing to help him. I finally drove him 85 miles away to another doctor and he was correctly diagnosed within 5 minutes of the visit. A simple x-ray or ultrasound would have shown his peditrician what was going on, but they wouldn't take the time to do it. Thank God for the second opinion that I got. At 3 months my son weighed 8 pounds and was badly dehydrated. He was on the verge of death and a 85 mile drive saved his life. He was immediately loaded into an ambulance and rushed to a children's hospital a couple of hours away for emergency surgery.

Please have your son checked for this.

Answer 3

It is hard to answer this w/o knowing all that is going on. If he is projectile vomiting he should be seen to make sure there is no obstruction, although I would think he would be vomiting everytime he ate. If he has reflux I would discuss having an upper GI done. It is a type of xray. If this is unrelated to the reflux another scenerio is ear infections. Those symptoms can overlap like that. Either way a call to his doctor(who knows him) is a better idea. He can ask more questions and determine.

Answer 4

My daugther did that when she was young-she didn't have acid reflux but I had to change her formula but i would be calling the doctor now!!--If diapers are wet he is probably not dehydrated he may have a touch of the flu but he is only 8 weeks old and a cold or flu could lead to rsv and thats nothing to mess around with so please call now

Answer 5

you should call your doctor or either take him to the emergency department because there could be something wrong the fact that he is still wetting diapers normally is good but the projectile vomit is a problem if he only does it after he eats then he may need to be burped more but if it is not then he needs to be seen by a medical professional

Answer 6

if u still burp him in between his milk feeds n he still throws up, i think u shud bring him to the doctor. its best u get professional help.
problems like this only arise in children who is overfed or jus a bout of viral gastritis. just keep his bottles clean, boil them for abt 5 to 10 min and let it cool off. dont have to rinse them.. make sure u wash ur hands before n after feeding or changing him.
if he still throws up after going to the doctor then i think u should go to the hospital. if he's got acid reflux then he should get a proper check up at the hospital since they have the equipment.

Answer 7

Consult a doctor now!

At 8 weeks old, it wouldn't take much at all to become dehydrated. My guess is that he is.

It's totally worth getting a doctor involved.

Answer 8

Just to be on the safe side I would prob. take him to the doctor just for a check-up and explain to them whats going on or you could just call them and explain and they should be able to let you know.. I wouldn't be too worried about it, just give it a few days and see if it persists and if it does then take him to the doctor.

Answer 9

all this is normal. he just being a baby but for not to worry talk to his doctor. put alarm clock close to his bed he thinks its your heart beat when he hears it. all i can say is your a great mom.

Answer 10

See the doctor to check on your son. I hope you will be relieved.