Is it reflux or normal behavior?

[mianita]

My DD is 3 weeks old. I'm BFing her and having some doubts about her behavior. She eats more or less every 2 hours, 3 hours at night. Usually morning feeding are going well. I have loot of milk and forceful letdown, so I feed her only one breast at feeding and try different poses, and feed one breast during 2 hours. she usually eats 7-10 minutes. Though in the evening we start to struggle. She will eat for 3 minutes and then pull of breast. I burb her and put back and she will go on/off for several minutes, crying, pulling off breast and then routing again. So in the evening we have lots of snacking. We are having EAS pattern, though it's not stable and I think she is still to little to have any schedule. She won't sleep more than 30-45 stretches during the day, sometimes I can settle her in my arms but she will mot sleep quietly, she will fuss until it's time to eat. She sleeps 2,5-3 hour stretches at night. Even now she is in Moby wrap and fusses every five minutes. Can I suspect reflux in this case or it's something else? I've read all FAQs, but can't understand if silent reflux is our case... Can anyone give any advice?
Her cosleeper is elevated, but it doesn't seem to make any difference... I'm so confused with our evenings. Her A time is usually about 40-50 minutes during the day, but evening is just a constant fuss and even sling doesn't help.
Any ideas?
Thanks in advance!!
PS: sorry for mistakes, typing with one hand while on the fit ball, trying to entertain my toddler while baby in moby wrap...

[ZacsMumme]

Hugs, it's hard to know at such a young age. Evening unsettledness is very common anyway, even in healthy babies YK?
There is a GS at 3 weeks. I would give it a few more days and see if things settle?

Have you seen this one?
Reflux 101 - General reflux information
Or this site?
http://Www.cryingoverspiltmilk.co.nz

Any back arching? Acid breath?

[Fiver]

For 3w, that really does sound quite normal.  Even if you're only feeding one side in the mornings, you might find you need to offer both in the evening as supply is naturally lower then.  Given the short naps during the day, it could be that she's really tired by the time you're feeding in the evening.

[mianita]

Thanks a lot! I've tried to offer another breast, but as I have so much milk she is struggling with a flow again and gets even more upset... And it seems to me that she never finishes even one breast.
She is definitely OT at the evening, but that is why I though about reflux, she just won't sleep more than 40 minutes in a row. I don't think that it is typical for a newborn, something bothers her I suppose.
She will arch her back occasionally, but it's not common.
At what age normally you can identify reflux?

[ZacsMumme]

How are her poos? Sounds like you have an OALD.. Do you think you could have an imbalance?
http://kellymom.com/parenting/parenting-faq/fussybaby/
http://breastfeeding.hypermart.net/toomuchmilk.html
http://kellymom.com/bf/got-milk/supply-worries/fast-letdown/
Reflux or oversupply/ overactive letdown?
Forceful Let-Down Problems

My first LO was fine till 6 weeks then very obviously in pain. His reflux was very very obvious though. Ds2 I noticed the symptoms at 3 weeks but I knew what I was looking for too YK? He also is MSPI and I had OALD with both boys.

The short naps could be because she is OT...what A time are you trying? Will she nap longer in your arms/wrap/car/buggy etc?

[Fiver]

Like Sara, we noticed DS's reflux at around 6-8w too.
If she's struggling with the fast letdown, you can always express off the first letdown into a cloth so it's not such a spray for her.

[mianita]

I have an OALD for sure, I was struggling with it a lot with my DD1 too. I'm managing it somehow, trying different techniques and seems that she is not very bothered by it.
Last couple of days were better, first two naps are long, I could get 2 hour stretches in her crib (or sometimes when she wakes after 40 min, I swaddle her, give her pasi and she will sleep for a while in a swing or arms) but evening is a mess, she is hard to settle. I've also changed her sleep position and she seems to like it - on the tummy. In the evenings she won't settle though, she is closing her eyes and kinda drifting and after a minute opens her eyes and fusses and this can continue until she is really upset. Then I use Mei tai sling (she seems to prefer this upright position over moby wrap).
Her A time is usually 40-60 minutes and she is BF every 2-3 hours. Nights are hard, I can't put her down in her cosleeper (she wakes no matter what I've tried) and sleeps with me in bed or on top of me... This is absolutely not what I wanted, but I don't see other options, I still can't put her in her room as I think she is too little to sleep by her own (especially considering she likes tummy sleeping position)...

[Fiver]

We used the sling A LOT in the evenings when DD was tiny.  We used a stretchy wrap (a bit like a Moby), but always in an upright position.  As long as you're doing froggy legs or cinching in the bottom of the mei tai, that's great too, otherwise you could search on youtube for front wrap cross carry and get some instructions for doing that with a stretchy which gives a similar effect.

I digress!  Evening fussiness will pass.  We always tried to get DD into her cot as part of the bedtime routine, but if she didn't settle she went in the wrap for a while and slept there until we went to bed.  We did our fair share of co-sleeping/feeding and her sleeping on me as well.  I always figured we'd made an attempt to do what we wanted from the future and even if it didn't work on that night, we'd set ourselves up for what we were hoping for in the future.  I guess what I'm saying is don't feel bad for doing these things right now.  You do what you need to do to survive and try to put in place some routine along the way.  The current situation with us is that DD goes into her cot each night with no trouble and puts herself to sleep, so it can work out ok.

[mianita]

Thanks a lot for encouraging words!! She is 4 weeks now and I don't think that it is reflux, at least it is not a severe one, maybe just occasionally she has it like all babies do. She is fussy in the evenings but swaddling and slings are helping a lot. Sometimes she is not eating more than 5 minutes, but seems that it is not snacking, it is her pattern of eating, she is full after 5 minutes. She does it at night too when she is calm, even after 4 hours of sleep (next to me). So I suppose she is getting enough milk.
I will just try to ride out these first months and then we will see what to do about her sleep and feedings. I'm more concerned now to save my sanity with a toddler and a newborn, this seems to be very challenging for me.
Thank you again!!

[ZacsMumme]

It's so challenging!
I wonder if she just went rough the 3 wk GS?
5 mins is what ds2 did for a full feed. He never took ages like ds1

Hugs...hopefully things continue to improve. X