My 3 month old has cried out at between 4:00 and 6:00 a.m. for hours in gas pain almost every night for the past 6 weeks or so. There have been 2 or 3 nights in this time where she did not have an issue. She usually nurses right before bedtime around 6:45 p.m., between 12 and 2 a.m. (depending on how she sleeps), and then again sometime during the gassy episodes at around 5 a.m. The nights when she has not had pain have usually happened because she had an unusually good first stretch of sleep and did not nurse until after 3:30 a.m. I know it is gas pain because she is scrunching her legs up and crying very shrilly. Unfortunately feeding her at 5 does not usually help to release gas or a bowel movement. It does sometimes put her in a deep enough sleep that she doesn't notice the pain. To help soothe her I usually give her a pacifier to suck on and put a gently warmed rice sock on her tummy. I'm loathe to try more invasive things because she's usually half asleep crying. However my spouse and I are getting exhausted from the 4 a.m. morning and I can't imagine baby is getting good quality sleep either!
I've talked to either a nurse or doctor at my pediatrician's several times describing the fact that the episodes can last up to 2 hours, basically until Baby's usual wake-up and feeding (when she often does release gas and a bowel movement because she's finally wide awake - during the day she rarely has gassy episodes and usually about 3 dirty diapers, all loose to very loose). All I ever get is "that's normal for her age." One nurse did advise the rice sock, and it does seem to help her feel better.
I've seen online all the suggestions for Mom to avoid dairy or "gassy" foods, but I'm loathe to complicate life with an infant further without real medical cause and I don't know of any doctor who routinely advises a breastfeeding mother to avoid certain foods unless an allergy really is suspected. My baby doesn't spit up much that we can see but does seem to occasionally spit up and then swallow it back down. She's pretty cheerful, though, so I don't suspect reflux. It's just this night time episode when she's been lying still for hours after a feeding, hits light sleep, and then notices the pain.
I've heard that 4 months is the magic time when the usual gas pain will go away. I've been planning on gritting my teeth about this whole issue until my baby's 4 month check-up and bringing it up yet again if it's still happening. What should I say when I do, or should I try calling in yet again with other information? Could the pediatrician be missing something?