Cannot stop worrying about her intake :(

[CoffeePuffin]

Millie has never been the best milk drinker, not helped by her cleft palate but she does feed very well with her special bottles. Since she was 2 1/2/3 months, she has always had around 100ml each feed. At over 4 months this hasn't really increased. She was sent to Failure to Thrive as she had very slow weight gain, only 1-3oz some weeks and then lost 2oz. They changed her reflux med and she is now taking around 120-140ml per feed and goes 3 hours between feeds.

She only takes around 600-700ml per day, today she only had 640ml. For her weight, she should be having around 840ml. She sleeps through the night most of the time. When she started sleeping through at 3 months, I tried stirring her in the night for a feed as she wasn't having enough but she wasn't and still isn't interested. She'll go down around 8pm and then have a feed at around 4/5am then go back to sleep til 7/8am.

She is currently having one solid meal a day, a little baby rice/porridge with a small amount of fruit/veg puree (we have to wean her early because of her cleft op in march). This hasn't decreased her milk intake.

I cannot stop worrying but the doctors just dismiss me.. Surely it's not normal to have that much less? It would be different if she was gaining weight well but she's not.

She weighed 7lbs 10oz at birth @ 39 weeks and 6 days. She now weighs 12lbs 5oz.

 

[annanouska]

How is she taking to her solids?

We began slow weaning at 4 months. He wasn't great at 4months but couple of weeks later he took much better. If she is taking to it ok then possibly keep trying and see if an increase in portion-not loads- would be ok for her and not reduce milk.

Be a little wary on porridge and some veg as it fills them up at times so I'd hate for her to drop her milk more. Is there nobody at the ftt clinic that helped? Xxx

 

[CoffeePuffin]

How is she taking to her solids?

We began slow weaning at 4 months. He wasn't great at 4months but couple of weeks later he took much better. If she is taking to it ok then possibly keep trying and see if an increase in portion-not loads- would be ok for her and not reduce milk.

Be a little wary on porridge and some veg as it fills them up at times so I'd hate for her to drop her milk more. Is there nobody at the ftt clinic that helped? Xxx

They didn't help much, did blood tests, gave new reflux med and we go back at the end of next month.

She's taking to weaning fairly well. If I keep smiling at her and talking to her, she smiles the whole way through and opens her mouth for the food. Surprisingly she doesn't push much back out with her tongue either. She hates baby rice. She likes the porridge but I don't give her too much of that because I know it's quite filling and also it has the slightest bit of milk in it and as far as I'm aware they shouldn't have dairy until 6 month. She likes apple, pear and banana purees as well as butternut squash and sweet potato puree so far. I have to give her reflux med in her fruit puree.

I'm wary of increasing her solids in case she drops a feed which I really don't want.

 

[OmarsMum]

Omar was on 20-24 oz (600-740 mls) at 4 months, he never went for more. He was suffering from reflux but his weight gain was never affected. He wasn't even on solids, we tried to introduce solids at 20 weeks but his milk intake went down to 12 oz in 24 hrs. He was sleeping through for 12 hrs without feeds from 12 weeks.

Is she on high calories formula? You can add few scoops of formula to her solids to up her intake. Early weaning food are low calories as they're mainly veggies & fruits.

Did they test for milk intolerance? It can affect weight gain.

 

[rory83coyotes]

^WSS I would look into higher calorie formula. Or get the recipe to make your regular formula into a higher calorie. Then it will give you more bang for your buck so to speak. She can take in the same amount of mls per feeding but get the higher calories. It might help with her weight gain as well. My preemie was on 24cal feeds for the first 6 monhts. She was born at 3lbs 1oz at birth and 18lbs at a year. not huge but a steady gain.

 

[CoffeePuffin]

I suggested a milk allergy but they ignored me, saying she hasn't got one because she doesn't projectile vomit. And I asked about high calorie milk but they just dismiss me.. Keep saying "lets see how we get on"..

It took 2 months to get that failure to thrive appointment.

 

[rory83coyotes]

I know with my formula I could google the reipe to make it higher calorie. It was from a hosiptal website so I figured that it was reputable. Or you could just add in one extra scoop of formula. I don't know what kind of formula you are on and I know that they are different but here is an example for US formula's. One scoop here is for two ounces at a time of powdered formula.
https://www.childrensmn.org/Manuals/PFS/Nutr/018731.pdf

 

[CoffeePuffin]

I know with my formula I could google the reipe to make it higher calorie. It was from a hosiptal website so I figured that it was reputable. Or you could just add in one extra scoop of formula. I don't know what kind of formula you are on and I know that they are different but here is an example for US formula's. One scoop here is for two ounces at a time of powdered formula.
https://www.childrensmn.org/Manuals/PFS/Nutr/018731.pdf

I don't want to be adding extra scoops as she suffers with constipation.

 

[socitycourty]

I have seen somewhere fortifier packets for formula? they should really be helpign you more.

Is she alert, wet diapers, poops, etc? no sunken soft spot?

I know it'ss cary when they won't eat, for all of us moms

 

[CoffeePuffin]

I have seen somewhere fortifier packets for formula? they should really be helpign you more.

Is she alert, wet diapers, poops, etc? no sunken soft spot?

I know it'ss cary when they won't eat, for all of us moms

Very alert, goes through lots of nappies, soft spot is normal.
She just only takes around 100ml each feed and has done since she was 2 month. She's gained less than 5lbs since birth.