Feeding becoming difficult?

[Twiglet]

Hello there.

My LO will be 15 weeks on sunday and has taken to not feeding properly in the last two weeks.

She refuses her bottles, has gone from 6x6oz bottles a day to 2 - 3 x5oz. [This is in a 24 hour period]

I offer her feeds every 4 hours and now she just plays with the teats

I've tried giving her a cup / beaker and she just refused that

She's on C&G comfort. I tried her on normal C&G again thinking that maybe she was ready for it again but she was projectile vomitting, colicky and constipated again which was our problem with it in the first place.

She's never been a huge milk drinker but this is getting silly now. She still takes the milk but is very reluctant to do so.

I rang my HV and her advice was to wean...she said she was suprised I hadn't already as my daughter was 14lbs 1oz at 11 weeks...whereas she's only 14lbs 6oz now so a weight gain of 5oz in 4 weeks which my HV said is quite bad considering what she was putting on beforehand. [I thought their weight gain slowed down around 3 months anyway? ]

It's not her bottles, its not the formula...it simply seems she's fed up of milk. I'd like to avoid weaning until at least 4 months if possible...but am now feeling like a bad mummy because of my HV.

Any advice ladies?

 

[JennieyL]

My daughter has been doing the same for the past few weeks, it gets very trying at times and i get really frusterated.. she is more interested in watching tv she is just 17 weeks.. and today she was 15lbs 7 ozs... I dont really have any advice since i am going through the same thing but I was told to hold of weaning until 6 months.. I dont know if I can do it!

 

[AmyBumble]

The exact same thing is happening to me! Ive gone through hell for four weeks trying to make Sophie take milk but she just refuses every single bottle. The HV sai ''Oh, she'll drink it when shes hungry'' but thats rubbish because she doesnt at all. The only way we can get any milk into her is when shes asleep!

We've tried everything. Changing her milk, her bottles , her teats, etc.. even tried feeding her in the dark (in case shes not feeding becasue shes too nosey lol). I dont know what to do and any advice you could give would be a godsend. Shes not teething by the way and I havent given her any solids.

The really weird thing is that we were in the hospital with her for a week as she was having seizures and while we were there, she drank 8oz bottles four-hourly all week no problem at all!!! Same bottles, same formula, everything. I really dont know what to do my head is goin and I find Iam dreadign feeding time I feel like a bad mum.

And the docs and HV have basically said, that because shes not ill theres no problem so I just have to keep trying... But its not just a phase she WILL NOT drink ANY milk. please help....

(sorry for the essay!)

 

[Twiglet]

My HV has been pushing for weaning...especially baby rice [which I wont be using]

Amy I could have wrote that exact post too. I'm at my wits end now she's still gaining but its dropped from her usual 1lb to an oz or two. She also never demands the bottle now...tried that the other day and she went 6 hours and would have gone more unless I offered. I offered it and she had 2oz

Its annoying to hear its just a phase as its been going on for a few weeks and what am I meant to do in the meantime? Be fine with her not drinking / eating?

At this rate I will be weaning soon...when I really dont want to

 

[AmyBumble]

I know, I feel the same, I dont want to wean yet but I feel that I have no options...

Ill do anything to make sure she gets SOME nourishment and I think that some porridge with formula is better than NO formula at all. But I'll feel so disappointed if it comes to that. Ill feel like a failure. Also she never seems hungry no matter what, she'll go eight hours refusing a bottle and still I have to wait for her to go to sleep to feed her. She will not swallow it awake. I really need some answers my head is going!

to be honest though, its a big relief to know that Im not alone in this. And our bablets were born same day wernt they hehe! And Im sure you told me we were due the same day? lol thats a funny coincedence aint it and now this.. lol WHAT are we going to do with them eh?

 

[Aidedhoney]

Alex is the same, i have said to OH that i think he just doesnt like milk, he normally takes between 5 and 6oz today i am lucky if he has taken 2oz at each feed, only difference with Alex is that tomorrow he will feed really well.

 

[Twiglet]

Yeah Amy born on the same day...in the same hour. Due on the same day but both stubborn!

I was going to say without being harsh I am glad that there are other mums going through this too, I don't feel alone that way nor as poop as I was feeling.

She's had 4 bottles today...5oz of the first one, 5oz of the next one, 2oz and then another 2oz...and has been asleep since 9pm.

It's driving me crazy now

Aided: Hope Alex does feed well tomorrow

These little ones do like to keep us on our toes!

 

[Aidedhoney]

Thanks Twiglet, i must admit that i try and not worry about Alex and his lack of feeding, the first couple of times it happened i got really upset and stressed which i am sure Alex sensed and made it all worse.

Yesterday Alex fed a whole 6oz at 11am then up till he took his last feed at 9.30pm he had 3oz of milk, at 6.30pm he took 1oz about an hour and a half later he was looking for more and i didnt feed him cos i knew he would only take an 0z so i made him wait till 9.30pm and he took 5oz.
I have spoken to my HV and as long as Alex is putting on weight its fine, shes also quite happy that i make him wait if i know i will get bigger volumes in him obviously if he was to become upset i would feed him.

Also i was told to look at how i eat some days i dont eat much cos i dont really feel hungry must be the same for babies.

Good Luck for today

 

[Twiglet]

Am gonna try that then. When she begins whinging for a bottle will leave it for a few minutes more and see if she takes more. She's still putting on weight...only an oz or so but so long as she's not losing I've resolved myself to not worrying.

 

[caggimedicine]

Hi - i've just posted this on another similar thread, but thought it was appropriate here too:

Harry was exactly the same. I got really stressed out about it. We were also very pressurised by the Health Visitors, who gave no advice other than "Harry really should be drinking more milk". They did not ever suggest how we should go about feeding a baby that does not want feeding, and short of force feeding - what can you do?!

We then saw a dietician who said pretty much the same thing, but by this point Harry was 5 months old and we'd begun weaning him so could at least start introducing milk to the food we were giving to him too.... but we're talking an extra 1-2oz per day max.

My advice to you would be:

• TRY not to get too stressed out, which is REALLY difficult
• don't start comparing your baby with other babies. I did this and would get so upset and frustrated with Harry and myself - you can begin to feel quite isolated and start wondering what is wrong with your baby/you as a mother.
• don't try and lead your life by what is written on the side of a formula box - not ALL babies will/need to drink that much formula.
• don't get so intent on getting milk into your baby that you begin giving milk at inappropriate times (e.g. night time every time your baby stirs). We did this and are now paying the price because Harry began waking almost every hour for small feeds that he didn't need, can't settle without having a bottle - we're now trying to break this milk/sleep association.
• If your baby starts dropping on the weight charts, don't worry. I've had it on very good authority from a pediatrician that it is quite common for a baby to find it's line on the chart - so long as once it's found, baby stays around that line, there's no need to concern yourself with which line it is, no matter what the Health Visitors say.

Also - we tried various formulas, teats, places/times/situations to feed (e.g. when sleepy/when awake/in a quiet room etc) Harry is now 9 months old and the largest amount of milk he will drink in one go is 6oz and that's rare. He has approx 15oz per day, but this is now. When Harry was the same age as your LO, there were days when he'd have half that.

 

[Twiglet]

Thank you so much! that's made me feel tonnes better.

The way I see it is if she's gaining she's gaining...it just gets annoying when people tell you that she really needs more / wean them. That's all the advice I had off of my HV...very helpful as you can tell

 

[purple_socks]

sorry to butt in coz i don't really have an advice but i did wanna say re: HV telling to wean because of slow weight gain...i would only start to worry if LO was losing weight. I stopped getting Kian weighed because they fussed so much abt him changing percentile lines. I thought it was madness...one week he'd gain loads and they'd stress that he was gaining too fast then he's slow down and they'd go n abt how he'd drop down to the percentile line below...it dawned on me that Kian clearly gains weight in drips and drabs and i don't understand y HV expect all babies to follow the same weight gain pattern...i don't see the problem all the while they r still actually gaining?! i wouldn't worry/ wean unless LO weight was actually dropping. silly HV