Feeding taking FOREVER

[Mrs Doddy]

Please someone tell me I'm not alone ??

Jessica is painfully slow in drinking to the extent that feeds roll into each other and lots of milk is wasted. She has always been luke this but am now starting to loose the will to live at 9 weeks old. She doesn't drink as much as a 9 week old should (or even 5 weeks old - her adjusted age)

You get no warning she wants feeding and everytime you predict it she sleeps longer and milk is wasted.

I've been through options of it being teat size, my body heat and have come to the conclusion that's the way she is. Feeds will take over an hour, she will start off taking it in and after about 5 ish strong sucks and swallows she slows down to small sucks and no swallowing, I've tried stripping her, chnaging positions, changing her nappy, blowing on her face, tickling her, squeezing the teat inside her mouth, putting her back to bed which wakes
her up sometimes, winding her, I thought well if she doesn't want it then maybe that's all she needs so ride with it, tonight she has got me up as normal and has taken one suck and pursed her lips refused to let me put a bottle in her mouth so I put her down and she was wriggling around so I tried again, a few sucks and she has stopped again as this is the begining of the feed it's not like she is full up

i'm at the end of my patience as I'm getting little sleep in the night as I give her ebm so have to express after a feed, during the day she is awake more now and has a 5 min attention span so sleeping during the day is not really an option

She is putting on weight- the last two weeks it's been 4 oz a time good nappies and seems to be happy in herself, she is trying to hold up her head so nothing wrong as such that I can tell

I can't cope with this an am tearing my hair out, am in tears all the time because of it- I dread going out because it's such hassle

Please help

 

[bathbabe]

my baby was 4weeks early too. And he sounds just like your LO. We found out he was putting his tounge up to the roof of his mouth, meaning he couldnt suck properly. X

 

[Mrs Doddy]

Yeah she does that too but we sussed that out pretty quick when it was all being spat out again so we always make sure that is down so it's not that

 

[MiissMuffet]

Didn't want to read and run but just wanted to give you It must be frustrating

 

[chanel]

What weight is jess now?

D was like totally like this when breastfed and even when we shifted totally to formula he was taking an hour to feed.

Now he is weighing 10lbs 5oz his feeding takes between 25 and 45 minutes for 100 and 140mls (7 times a day)

I am finding the more weight he gains the easier he fed although now we seem to be having screaming matches whilst being fed and being winded.. if it's not one thing it's another ay .

I can imagine you are tearing your hear out as you feel you are doing nothing but feeding/winding/expressing/sterilising and settling in a day (and night) and it is totally physically and mentally exhausting.

Could it be that jess has nipple confusion? does she feed well from the breast or is it the same scenario regardless of whether its breast or bottle?

 

[Mrs Doddy]

well she got weighed today and has only put on 2 oz is now 6lb 10oz I was told to put her on the fast flow teat and see how much she weighs next week, im so worried and stressed

C I don't bf at all only formula and ebm

 

[chanel]

Aw bless, she's still just little so please try not to worry.. as long as she is getting plenty of wet and dirty nappies then she is doing fine.

Have you thought about changing bottles? we didn't get on with TT.. very messy and slow so moved to avent on the size 2 teat and feeding improved from there although that could just be coincidence anyways.

Anyways we;re off for our weigh in.. if i can get organised before they cl9ose

 

[chanel]

oh and whilst D sometimes had very little weight gain in the begining i have seen him having some weeks where he has put on 15oz :-o

Best to average her weight gain over the past 4wks as opposed to taking too much notice of a weekly gain/loss (a big poo just before weigh in can make all the difference to that you know)

 

[Mrs Doddy]

will see how she does with the new teats first - I guess thats my next move if not

 

[chanel]

I'm sure she will soon take off in gaining weight then you'll be worrying she is putting on too much.. D has gone up from 10lb4oz to 11lb 2oz this week :-o.