Screamy baby.... just had a 2hr session

[SparkleTee]

I'm getting to the end of my tether...

My 17 wk old wee boy is bottle fed (I feel so guilty about this but I tried and tried for 6 weeks until my milk supply stopped but he screamed whenever he got close to me Had lots of advice and tried EVERYTHING but it just wasnt to be.... is made worse by my smug sister whose wee boy is 6 wks and feeding perfectly)

Any way sometimes he is fine and drinks a good 6oz but at least 3 out of the 5 feeds a day is taking the best part of 2 hours and lots of tantrums (proper screaming and tears!).... he just hates doing the sucking thing unless he is starving... And If I let him miss feeds or drink tiny amounts to avoid the tantrums during the day he is up at 2am 4am and 6am!!!!

Help!!!!

Any useful suggestions that I may not have thought of???

His Dad just wants to wean him... but he is far far too young, and if hes not interested in milk he isnt going to be interested in the hard stuff.... been turning into blazing rows.....

[MatNanPlus]

What bottles/teats/milk/feed times?

Agree 17 wks is much earlier than the advised 26 wks and in the begining it is in addtion to milk not a replacement.

[SparkleTee]

He is on aptmil, using wide necked bottles, with the teats with 2/3 holes. should I maybe change the milk incase he is getting bored??

The feed times arent regimented as I am hitting my head on a brick wall if I try to feed him when hes not hungry/not asking for it.

The routine usually is drink 2oz, spit it out, get burped, then scream if offered the bottle again, so I give him a break/cuddle/whatever then try again.... repeat this for 10mins until he takes the bottle again.... then spits it out after another ounce..... and repeat until we have both had enough.... which is about 5oz.....

He is fed approximately on a 3hr rotation, 7am/10am/1pm/4pm/7pm give or take a couple of hours either way depending how much or how well the previous feed went.

This morning he is being a little angel so far lol but I'm ready for anything on his next feed.....

[SparkleTee]

oh yeah... I realise that giving him baby rice or something more solid is an addition to the milk and wont solve the problem.... its his Dad that doesnt get it....

I'm getting grunting noises from the little bundle on my lap.... think hes just made me a present

[tribpot]

Does he have reflux? It sounds like the feeding is causing him pain and hence why it's such a struggle for you both. Worth checking with your GP, Infant Gaviscon can make a huge difference, as can not leaving him flat, either carry him or prop him up.

The other thing we found useful was the Dr Brown / Be Free bottle, with complicated gizmo in that helps reduce the amount of air the baby takes in. They're expensive but worth trying one to see if it will work. Also Omneo Comfort formula made some difference.

Why are you using the variflow teats, it may be too fast/slow for him? Or changing too much depending on the angle of the bottle?

[1Baby1Bump]

ds1 was on aptamil and was much better once i swapped him to cow and gate but you have to consult hv before you change formula.
my hv let slip to me that her son was terrible on aptamil and better on cow and gate. she wasnt supposed to as she was only supposed to big breast feeding up but it wasnt possible for me with ds1 so she told me after much badgering.
ds had really bad colic and mam ultivent bottles helped too although sometimes they can leak once youve had them for a few months but if you would like to try them, let me know as i have managed to bf ds2 so dont need them anymore.

with regards to him taking only tiny amounts, i dont know the answer but def dont wean him.

[SparkleTee]

Dont get me onto hvs

I dont have one..... I saw one at 5wks and 6wks then she left and wasnt replaced...

There is a phone number but they dont answer it and you cant leave a message....

I dont have a post natal group as there were no new ones set up in the summertime....

There is a drop in centre every two weeks but they moved it without telling me.... I found out where and when it is now, but not till next week so he hasnt been weighed for 5 wks....

Thank gawd I'm fairly sensible and coping with most of it.....

Just glad we are moving to a different area in 2 weeks time.... might get a tiny bit more help....

Anyway.... deep breath......

Thanks for the offer of bottles... but might just pop out and get one later..... cheers

[MatNanPlus]

Personally i would move him over to Omneo Comfort and feed him sitting at a 45' angle and rub his back slowly and not pat or shift him around alot as he sounds uncomfortable, also elevate his cot head or the mattress.

When i have in the passed 'asked' hv if i could change milk for a charge invariably the reply is "i dont know" grrrr.

All milks are suitable, baby's poo will change with the new milk tho not had much issue getting babies to drink new formula.

As mentioned Bfree/Dr Brown and also
Tommee Tippee Health Check bottles have a gizmo inside that lets the air into the bottom of the bottle so stopping the air bubbles travelling thru the milk.

MAM ULTIvent are good and you do need to faff a bit sadly to get air flowing correctly.

With Omneo you will need a fast flow or vari flow teat as it is thicker.

[MatNanPlus]

Have you considered seeing a cranio oesteopathist? It might be that eating gives him a headache?

[CantSleepWontSleep]

Sparkletee - this also sounds like my DD was (although she was and still is breastfed). She seemed to feed constantly, but get upset doing so.

It turned out that she is milk intolerant (I've now given up dairy as it passes through into breastmilk, but you can also get Nutramigen or Pepti milk on prescription, which we now use for cooking) and also has silent reflux. We discovered the milk intolerance at 15 weeks and the reflux a few weeks later.

DD now takes infant gaviscon for the reflux, and combined with weaning her this has been sufficient to keep it under control.

I bought gaviscon initially to see if it made a difference before seeing my GP, as he's the cynical type who thinks that if a baby is gaining weight then there can't be anything wrong with it! If you do this then you will prob have to lie to the pharmacist and say that your GP has suggested it, or they may not sell it to you.

How are her nappies? My DD seemed to poo almost constantly, and this was due to the milk intolerance. She was also a moody crying baby the WHOLE time as a result of this. If any of this sounds familiar then you could try and buy some Nutramigen (smells and tastes a bit rank though!), but most pharmacies will have to order it in specially.

[SparkleTee]

Thanks Mums

Theres lots to try here... think I will change his milk to omneo comfort first to see if that improves things.... it could be reflux as he does have lots of possets... but that is an improvement on the full on projectile vomiting I was getting about 5/6 weeks ago....

All the time if I have found someone to ask.. they say he is fine as he is gaining weight...

A cranio oesteopathist sounds a bit scary.... think I will leave that until I have looked at the milk situation first....

I do appreciate all of your help as I was just muddling through trying to pretend his feding foibles were normal..... like completely refusing to bf by screaming blue murder is normal .....

Least he is nice and healthy otherwise.... I count my blessings as my cousin's 8 wk old wee girl has only been out of hospital for 2 days so far and that was last week

Thanks again!

Tx

[SparkleTee]

just thought I'd let you know... omnio comfort helped for about 1 day......

then he started screaming again.....

to cut the story short mil came over.... made me give him some colic medicine (her youngest had colic BAD... 4 months constant screaming)

Now I have one really happy baby...

On a good note, the comfort milk stopped the sickyness..... so far.....

So thanks again..... I'm off for a cuddle!!!!!