11week-old doesn't seem hungry

[Loops81]

After a good start, I'm getting increasingly anxious about feeding my now 11 week-old. She just doesn't seem very hungry! She gets very upset (or just won't latch) if I try to feed her before she's properly hungry, so I've been offering every three hours to make sure she is. But even then she only has a very short feed. She never comfort-feeds during the day and rarely cries or gives me hunger cues. Up till now her weight was going up steadily (between 25/50 centiles) but when I weighed her this week it had flattened a bit. This is frustrating because I can't physically feed her any more than I am, and I'm going a bit mad trying to pick the right moments to feed her. She generally has about 7 or 8 feeds in 24 hours, wet and pooey nappies, and seems happy enough in between feeds (except at bedtime when she will scream and scream and sometimes go to sleep without a feed ) so do I need to worry?

[cestlavielife]

Keep a diary for few days.
Take her to drop in clinic to be weighed.
Monitor.
If she continued to lose weight ask hv
look into reflux?

[GlennRheeismyfavourite]

I’m absolutely no expert - my dd is now 12 weeks today. At 11 weeks I was feeling like you, she just wasn’t all that interested, but yesterday and today all she wants to do is feed and my boobies are huge again - I figure she’s just hit a growth spurt and my supply is increasing to match her. I think as long as you’re having plenty of nappies and she seems happy she’ll be fine!

[MoanaofMotunui]

Has she been like this from day one?

My DS gets like this just before and just after a growth spurt. He’ll feed like billy-o for a few days (to the point where I think I can’t cope anymore) then he’ll drop right down to feeding a handful of times through the day (and then I worry he’s not feeding enough!!)

I’d have a chat with your GP or HV, but their feeding patterns do change quite a lot and the wet/ pooey nappies are a good sign your DD is feeding enough.

Another thought... is she predominantly feeding on one side? Or both equally? If she prefers one side, she may be getting more of the fatty hind-milk and will be filling up faster than she would if she’s swapping sides and getting the weaker foremilk first.

[Loops81]

She's been like this for a few weeks now - the first 4/5 weeks I guess she fed as ravenously as any newborn and I didn't think much about the frequency. I have a 3 year-old who was the same as a baby - always hovered around the 25th centile and never had much of an appetite, so I don't know what I'm doing wrong!

[LapinR0se]

I fed 4-hourly after about 10 weeks and it made things much better

[Loops81]

That's interesting LapinR0se. Did your baby take bigger feeds? I never planned to feed to a schedule and even three hours apart seems a long time to me when friends' babies seem to feed constantly!

[mistermagpie]

My DS is nearly 8 months and was exactly like this. He was/is bottle fed but would just refuse to suck or spit the teat out, I tried everything - offered millions of small feeds, really spaced feeds out to be sure he was hungry, different milks, different bottles, you name it. I wrote down every single oz he drank for six months and even when he should have been on 30oz a day he would sometimes only have 12. He has never ever had more than 5oz in one go and that’s been rarely.

Weird thing is, he’s massive. There doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with him but I reckon he must have the slowest metabolism ever!

He never got any better I’m afraid, although he now has solids I feel more confident that he’s getting enough to eat. He loves solids too, so part of me thinks he just doesn’t like milk...

So, keep trying but don’t panic, things might even out but they can definitely grow when they don’t eat a lot.

[LapinR0se]

I breastfed and we always had to do a schedule as my DD was a very sleepy baby and a reluctant feeder. So I put her on a schedule and woke her every 3 hours then when she was more awake anyway I fed her every 3 hours until she started getting fussy so tried her on 4-hrly and she did much better.
We did 7,11,3 then 6 breastfeed and 6.45 or 7 bottle and another bottle at 11pm. She kept her centile then (25th) but before she was sliding down to 9th

[Loops81]

Thanks LapinR0se. Did you ever find out why she was like this? How is she now she is older?

[LapinR0se]

She’s 3 now and still never asks for food and has only said “I’m hungry” maybe 4 times in her life. I have to really encourage her to eat her meals and if she snacks then it’s kind of game over for proper food.
She is 75th centile for height and 50th for weight so I’m not too worried.

[mistermagpie]

Lapin my older son is exactly the same, he's 2.5 and has never ever said he's hungry (he has excellent speech so it's not that he can't). If I offer him food his default is to say no! Mealtimes take forever because he needs a lot of coaxing. I guess some children just have small appetites?

[suepowell]

Did you consider taking her to a GP? I think if the doctors check, they can figure out the reason. How about the bowel movement? Does she poop regularly?