Is it a growth spurt or is she a hungry baby?

[Willowwisp]

Hi

My little girl is just over three weeks old now, she was 7lb 10oz at birth and at two weeks still only weighed 8lb? I'm giving her Aptamil 1st formula after we had terrible problems with breastfeeding (I could still cry over it now)! I managed three weeks of BF, but still torture myself daily that I had to give up BF?

Anyway, she is taking between 3-4 oz but less than two hours later she is screaming, arching her back and going bright red in the face? She also chews/sucks her hands whilst screaming? We give her more formula and she calms down, is she not being filled up by the Aptamil 1st and maybe she needs the hungry baby formula or do you think she is having a growth spurt?

I feel like a terrible mummy because she just won't settle in the day, but we feed her at night and she will sleep for four hours, wake up, feed and then go another four hours, so I can't complain about that!

We tried her with some cooled water tonight and she took it readily until she worked out it wasn't milk and then had a right paddy!! I'm feeling so anxious about what to do next, any suggestions would be great!

Thanks

Willow
xx

[SenoraPostrophe]

well, babies lose weight after they're born so 8lb at 2 weeks is fine. she's probably put on more weight than average actually.

the screaming though sounds like colic, and you're probably making it worse by giving her more milk - my first suggestion would be to try to space her feeds more so that she fully digests one before taking the next.

sympathy btw. dd had colic and it was horrible. a dummy and a rocking chair helped.

[daisyandbabybootoo]

As far as I know, hungry baby formula has the same number of calories as 1st milk, and the only difference is there is something in it that makes it harder to digest so the babies feel fuller for longer.

I think most HVs do not advise it and to feed on demand with the formula.

If she is sleeping for four hours between feeds it doesn't sound like hunger, but that there may be something else going on like colic or bad wind and that is what is causing the arching and screaming.

Do you get good burps out of her?
You can try some colic drops like colief, infacol or dentinox. Both of my DCs have been like this but it passed after the first few weeks.

Just glanced at your post again and it reads that you have only just started with the formula....it could also be the case that her system is adjusting to the change from BM to FM. It is much harder on their wee tummies than BM.