Pushing the bottle away after 2oz

[fairibell]

I was wondering if anyone else had a baby that has done this or any ideas?

My DD (14weeks) has started drinking 2 or 3oz and then refusing to take anymore, have done everything I can think of, winding her waiting 5, 10, 20 mins - it isn't as if she isnt hungry as will ask for more 2 hours later and if I persist through her struggling/crying/pushing it away for long enough she will eventually take the rest of the bottle... just isn't nice to make her so upset

any ideas??

thanks

[nush32]

Hi Faribell
My DS is 15 weeks and I breastfeed but he does exactly the same thing. Think they might going through a phaze! He's seems alot more distracted by other things around him....It's quite upsetting isn't it? You finally think you've got them sussed and then they throw you. I'm no expert cos he's my first child, but I figure it's just normal behavior. As long as your DD is still gaining weight etc....Don't worry

[baltimore97]

Hi there. DD2 is like this. She will drink 2-3ozs, after having appeared ravenous, but will then refuse any more. Sometimes she will take some more 20mins later, but sometimes she won't. She acts as if I'm torturing her with the bottle when I offer it to her again!

I think it is because she's going through that distractible phase where anything is more interesting than eating. If I walk around the house feeding her, feed her in a busy place (toddler group w/ DD1/cafe) or feed her infront of the tv (bad I know but it works!) she will sometimes forget herself and eat more. Perhaps you could try these strategies?

Despite the fussing though, she's been putting on weight fine.

[monthlymayhem]

Hello. My ds does this and we worked out it was down to temperature - it has to be perfect for him to drink it

So he'll usually take 2oz, then we need to heat it up again, he'll take another 2 oz, another re-heat and then another 2 oz...

Of course if we make it slightly too warm, we need to cool it down etc, etc you hopefully get the picture of what a palaver feeding him is.

I think because he's bf he expects the milk to be a constant body temperature and makes a big fuss if not!!

[Bec132]

HI. I have exactly the same problem, my daughter is 14 weeks, she takes 3-4 oz then refuses any more. Sometimes takes a further 2 or 3 30mins later. I sit her on the settee with cushions behind her and that sometimes works or walk around with her?
I dread feeding her as it usually always results in her crying and me forcing the bottle in!
I would welcome suggestions aswell!
going to try variflo teats tonight so will let you know if they work!

[sorryihaventaclue]

I am sooooo pleased to find this thread. Am in such a state, dd who is 9 weeks today has been doing same since monday. Am worried she's dehydrating etc. Been to GP and HV coming tomorrow after chat today she says classic symptom of dairy/lactose intolerance??? Mind you that is with her having been very very colicy and crying alot for past few weeks.

What has done my head in tonight is she's seeking out my boob through my clothes and bobbing about, she didn't do that when i was trying to breast feed so she's clearly hungry but screams the minute i put the teat in her mouth. We're just about managing to get 2 oz down her per feed.

At wits end, in tears and feel utterly crap so any breakthroughs from anyone or ideas more than welcome.

[jadey24]

I put a thread up earlier with similar problem with my dd. She is nearly 7 weeks and after eating 4-5ozs no problem since 4 weeks in the last week and half she has all of a sudden only having 2-3ozs and refusing anymore. Tried like 20-30-40 mins later but she clamps her gob shut. She can get upset during a feed being v irritable and crying etc. She is very windy baby too.
She screams for the feed like she ent ate in her whole life.

Thought maybe the teat was wrong for her so tried on nxt size up today and at first it seemed to work..she drank 2 oz in 5 mins and normally that would take her an hour. It didnt seem to flood her and she didnt choke much but the nxt 2 bottles after she choked so put her back to the other teat.

She was on cow and gate but some girls on here recommened hipp organic milk and brought some couple hours ago and gave her a bottle not long ago and she took the whole 4oz without a fight. The first time in a long time. And now she has gone to sleep. Im hoping the trouble was down to the old milk coz sometimes she would have this disgust look on her face as if she didnt enjoy it and was v unsettled too.
Fingers cross the new milk is the solution.

xxx

[Kaybeeand2boys]

hi, i was having the same problem with ds2, 18wks. He used to take 6-7oz no trouble, but over the last couple of weeks has been taking less and less, often only 2 or 3oz. No idea what the problem is/was. The last couple of days he has taken the odd 6oz and when I had him weighed he had still put on a pound so maybe he is just not hungry at the moment!??! He has reflux and is very very windy, so maybe he just doesnt like milk that much anymore as it seems to cause nothing but trouble!

[Kaybeeand2boys]

hi, i was having the same problem with ds2, 18wks. He used to take 6-7oz no trouble, but over the last couple of weeks has been taking less and less, often only 2 or 3oz. No idea what the problem is/was. The last couple of days he has taken the odd 6oz and when I had him weighed he had still put on a pound so maybe he is just not hungry at the moment!??! He has reflux and is very very windy, so maybe he just doesnt like milk that much anymore as it seems to cause nothing but trouble!

[madmouse]

sihac, have you tried to latch her on? 9 weeks may not be too late and you could well still have milk.

If you did not have milk in the first place or have lots of other reasons why you are not bf please don't be offended. I will just keep gob shut.

[madmouse]

sihac, have you tried to latch her on? 9 weeks may not be too late and you could well still have milk.

If you did not have milk in the first place or have lots of other reasons why you are not bf please don't be offended. I will just keep gob shut.

[Kaybeeand2boys]

oops sorry, damn internet!

[jadey24]

kaybeeand- what milk is ur ds on?

xxx

[Dalrymps]

My ds has always been like this with his milk, he's 10 months old now.
Never takes more than 5oz in total. He's better as he gets older but most of the time it has been a case of feeding him the first 2-3oz and then waiting 20-30 mins, heating it up and trying to give him the rest.
He has recently changed milk as he is on high calorie milk from the dietician and he drinks this a lot better.

I don't really know what the sollution is but having it warm enough for him helps in our case.

[Kaybeeand2boys]

Jadey - ds is on aptimil hungry baby at the moment ( he was a hungry baby to start with!)
His appetite has improved a little, but he still struggles to drink it often...
How are you getting on?

[sorryihaventaclue]

Hello, thought i'd update as it might be helpful (might not!) ended up taking dd up to a and e because she was screaming her head off and not taking anything at all, not even off a medicine spoon.

Anyway, drs gave her infant gaviscon and she took a whopping 6 oz! In case it was a fluke they kept her in but she continued to take huge amounts each feed.

Since then we've been using the gaviscon every feed and she's been ok - not consistently great i hasten to add, but we got a good feed down her in the night and this morning and yesterday little and often.

Madmouse, dd's latch has always been shocking (she wouldn't/couldn't breath through her nose), i ended up expressing for 8 weeks. Thanks for the suggestion though

[GreenMonkies]

Sorryihaventaclue,

If your DD has reflux then she'll benefit from small feeds given often rather than a few big feeds.

As you only stopped expressing a week or go you will still "smell" milky, so thats why she's rooting into you, and reflux and a stuffed nose are both symptoms of cows milk intolerance, so if you cut dairy out of your diet and try again you may find she would take to breastfeeding again and you could ditch the gaviscvon. (It takes 10-14 days for all traces of dairy to leave your system, so the reflux etc to go)

It's worth remembering that your babies stomach is the size of his/her clenched fist, so to try to get 4 or 6 ounces into a small baby will leave them uncomfortabley full! Up to the age of 8 weeks babies can't regulate thier appetite, if they are breastfeeding they just fall asleep when they are full, if they are bottle feeding they will carry on swallowing as long as there is milk coming out, and milk drips/dribbles from the bottle teat even if they are not actively sucking. This can explain why they will gulp down 4 oz when they are tiny but refuse to drink that much once they are older.

What ever the reason, if your baby stops drinking never force them to take more. Let them tell you they've had enough.

[sorryihaventaclue]

Thanks GreenMonkies very helpful. Don't worry i have never force fed either of my babies and never would but when a 9 week old has had 2 oz in 12 hours i think it's cause for concern.

End of the day what was and is continuing to be frustrating and upsetting is that she's hungry bobbing about for milk and then not able to swallow it because it's causing her pain...

Will try the dairy thing as well thanks so much

[fairibell]

hi
still not having much luck - getting about 2 lots of 6oz a day in her now but not much more - should have mentioned before she is lactose intolerant so on SMA LF (all husbands family lactose intolerant so sort of expected!) she also has some silent reflux and has been on gaviscon since 5 weeks - so don't think it its either of those reasons! GP has suggested trying a sippy cup as thinks the gaviscon is doing its job fine and none of the syptoms of any other alergies to the milk...??

[sorryihaventaclue]

Hi Fairibell, we're still in a similar position, been prescribed lactose free stuff and she really took to it yesterday and had some lovely feeds with no screaming - totally relaxed (with the gaviscon) but is pushing it away again today (and sleeping A LOT??)

Is your HV any good? Ours this time is very supportive and she said to push for a referral from gp to paed gastroenterologist (think that's the right term) - also my sister in law says that speech therapists also play a role in feeding problems in infants and children, don't know whether that's worth exploring.

I don't think anyone who hasn't experienced this knows really how awful it feels, it's such a fundamental role to be able to nourish your baby. And if for any reason breastfeeding doesn't work out you feel even worse (and are made to by others)

I'm finding myself wishing the weeks away til she's 6 months and can be weaned, how crap is that? I want to enjoy her being a gorgeous baby seeing as she's my last!!

[MAV828]

I’m so relieved I came across this forum. I could have written all of the reply’s on here. My 5mo won’t eat more that 3 oz at a time. Sometimes she will eat more, but it needs to be in 2-3oz doses and usually just before bed. She eats much better in public and doesn’t seems to have any food intolerances (although we tried hypoallergenic for a while). I don’t have a big milk supply, so she’s mostly on formula.

I’ve recently found some success by giving her a nipple that was a little faster and feeding a little more upright. I used a size 2 nipple from the brand MAM. It seems like such an easy fix for a problem that’s been going on for 4 months, but if this helps even one person I’ll be happy.

[Winny93]

Hi what worked for you?
i have been dream feeding my LO for 3 months now as she flat out refuses to drink milk. Dr said she is not lactose/ dairy intolerant as none of us parents have intolerance. Also she has no allergy or rash. She only refuses. Its very dreadful i try to make her sleep every 3 hrs to dreamfeed her and she is on high calorie milk.

[PritiPatelsMaker]

@Winny93 the OP is unlikely to see your post as her baby will be around 14 now.

You might be better staring your own thread?