3mo fussing at teat

[Orissiah]

Hello all,

My 3mo, until recently, was feeding very well - 180ml, 5 times a day (generally 7am, 10.30, 2, 6 and 11pm). She would take in around 100ml then we would burp her then she would take in the remainder with little problem.

Now she is refusing to go back to the teat after the mid-feed burping. She goes red in the face and screams. We have now changed her teat to a 3mo teat (faster flow) so she can take in more in the first session - around 140ml. But she is refusing to go back after winding. We even tried split feeding - so giving her a break by changing her nappy and playing a little bit after burping.

She doesn't seem to have any winding issues as she is not bringing much up and is doing big burps.

Do you think this is a phase? That she simply is telling us in her own way that she doesn't, at this moment, want anymore feeding beyond around 130/140ml at a time?

O

[junkcollector]

I wouldn't worry if she's feeding ok at first. Maybe drop the mid feed burping and see whether she finishes the bottle in one go. Maybe she's getting cross that you're stopping her mid feed.

[lauraloola]

My 3mo dd is doing the same! I have started to feed her for longer before winding her and she is taking more. She likes to play with bottle then and wont drink anymore!

Sometimes she will take a whole 5oz before burping.

[Orissiah]

Yes, I am trying to give her as much of the feed as possible before burping but it's still generally only 100ml or 130ml at a time before she rejects the teat and needs to burp and then she wants no more. I am going to try and work in an extra feed during the day.

Why do they do this at 3mo? I thought feeding etc got better at this age as their digestive systems mature???

[MatNanPlus]

She may have levelled and not want more than that.

Is she wanting to eat earlier?

Trying to add an extra feed may mean just a small addition but big changes to sleeping.

[Orissiah]

MatNanPlus - big changes to sleeping in what way? She is currently sleeping really well if though she is taking less feed (though this could change, I don't want to jinx it all!).

[mummytoava]

Hiya ive been having similar prob, im using Avent bottles and teats tried to go up to size 3 but she was sputtering and spitting so still on size 2 but over last few days she has been taking up to 40 mins to takeher bottle (7 or 8 oz) and sometimes just giving up at 5 oz...was going to try vari-flow teats but been to boots this am and dont think avent do them... so sorry im not much help there.

Also about putting in an extra bottle, I did that a couple weeks ago as she was refusing dream feed so now she has 5 bottles in the day usually first one at 7.30 then 11ish, 2ish, 4 30ish and then last one at half 7. I was worried bout nap times too but it has all worked out ok she still has one short nap in the morning and one if the evening with the longer nap about 12ish. That was working well untill over last week she has been waking once in the night too anytime from 3 to 5 am! So she now up to 6 feeds!!

Health visitors advice was that a lot of babies have this unsetttled stage at 13 or 14 weeks and this is when they used to traditionaly wean but she told me to hold off on the baby rice and just ride it out, apparently things do settle down again.

Anyway sorry for long winded answer but hope it some help.

[Orissiah]

MummyToAva, your HV's comment is very helpful. It is reassuring to know that 13/14 weeks is s traditional unsettling feeding time and that it should settle down. I will talk to our nurse about this too.

[Orissiah]

MummyToAva, As an addition... Yes, we do similar feeds with our 3mo DD:

Around 7am / 10.30am / 2pm / 6pm but then we add in 11pm so that makes 5 feeds.

We only started our DD on Avent 3mo teat two days ago. I remember when we moved up to 2mo teat she spluttered and spat but after a few days she got the hang of it. I know she is swallowing a little too quickly on these 3mo teats but I am hoping to presevere so she gets used to them quickly. I do not want her to go back to 2mo teat as she also was taking 30 minutes sometimes 45 mins to feed now she takes up to 10 minutes (though she's not taking in the full amount).

[mummytoava]

Yeah I was ressured by midwife, hopefully things will just settle again for both of us. I may well try the 3 month teats again as feeding times are getting longer and longer.

[MatNanPlus]

I would see how it goes O as she could have finshed a long slow growth period, we have variflow but they aren't that great TBH even on the slowest flow they are faster then flowrate of 3m teats.

With the sleeping changes sometimes pushing in an additional feed means the day sleeping isn't as good, if she is still sleeping well and not looking for her bottle earlier than before then i would let things be for now.

If on the other hand she starts waking earlier from naps hungry or is unsettled before next feed is due, i would feed early or top up before a sleep , so for example feeds 10.30 would sleep at 12-2 but is waking at 1.30 you can bring the 2pm feed forward or offer feed at 10 and a top up 60ml feed before 12 nap?

Is the intake the same for the feeds?

I would expect to see more taken at 7.30 and 6pm than at 10.30 and 2 as the spacing is shorter then.

Each baby has different needs and my advice is just that general advice/observations.

[Orissiah]

MatNanPlus - you're absolutely right - she takes in more in one go at the 7am and 6pm (and also her dream feed at 11pm) feeds. She's napping normally and - fingers crossed - sleeping well at night. So I think I will sticl to our usual feeding/napping routine and simply let her feed as much or as little as she wants. I'll see how it goes over the next week or so. In the meantime I am taking her to the nurse on Friday for injections so I will ask her her advice too.

[MatNanPlus]

Great to hear, you might want to go by the rule that if she finsihes a bottle 2 feeds in a row ie the 7am one friday and saturday then on sunday increase it by 30ml and not the next (10.30am) feed.