Should I be worried about formula intake?

[JD180785]

Hi guys

My daughter has a CMPA so she takes Nutramigen formula and she also has reflux which she takes carobel for. The carobel stops her from vomiting but some still comes up her throat and obviously this is painful/uncomfortable. We’ve tried all the other available options.. omeprazole, lansoprazole, gaviscon and rantandine. We even tried a more hydrolysed formula, no change.

So I took matters in to my own hands and bought a cot wedge from a company called the Wedgehog. They supply the NHS so I figured it would be safe. I also cut he bottle size down to 150ml/ 5oz max per feeding so as to not overload her tummy.

Problem is that I can only get on average 700-740ml per day in to her. She should be on more than this at 5 months? She’s definitely growing because she’s already too tall for her 3-6mth clothes but she’s not chunky, not even a lot bit.

Can’t get a HV to come see me because of covid 19 and my GP surgery doesn’t have baby scales. So there’s no way of me checking if she’s gaining weight.

Did anyone else’s baby just never up their intake at a certain age or should I be worried?

We also use MAM bottles after spending a clean fortune on every bottle and teat you can think of. I totally understand how you feel. My little boy bottle refused for weeks and it was hell. My sister has kids of her own and said oh I can make him eat and tried to feed him. Funnily he refused to eat for her too

The best thing that worked for us was early weaning at 5 months. He takes more oz now while on two purées a day then he ever did before. Could you chat to your HV about that? I was anxious about starting early but he did great on it.

But if your baby is growing and putting on weight which she clearly is if she’s moving up clothes sizes I wouldn’t be too worried. Maybe she’s getting all that she wants/needs? You can drive yourself mad over it all and it does you no good!

You could try to get some vitajoule powder from your GP if you’re worried about her weight. It’s suitable from birth and just increases the calorie content of whatever you mix it into rather than increasing volume. Would need to check it was dairy free but I think it is.

I just finished giving her a dream feed. She only took 100 mls. That means she’s had 820mls in total from midnight to midnight so it’s a little better

Sounds completely normal to me. My son was drinking almost exactly the same as that at 5 months. He never once drank more than 7oz at a times right up to 12 months. He was also a lean refluxy baby (he was on Gavisogon).

Sorry JD s
Didn’t mean to imply you hadn’t tried every three hours. It is really hard - if you offer and she doesn’t take then you are doing what you can. Better to be responsive than to create battles. Weaning will probably make everything easier.

Try not to slap your sister! She won’t get it ... she might get the biter later on;)

My son had all the same digestive issues (and drugs!) as your baby. Note for after lockdown consider getting her some cranial oestopathy - tight neck muscles can affect the nerves going down the neck to her stomach.
From memory the nutragmagen tin says how much formula to make up at which age as a guide or does it not anymore? From my experience (and experience of my friends) at 5 months she is strong enough to stay awake or wake up if she has issues. If she was hungry she would not sleep as well as she does. Try not to worry.

@QualityFeet

I’m not annoyed at the suggestion don’t worry. I think I was more annoyed because I’d just spoken to my HV and I don’t really like her because she talks to me like I’m bloody stupid! She never reassured me. She had a trainee HV working with her before lockdown who came out to see me and she was so lovely!! ( wish I could have kept her as my perm HV ). I mean the first visit I had from her was horrible, she said Lily was showing as failure to thrive and I was very pale, was I feeling ok? I should add she was using the most patronising tone ever. Even my husband who’s really easy going chimes in before i did and said my wife is naturally pale and as you’ll see from her arms and neck, they are the same colour as her face. Even the midwife who was still
Attending us said she would never actually say failure to thrive to a mum who was 5 days postpartum!

@ittakes2

Yea I mean if she’s hungry she always lets me know! And if she’s hungry and asleep she chews on her hands so I do a little feed then to help her settle again

If little one is settled, gaining weight, and producing plenty of wet and dirty nappies, I wouldn't be too concerned. I got really stressed with my bottle fed baby because she didn't seem to feed as often as my bf baby did, but she was just going at her own pace. Just be led by lo and if she's not keen on the feed don't give it till she is. Try and develope a thicker skin with your sister, she means well.

Why do you think there is something wrong with the intake? Not all babies down 32 Oz of formula. Mine drank 18/20 a day max on Alfamino. Add long as they thrive nothing to worry about.

Hmmm your HV sounds awful and need some training ( sounds like a real dud) the phrase she is using was swopped for ‘faltering growth’ years and years ago!

You don't need baby scales to see if they are gaining weight, yes it won't be exactly accurate, but weighing them on the scales at home will give you an idea. I get on the scales with mine when they are babies, then put them down and weigh myself, deduct my weight from our joint weight and I know roughly what they weigh

Also just wanted to add it's mistakenly believed there is an ideal daily intake. Each baby is different. The stuff on the ton is just for guidance, but one size does not fit all.

She’ll be taking food soon so I wouldn’t worry too much. Her output sounds good so as long as she’s otherwise happy and alert, keep going as you are.

Ok so I got her weighed yesterday, weird experience because of covid 19... anyway she’s almost doubled her birth weight and is on her growth curve on the centile chart so I worried for nothing. Just goes to show baby will take what she needs and no more, wish I could learn to do that lol

Great news OP. I was just about to say, my reflux baby never had the amount of milk she was ‘supposed’ to have. But she has also always been small for her age too (born early at 3lb 8). She put on weight and made her own curve and even now at nearly 2 is a little dot in comparison to her peers and doesn’t eat anywhere near as much, but that’s ok, that’s her way and she’s happy and healthy