To be desperate for help feeding 7 month old

[FlashBathroom]

Please help, I'm really struggling

DD had never been a great feeder. BF didn't work out despite input from multiple IBCLCs etc so we now bottle feed in the day (I pump 4 times and we feed a mix of formula and breast milk) and only direct bf at night (she's pretty inefficient and I think it's mostly comfort sucking but it helps her go back to sleep). She did have a tongue tie which was snipped at 3 weeks (private docs have confirmed she still has a little bit of a tie but that it doesn't restrict her tongue too much). She's also on a low dose of omeprazole for silent reflux. She's on mam size 2 teats.

Her bottle feeding hasn't been great for ages and only seems to get worse. The only time she'll drink more than 30 - 60ml at once is when she's half asleep. Lately she won't even feed then, but had to be so tired that she's crying before she'll eat. We're trying to sort out her naps but it's impossible when she's clearly hungry and tired but won't eat so she obviously won't nap for long, and the only way to get her to either sleep or eat seems to be to put her in her cot, wait for her to get distressed then pick her up and feed her to sleep. It seems so messed up and I feel like a thoroughly shit mum

We have started weaning but we're doing baby led and while she loves chewing she's not really swallowing much so it doesn't really impact on milk feeding yet.

Please help

I would definitely try going up a teat size first OP.

By 6 months my DD was on fast flow teats. They advise that you start on size 2 for newborns, at 7 months size 2 is most likely too slow. We were told with my first every time she started fighting a feed and taking less to go up a size. It helped every time with both of my DC.

It’s worth trying the shop bought baby food. All brands are slightly different and my DS had 3 savoury jars/pouches that he still eats. Cow and gate spag Bol, Ella’s beef stew and hipp pasta Italian with ham. Fruit pouches and fruit pots are also still popular with him.
SHop bought is a totally different texture to homemade. It really worked for ds. You’ll probably have to buy a wide variety to find a few that they will eat

[quote Elmo311]**@FlashBathroom* I second what @FlashesOfRage* said, it does sound to me like a bottle aversion. Join the FB group and buy the book if you can. It changed our life, my daughter had a bottle aversion but Instead of treating that the Dr's recommended she have a feeding tube! We had that for 3 months which 1) obviously didn't help with the bottle aversion because why should she drink from the bottle now when she was getting full on tube feeds?

2. was the worst time of our lives!

Anyway, she's still small (but cute) and that book is the only reason why she doesn't still have a feeding tube now :) [/quote]
God I’m so sorry you guys went through that 💐🤗

My two are having a setback week at five months with all the development and teething. I reread the book again yesterday and am so mad at myself for how quickly we slipped back to “gentle” pressure because we could see how hungry they are 🤦‍♀️😅

@FlashBathroom

Re the spoon feeding - I really don't want to as I have been worrying about a feeding aversion and I absolutely don't want to have similar issues with food. I will try more pre loaded spoons though.

I have ordered the feeding aversion book - thank you!

Awesome! It’s a surprisingly fast and easy read and you’ll know right away if it’s your situation.

You’re absolutely right to avoid spoon feeding if there’s any chance of aversive behaviour going on xxx

Sorry you’re going through this shit time, the mum guilt is a bitch! 😅

@FlashesOfRage It's so easy to do! But luckily you can fix it! With my son we used to pressure him to feed but it never bothered him one bit.

I don't think the midwives at the hospital help as it starts from an early age when they get you to put your finger under the baby's chin when feeding to get them to drink more!

Hope your little ones will be ok. Deep breaths and follow the book :) x

How is her weight?
I wouldn't put too much pressure on solid food as yet especially if her weight is a potential concern as milk will be a lot more nutritious.
Yes have a look at CMPA possibly and look at different teat sizes see if it helps. Also different positions maybe? For various reasons my daughter isn't easy to feed and at the moment finds it much easier to drink her milk sitting up against me rather than lying down in my arms or alternatively lying down on the bed completely. She sometimes gets distracted so I take her upstairs for her bottle at times to help her feed.
If she has a snotty nose then I run her a warm bath, that usually helps and helps with appetite too.
I do BLW and she has v little interest but I'm not pushing this atm

My dd2 was fine bf but failure to thrive and unsettled. Turns out she has CMPA, soya, beef, oat and several fruit allergies. We didn't discover the root cause until we started blw. Once I took them out of my diet and her weaning diet she kept bf and was fine. At 2.5 she has grown out of CMPA, beef and oat allergies and we're trialing soya.