Oats at 10 weeks? Pressure

[strawberrycake]

I've posted a lot about my son's feeding issues. He's currently eating about half the recommended amount for his size/ age. His weight gain veers from static to slow. He's gone from 75th centile to below the 25th in around 5 weeks. He screams during feeds and appears very uncomforrable. I'm going back to the gp to ask for a refferral, they've tried gaviscon and soya formula so far which has cleared the diarrhea but he's constipated now (not badly).

MY husband is basically accusing me of being a bad mother as I won't give him oats (boil oats for a long time then feed the liquid after seiving the lumps). This is his mother's idea that it's the solution to everything and her kids thrived on it. I won't do it, I want to know what's wrong, not just keep guessing. Also it just doesn't feel right.

Who's wrong, me or him. We've had a row over it and he's left because I won't let him feed ds the oat milk.

Oh and hv wants me to feed him dilute orange juice for constipation, and again this just feels wrong...

I think you know yourself that neither oats or orange juice can possibly be any good for a 10 week old baby.

Gaviscon can cause constipation in babies IIRC. Frequent small feeds may help this to pass in the meantime, and may help him take more per 24 hours than feeding, say, every 3 or 4 hours o a schedule. But you do definitely need to keep pestering your GP for more help. And please, stay away from that HV, she's crazy!

This is odd and very old fashioned advice, strawberrycake . The main risk is that the oat 'milk' that results from boiling oats is very low in calories (much lower than the calories in formula milk) and it would be a foolish thing to give to a baby whose weight is already causing concern. There might be some nutrients remaining in the oat liquid after boiling but I would imagine they would be very diluted.

A baby who seems distressed and in pain during feeds needs careful checking out - the slow/static weight gain and the pain indicate some issues with intolerance if not allergy, and it makes no sense to give oat milk with a baby whose digestion seems to be at the very least sensitive.

One thing you might think of is to seek a referral to a paediatric dietitian and you could also get their professional opinion on oats, and share it with your DH and your MIL.

Your son has a medical issue, you need to take medical advice, NOT MIL advice. Your DS could get very poorly if he is fed incorrectly and it is not acceptable to give a 10 week old baby this stuff. Could you print off some NHS/WHO information about the correct feeding of babies?

Your DH is also worried about your DS so it is understandable that he would want to try things to help...but he needs to know that following medical advice is the only choice you have. Anything else could make your son worse.

Strawberry - do not give your baby, oats, oat broth or orange juice or anything else. Tell your MIL and husband that the oat broth is likely to make his weight gain problems worse not better and that you prefer to follow medical advice only.

Demand immediate referal to paediatrician.

In the meantime maybe ask GP to try an alternative formula eg Nutramigen or Neocate.

My DN was given prune juice as directed by HV, but he was EBF and wasn't pooing for weeks and weeks at a time.

Strawberry, my DD was very similar. She went from 75th to 25th as well. Every feed was torture. Even moving to bottle and breast combo didn't work - we were then obsessed with how few ounces she took (even have a chart)In the end she sorted herself out and was fine on Gaviscon.
Don't feed oats or juice. You must be feeling bad enough without your DH or MIL inferring that you are not doing right by your child.
See the doctor again and see what they think.
Hope everything improves for you.

The drop from 75th to 25th centile is an indication for referral to a paediatrician. Take you red book to the GP and ask for referral.

I thought a teaspoon of fresh OJ (as in straight from the orange) was okay?

Oats thing is just bizarre.

I'm assuming you've looked at reflux?

I think with a ff baby (who is already having something that's not breastmilk) a teaspoonful of OJ is prob not much of an issue - but oaty liquid is definitely not a good idea because of the lack of calories and nutrition.

But best advice is going to come from a real life, fully qualified person with all the facts and the background.

Posie- given gaviscon for reflux, but nasty constipation even with water being given. Not sure it helps.

Still rowing.

Ds is really long, already in 3-6 months clothing and at the end of it's length, some already too short. So 25th though not low seems low for him. Cut the feet off a 3-6 babygro yesterday as too restrictive.

I think husband thinks I'm just fussing and that he's a small eater and that's just him.

I will say I want a refferal. It's great if he's ok and it;s nothing after he's been checked out. I just though have a gut feeling it's not ok. I have on a rare occassion seen him eat 7-8oz, rather than the normal 3oz. Also I don't think it's normal to end every feed with crying.

He thinks I should trust family with experience before doctors. He thinks doctors don't know child wheeras for genrations family have done oat thing. He accusses me of sitting around waiting for appointments and doing nothing, whereas he has something to do. He argues we should just try it as it might work.

I think I'm going to go for a very long walk.

africanviolet I wasn't referred, do you think I should have been with a 75 to 25 drop? Worried now.

A drop of up to two centiles is within normal, in an otherwise healthy baby - 75th to 25th is a drop of two centiles. However the drop is quite quick (in just 5 weeks) and there are other factors - the screaming and the discomfort - that add up to a baby who (I would say) needs checking out. He may well be fine, and if he is, he certainly does not need weird old-fashioned 'remedies' from anyone :(

I am not sure what your DH/MIL thinks will happen with oat 'milk'? What changes are they expecting to take place?

tiktok- it will 'get his stomach working' and 'give him a taste for food so he will eat more'.

Utter, utter rubbish, strawberry!!

Poor you strawberrycalke going through all this without family support and, worse, being pressurised to do something you know is wrong.
Keep persevering with GPs, go again and again and again if you need to. Get a second opinion from a different doctor if you aren't satisfied. Go to A and E and sit there until someone sees you if you still aren't happy.

He needs a doctor not old wives tales.

He is so little please don't give him oats/orange juice, it will hurt him.

I know it is hard but you absolutely must make sure they don't take matters into their own hands.

If it was just that he was having less formula than the "recommended" amounts I wouldn't worry - my ds2 did this and I worried and stressed for ages but actually he just has a small appetite. However saying that he was always small so his weight never really dropped drastically and he was never particularly uncomfortable. I think you should go with your instinct and definately ask a doctor for a referral, at least taht way a professional has checked him out and if he says all is fine and not to worry then you can relax. Please don't give oat milk, it really won't help matters!

I normally ignore weight charts etc. but just above 75th to below 25th when he's at 98th for length makes him visably skinny compared to 5 weeks ago. At 5 weeks he was 75th, now 10 weeks. No chub at his hands etc. where there used to be. Also the screaming feeds/ occasional bottle refusal bothers me. I've stopped the gaviscon because of constipation and while he's not sick he's rather leaky without it.

WHY is oat milk HARMFUL? Aside from calorie/ weight issue. I want good arguments to avoid and 'try it and see' situation.

Because his stomach is only designed for milk at this stage. It can't process anything else. So it will either just pass straight through or sit there. Early food (and oat milk is a food not milk) can also trigger allergies etc.

Someone with more knowledge will be along soon.

Beacuse oats may have pesticides on them which i would not give to 10 week old, he is already having water as its in the formula you are giving. His little tummy will not handle the starch in the oats, he may be allergic to oats. it will not fill him and he will still cry. He is ill and you do not want to make him wores.

What formula are you giving him?
Are there allagies in your families?

have you called your Doctor to make an appointment or your hv?

Have only heard (IRL) of oat liquid being fed to babies by the poorest of the ignorant poor in the early part of 20th century. Along with letting the baby suck on a spoonful of sugar in a cloth.

can you take DH to GP and let him listen to professional opinion on the oatmilk thing? I was advised once by HV to give a teaspoon of orange juice for constipation, but I'm sure that was a lot older than 10 weeks.

good luck, you are doing all the right things.

Cat-um, yes I must admit we are from poor eastern european stock. MIL/ DH raised in soviet hardship yada yada.... Don't even go there on mentioning sugar either... sigh

Wanttofly - Soya, infasaoy, as prescribed by GP. Another thing to discuss...

No allergies on maternal side, but skin conditions on paternal side, don't know if they're linked. Apparently number of babies suffered with similar issues in family, diarrhea until blood diarrhea etc. very low weight gain (5/6kg at 6 months). Half sister of DS was hospitalised and gravely ill with diarrhea at 4 months, put down to food poisioning but not properly diagnosed, plus poor weight gain (village, not in this country). Has psoriasis now, as does half brother.