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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

arg....teething? reflux? wont drink although appears ravenous.

8 replies

pandapuss · 12/09/2010 17:36

my baby boy is one week shy of four months ive been combination feeding but mostly bottle, recently hes been very very dribbly and has for a while now been stuffing his whole hand in his mouth,i assummed he was starting to teeth but the past few days hes appeared hungry but when i offer him a bottle or breast he fusses alot and gulps at it then crys, i think well hes not hungry afterall, half an hour later hes sucking at his hands as though hes ravenous, so i try again with milk and the same thing happens. its becoming a battle and stressing me out to the point where i think what a terrible mother i am as i dont know what he wants. a couple of times ive thought he wants to be sleepy before feeding as i rock him to point of sleep then he has most of his bottle. he mostly drinks only a few ounces at a time and i wish he would have more of his bottle so i know i dont have to worry about feeding for a few hours, insted im constantly guessing is he hungry? as he only has small amount each time. now im wondering if he has reflux as a few of the syptoms he has, or is it afterall just teething? arg......what worrys me most is the apparent ravenous eating of hands then refuses milk. help!

OP posts:
belgo · 12/09/2010 17:37

Have you looked in his mouth? Does he have any blisters/spots anywhere?

pandapuss · 12/09/2010 17:57

ive put my finger in to see if i can feel any teeth, i cant, but from what i can see he has no blisters or spots, what are these a sign of?

OP posts:
harverina · 12/09/2010 23:48

Although my DD is Bf, we have experienced alot of what you describe. It may be that he is teething - is he showing any other signs of teething? When babies suck blood rushes to their gums and this increases teething pain so this could be a reason for your DS's distress. To see if it is teething you could rub his gums gently, either with a clean finger or cold teething ring, just before feeding. This helps my DD. I also use ashton and parsons shortly before feeds on particularly bad days. I wouldn't recommend using teething gels before feeds as this can make it harder for babies to suck as it numbs the gums.

Re: reflux, there are usually other symptoms other than fussing and crying. I'm not an expert on this area though - my DD has mild reflux which is improving as she gets older. Symptoms were sicking up alot (not just fresh milk but old stinky, digested milk), bad breath, some yellow in her sick occasionally, wet burps. If you are worried about it being reflux you should see your GP.

pandapuss · 13/09/2010 14:57

hes also started to refuse to feed off the right breast, hes always favoured the left but now its the left or not at all! now im wondering if this is just comfort feeding or hes looking for the breast because its easier on his gums?! its all quite contradictory as sometimes he refuses the breast altogether. not to mention the fact that i have been doing very little breast feeding lately so am wondering if hes getting everything he needs. all in all im pretty confused.

OP posts:
harverina · 13/09/2010 21:03

It is so confusing, but I think what I have leared is to relax and go with the flow. My DD has gone through a faze twice where she hardly fed - sometimes feeds were 3 minutes long and she refused any more. I worried constantoly but she gained weight. For two weeks she also refused my right breast, even though this had always been her favourite. If you are really worried you could take him to the clinic to be weighed?

Are there plenty of wet and dirty nappies every day?

pandapuss · 15/09/2010 10:56

yes thats stayed the same, he has plenty of wet, not always a dirty but the health visitor assured me this is normal. i now have sleepless nights to add to the mix, he wont let me put him down, he sleeps in my arms then as soon as in his cot hes awake. my partner has tried putting him down but hes wised up to that too!

OP posts:
sanfair · 19/09/2010 21:32

Hi pandapuss. I could have written your post about my 15 week old - eating the hands, drooling, getting very upset when I try to feed him even when he is definitely hungry, only eating a bit at a time...
Sorry, I don't have any answers but will be watching this thread carefully for suggested solutions!

ac1974 · 26/09/2010 17:53

Hi pandapuss and sanfair - did things improve yet? What you describe is so familiar and I too am very confused worrying about teething and reflux....

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