Feeding issues in 11 week old DS

[NutBiscuit]

My DS is bottle fed after breastfeeding failed at 2 weeks. He used to take the bottle well but over the last 2 weeks has got worse and worse to the point where mealtimes feel like a battle now and I'm getting very stressed with it all.

To give some details...he sleeps through from 9 til 7, so has bottles at about 7:30, 10:30, 2, 5 and 8. He never seems hungry, never ever cries for food, not even in the morning. When I offer him the bottle he starts off well and will take about 100mls but then stops. From then on he either just plays with the teat, or thrashes his head from side to side, or (worst case) he screams as soon as the bottle approaches his mouth. It can then take up to 2 hours to finish the feed (7 oz bottles), and he never takes it happily, he always gets upset.

I had him weighed yesterday and he is dropping percentiles, although the hv said it wasn't a significant loss yet. However, he's clearly not getting the amount of milk he needs but I just can't see how I'm supposed to get more into him.

Just wondered if anyone else had any experience of this, or ideas about what the problem could be or how to fix it?

Oh, and should also say hv advised me to try faster flowing teats, which don't seem to have helped. Also DS is on long term antibiotics to prevent a UTI as he has a problem with his kidney, so I don't know if they could be affecting his gut?

I'm not a bottle-feeder, but isn't 7oz quite a lot? Is it possible that he has taken what he wants and isn't hungry any more?

Could you try smaller feeds, but more often, to see if he is happier taking that?

Well, effectively that is what is happening, in that he takes 100mls at a time and then has a massive break. I've been told he should have a minimum of 850 mls a day and he's only just making that. I'm already feeding him for 2 hours out of every 3, it's getting a bit ridiculous but I can't see any other way of getting the required amount into him, especially as he's not putting on weight like he should be

How long does he take to have the 100ml? If it's taking 2 hours to get more into him, then can't you just leave it for 2 hours, then give him another 100ml bottle? Aim for 8 or more 100ml feeds a day?

Like I said, I'm not a bottle feeder so I don't really understand the logistics, but my 20 week old bfs every 2 hours and if I tried to get her to take more than she wanted at a feed, she'd cry and refuse it too.

I'd have to wake him up at night to do that, which I'm not totally against, but would rather not. Also just to be clear, 7oz is the absolute max he will take, he's often far short of that. Take today as an example, he woke up at 7 having been asleep since 9 last night. He took 120 ml then fell asleep again until 10:30. He's just taken 90ml and now is refusing the bottle again. So in 14 hours he's eaten 210 ml. That just can't be right, can it???

If he has normally taken bottles better, and a faster flow teat isn't helping, could it be teething making it painful for him to eat so he takes the minimum? You could try teething granules or dentinox on his gums before a feed to see if that helps.

From your schedule it looks like his next feed is at 2. I'd try one sooner, maybe 12:30, to see how that goes.

7oz seems a lot, my FF DD is 21 weeks and has 4x6oz bottles and 1x7oz bottle in 24hrs. She feeds roughly 3hrly.

She also does the head shaking thing. I usually feed her what she'll take in my arms maybe 3-4oz then wind her then lay her on her back on the floor or sofa and feed her the rest. We've gone from it taking 1hr to finish a bottle to 15-20 mins.

If I try to give her the second half of the bottle in my arms she shakes her head and screams if she sees the bottle.

Maybe try feeding at night too? My (bf) dd fed loads during the night at that age. Fewer distractions - he may feel more like it. You could try switching formula - my dm, who ff, always reckons some babies.prefer certain formulas to others. Also would it be worth switching to a hungry baby one to get more calories into him. My other suggestions would be to try a different style of bottle (they vary hugely). Or, is it possible he is teething early, and his mouth hurts? Can you see anything? There might be some kind of gel or painkiller you could use if so. Sorry to hear this - I know how stressful it can be when your baby has a spell of not gaining weight quickly enough.

Have you tried feeding when he's asleep (abit like a dream feed) most babies will naturally suck when there sleeping. You could try this when he's napping?

Sorry for late reply, we've been out this afternoon. Thanks for all your suggestions. I have tried different formulas and different teats to no avail. He won't dream feed, he either clamps his lips shut or wakes up and screams.

I have a doctors appt tomorrow now to see what they say, maybe he is teething as he loves chewing my knuckle at the moment. Or maybe he just doesn't have a big appetite. I wouldn't mind him not eating much if he stayed on track on his curve, it's the fact he's dropping percentiles that's concerning me

Good luck with the appointment - let us know how it goes.