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Infant feeding

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

Please help with digestive problems in my 6 week old ff baby

5 replies

MeanMrsMustard · 16/10/2013 12:26

Dd is 6.5 weeks and has been bottle fed for 2.5 weeks now. She is on aptamil first milk with one 100ml feed of expressed milk a day.
She took to the bottle well, no matter if it was myself or my husband giving it. With me however she always tried to suckle first and this is something she still does.
She was a windy baby from day one who seemed to have difficulty burping or doing poos, but it never felt like an issue.
Last Tuesday, 10 days after she started aptamil she started getting more crochetty in the evenings. Nothing terrible, and we'd always had baby witching hour, so we figured she was just ramping it up now she was nearly six weeks.
However now I'm not so sure if it is just evening grumpiness. I think it could be something to do with her digestion and I'd like some advice, especially as her mood is spreading to day time too!
These are all things hat happened before she was ff, but they are getting worse I think.
Her tummy feels very hard and looks puffed out. Yesterday I was burping her for ages and massaging her and lots of farts came out which seemed to relieve her a little, but she kept on going very bright red and scrunched up straining to get rid of gas/poo without any joy. It was only this morning 48 hrs after she last went that she managed to do a very large and painful poo. (Mushy, not hard, but not really runny either) She keeps on pulling pained faces and clutching her chest and letting out tiny yelps. I am getting better at burping her, but only little ones come out so I fear she has a build up of gas. She has never been that sicky, but seems to be possetting more now.
She has become much more fussy on the bottle, pulling back and turning away during feeds.
Just now she seemed to be asking for milk, but screamed and screamed when I offered her the bottle and I had to calm her down. I know she wants to get on my breast to feed and this makes me feel so awful and guilty. I am failing my baby. She is now sleeping on my shoulder having had no milk. (Including her 3am feed she had had just under 300 ml today)
She sleeps quite well but has recently started waking up screaming (although sometimes goes back to sleep straight away).
She doesn't seem to be that happy anymore. She is developing well, but she looks so sad. I feel like I am constantly calming her.

Does it sound like there might be digestive issues at all? She certainly has lots of wind and I'm looking for all advice of how to help her with this. I've ordered some dr brown bottles that should turn up tomorrow. What else can I try? I want my happy hungry girl back.
If she was allergic or intolerant to the milk would it take as long as 10 days to start appearing?

OP posts:
ExBrightonBell · 16/10/2013 21:21

I didn't want to read and run, so I wanted to say that you are definitely not failing your dd! Please don't think that at all.

I'm afraid I don't have much to offer in terms of advice, although I did wonder if different bottles might help. Also maybe trying a different brand of formula?

Have you had a chat with your HV about the digestive issues, or maybe a GP if you don't find the HV to be any good?

Also, please don't think your baby is sad - they can't smile all the time! She's too little for big emotions like sad. 6 weeks old babies don't even really know that they are separate from you. If you keep offering a bottle feed with the same closeness of a breast feed then she will get used to it, I'm sure.

FrightNightcirCurse · 21/10/2013 20:05

You're not failing her...but would you like to try breastdeeding more often if she's still interested?
What made you move onto bottles?

Lightupatnightpants · 21/10/2013 20:14

Can you just try bf her, if she seems like she wants it?

Sunflower1985 · 21/10/2013 20:50

I have a very similar mixed fed ds. Experiences the same symptoms. We went to the dr today, as it happens. He's given us infant gaviscon, but I got the feeling he was saying this was just normal baby behaviour and the gaviscon was for my benefit. If your dd has wet nappies ok, then that's a very good sign (dr said he wasn't concerned as my ds has quite a few a day).
I may go back if it doesn't improve. I think intolerances are rare but it does feel like something's up.
My ds is 11 weeks btw and it started when he was
4,5 weeks. He's on cow and gate as well as bm.

User3433399 · 21/10/2013 21:00

Bear in mind she may have a cow's milk intolerance coming from the formula. If you have the supply, can you go back to EBF and see if that helps? It may take a week or more for the cow's milk to get out of her system and see and improvement.

Reflux, stiffness on burping, arching, head turning, screaming and general unsettledness can all be signs of cows milk intolerance/allergy. It may 'just' be colic and pass on it's own, but if it persists don't let the GP fob you off.

My DD had a severe allergy which started to really show about three weeks old. I really hope that's not it though.

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