7 wk old dropped to 9th percentile refusing bottles!

[GirlGang89]

Hi everyone,

My 7 week old daughter is bottle fed and last week when HV came she had dropped from 25th to 9th percentile. She was only 6lb 4 born and was 8lb 9 when weighed last week... I thought that was good but was a drop.

She is now probably dropping further as is refusing bottles. She only drinks 3-3.5 oz at a time and was having bottles roughly 7, 10, 2, 5, 8 and then last one at 11 until the morning. However she is now only taking about 2 ounces at 2 and refusing the 5 and 8 feeds!! It’s currently 7 and half hours since last feed at 2ish and I can hear her tummy rumbling and she’s been mouthing for milk but when she has a sip she starts screaming 😔😔😔

Is it worth trying a different formula brand? Has anyone tried that helps? Currently using cow & gate. Has been checked for tongue tie - all fine. Doesn’t vomit after feeds so not reflux!?

Any suggestions or advice welcome!! Bit at wits end and now it’s bank hol so cant contact HV.

Xx

Can you feed her with a syringe just to get something in her? The likes you get with calpol? If you are concerned and it's the weekend/bank hol could you go to maternity unit at hospital? They helped me with my feeding but this was within the first week. If she is having wet and dirty nappies maybe just a rough few days and she'll pick up again? If you're concerned she's lethargic because of no energy maybe call nhs24 and see what they say, could maybe refer you to the hospital at the weekend.

Are you sure its not a cows milk protein allergy? My daughter was diagnosed at 6 weeks, and her first sign was screaming when she’d take a sip of the formula. It actually hurt her body to process the milk. Other signs: rashes on her face, mucous in her nappy, spitting up mucous, stomach pains, and colic like screaming for about 5-6 hours each night.

By the way, after the diagnosis and starting the new formula, she’s still on the 9th percentile for weight at 20 weeks. She’s long and skinny, has normal nappies and feeds as well now.

A drop of one centile space (25th to 9th) is not a cause for alarm. There is nothing wrong with being in the 9th percentile. Statistically, almost one in ten normal healthy babies will be on or below this centile. However, from what you say there might be some other problem, if she is not taking enough milk, so I would assume that she needs some sort of specialist formula and speak to your GP about the possibility that she is allergic to cow's milk.

Thank you all for reply, I had thought of the possibility of a cows milk allergy but the morning feeds she takes fine. Perhaps though by time she’s digested them she’s got a tummy ache from them? She has dirty and frequent wet nappies so no issues there - I have however noticed some mucous actually the last couple of days - will keep an eye!!

She’s alert otherwise and smiling and starting to ‘chat’ which I know is the main thing :) think I will see how the weekend goes then on Tuesday contact HV and get her weighed and consider mentioning possible allergy if she carries on...

Calpol syringe also good idea!

My other daughter didn’t do this specifically but she wasn’t an avid milk fan (neither breast or bottle!), didn’t make a fuss but drank the bare minimum. I started weaning her at 5 months and she dropped down to morning and night bottles pretty much straight away! Maybe DD2 will be the same.. x

Our daughter would take night and morning feeds fine with her CMPA. She would scream in the evening because by then her body had been trying to process all of the milk and it hurt. once she was asleep, it was like nothing had happened.