Nearly 6 mo old feeding every 60-90 mins. Help!

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DS2 is 25 weeks. I spent the first 20 weeks trying to get him off nipple shields, which I managed finally. He went from feeding for up to 30 mins at a time to 5 min feeds within a week, which was marvellous! But in the last 3 weeks, he's started being more demanding and wanting to be fed every 60 to 90 minutes ALL DAY. He sleeps 12 hours through, though, which I know is a wonderful thing

I haven't weaned him yet, well I did start last weekend but he didn't react well so waiting a couple of days. Held off until now cos of the advice to do that. I am offering water and that can sometimes stave him off. I am trying very hard to space feeds and keep him busy with other things like taking him into the garden or reading books etc. But after 15 minutes he's quite clear that it's milk.

Today I fed him: 8am, 8.30am, 10am, 11am, 12, 1.30pm, 3pm, 4pm, 5.30pm, 6.45pm. 10 feeds. Sometimes it's only 7 if he'll have decent naps.

What's worrying me really is that he's feeding like this but this week was weighed and has lost half a pound (previously putting on 3oz a week). Plus his nappies seem very dry to me (I'm using cloth).

The 5 min feeds are because he'll start to throw it all up if he feeds longer than that (even 30 seconds longer, and it's all over me). He starts fussing, I take him off, he screams his head off until huge burp. No self-control whatsoever,never has had - he won't limit himself.

Will weaning really make a difference, a few teaspoons of potato? Should I be worried about the weight gain and the dry nappies? I don't have to go back to work until August (I hope) so that's not a concern but I'm findingit hard to leave him with anyone as the feeds are so often and I have no time to express so it's got to be formula which I'd rather not really. So I don't leave him.

Help?

Has he always been sick after feeds?

DS was like this, and was always sick, loads, everywhere, afetr every feed. It gets very wearing, and you can;t space their feeds out because you know they can;t physically take any more in without it all coming up again!

DS was still having 9-10 feeds in a 24 hour period at that age, but some were at night.

I started weaning at 4 months (didn;t know any better ) but DS was still sick, it just changed colour

Have you spoken to HV about dry nappies? I would definitely tell someone, hv or gp. Another sign of dehydration in babies is a sunken fontanelle, so you could check that (think it really is very sunken - ds's always looks a bit depressed). Weight gain may not be anything to worry about as bf babies tend to have growth spurts and then plateau. Has he always been sicky? Could he possibly have reflux? Makes feeding uncomfortable, so fussy baby, and it can make some babies want to feed all the time to quench the burning feeling in their throat. Although I think they tend to be poor sleepers as well so maybe not!

Weaning made no difference for us in frequency of feeds, not for a few months until ds was eating "proper" meals.

Thanks to both of you. The nappies were wetter today so I'm feeling less worried. The feeds were the same tho', sigh & he screamed the entire day. He has always been a sicky baby, it just keeps on coming when you think the last of it has come out. What are other signs of reflux that I might look for??

Hope things get better AQ

Google reflux. There are lots of sites that give info. It can be silent reflux where there is no sick or ordinary reflux where there is sick but this is less painful. In the silent reflux the stomach acid burns their little throats, hence the fussing and ravenous feeds.

My LO had it and infant gaviscon helped. Weaning at 6m helped and when she could sit up herself, that really helped.

Ask your doc or HV for advice on it.

Weight gain isn't always a reliable indicator of anything but I would mention it to someone if you aren't getting plenty of soggy nappies a day as this is a much more reliable sign of possible dehydration. I have read that, because breastmilk is so perfectly designed and easily digestable, it can pass end to end in 90 minutes, so frequent feeding like this is normal and natural for a breastfed baby.
If it's any comfort my dd was feeding this often at 6 months - but through the night too! D'oh! You are very lucky to get the 12 hours!

Thanks, had a google just now. I'm just confused as to whether it's been reflux all along and how does the fact that he sleeps 12 hours a night with no problems fit in? Although it is a nightmare to actually get him to sleep as he throws up a lot and screams beforehand. I had heard that people often have trouble getting gp's to agree to gaviscon so wanted to get my facts straight first. I'm concerned again, I just thought he was a very hungry baby, not in pain/discomfort, the shields confused the issue for such a long time.

He could just be a hungry baby - especially as he is sleeping all night - he needs to stock up! I still don't think every 60-90 mins is that unreasonable.

Really? At six months, it seems a bit excessive. It's just I guess I was hoping to carry on bf when I returned to work as only going back 2 days I think, but I can't manage to express anything with this schedule! Plus I never get time to spend with ds2 and after six months of this he's had enough of 'mummy's just got to feed ds1'! I have gone with demand feeding all the way through but 10 times a day is getting very hard to live with when all the other babies have 4-6 feeds over a 24hr period. To be fair, when I don't feed him enough or he has a very long nap he does get up in the night for a feed, very rare now.

I really don't think all the other babies are having 4-6 feeds in 24 hours! Thats only once every 4-6 hours! I know it must feel like that sometimes, I totally relate to your situation, but I really don't think it's that uncommon - it certainly wasn't for me and my friends - at that age my dd was feeding 10 times DURING THE NIGHT!
I'm not saying don't look into the whole reflux thing too - and keep and eye on the nappies - but 10 feeds in 24 hours is really not excessive.

is he teething? My ds comfort fed a lot at that age to help with the pain

I'm just going on the people I know from baby massage and here on mn - about 4-5 feeds during the day and 1 at night for most people. But I'm doing 10 feeds over 12 hours.
Just reaad your post again. 10 overnight!!!Arrggghh.
Guess I ought to be pureeing somethingrather than sat on here, but can't be bothered!

I think a lot of mums lie to make themselves feel better, bet they are all up 10 times a night too really but don't want to admit it

It was a bit ARGGGHHH at the time!

You're prob. right, I keep my mouth shut about mine sleeping through from 8 weeks (I did suffer with ds1, I should add). I don't really care what's happening with other babies, really, I've sidetracked here. I just feel that it isn't right with him and my family and I are struggling a bit on this schedule of constant feeds. But giving up bf would not solve a thing as he takes 4 times as long to take a bottle anyway and we'd have to make them all up! Getting on with weaning prob. the answer, but he started this screaming the day after I gave him carrot, and then sweetpotato so not keen to start again really.

He is teething badly sometimes alex, but not this week particularly so don't think it's that.

Hmmm. My dd was like this, and her peers definitely weren't. It turned out that she had both silent reflux and is milk intolerant. I gave up eating dairy, and got gaviscon for her, which she had until about 9/10 months. She didn't, however, sleep well at night, and it is surprising that your ds does if he is suffering from either of these. Other than that, it does sound like he might have one or both problems though.

I would imagine that because his feeds are so short, he needs a lot of them to get the same amount of milk as many babies get from 4 big feeds though.

I did find, once I introduced a cup for water, that my dd did like to have a bit of a drink very frequently throughout the day, and this mirrored her bf behaviour prior to this. Have you tried offering water in a cup in between bfs?

Yeah, I can't quite figure out why he can sleep at night flat on his back and be fine for 12 hours but during the day can't manage more than 30 mins with a dummy in place until he seems to be uncomfortable again. I gave up caffeine long ago as that upsets him a lot and don't eat choc during the day. How would I know if dairy intolerance a problem for him? I am lactose interolerant, so just drink very little milk and steer clear of large amounts of icecream etc.
I do offer some water but often forget, I should keep a bottle in the bag and in the house so I remember, that might help space things. When he wants it, he absolutely guzzles it tho.
I'm just feeling more and more awful that I've been thinking of myself rather than him and his discomfort in all of this, people like mum had been saying greedy baby and I guess I've started to think that. But he's only on the 50percentile anyway.

Bugger, just typed a long response then knocked my mouse on floor and lost it all!

In brief, I gave up dairy totally, and within a couple of weeks (length of time it takes to clear completely from system, but some diff was noticeable within a couple of days) it was like we had a different baby! Theoretically you should then reintroduce dairy to confirm that behaviour reverts, but most people don't bother because the change is so clear!

AWBS you know who I am!!!If you feel it is reflux and need Gaviscon I have loads left from when dd improved from her silent reflux.

I have to say her symptoms were fussy feeding in conjunction with hatred of being laid flat,very long feeds(an hour plus)waking continually screaming from sleep,peculiar neck and back arching and totally crap sleeping,added to this constant coughing and spluttering when bf,lots of grumbly wind and lots of coughs/colds ear infections.

Dairy intolerance a possibility especially if you are too maybe eliminate this as cause first?.

Only other thing I can think is growth spurt,in which case maybe he will settle soon.

Hugs and sympathy.

Hey wrinkly you found me!
How's dd? Did you have to wait ages at casualty?? Hope we get to catch up this week. Thanks for the offer re: gaviscon, when you run it all together (what dd was like) it's a walk in the park with ds2, really it is. I cannot think that his behaviour is reflux at all, it's so far from what's happening with other babies. He was miles better today, feeding every 90 mins roughly sometimes every 2 hours and quite happy in between until about 6pm when he was the same again e.g. wouldn't let me put him down without screaming. It just comes out of knowhere as if it is something I ate, but I eat dairy every day and have done since he was born so can't see that it could be that? I think I'm going to start a diary of what I eat + what he's like and see if I can see a pattern - it was so obvious with caffeine.
Does anyone know how long it takes food I've eaten to hit my breastmilk? That might make it easier to sort out!