Refusing feed after 2oz

[Impossibletofindausername]

Please can anyone help
My daughter is 11 weeks old and for the last 5 weeks feeding time has been a nightmare. She will usually take 2/3oz okay then once winded won’t drink any more either screaming crying or sometimes just has her mouth clamped around the bottle. She always has hiccups, I feel she’s fidgety in her sleep, only ever really cap naps of a day, always snuffly in the morning, often looks like sometimes come up in her mouth and she swallows it. She has always had Aptamil 1, seen by GP give her caravel felt she took her bottles for a few days then stopped seen by paediatrician who started ranitidine she seems to be a bit more relaxed with her bottles and sometimes drinks them all sometimes back screaming after a few ounces . Anyone any idea is this just reflux, should I try a comfort milk? Can a baby just go off formula was thinking should I try HIPP organic . Anyone any answers this has been 5 weeks of hell and I dread feeding time . Thank you

[winnielee]

I'm kind of in the same boat with the feeding but no where near as bad as what u going through
My LG 11 weeks only just started to be a pain in the last 2 weeks but eventually will take the bottle, I was feeding like every 4 hours but that's gone out the window and let her guide me so feed on demand. I use SMA formula
What bottles are u using? I use mam bottles size 2 teats and she drinks it ok, she hiccups quite a bit too think it's normal.
There was a really good program on channel 4 dispatches about formula have a look at it they say the comfort formula doesn't do what it's suppose to. Interesting watch I found.
Mam bottles suppose to help with reflux although I still have to wind her after every feed.
Hope this helps and u not alone. What has your health visitor said any advice from them?

[countrymousesussex]

Mine (now 4 months) has silent reflux. Definitely go back and ask for dose of Ranitidine to be upped if needed; they normally start them on lowest dose for their weight. It’s also very weight sensitive, so will need reviewing regularly.

HiPP with Carobel to thicken worked for us, and shes now improved with early weaning so have been able to wean her off the Carobel.

Comfort formula helped in the early days, but might not work for everyone.

[Impossibletofindausername]

Thanks for your replies. So I’ve recently had the ranitidine increased and I’m thinking is it slowly working she’s took yesterday’s bottles bit better. I’m using mam bottles and size 2 teats as well. She seems to go 4 hourly but I’m doing a bit more on demand and go wiTh it. guess some babies can always get hiccups I suppose. Well that’s my thought do the milks even do what it says . I was thinking does she just not like Aptamil should I try HIPP
I’ve stopped the Carobel for now because felt like it worked and now don’t think it is.
Do either of your littles ones start falling a sleeping drinking there bottles? She never done this when she was little but last few weeks she is on certain feeds

[peachgreen]

Sounds kind textbook CMPA to me.

[peachgreen]

*like! Sorry, baby in one arm!

[Impossibletofindausername]

So paediatrician said possibly that as well and gave her Nutramigen to try and she literally wouldn’t drink it I persevered for 18 hours with it and within that time she only drank 7oz and literally no wet nappies so got told to go back to Aptamil. I read. Comfort milk is partially hydrolysed I wondered if anyone had any idea would this work if she is mild CMPA

[DippyAvocado]

My reflux baby did this. Didn't get a prescription for a specialist formula (Neocate) until she was 5 months so just used aptamil until then. She was on a high dose of ranitidine which made her comfortable but she still wouldn't drink much milk at a time.

I got used to splitting feeds - drink 2oz, put it in the fridge, then feed the rest 45 minutes later. It was annoying if we were going out - I used to take a little cool box with us everywhere. She never took a big drink of milk but once she was on solids it didn't matter so much.

[Impossibletofindausername]

Did the neonate then help and make your baby drink bottles properly? It’s so frustrating isn’t it at my wits end with it now

[peachgreen]

Did you mix the nutramigen first? We switched over the course of a week, increasing the proportion of nutramigen each bottle. Still took her three weeks to start drinking as much nutramigen as she was normal formula but once the dairy was out of her system she was like a different baby.

[Impossibletofindausername]

The first bottle no gave her it how it was because they told me too and then I mixed it with Aptamil next 3 feeds and was taking 1-2oz . What was your little ones symptoms of CMPA? I’m thinking if she’s got that surely it’s mild because this only started at 6 weeks old was fine before

[DippyAvocado]

Did the neonate then help and make your baby drink bottles properly?

It was quite hard to tell! She was nearly 6 months by the time I got the formula and I had weaned her early because of the reflux so I wasn't giving such big milk feeds anyway. I don't remember her ever drinking a big feed in one go. She's 9 now and still won't drink milky drinks although she grew out of her intolerance (wasn't an allergy in our case as only digestive issues, no other reactions) by about two. Once she was eating solid foods I remember I gave her lots of custard and milky rice puddings to get some extra milk into her. She kept these down better.

Hope things settle down for you. I remember it as such a frustrating time. It was one of the main reasons I really persisted with BF DC2!

Another thing I remember about the hydrolysed milks is that initially they made her much more sicky because they tended to be thinner. I had to thicken it with carobel. I'm not sure you can still get that? It was made by cow and gate and you could add it to any formula. I do remember that she seemed to drink a lot better when the formula was thick.

[DippyAvocado]

Oops, just re-read your posts and seen that you've tried Carobel. If she still seems in pain from the reflux, I would look at increasing the Ranitidine again. Didn't work for my DD until she was on the maximum dose then I had to keep increasing it as she got heavier.

[Impossibletofindausername]

I’m thinking I just need to wean her early and might solve some of the issues I’m thinking the ranitidine is starting to help because she’s drinking her bottles much more relaxed. I just don’t feel she has a lot of ‘symptoms’ of the intolerance but I’m not a dr I guess. She was sick with what Nutramigen she did drink even with Carobel not that she drank much. Maybe my little one is going to be the same just not a big milk drinker

[countrymousesussex]

Our paed told us that Ranitidine needs to build up in their systems to work, so it could be a case of upping the dose for a few days (with doc guidance of course)?

Ours was also suspected CMPI and had Neocate for 5 weeks but made no difference, and caused massive constipation so paed concluded it couldn’t have been an allergy. We then tried back on regular C&G with Carobel, HiPP Comfort with mixed results and found that what worked for us was HiPP First with Co-Lactase to make it more digestible and Carobel to thicken. We were then advised to start weaning at 17 weeks which we did, and have been able to gradually stop the Co-Lactase and Carobel. She still has Ranitidine.

She LOVES her purées (though we have to make them quite thick) and, interestingly, the more solids she has, the more milk she drinks. Maybe because having something thicker in her stomach keeps the contents down more? Or maybe she’s just an odd baby!

She is still sick a lot BUT this is more due to her trying to sit up and roll over - a general inability to be one of those lovely calm babies that cuddles up on laps, jiggling her stomach too much I guess.

I really hope it all gets better for you soon. I remember that bloody awful stage, but if it helps it quickly becomes a distant memory.

[Impossibletofindausername]

Thank you for replying, I think they just assume most babies with reflux can also be CMPI because we got ranitidine and then next step was the milk however ended up with low dose ranitidine and Nutramigen. But obviously she wouldn’t have the Nutramigen so increased dose of ranitidine and 5 days on it I think there is a bit of improvement praying it’s not fluke , because think I’ll be doing early weaning if she’s not 100% right because your right this stage is hell

[MonaLisaDoesntSmile]

@Impossibletofindausername

You sound like me last year.
My baby has both reflux and CMPA, independently, but milk made the reflux 100000 times worse.
He has been on aminoacid formula. HIt's disgusting and his volumes went down initially. BUT- you need to persevere for the sake of your baby. Mine took over a month to get used to the new taste. The key is not to worry, and feed more often little or dream feed if you must. If the baby had a daity allergy, this will be the only way.

Early weaning helped us, although that was not to replace the milk, but to help to keep the food down and get a tiny bit more nutrients and water in him.
Let me know if you have questions, we went through hell last year, but it does get better!

[Impossibletofindausername]

I appreciate your reply
What was your babies symptoms of CMPA my baby put up a good fight with Nutramigen she drank 6 oz in 18hrs to the point we had no wet nappies so the consultant said go back to Aptamil. Feel we have had a good week of feeding on ranitidine however last two days she’s not drinking her bottles as good as the last week, I thought she had gained weight maybe the ranitidine needed increasing but she hasn’t. It’s so frustrating

[Dalesgirl16]

My first had cmpa. I don't know why they just gave medecine and not change milk when baby has the allergy! Ranitidine was never fully effective so we moved to omeprazole liquid form. This, plus hypoallergenic formula called alfamino (tastes better than neocate) gave me a happy baby at last.

[Impossibletofindausername]

Thanks for your reply. I’m just unsure what symptoms they can say for the CMPA apart from the reflux maybe we need to try omeprazole she was really good on ranitidine for a whole week and now back fussing again it’s driving me mental . She’s 12 weeks now and this has gone on for a good 6 weeks

[MonaLisaDoesntSmile]

Ranitidine is very weight dependant, and I also found not that efficient.

CMPA has many symptoms, some babies have a couple, some many, some a few. My baby was 'only' screaming for hours and refusing bottles and had reflux, but we were being told that it was not CMPA because he would have blood in stools, which is bs. The only way to excluse the allergy is to try a non dairy based milk and see if there is a difference.

How have you introduced the aminoacid formula? Did you do ounce by ounce swap? We were adding vanilla extract to better the flavour, volumes were low, maybe 10/12 ouces a day to begin with.

[Impossibletofindausername]

Ranitidine or it was fluke but she fed really well for a week after being on the increased dose of ranitidine but back to her just refusing bottles. We tried Nutramigen the hydrolysed formula and got no where with her she put up a really good fight with it. I just kept thinking she would start drinking it because would be starving but nope . How long did it take your little one to get used to the formula? She was being more sick with it

[Dalesgirl16]

Nutramigen and the most hypoallergenic one, neocate, apparently taste awful so our paediatric gastroenterologist Dr Mike Thompson at the Portland hospital, prescribes Althera and Alfamino (the most hypoallergenic like neocate). We tried Althea first and my baby would barely drink for 36 hours so quickly moved to Alfamino and had a happy baby.

I'm so frustrated for you! Hope you get the right formula ASAP!


Ps I have a three week old showing signs of reflux and need to act ASAP!

[Impossibletofindausername]

Thank you for your reply I’m just so unsure if it is the CMPI but I feel like I’m loosing the plot it’s the refusing to drink bottles that is the main problem drinks first bit so well then once winded it’s a fight .
I feel for you if your other baby is starting with reflux too hope you get sorted quick

[MonaLisaDoesntSmile]

@Impossibletofindausername The aminoacod formulas taste horrendous, but if you don;t persist, you will not get the result either. Now, by that I dont mean to force your baby to drink, as you will end up with a bottle aversion (been there, done that), but it takes time and effort and is doable.
Have you tried to introduce the new milk oz by oz? So lets say out of 6 oz bottle, 5 oz of old milk, 1 of new, and then slowly to increase to full bottle over a period of time? or add vanilla to it? Also, these do tend to taste better when slightly cooler, warm aminoacid formula is even more gross than usual.
We were on Alfamino and it is apparently the best tasting one still rank, and it took something like 6 weeks if not more for him to WANT to drink it. He now cries when he sees the bottle as he likes it so much and can;t wait to get the bottle- but before he would cry at the sight of it as he hated it so much!
It took a lot of time and patience and smaller feeds more often and following his lead to get there, but within a week I could see a difference and reflux got better.

[Impossibletofindausername]

Yea I tried the oz of new milk to old last time and she was drying out from Drinking nothing had minimal wet nappies and was sleepy. Shall see what the consultant says when we go back In a week. After the Nutramigen drama she increased the ranitidine and said go back to Aptamil. I just baffles me that if it is CMPI why drink 4oz then refuses the last bit