Hi all,
I'll try to keep this short but it probably won't be as otherwise it will be a massive drip feed if I don't give a bit of history!
My LG is 19weeks on Tuesday. She was born 6lbs 80z healthy, but small at 38weeks.
She always took small amounts of formula via the bottle, we tried various brands and teat sizes but it didn't make much difference. She rarely got sick but if she had more milk than usual she would be arching her back etc until she burped.
Hitting her milestones but otherwise small I took her to my GP end of May, he told me she was fine and healthy. I asked him about a higher calorie milk but he told me there was very little difference in calories in the milks and it wouldn't help (I now know that's such BS and he just didn't know what he was talking about!)
He said he'd refer me to a paediatrician but that could take weeks.
I weigh her at home regularly and she wasn't losing weight but she would only have very small gains sometimes gain nothing for 2 weeks in a row.
We got the letter through for the referral but the appointment wasn't until September! Couldn't wait that long so went private.
First visit, got told she was fine. Second visit 2 weeks later got told she'd only gained 60g, so started on the SMA high energy milk and was advised she'd ideally need to gain 25-30g per day.
That wasn't happening, she was only gaining 16g a day if that. Taking between 40-70ml a feed every 3/4hrs, feeds would take up to an hour and sometimes she'd snack all day but still wouldn't have had enough milk.
Third visit another 2 weeks after, weight gain poor so admitted to hosp for failure to thrive.
In hosp for 10days, they think she has silent reflux , non acidic and a milk protein allergy.
Because she needs the higher calories we are currently trialling a milk that has high cal and lower milk protein to see what happens, she's taking it well as we are feeding every 2 hours via nasogastric tube, and offering the bottle before every feed. She was feeding every 3 with a larger volume but she would vomit or be in pain afterwards.
She WAS feeding well when she was asleep, and would take small amounts from the bottle when awake but the last couple of days she has started to refuse the bottle when awake and when she is asleep she is taking smaller amounts than before!
I was told my the speech and language therapist that she is probably getting a bottle aversion but I can't stop offering the bottle as otherwise she may forget how to suck, which is a very hard still for them to learn again.
I feel stuck between a rock and a hard place and I'm worried she is becoming tube dependent already.
Just wondering what others have been through? Is your baby ok now? How was weaning? Etc
Any advice is welcome!
She also isn't interested in weaning yet and we have been advised not to start the process yet as she could get an aversion to food as well....
This is so stressful as I also have a toddler who isn't getting as much attention from me lately and of course it's just another thing to feel guilty about!