10 wo refusing to eat

[casswalts]

Been having problems with my 10 wo's feeding for a couple of weeks now. He's bottle fed and we're using the MAM bottles. It started with him falling asleep whilst feeding but has moved onto his taking 1-2oz, him squirming away and then refusing more. We've upp'ed to size 2 teets, changed to HIP organic milk and have even tried making fresh bottles so the milk is warm again with no luck. He's putting on weight slowly (born on 91st centile but has now dropped to 51st centile). He's supposed to take 25-30oz a day but I'm lucky if he takes 17/20.. Has anyone else experienced this?

Yes! Just posted on other thread going through the exact same thing with my 13 week old for the last three weeks now.

Also MAM bottles, Hipp Organic. Now trying back on size 1 teats to see if that makes a difference....so far not. He's taking about 60% of what he should be at the moment.

No formula feeding support anywhere to be found. Every time I google its referencing bottle refusal in the breastfed baby.

Sorry to hear you're going through the same thing although it's a relief to hear others are too. I agree I've googled too and there doesn't seem to be much help on this at all.

I tried going back to the number 1 teat with no luck. I have brought some number 3's which I might try but worried they'll make him sick.

Is your little one still putting on weight? I'm so surprised mine is as he's taking about half of what I'd expect him too (although oddly have you noticed that the recommended number of ounces is different with HiPP to other formulas?)

I've also tried speaking to the health visitors about this but been told not to go back and get him weighed for another week.. 🤦‍♀️

25-30 oz seems a lot at that age? My ds only has 35oz max now at 5/6 months. He was bf for first 3 months though so I'm not sure how much is right at that age.

Could it be wind making your lo uncomfortable? Just "sitting" upright with a really straight back used to bring up lovely big burps, sometimes old school patting can break them up into smaller gas pockets so a straight backed under chin hold with a rub on the back can be better.

Oh, and check for tongue tie, I think that can affect bottle feeding as well as bf.

This is not helpful for you in the slightest bit both my babies have done this.

My now 2 and a half year old used to take so little milk as if she wasn't Interested at all I spent months worrying, HCPs said was all fine if putting on weight but I never believed them, she carried on and she's now a lively toddler.

I now have an 11 week old who started doing this a few weeks ago, I started to really worry again but just followed his lead and he took what he wanted and when. He's now drinking 6oz every 4 hours.

Easier said then done when you're the one going through it but it will most likely be a phase. You can always speak to your HV but they normally suggest changing teats, winding more often ect.

Thanks for other people's replies.

We were 5-6oz 4 hourly and now doing little and often 2-3oz 3 hourly (won't entertain anything before this). Also recognising this could be a behavioural aversion as he's has medication prior to feeds which may have put him off as he may have felt he was being forced.
A few people suggested a book called Bottle Aversion by Rowena Bennett so I'm just going to download that on the kindle and have a read.

Surprisingly he had put on weight last week, but it's got so much less again since then. The HV is coming tomorrow so we'll see what she says x

Also @yellowcracker can I ask how long it lasted for your LOs?

Unfortunately with my first baby it didn't get much better, I don't think she ever took the amount she was suppose to but she slept well and gained weight fine so the HV was never concerned.

My second it only lasted a couple of weeks, maybe just over two weeks. He would take 2oz come off and would bring up wind then cry for the bottle but would squirm and cry and not take any more.

With my first baby the GP thought it could be silent reflux so prescribed gaviscon but it honestly made no difference.

I had this is 2 different forms with both of my children. DD had it when she was about 3 months. I worried sick but looking back she still slept ok and gained weight. It lasted about 4 weeks and gradually improved again. DS was a difficult feeder from the start. Never took what he was supposed to. But more worryingly he hardly slept and was very unhappy. Cried all the time. I suppose if they're happy and gaining weight there's less to be concerned about. But if I'd been told that as a FTM I would still have worried! I hope it improves.

Will reply properly later as am dashing out on school run, but I wondered if you would be able to tell us what weight your baby is, what your feeding ‘schedule’ looks like (how many feeds in 24hrs) and also if anyone has spoken to you about ‘catch down growth’? It may well be that the birthweight of 91st centile isn’t your baby’s natural weight position on the centiles and that may be reflected in his dropping down to the 50th centile. Did you have gestational diabetes?

@kyles101
Thanks for the reply. 25-30oz is what's recommended by the NHS based on his weight and it's what the formula suggests too. I thought this was a lot but looks like others are taking this
Don't think it's wind as he burps really well every time there is a break in feed. I can normally tell when he has wind as he wriggles 🙈

@yellowcracker @2childrenandout thanks! I hope this is something he grows out of. Things seem to be a bit better today (we're managing 4-5oz bottles) but I'm having to break up the feed and sit him in a chair for the second part to distract him.

We've also been orescribed gaviscon but makes no difference. Prob makes it worse as the milk is thicker to he gives up. It also makes him constipated.

Just had a look at the feeding aversion and he does display some of these characteristics. We're seeing a dietician in a couple of weeks so hopefully they'll be able to help provide some answers

@Puddlelane123 he was 9lb 4oz when born. He's now 12lb 13 (that was a week ago and won't get him weighed until next week now). The HV have suggested that as me and his dad are 'average' size, that he's just slowing down his growth a bit to find his place on the centile chart. He hit the 51st centile 2 weeks ago and last week remained on it, with a slight increase

We're feeding every 4 hours and offering 5oz but he'll take anywhere between 3 and 5 oz

Just read a lot of the book and really suggest downloading/ordering it. So we have gone right back to basics and stripped everything back so to speak.
May have started from us giving him reflux meds, infacol and saline spray prior to feeding and now he's become averse to it as associates it with negative things.

So he's just had 30mls, he broke off the bottle, it was reoffered, he declined and therefore he isn't offered again, so he can start to build trust in us again.

The book suggests if the baby needs to take medication to do it at a time completely unrelated to feeding.

Never needed a formula feeding support group more!! And of course there's diddly squat!

Have you looked into paced feeding? It’s a much more natural way to bottle feed, baby takes exactly how much they want at that time and it is a gentler way of getting food in them. I used it with Dd and whilst feeds took a lot longer it was really good for her.

lansinoh.co.uk/paced-responsive-feeding/

@TeddyIsaHe we did paced feeding from the start so think our aversion is relating to a few other things, but last week as he was taking less and less I was guilty of not respecting his cues abs kept reoffering when it was apparent he was done x

You’ve had lots of great advice op, especially as regards paced feeding and building up trust. Your health visitor sounds sensible and it is good she recognises that your baby’s move down the centiles is a very normal phenomenon at this age and a case of your son finding his natural place on the chart. I have feeding issues around refusal with my toddler and am currently reading an excellent book written by a Spanish Paediatrician. It touches on just this phenomenon of centile drops and the baby who at 10-12 weeks classically starts to take less. The key message is not to panic, to offer as normal but not to put any pressure on the baby to finish the feed, be it bottle or breast. She also points out that the guidelines re fluid volumes are just that, a guideline. So for weight, we usually say a baby would be expected to have 120-150mls per kilo of weight, per 24 hours. Some babies will naturally take more than this, some less. The key thing is how your baby seems in himself. If he is healthy, robust and developing normally with periods of being settled between feeds then all the indications are that he is taking what he needs. For peace of mind I would take him to the gp for a once over - especially checking ears and throat, but if all is fine then I would try very hard to follow the paced feeding approach. Offer the feed, but have no expectations about what he will or won’t take. If he was breastfed you would have no idea how much he was getting, and would instead be letting him take the lead. It is very easy with bottle feeding to fall into the trap of looking at the mls or ounces taken each time rather than looking at the baby, and that can be a real source of anxiety for parents. As the author of the books writes, it is a shame that bottles are not made totally opaque!

Anyway I know how busy new motherhood can be but I’ll find you the link to the book and I really really recommend the chapters on infant feeding. It has been transformational for me with my older child.

‘My child won’t eat’ by Carlos Gonzalez.

Can’t recommend it enough for good common sense and reassurance

@Puddlelane123 Thank you for a really supportive and non-judgemental reply there. Sometimes they are few and far between on Internet forums and we should all be encouraging and supporting one another x

@Puddlelane123 thank you so much for the reply, that's so helpful and definitely put me at ease. I had the same thought re: breastfeeding in that I'd have no idea how much he'd be taking. He's a good sleeper, and is a very happy baby which is often noted when we have been with the HV. Been to the GP with these concerns and he's had a full check over and all ok. Think I need to relax and continue to follow his lead. Thanks so much for the link to the book, will download and have a read.

@Twiglet2353 hope this helps you too. Keeping my fingers crossed that this is just a phase for your little one too. Good luck!!

Yes. I had exactly this with my second child (formula fed from birth). I tried different milks, different bottles, feeding him when he was asleep, leaving it longer so he'd be hungry, feeding really frequently, you name it. There were days when he was months old that he would eat 8-10oz a day total. He never ate more than 4oz in the whole time he was on bottles, and that's wasn't it one go. I was tearing my hair out. He was also a terrible sleeper and I was sure the two things were related.

Weirdly his weight was ok, he put it on slowly but he didn't lose it.

It never got any better I'm afraid. We started weaning a few weeks before he turned 6 months and he took to it like a duck to water, he abandoned bottles and was on three meals a day very quickly and we never looked back. I'm convinced he just didn't like formula!

@mistermagpie I did think about weaning and hate to wish away the time but am looking forward to it as hope it'll be the end of this. I've tried all of the things you have too, weirdly he's a good sleeper though!?! The more I read, the more I don't have an exact answer lol. Will get him weighed again next week and if he's steadily putting weight on I think I'll relax

I never bothered too much about his weight, my DS was quite an obvious chunk! He still is actually... but it's worth keeping an eye on.

Try not to panic, I wasted so much time worrying about this and it really wasn't worth it. If your baby is gaining weight, sleeping well and alert when they're awake you can be pretty sure they are ok.

I have the same problem with my little one. He is such fussy eater. I would say it started when he was around 12 weeks and it isn’t got much better. He has good days and then bad days but I find it so stressful. I say to myself it doesn’t matter what he eats but then when he refuses the bottle I get really worried. Today he is only on 14oz and nearly 5 months. I am convinced he is hungry but he isn’t taking the bottle. He has been a little fussy recently but he won’t take the bottle unless he is tired and he will take a full 6oz. If he’s not tired he will take 0.5 to 3 max. He is putting on weight although I’m not sure how. I have tried to start to wean early but worried he might get dehydrated. We have had him checked a few times but he won’t take gavison in bottle, just made it worse. Other than that they seem to think he is fine.

Any advice would be much appreciated.