Desperate for help! Now 4 month old still screaming a lot and not feeding well

[LadyH1986]

Hoping someone can help!

DD now 16 week, feels like the worlds fussiest baby :(. Screams and fusses a lot, and I literally dread bedtime as that’s when it peaks

After months of trying to get a diagnosis, this week the paediatrician thinks she has an intolerance to cows milk protein; she is also on omeprazole for reflux but not sure that’s working tbh... and we trialled gaviscon before..... but today we tried her on the new milk. She just won’t drink it: mixed with old formula , or on its own. It’s as though she now has such a food aversion as she’s been in so much pain for so long. She’s barely drank 6oz all day today and refuses to eat anything now she’s going to bed.

Feels like a constant battle of feeding and sleeping and I don’t know how much more I can handle :-( it’s killing us all. She’s so uncomfortable all of the time; but not sure what to do if we cannot get her to drink the new prescribed milk.

Has anyone been through similar? Please tell me eventually they will just take the new milk and it gets better. I’m now even worried that she’s hurting in some way - as she doesn’t like being cuddled or held much, and if we put her in feeding position she tends to cry straight away. Sometimes I manage to get some bottle down her if she’s in her rocker for example...

X

Has anyone suggested mixing the new formula with vanilla essence? It might persuade her to try it. Have you tried a cup too? The novelty might get her to accept some milk

Omeprazole works better at different times of the day (i can't recall which, but google will help). Omeprazole worked for us, it took a few days and she was like a different baby. But the big change came with weaning.

My DD had horrific reflux and i remember sobbing on her consultant down the phone to fix her or adopt her because I couldn't take anymore.

In the end, from 7 weeks, we put her on her tummy to sleep. It seemed to ease the aggravation in the back of her throat. I appreciate with all the guidance why you wouldn't. Our consultant couldn't "officially" advise us to do that, but he agreed it could make a difference.

She used to prefer feeding in the upright position too and being carried around in a carrier. Maybe try upright feeding if you can.

Sending so many hugs for you all. I promise it does get better.

A dummy worked for us too. They can be hit and miss and they can stimulate saliva and cause issues with more reflux. But it soothed her hugely.

When we went through this with DS, we were given a couple to try. I can’t remember the name of the first one- but it had no milk proteins at all, and DS refused it. The second option was Nutramigen, which contains highly hydrolysed milk protein and is very unlikely to trigger allergies- he accepted that and it settled him right down. Both were prescribed by a paediatrician as being perfectly acceptable choices for CMPA babies.

I’d call for advice tbh- she’s not drinking her prescribed formula, so ask what they’d suggest.

@LadyH1986 I am in a similar boat. I dread feeds as it's just a battle to get anything down DD. Have a follow up with paeds next week as her weight is faltering. Let us know how you get on and best of luck...it is really tough! I know how you feel and I'm hoping and praying it gets better for both of us.

Thanks everyone.

She’s on a complete feeding aversion at the moment... it’s slowly killing me. She fed in the night about 1am (this is usually successful as half asleep!) but hasn’t taken a drop since then and cries when the bottle goes near her mouth.

She had her 16wk vaccination on Tuesday so it may be particularly bad timing if she’s unwell, but this isn’t unusual behaviour really. Don’t know what to do.

I think there’ll be a call going to the paediatrician on Monday if this continues... x

It is a nightmare, isn't it?! I've been battling with food aversion due to reflux for the last 7 weeks (10w old baby) Some days I only manage to spoon or syringe a few ml of breast milk down during the day. Sometimes I manage to dream feed during the day, but mostly she is up every hour at night feeding as she seems to be OK when sleepy. It's so exhausting like the newborn stage that is never ending.
I must say that I had a specifically hard week right after vaccination, so hopefully your LO will accept some food soon. Have you tried using syringe (I use a calpol one) and tricking her to accept it? I sort of pace around holding her and squeeze small amounts into her mouth. After a while she starts gagging and screaming, I then give it 10 min and go again. Or I spoon it in her mouth in the same sort of manner.

Experienced a bottle aversion at the same age with my little boy. I really recommend you join the Baby Care and Feeding Aversion Facebook group and read their resources based on Rowena Bennet's ideas. We too were being led down the CMPA/reflux route but this turned it around for us completely.
Sorry you're going through this as it's so so hard xx

Thanks - that sounds helpful! I can’t however find it on Facebook? Could you paste a link?

So yours didn’t turn out to be CMPA or reflux after all...? X

@LadyH1986 www.facebook.com/groups/babycarefeedingaversionsupportgroup/?ref=share this should work x