Please help with FF 6 month old.

[Fuckadoodledoooo]

I'm at the end of my tether.

6 month old Dd FF from birth. A poor feeder from 4 week. She has never, ever since then taken more than 16oz in 24 hrs. She can go 4/5/6 hours between feeds absolutely happily. Sleeps from 9pm - 5am where she will have half an ounce abs then sleep again until 7;30am.

She was showing some signs of silent reflux (I've had babies with it before so knew immediately). She was out on gaviscon as a first step. It worked a treat. No more posseting clear fluid for hours after a feed. But she didn't take more milk.

She was on cow and gate until ten weeks. She was pooing twice a week. Changed to
Kendamil and now she goes everyday and is a lot more comfortable. But there was still no change in volume.

Since she was 4 months I have had to feed her when she's asleep. If you try abs feed her when she's awake she will take half an ounce, pull away and cry and refuse to drink any more.

I did three weeks of a bottle aversion course. It did nothing.

She was on tommee tippee bottles. Tried all different teats.

Changed to MAM. Initially thought it was our savour as for a couple of days she was taking whole bottles, for three days she took 25oz in 24hrs. But that soon stopped.

Last Friday she stated refusing all together (I mean I feed her when she's alseep but now you can try to get her to start sucking and she just won't.

Saturday to today she's taken a total of 15oz of milk. In four days I've fed her food which she's wolfed down. She takes water from a cup (tried milk in it, she screams). But no matter how hungry she is, she won't drink milk.

We started weaning a couple of weeks ago. She will eat puréed fruit and veg, finger foods. But she will refuse any foods wilt milk in. Mashed veg with milk, porridge. All a no. As soon as she gets a hint of milk she doesn't want to know.

Saw a dr yesterday who suggested we try a lactose free milk. She does seem to have an awful lot of pain after drinking, especially over the last few weeks. He was loathe to do any blood tests for allergies until we tried it - he left the decision to me ultimately, but I didn't want to put her though it just yet. He said to try the lactose free milk for two weeks.

Waiting on the delivery from kendamil as they do one and we both agreed that changing her milk to another brand would be unwise.

(This is all with our private GP, who is brilliant).

Somehow she's managed to grow. She was born on 9th centile and had worked her way up to 35th. God knows how.

Please any advice.

I'm very confident it's not a tongue tie issue due to the checks abs the fact she can and has fed well on occasion.

The whole situation just gets me down so much.

But on the other hand she's gaining weight well. So part of me thinks if there was a real problem that wouldn't be the case.

Sorry just to add my daughter was like this we'd have one normal bottle and then she'd be so full of wind she couldn't drink anymore and would refuse. We were snipped at about six weeks so thankfully we never had the feeding aversion. Also changed to dairy free formula at same time.

Wouldn't it be universal though? I mean if it was a missed tounge tie, how would she feed normally sometimes abs then others just refuse the bottle?

Surely she wouldn't be able to drink normally at all?

Sorry crossed posts

With us she couldn't seal round the bottle so was sucking excess air in. If the wind passes through she'd take more milk, if she was full of wind she'd refuse anymore and scream in pain. So it wasn't the act of feeding that was directly causing the pain it was the wind that was building up. Have a look at the milk matters website and check out the symptoms. I was sceptical at first but she's been so much better since it's been cut. A consult is about £100 it's worth a try even if it turns it out it's not.

Yes I'm having a look.

Daft question but would tongue tie mean they couldn't poke their tongue out very far?

She had a runny nose last week and was making my 6 year old die laughing because she practically had her tongue up her nose. She can poke it out very far.

The fact she can sometimes drink 5oz normally (probably when very hungry or half asleep) is your clue that this behavioural not medical.

Medical or dietary needs causing pain don’t just disappear sometimes.

You need to revisit Rowena’s book and read the chapter called “it isn’t working”. The truth is you’re likely still pressurising her a lot sorry x

@FlashesOfRage

The fact she can sometimes drink 5oz normally (probably when very hungry or half asleep) is your clue that this behavioural not medical.

Medical or dietary needs causing pain don’t just disappear sometimes.

You need to revisit Rowena’s book and read the chapter called “it isn’t working”. The truth is you’re likely still pressurising her a lot sorry x

I have read it, bought the book from eBay.

No pressure at all. She's always asleep. Not half asleep. I feed her when she's been asleep at least 15 mins. Once a week I try when awake. If she won't take it, I stop right away and play, sing etc.

And it doesn't disappear. She will wake up when feeding asleep sometimes obviously in pain.

This is so hard. I've had two absolutely text book babies. I breastfed my first two until they were basically starving at 4 weeks. I produce next to no milk. With my second child, I almost bankrupted us with lactation consultants, a specialist breastfeeding midwife who moved in with us for two weeks, supplements. Did Jack shit. My body just didn't work. As soon as I put them on formula, they thrived. Never a problem.

This baby, I didn't want to put us through all that. And now this!

Or she will cough and vomit it all back up.

I know you’ve tried Tommee Tippee and Mam but have you tried Nuk bottles? Nuk bottles are the only ones my DD would accept - I guess she preferred the shape of the teat.

Is it really worth trying at 6 months? I could give them a go.

She's definitely better on MAM than TT though.

I found TT bottles absolutely awful! Mam gave my DD terrible wind.. Nuk is worth a go though, you’ve tried everything else!

Paediatrician advised me to try dairy free formula when my DD was 5 months - she refused it and didn’t drink nothing for a whole day.. she didn’t like the taste (don’t blame her, it smelt awful) so if you try lactose free or dairy free formula, I’d try switching it ounce for ounce until she gets used to the taste.

I only went right for TT as my now 6 year old took right to them once I stopped BF. But babies are all different. I naively thought she would be the same as her sister.

I've got kendamil lactose free arriving tomorrow. I didn't want to change brands.

We'll see how it goes I guess.

Our DC used to take forever to drink a 3oz bottle and was clearly pissed off and in pain. MW, GP and the doctors on the postnatal wards said no TT (also they don't care about checking as much when it's a FF baby - some even say it won't affect a FF baby anyway). Eventually paid for a specialist lactation consultant who diagnosed a 50% TT and snipped there and then. Within a week he was drinking quicker without so much wind. We also swapped to Neocate formula which is for cows milk protein allergy (not just lactose free) and used that for about 6 weeks. It smelt horrific and DC wasn't keen at first but soon was fine on it. Eventually gently moved across to HiPP organic and finally the feeding issues settled down.

Honestly though, he never drunk as much milk as other babies. At 5 months I began weaning to solids (bit earlier than advised I know) and he took to solids so well.

Is your baby thriving and gaining weight? Or are they very slight? Are HV worried about weight?

We don't see a HV. We are private patients. The nurse at the private practice was a HV though.

Yes she is gaining weight well. Hitting all milestones earlier than average. We were advised to start weaning from 4 months when ever we felt comfortable to. We stated at 5. She loves purées and has started on finger food.

No advice I'm afraid as we've been in a similar boat. DD is now 9.5 months, she goes through periods of 'good feeds' which is maximum of 25oz and then 'bad feeds' which can be down to 15oz.

I have spoken to my HV several times & she has said some babies just don't drink as much, keep offering when you can & try to add their milk to food (we use it in porridge, pancakes, eggs & readybrek).

There are some days I am so stressed with counting ozs and we both end up getting upset, I'm now trying to be more relaxed & letting her drink what she wants. She's gaining weight so I try & focus on that