Should I add a bottle of formula or solids at 3.5 months?

[NewMummyJelly]

Hi there
My ds is 14 weeks and he is still very, very cranky. He is a happy baby for the first ten minutes he is awake and from then it’s crying, screaming, kicking.

I’m exclusively pumping because he didn’t drain the breast at the beginning and wasn’t gaining weight. I pump 1.6 litres per day and he drinks 1.1 litre of this, the rest is frozen.

It’s often a struggle to get him to drink his milk because he’s crying and screaming.

I think he’s permanently hungry despite taking all that milk My entire family think he should be getting more than breast milk because he’s a big boy.
Should I add a bottle of formula per day? Or try something solid like baby rice? I know that breast milk is recommended for the first six months but I honestly don’t think it’s fair for the poor little thing to be this unsettled for another three months, I can’t see any improvement over the last three months.

I’m desperate to cheer him up, we can’t do anything enjoyable such as baby groups, reading books or going out in public because he’s so unsettled.

Thank you

He definitely doesn’t sound hungry.

On the teething front are his gums hard? Do they look red. Teething rings, or the type you put in the freezer may help and may baby bonjela. Calpol if needed.

Is he an active baby? He may perk up when he starts crawling.

Oh gosh this sounds so tough for you.
I am out of touch as my children are older but the poo once a week doesn't sound right to me and needs further investigating. Could be a bowel issue causing pain
All the best

One poo a week for a bf baby? I would ask a doctor about CMPA or try cutting dairy and soya out your diet for a while.

A friend's baby was the same. Pooped once a week, screamed constantly, she couldn't take her out without intense crying fits. She was a completely different baby on a dairy free milk.

Does he cry more after feeds?

I also wondered about silent reflux when reading this.
Carobel thickener (safe to use for babies) can be added to the expressed milk and see if this makes a difference.
Usually a 1-2 week trial with no other changes recommended.

Definitely look into silent reflux and CMPA, mine had both and medication and dairy-free formula from the GP saved us.

Have you tried offering him more breastmilk?

Other thoughts are that it could be silent reflux, over tired (they can only stay awake for around an hour at a time at this age), allergies etc.

He's too young for solids and I don't see why formula would make him any happier tbh. More likely to upset his stomach IMO.

Surely this is silent reflux..?

One poo a week for a bf baby is pretty normal. About half my NCT had weekly poo-ers!

Have you tried walks in a sling after feeds? That really helped mine - being upright, bumping up all the wind etc

Sorry that you seem to be struggling, it's hard when they're unsettled isn't it?

I agree with the PP who said to give him his bottle as soon as he wakes to see if that keeps him happier.

As for the quantities, he should have more in the bottle than he can finish, so if he's regularly drinking 120 per feed, try upping it to 190 and see f he finishes it.

Also agree with the PP who said that he's big exactly because of your BM, how do they think he grew so big if your BM isn't good enough?

Baby rice won't or vegetables won't have the same calories so it will effectively be like putting him on a diet.

Add formula if you want to, but only if you want to, don't be pressured into it by family.

Also, have a read of this on fussy babies on Kellymom.

If he had trouble at the beginning, has he ever been properly assessed for Tongue Tie. My DS was very unsettled and this turned out to be the problem.

He’s way too young for solids. You shouldn’t wean onto solids before 6 months unless on the advice of a medical professional.

Good evening everyone

Thank you all for your messages.

My GP prescribed Infant Gaviscon and DS has been taking it since Monday... not every feed, just morning and evening. I’ll let you know how we get on with it, it’s a bit early to tell yet.

The GP did talk about the possibility of a dairy intolerance and said I could quit dairy for a week to see if it makes a difference. I’ll try this at a later date, I’ll try the Gaviscon for now.

While I was out yday I saw some drops that remove the lactose from breast milk. Does any one have any experience of using these?

He’s staying on a breastmilk only diet, following advice on here but he is drinking more than ever. Between 19:00 and 21:15 tonight he drank 500ml, is this normal? All day it’s bottle after bottle after bottle.

Finally would a dummy help at all?

Thank you all so much xx

If it is reflux he could be drinking lots of milk to soothe the burning of the acid. Lactose is the sugar in milk and not the same as dairy intolerance/allergy which is related to the protein in the milk

Maybe need to use the gaviscon more often or try a different antacid or try carobel that thickens the milk

I just want to say well done! Expressing 1.6L everyday is a huge effort.
My son was like that screaming and forever wanting to be fed and was putting on weight because he kept feeding all the time. Turns out he had silent reflux, tongue tie, dairy and egg allergies (found out at 6 months) and he had eczema from 4 weeks. In our case it was sort of too late by the time GP acknowledge the reflux he had almost grown out of it and was over 1 before tongue tie was acknowledged. I feel for you. If the Gaviscon does not work ask your GP for omeprazole as it tends to work better than gaviscon. Be careful with gaviscon as it can make your baby constipated.
Try having your baby in a sling (if you don't already do that). I used to feed little and regularly. I hope Gaviscon work for you.

I second Omeprazole, it was a lifesaver for my bub.

Also - it may not be just the lactose in dairy that causes issues. My bub was allergic to several of the proteins in all milk (cow, goat, sheep, etc) and also allergic to soy.