8 week old baby only has 16- 18 oz per day - feeding aversion?

[Moorelewis]

Been having issues with feeding from the start, since I stopped breastfeeding. Now my little one really refuses to feed. She's got CMPA and silent reflux. On hypoallergenic milk and gaviscon. She will happily drink about a oz of milk then wants her dummy and wants no more! We have to literally almost force her to drink, walk around the room, bounce her, distract her with TV. I dread every feed. She has dropped from the 75th to just above the 25th centile, health visitor not concerned unless she goes beneath the 25th. Has anyone else experienced this? Any tips? I can't see her drinking anymore any time soon.

It does sound as though the milk isn't suiting her. Which milk is she on?

@BunnyRuddington she is on similac alimentum

We are in a similar boat except she’s breastfed. Feeds for about 3 minutes then won’t take anymore, same when I give expressed milk in a bottle she will only take an ounce then no more. Dropped similar centiles too. She has cmpa.

Have you tried dream feeding? I can only get baby to feed when she’s basically asleep.

Ok so the Similac is a hydrolysed formula, which means that it's still made from Cow's Milk the proteins have been broken down a bit.

These hydrolysed formulas don't suit all babies with CMPA, it depends on their level of allergy and it doesn't sound like it's suiting your baby.

Have you been referred to a Paediatrician yet? If not, I'd call the GP now and ask for an emergency appointment due to the low level of formula she's drinking.

Ask for a DF formula, they may be reluctant due to price but insist.

Also ask for a referral to a Paediatrician.

The NICE guidelines which your GP should follow are here.

If it's too late for the GP, I'd go to the walk in centre.

Apparently the DF formula doesn't taste the best but you might get LO to drink it with some Vanilla essence added.

Good luck @Moorelewis and let us know how you both get on

@Crabsy are you DF? Just asking as a while back there were a few MNers who had been told that they didn't need to cut out dairy when their LOs had CMPA

Kellymom has a really good article on dairy and BFing here.

@BunnyRuddington I am under a paediatrician after turning up at a&e last weekend and have a review with them on the 26th. Unfortunately things have now got worse and shes only have 8oz since midnight. I really do think shes got a bottle aversion from us continuously coercing and pressuring her to feed. It's awful to see her like this but I'm told as long as she has 10oz in 24 hours then she wont dehydrate. I've never heard of such a young baby who won't feed.

It does sound as if you could be right about the aversion. Unfortunately I haven’t got any experience but there is a book that’s sometimes recommended on here, I think it’s this one.

If you’ve tried everything from finger feeding to cup, did they tell you how to spot dehydration in a baby? 8floz isn’t a lot fir such a young baby, especially in this heat