Drinking milk little by little

[Mitchelleve]

My DD is 6 weeks old, formula fed since week 2 but seems to snack throughout the day rather than having a full feed and then waiting 2 or 3 hours until the next. She drinks little by little as in sometimes 30ml, sometimes 60ml, sometimes she will drink 90ml in one go and very rarely she'll have 120ml. She is gaining weight just fine but it seems we're constantly feeding little snack portions and she's often restless in between. She was a bit congested and had a cough for a while - GP said could make it harder to drink but as it has been a month now, I'm curious. I suppose I shouldnt worry because she is getting enough as she's gaining weight but I can't help feel she'd be more satisfied if she had a full feed in one go. Just wanting to hear from anyone who had a little one who snacked like this and if it was a phase or if some of them just have this feeding style. X

My LO is 5 weeks old and is exactly the same, will have anywhere from 30-90mls every hour or so. It’s so frustrating because I have a toddler to look after and heating the milk etc is so time consuming. She has definitely improved since being on gaviscon as Gp thought it could be reflux but still doesn’t take more than 90mls. I think some babies are just snackers. My eldest was like this and she gradually outgrew it!

Also has she been checked for tongue tie? My LO had a posterior tongue tie which was cut 2 weeks ago, hasn’t made any difference sadly but definitely worth a look.

It is quite frustrating isn't it! I've got a toddler too so it would be great to be able to just make one bottle every few hours and know what to expect. I had considered reflux as she can get so upset in between but she doesn't spit up very much - were there other reasons GP thought it may be reflux? And we have also been checked for tongue tie as she had difficulty latching when I was breastfeeding at the start. Thanks for your help!

I feel your pain! My LO didn’t spit up much either, she just seemed unsettled between her little amounts of feeds so Gp thought silent reflux! Since being on gaviscon she is more settled and her amounts have increased to about 90mls (still has 30-60mls at some feeds but just assume she varies based on her appetite) so it definitely may be worth speaking to your GP about it. Hopefully in a few weeks time we will both be updating saying they are having less frequent feeds, here’s hoping!

I will definitely ask about that. I could kick myself because I was just in for her 6 week checkup and thought she seemed more settled with the use of infacol and gripe water but that was fleeting. Good days and bad days. She hiccups like crazy, did yours do that? Yes, hopefully we'll soon be getting fuller feeds !!

Yes mine hiccups a lot too, so much so that it upsets her and I have to try and calm her down! I spoke to the HV again today as her volumes are so little and so frequent, she said that babies change so quickly and that tomorrow she may suddenly decide to take more on! So I am hopeful haha

Good that you're feeling hopeful! I'm feeling a bit better too as yesterday we had bigger quantities. Can you tell me how you administered the Gaviscon? My HV agreed that it's likely silent reflux so recommended Gaviscon but as LO is unlikely to finish a bottle she thought it would be best to use a syringe. I've also seen so many pppl saying the gaviscon gave her LO constipation which actually pained them more than the reflux. I asked for omeprazole as ppl seem to have great success with that but I was told that the protocol is to only give omeprazole if gaviscon fails. You said your experience was quite good? X

That’s brilliant! We just put the sachet in the bottle and she just drinks what she drinks, it’s all proportion to the gaviscon so it should still be effective! The gaviscon has actually made my LO more regular haha, but my eldest was constipated on gaviscon and she was given lactulose which cleared it right up! The gaviscon has definitely settled her more and we had a first 100ml feed today! So glad to hear your LO has had better quantities, how is she getting on with the gaviscon? X

Aw thats great! It's amazing how exciting it is when they eat a larger quantity, isn't it?! We just started gaviscon Saturday night, I am definitely noticing that she is able to drink larger quantities and hiccuping less so I think it's doing the job but she's still inconsolable at times, I'm actually wondering if it is because she's hungrier now that she can have more so am starting to make up larger bottles today and seeing what happens! It's so consuming trying to figure it out and get it right! I've know idea how long babies usually stay on the gaviscon, do you? X

That’s great news, my little one has had a step back and going back to smaller volumes. The health visitor has said she has dropped a centile so will have to weigh her in a month. Actually I have no idea how long they should be on it for, I have a feeeling that when one of my friends LO was on it they were on it until he was about 6 months old! How is your LO doing now she’s been on it a while? X

Interestingly we've also taken a step back with things (quantities, crying etc). We got to a point where the Gaviscon was kicking in and seemed to be working which we were so pleased with but then it seems she got used to it and its had little effect so we've upped the dose to see if that helps. If not I am keen to try omeprazole as it looks like everyone has much more success with that. Hate to be playing trial and error with medicine when they're so tiny but also desperate to sort it out. How are you getting on now? Xx

Hello @Mitchelleve I'm just wondering if anyone has suggested CMPA? I've just read your posts and the coughing and congestion, taking small feeds, hiccups and reflux like symptoms could all point to CMPA.

Have a read of the symptoms and see if any are familiar.

It might also be worth having her checked by a Tongue Tie Practitioner. There has been way too many MNers over the years who have been told that their LO definitely hasn't got TT, only to find out later that they have and the symptoms are so similar to reflux and CMPA.

On a practical level, I'd try adding Dentinox to her bottles, ditch the perfect prep of you are using one as the tiny bubbles can cause reflux and consider swapping her to a Comfort type formula.

@SiouxsieSiouxStiletto thank you! My health visitor has mentioned CMPA and that it could be a possibility. I hadn't really given it much thought because I assumed if she were allergic there would be more visible signs like vomiting and not being able to gain weight. We've been on Gaviscon which was helping temporarily but now we're seeing little effect. I will definitely give more thought to CMPA and chat with health visitor - how do they check for that?
We don't use our prep machine because she doesn't seem to like the bottles from there, I wonder if it's from the bubbles as you mentioned. Thanks!

You don't need vomiting or slow weight gain for it to be CMPA @Mitchelleve

There's two kinds of CMPA and I think that you're thinking of the IGE kind which gives immediate, and often dramatic symptoms, and there's the non-Ige which gives more delayed symptoms, so I definitely wouldn't dismiss it due to weight gain and lack of vomiting.

Have a look at this from Allergy UK and she if she has any symptoms.

If you think that she has, your GP will need to prescribe a formula suitable for babies with CMPA as sadly, there's no test, it's diagnosed through elimination.

@SiouxsieSiouxStiletto thanks for links! My HV has said the same thing so now we are going to try a new formula, Aptamil Pepti. Have you any idea how long it takes to notice a difference? I feel the health visitors/GPs sometimes want you to try longer than you'd like. We are quite desperate for relief as it has been 6 weeks of trying to figure it out with trial and error. Thanks!