Help! Confusion with 4 month old!

[CharlieRN]

I've been breastfeeding my baby on demand since day one and thought everything was going well, until recently, and now I'm so confused! He is 4 month old and seems to be not feeding as well suddenly. Yesterday he fed at 8.45am, 10.45am, 1.25pm, 4.05pm and then not until 11.05pm. He stirred at about 4.15am this morning, but just wanted turning over and his dummy, not a feed and went straight off to sleep until 8am this morning. Surely that can't be enough??

He feeds well for about 15mins (he's very efficient), then takes himself off for a wind. Sometimes he'll go back on for a couple more mins but more often that not he wont bother. I've tried offering him more feeds, and he will always take them but then he will throw the majority of it back up again which makes me believe that I'm trying to overfeed him! I know that everywhere says that you cannot overfeed a bf baby, but it seems that I can as my baby is very greedy

He has been grumpy lately, which I have put down to the hot weather, so I've been giving him cooled boiled water, which he doesn't throw up again. He doesn't have much (maybe 1oz or 2 over a full day) and I only give this to him after his feed so I don't fill him up on water. He still seems to be putting on weight well & outgrowing his clothes so I think he's been getting enough so far but this sudden change has me a bit worried!

I'm so confused as this seems to be the opposite to what I should be expecting at around 4 months (with the 4 month sleep regression/growth spurt I've read so much about). Has anyone had any similar experiences?? Any advice/help would be much appreciated!!!

Bump! Please help if you can! Today is turning into a similar day and I have no idea what to do for best :S

Hi my DS did something similar at 12 weeks old. Unfortunately it turned out he had silent reflux and had started to associate feeding with pain

The only way I could get him to feed every 3/4 hours was to catch him drowsy (so rock him to sleep for a nap and latch him on or gently put him on as he woke at the end of a nap).

There were clues he had reflux - gained loads of weight (went from 75th to over the 91st centile), spat up after overfeeding, wriggled and moaned at night etc. He used to feed feed feed all the time - apparently this was to ease his discomfort.

However at 4 months, many many babies do go off feeding as they get distracted. Does he latch on at all or just turn away? if he turns away it could be something bothers him. If he latches then gets distracted then feed in a dim room with little going on.

I rang a BF counsellor a few times who gave me the following tips:

• feed when drowsy/asleep (as described above)
• don't push the feed, offer casually. Do it every 15/30 mins and don't be upset if he doesn't take it
• play loads of games with your baby so he doesn't associate you with boob with whatever is bothering him
• get baby checked for ear infection/thrush etc

Also try expressing and giving him a cup to sip the milk from if you dont want to give a bottle. Do this instead of giving water.

I hope that helps. I found feeding when drowsy or asleep at the start of a nap worked best. DS has only now started feeding awake (7 months) as I didn't realise it was the reflux as my doctor was rubbish - took 4 weeks to sort meds!

Thanks for the response Igglybuff! He latches on fine and is very happy unless I try to give him a feed when he's not giving me the cues! It's only then that he vomits (if it's a feed he's asked for then he might posset a little but other than that, nothing!). I'm more worried about the frequency than each feed really. He seems to be feeding well when he does feed, he just seems to want it less often all of a sudden.

I'm wondering if he is taking what he needs, and it's just me worrying that he's not getting enough?!

Also, today he seems to have one redder cheek than normal - at first I thought it was just the side he was sleeping on, but as it's still there half an hour after he's woken up now I think he may be teething! And he's been chewing (not sucking) my fingers most of the day too.

I'll try the ebm instead of water - he is great at taking the bottle luckily, as I've expressed quite a bit before when I've been going out with him (I used to be very shy at feeding him in public - got over that one now )

If all else fails, I'll mention your suggestions at his next check up which is next week - hopefully th hv might be able to see something I'm missing! Or tell me I'm just being paranoid & just to get on with it!

Could be teething then! I know DS (just got his teeth) was put off his solids just before they made their appearance. He also started biting me and grinding his gums a couple of weeks beforehand. The biting stopped once the teeth appeared.

If it's the same again tomorrow, it's worth ringing NCT as they had loads of ideas compared to my HV and GP. It's free and they're lovely - number is 0300 330 0771

I think the gaps in feeds seem quite long and as it's a sudden change something might be up? Hopefully it's teeth - have you checked gums?

Fabulous - thank you!

I've checked his gums and nothing visible yet but he really seems to be grinding them on pretty much anything he can get his hands on since he last had a nap(or his own if there is nothing else he can reach!). He's also been a constant dribble machine today too - he normally dribbles a fair bit, but not usually this much.

I'll keep an eye on him & give the NCT a call tomorrow if there's no improvement.

Thank you so much for your help - This motherhood lark is much more complex than I thought it would be! xx

my DS is 4 1/2 months and has only fed 5 times in a 24hour period since he was about 6 weeks old. HV said its fine as long as his weight gain is good but best not to drop below 5 feeds until weaned.
At the mo. I feed - 7.30am, 11.30am, 3pm, 6pm, 10pm.
My son also feeds quickly and never cries because of hunger. Hope this helps. I wouldn't be concerned. We seem to be the lucky ones!

Thanks perfectmummy - he usually averages 7 but seems to have had a couple of days when it's just 5. Glad to know it's not too much of a concern for some!

No worries! Yes motherhood is tricky but great fun

Thanks Starlight McKenzie - I would very much like to think that was the case, but I suspect I'm not quite that lucky!!

I agree it is great fun! I love it, but it does confuddle me sometimes