Help 3 month old won't feed, any advice welcome

[user1481040011]

Hi - I've never posted before but am really struggling and hoping someone might be able to help. 3 week ago my little girl just stopped feeding properly, she's now 12 weeks. She was drinking well. She now only takes about 3oz 5 times a day. She's dropped from 50th centile to 2nd. We were sent to hospital who just said reflux but gaviscon / ranidine make no difference. I've tried comfort milk and reflux milk and no difference. She isn't really asking for feeds, I'm forcing it down her. I overslept and my alarm didn't go off last night and she slept for 10 hours! Then barley drank anything. I'm so worried about her and I'm just becoming a nervous wreck - I'm finding it so hard and just don't know what to do. (I'm crying writing this) any help or advice would be great thank you x

Feeding issues are sooooo stressful. Have just come out the other end of this with DGD. DD was the same too though 31 years ago they didn't seem to use the word 'reflux'. Both DD and now DGD would pull away from the bottle, never seemed to cry for feeds and both had to just be offered it throughout the day/night. A lot of the time they would scream at the bottle and not have any, or have a few sips and then spit out the teat.

DGD was put on ranitidine (all Gaviscon did was make her constipated), Carobel thickener to put in her feeds and was prescribed a high calorie formula (Infatrini) to give her the max energy and calories from the small amounts she would drink.

DD found that starting feeds when DGD was either drowsy or properly asleep seemed to be the most successful as she was relaxed and would drink properly. Also seemed to feed better when out the house - maybe having stuff to look at distracted her? Hard to know. Anyhow with DD giving her lots of dream feeds and with the meds her weight stayed ok. At around 10 months she was loads better and actually seemed to be enjoying her milk. From about a year onwards (moved to cows milk) she loved milk and no longer had any thickener in it. She does still have the ranitidine.

DD found her GP not overly helpful (said DGD was a lazy feeder) so in the end she and DSIL paid to see a paediatric gastroenterologist. He saw her feed and comfirmed it WAS reflux. Tested for CMPI and Lactose intolerance which were negative. He prescribed the Infatrini formula and the carobel thickener which really made a difference and kept her weight from dropping.

DD was terribly stressed and upset and the only reason I was okayish about it was that I'd been through similar with her as a baby and she ended up ok. But at the time I was a wreck and would be in tears and really feel for anyone going through this. Has DD been tested for intolerance/allergy. Can you ask your GP for a referral to a paediatric Gastroenterlogist. If her weight is dropping to the point that she is dropping centiles, I think she does need to be offered more things to try.