Hi all, we've got a 7 month old DS, and we really need some advice or suggestions.
Since around 6 weeks old, our son has gradually come to hate drinking milk and quite blankly refuses it.
We started off with breast milk and he was completely fine on that (expressed milk). After my partner got mastitis, unfortunately her supply all but dropped off completely, to the point where she wasn't even getting enough for one feed a day.
We had to change him on to formula milk, and ever since then feeding has been an absolute nightmare.
He started on normal Cow&Gate milk, and he was sicking it back up all the time, and after switching between the 'standard' new born milks, which made no difference (and we tried goats milk), we finally settled on SMA anti reflux, which did stop the sick. However, he still really struggled to drink the 'recommended' amount ever since. We've changed bottles from MAM to Dr. Brown, we've changed teets and the sizes, we've been prescribed Gaviscon by the doctors, although we then had conflicting advice saying we couldn't use anti reflux milk with the Gaviscon, so we stopped that (it didn't make any difference anyway so he obviously didn't need it).
The doctors then prescribed Omeprazol, which he still continues to take, and that's stopped the hysterical screaming and feed times but it hasn't increased the amount that he drinks.
He started off good, but gradually over the last 3 or 4 months, he drinks less and less each feed, and we just do not know what to do anymore. We've tried contacting the doctors and the health visitor, and all they've done is fob us off, turn us away, and given no real advice or help.
At 6 months, under the health visitors recommendation, we took him off the anti reflux milk and we started weening him.
He now only has 2oz - 3oz per feed, and he will blankly refuse the rest of the bottle, kicking himself out of the way, crying, turning head, shutting mouth ect. It feels like a real battle to feed him. He usually has 5-6 feeds a day. Some of which, will be as little as 1oz, some as much as 4oz, but never anything more. He's drinking less than he did at 2 months old!
To add, this has been going on before he had come off the reflux milk, so I don't think this is the issue.
The last health visitor meeting was a few weeks ago, and he had dropped off his weight gain line and was under where he was projected. They didn't show any concern for that, though, although I do.
His weening/food is very much hit and miss. One day, he's happy eating away, but gradually that's getting worse too. He seems to be less and less interested and will get to the point where he just refuses it.
We're first time parents, so we don't know is this is normal or not, but it very much feels like it isn't.
He's also been consistently ill. He seems to always have a runny nose, he's had a blocked tear duct since birth (which the doctors keep saying 'will clear up on its own'), he's not long recovered from bronchiolitis, and generally had colds/ilnesses since 2 months old (I know this is common too though).
We've always suspected it could be a milk allergy, but the doctors pretty much shut that theory down straight away (that's the GP, HV and ER staff). I'm wondering whether to try buying some of the milk allergy milk off the online pharmacy, and see if that can make a difference. Does anyone have any recommendations on brand?
In addition, I'm wondering whether to pay privately for a milk allergy test for him, as the GP won't, to see if we can get to the bottom of it that way. Again, does anyone have any recommendations for companies that do that sort of thing?
His sleeping isn't great either, he wakes up in the early hours screaming, but he isn't hungry. We offer him milk, and he just doesn't want it, he maybe has 1oz, and goes back to sleep. It's even more bizzare that you'd think when he wakes up in the morning, he would be more interested in his bottle as for having a long break in between feeds though the night, but this isn't the case. We can barely get 2/3oz down him. We offer him 7oz in his bottles but it's been months and months since he actually finished one.
We are wondering if he's teething too (only recently) as he does show some symptoms for that. However, this has been going on a long long time before teething was ever an option, so I don't think it's the sole cause.
If anyone has any similar scenarios, suggestions, recommendations, tips or anything please let me know. My partner is doing such a great job, but this is really affecting her, and she's so upset by it. We just want him to be happy and drinking/feeding well. We just don't know what we can do anymore. The doctors just will not help.
Thank you so much in advance!