NEED HELP! Feeding - reflux/colic/wind/ cmpa?!

[AbbieR30]

My son was born 5 weeks early unexpectedly. Since birth we have had several issues with feeding. He was 5lbs 6ozs when born and lost 9
8% of his birth weight within the first week. This was extremely stressful but he did eventually start putting on weight and is now 9lbs 5ozs.

During his feeds he is always very tense and uncomfortable. Usually a lot worse during the evenings as he would scream between drinking his milk and then take the bottle really badly, causing a lot of wind. We interrupt his feeds to get him up for burps because we think he could have trapped wind, sometimes we are trying to burp him for 20+ mins. He isn't sick very often, but when he is, it is projectile and most of his bottle (not an exaggeration at all)

We were initially using tommee tippee bottles, we then changed to mam bottles which did seem to help at first. That didn't last long, we have tried gavison, infacol & colief. The colief did seem to improve things for a while but again, went backwards again. We were using aptamil stage 1 infant milk, we read that this can sometimes be a bit harsh on babies bellies, so changed to cow & gate stage 1 - the formula is very similar but is supposed to be more gentle. Didn't see much of a change. I have spoken to the GP who has now prescribed aptamil pepti 1, I'm not convinced this is a cows milk intolerance. We are now on the 4th feed with it and there is no improvement. We are beyond stressed at this point and dreading feeds (which is heartbreaking as it should be enjoyable)

We are at an absolute loss and would really appreciate any advice.

Thank you!!

I would also like to add that we are also pace feeding, we lay him on his left side (better for digestion apparently) with his head slightly elevated. We were told to do this by a speech therapist.

He is also taking a considerable less amount of milk during each feed and we are concerned he isn't taking enough milk and will lose weight.

We are first time parents and are struggling a lot 😥

It sounds like he is taking in a lot of air? How is his feeding - is he very noisy, does he slip on and off the bottle a lot? He may be struggling to get a good latch on the bottle and taking in a lot of air as a result.

Might be worth trying different bottles, I think Dr Browns are often recommended for windiness but you could do a search on MN for other ideas.

Also smaller feeds more often will likely help. And regular winding as you are doing - including mid way through feeds.

How old is he? This does get better as they get bigger hang on in there

hiya, sorry to hear the baby is in pain 🤦🏻‍♀️ There’s nothing worse. Have you tried giving him the whole bottle in one go? Keep him laid down on his back but tilt the bottle. Laying him on his left helps with wind too. People say to wind after every oz but the thing is when they cry they let in more and more air so it generally makes it worse so I found out myself. Oh how I feel your pain when it comes to feeding when they’re like that. I dreaded it, matter of fact I got so scared. Are you feeding on demand ? Honestly he will tell you when he is hungry. My baby used to take little and often due to the pain they had. They are quick learners and know what they do and don’t like it’s so weird. With Colief it breaks down the proteins in the milk. If it helps him then maybe try either reflux milk or comfort. Comfort milk is thicker and they can’t down it so they suck in less air plus it has fewer proteins. I found cow and gate was so thin my baby just gulped it down so it didn’t help. Keep with the mam, he will get used to the teat, some times if you keep swapping and changing and they get used to something they wont take the bottle. tommee tippee in my experience done nothing but made mine 10 times worse, mine was similar to yours he used to scream during and after every bottle. I tried everything in the book used to give him dentinox and my god it was the worst thing I could do to him, made him cry for hours, making the wind worse. It doesn’t sound like an intolerance to me. I would stick to one milk the more you change the more their stomachs get upset any doctor should know this. Make his bottles as hot as you can. Stir them with a spoon once made and don’t shake. The more it’s shaken the more air you get. Even the prep machine causes more bubbles in the milk which doesn’t help. I know it feels right now the worst time but it honestly gets better and when people used to say that to me I didn’t believe it but it does. It made me and my partner so bloody depressed. Although I dealt with my little toe rag all the time as my partner was and still is lazy. I had a colic baby who screamed for 7 to 8 hours a day on end. But I learned what techniques can help them. I used to wind mine for over an hour and he’d still have a trapped burp 2 hours later. It was ridiculous. No doctor helped other than suggesting to change the milk which doesn’t come in our favour when it can either improve or make them worse. It isn’t them that has to deal with the aftermath of it all. Is he easy to wind ? Have you tried the 5 s’s?

Please don’t worry about his weight, remember he was born prematurely. He will gain it but slowly and steady. He still has catching up to do bless him. Honestly one day you’ll wake up and he’ll will be so heavy you’ll be like omg, how did that happen. don’t always listen to how many oz they should take, your baby will tell you when he’s hungry and when he’s had enough. If that’s after 2oz then Thats ok. If he’s experiencing pain he won’t want as much, they’re tummy’s are only pinballs too. Mine only really drinks more when he goes through growth spurts. Like the recommend But honestly I feed food to my Lorenzo now, he still doesn’t take much milk. Like 25oz a day maybe even 20oz. I weaned him from 4 months, for his own comfort and my own sanity it was the best thing I’d done. When your baby gets older he’ll probably be a foodie. It will make your life so much more easier. But for now, don’t overthink it. He will grow at his own rate, I used to Google everything like they should be doing this and that and drinking this but you will find every baby is different, they all do things at different paces. Just take a break from his crying when you need it. Don’t dread the feed as long as he doesn’t choke just go with the flow. I remember when I had Lorenzo. I didn’t sleep I was so worried about Sid’s and all that stuff and his screaming all the time but honestly this is just the beginning. Im still learning everyday. Just remember you’re doing brilliant, he’s here and well.

Hey ladies thank you for your comments, he is gaining weight well and is now 10lbs 9ozs, but we are still having so many problems with his feeding. I have spoken to an Infant feeding specialist and a dietician who believes that he does infact have a lactose intolerance. We have been using aptamil lactose free for a couple of days now and his feeding seems to have gotten worse.. as I said previously we are laying him on his side on a cushion infront of us, but now he keeps pulling away from the bottle, kicking himself back (and kicking me!), shakes his head side to side like he wants the bottle then doesn't want it when it's actually in his mouth. We don't want to be too hasty changing his milk again, but his really not getting on with it so not sure whether to try SMA. I know it may be extreme but I write down all his feeds and amounts so I can keep on top of it, I like to make sure he has had his minimum amount each day. When he was 18 days old he was put on life support and was in hospital for 3 weeks after contracting group b strep and menangitis, so I am already a paranoid first time mum because of that! Just at a loss with what to do from here 😔xx

Forgot to mention, we tried using Dr brown bottles too, he couldn't seem to get a good latch on them and seemed to get quite annoyed, so back on the mam bottles! He is 13 weeks and 3 days also x

I would really recommend getting him checked for tongue tie. We had terrible wind and reflux, projectile vomitting, plus very slow feeds for the first four months. He was also unable to latch to the breast and got basically no milk when I tried to breast feed him even though I was pumping so I knew the milk was there. I assumed it couldn't be tongue tie as he had been in special care and seen by half the paediatricians and nurses in the known universe. However, it turned out to be tongue tie and once we got it cut all our problems disappeared and he was downing a bottle in 10 minutes with no problem!

If you can afford it you can see someone from here www.tongue-tie.org.uk/find-a-practitioner/ I think the NHS waiting times can be long but worth getting in the queue ...

Hey OP, I am going through the same thing- my DD was born 5 weeks prem and we have had no end of feeding issues, she is now on Nutramigen LGG for cows milk intolerance as prescribed by GP. Feeds a much smoother, I mix the bottle by swirling rather than shaking to reduce bubbles which has helped the wind but the vomiting is still bad. Vomits after every feed and a fairly significant amount too.
If you're concerned your not on the right feed, I'd recommend asking your GP about the Nutramigen because it has made a huge difference for us, although she is sick a lot, she isn't in as much pain as before hand when on Nutriprem. There's no squirming and crying during feeds, no pulling away from the bottle and she will take a full 150ml in around 20 minutes with 2 burp breaks. I feed her in a normal 'term baby' position now too but still pace feed occasionally.

Hiya, thank you for your comment. We are a while on now and still having a lot of issues. He was eventually prescribed nutramigen and omeprazole for the reflux, this worked amazingly for about a week... then he went backwards. We now sit him upright, pace feed and burp frequently. He did have tongue tie but this was released when he was a couple of weeks old. He now pulls away constantly from the bottle, cries, arches his back. Its honestly a battle to feed him! We started on nutramigen puramino a few days ago, so far absolutely no change and think he is potentially worse. We are just at an absolute loss with what to do 😣