Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Weaning

Find weaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Weaning forum. Use our child development calendar for more information.

Original poster

Help needed - been advised to wean at 3 1/2 months and need advice

66 replies

TearingMyHairOut · 11/10/2006 20:43

My ds1 is now 13 weeks and we have had an array of problems with feeding. It's mainly to do with reflux, but to cut a long story short he appears to have some sort of negative associations with feeding and is only taking 3oz bottles. We went to hospital to see paediatrician today and they told me to start weaning at 3 1/2 months, partly to give different experience of eating, partly because it will sit better in tummy. I don't have a clue what to offer, when to offer and how much. I'm not sure books will help me as he's younger than the advised age so it may be quite different. Please any help would be good.

OP posts:
GrimAdventuresOfJane · 11/10/2006 21:24

Hi
I was told to start weaning my DD at 14weeks
as she was prem and small and had reflux!
Ive just given her a small amount of babyrice with EBM at luchtime follwed by a BF
have been doing this for about 9 days or so now!
Wont give her anything else yet as I read in M&B mag this month not to give anything until 17weeks! its all contradictions!

CountTo10 · 11/10/2006 21:24

I think mum2funkydude is right - guidelines are just that advice to guide you on but each baby is different and needs different things. The pead wouldn't have adivsed you to do this if they didn't think he'd benefit from it. As far as I was told at the time, the weaning age advised was moved from 4 to 6 mths based on the apparant benefits of prolonging bf rather than evidence of digestive systems not being ready for basic rice or fruit/veg. TMHO - if you want some of the weaning plans i used (and they were in great detail!!!!!) then feel free to CAT me. I know what a difficult time it can be with reflux and anything I can do to help and all that you'd be more than welcome

hairymclary · 11/10/2006 21:27

ok so he hasn't had a serious drop then.
is he still being very sick after feeds or keeping most of it down?
have you tried fitting more feeds into the day so that he gets a bit more without actually increasing the amount in each feed?
have you tried feeding him upright and then popping him in a sling so he stays upright for a long time afterwards?

sorry if you've already done all this, just trying to think if there is anything else you could do before you wean

Original poster
TearingMyHairOut · 11/10/2006 21:27

Count to 10, if you have anything you could e-mail it to me at cosborne82 at hot mail dot com

OP posts:
hunkermunster · 11/10/2006 21:28

Have you tried cranial osteopathy?

Original poster
TearingMyHairOut · 11/10/2006 21:30

Tried giving him more frequent bottles and the most I can get him to take is 6 a day, roughly 6am, 9.30 am, 12.30pm, 3.30pm, 7.00pm, 2.00am. Often he prefers to go five hours between feeds, especially in the afternoon but if I try any more often he pushes it out with his tongue.

Yes I've also tried carrying him in the carrier but he just pukes down my cleavage! nice! He still is sick but not the whole feed or anything...probably about 1/4 comes back up, not all at once but bits and pieces for couple of hours after each feed it constantly flops out

OP posts:
Original poster
TearingMyHairOut · 11/10/2006 21:31

Oh yes...we've tried cranial osteopathy...£120 worth and that did nothing either!

OP posts:
Original poster
TearingMyHairOut · 11/10/2006 21:32

Count to 10 - where did the weaning plans come from. Did you come up with them alongside someone advising you?

OP posts:
CountTo10 · 11/10/2006 21:33

That is quite an encouraging feeding pattern. Totally relate to the puking down the clevage!!! My overriding memory of my lo as a baby is just constantly wiping up sick and wearing muslins all the time and having to dress him in a full length bib every day!!!!
I will get everything together that I had and email it over to you this week.
Hang in there!!

CountTo10 · 11/10/2006 21:36

I did them myself using several books and magazines and stuff. I was really het up about it so I spent ages drawing them up to make me feel more in control and prepared about what I was doing - I'll give you details of all the different books I used when i email them over

Original poster
TearingMyHairOut · 11/10/2006 21:36

Thank you very much. I've never done so much washing in all my life. It's good I park his pram next to the washing machine and the whirring noise is about all that calms him sometimes. I'll need a new machine soon, the noisier the better!

OP posts:
hunkermunster · 11/10/2006 21:38

As an aside - it said that in M&B magazine?

WTF are they doing giving out of date advice?!

hairymclary · 11/10/2006 21:38

cranial osteopathy= VERY GOOD.

if i were in your position I wold try and leave it another week and get him weighed again. just to see

CountTo10 · 11/10/2006 21:38

Ha ha made me roar!!! I remember it well - we should have shares in Persil!!!

No worries

VeniVidiVickiQV · 11/10/2006 21:39

Beat me to it Hunker....

GrimAdventuresOfJane · 11/10/2006 21:42

hang on better check.....
Yep "...you should not introduce solid food into your babies diet until shes at least 17 weeks (four months) old"
From M&B mag nov 2006!!

Original poster
TearingMyHairOut · 11/10/2006 21:44

Ok, he's thirteen weeks now and the paed said 3 1/2 months so that's still two weeks away. we've started on the new 'stay down' milk tonight (although he would only take 1oz despite using the bigger teat size) and stopped all the medication. I'll weigh him for a couple more weeks and then decide what to do. If I post updates on this thread can you check back to it every now and then and if you have any more advice let me know!

OP posts:
GrimAdventuresOfJane · 11/10/2006 21:46

Just do what you think best
Follow your instincts!!!
I personally think heath professionals advice is best as they would end up in court if they give bad info!?!

hairymclary · 11/10/2006 21:47

TMHO, i wonder if you could try doing what a breastfeding mum would do with a baby who doesn't want to feed much.

lay in bed with him, nice and relaxed. have a bottle of warm milk with you and just feed him as soon as he shows any signs of wanting it. don't try and force him to have it, but if he opens his mouth then just try him with the bottle.
he may respond better to just being able to take a few sucks at a time until his full rather than have the entire lot at once.

hairymclary · 11/10/2006 21:48

you'd think so wouldn't you Grim? sadly not the case though

GrimAdventuresOfJane · 11/10/2006 21:51

how come hairy?
you got some personal experience!
Must admit would trust my MW with a barge pole mind!
Had to report her in the end!!!

hairymclary · 11/10/2006 21:52

well it isn't against the law to tell someone to wean early.
sadly many health professionals are out of date with weaning guidelines, or still think they "know best" despite all the research.

calpopscalum · 11/10/2006 21:53

Haven't read all this thread but my ds was so hungry he was impossible to keep up with. At 9 weeks he was downing 9oz bottles of hungry baby formula every 45 mins - no-one believed me till they saw it. I was advised to wean him at 9 weeks and was a bit reluctant cos I knew of the guidelines but I also knew how hungry he was. It was a godsend. he yummed down his baby rice, ate the whole lot and wanted more!! he slept right through that night and we have never looked back. he's 4now woth no problems whatsoever and a normal 4 year old when it comes to food now.
Every baby is difefrent and some can cope with things earlier than others.
DD wasn't weaned till 4 months as per guidelinesat the time
My mad mil was feeding dh condensed milk from birth (she is offficially MAD!!! - thinks bananas dipped in sugar is OK for a 1 week old so she never babysat)and he is fine - has a very sweet tooth right enough.

nulnulcat · 11/10/2006 22:59

havent read all of this as im really tired dd had really bad reflux was in and out of hospital had to be tube fed on more than one occasion as her oesophagus was burnt from bringing up stomach acid

under the advice of a paeditrician i weaned her at 14 weeks as she was not putting weight on

like count to 10 i started with a bit of baby rice then moved onto pears and other really bland fruit no bananas!! didnt introduce protein til she was 6 months

graduallly dropped her milk feeds she had her last bottle at 11 months

she loved her food and couldnt get enough of it and was soon piling weight on

the change was unbelievable, whilst she was purely breast fed she was miserable not sleeping and the crying record was 18 hours one day!!

as soon as she went on solids i got a happy little girl and hardly any vomiting!

she is nearly 3 now, she does have a lot of health problems and digestive / allergy problems but im not sure she wouldnt have had these even if i had exclusively breast fed til 6 months

crunchie · 11/10/2006 23:06

nul that's great. Hopefully tearingmyhairout that story shoudl give you some hope.

I totally understand why most of you are against early weaning and in most cases that s the right advice, but suggesting that TMHO is going to cause long term problems is not the best advice here It is more worrying for her. I know HM you are against early weaning, understandably, but in this instance I think it is teh best advice and will help the situation as nulcat describes.

BTW my dd chucked up after almost every meal until she was about 1, at least with solids it didn't spray around the whole room. Sod muslins, I used to feed covered in a bath towel!! I got expert at catch the sick in teh towels after every feed.

She was v prem so wasn't weaned until 6 months BUT this was 3 months in corrected tearms as she was born at 27 weeks