1.5 hours to complete a feed!!!

[Adaias mom]

Hi All,

I was just wondering if anyone else had this problem, and if so, what they did.

My LO was weaned onto bottles 11 days ago, and with a bit of fighting, took to the bottle. She has now been FF for 4 days with no breast at all. My problem is that its taking me about 1.5hrs to get her to take a 6oz bottle. She acts like she is really hungry, sucking hands etc, and will take the first 2oz no problem. In fact she gulps them down. I will then wind her, and try again, and she will scream and will not entertain anymore. She also seems happy so i put her on her playmat. 20 mins later she is hand sucking etc again, so i try again. Its a bit of a fight, but she will take another 2oz. So its stop, wind her, try again. Again will not entertain it. So again she goes down to play for 20 - 30 mins. By now she has been up over an hour, her A time is 1.5 hours, so she is starting to get a little tired. She then continues to hand suck etc, sticking tongue out la la, so i get her back. This time she is tired, so she has a screaming fit with me, and i have to shhh her to calm her and she will then drain the bottle! 

She is not a sicky baby, and i don't have wind or reflux problems, just a bloody nuisance when it comes to feeding!

So i am thinking she does want the full 6oz, (weighs about 11lb 6oz) but i don't understand why its taking soooo long to feed her. I used to get a full Bf done in about 30 mins. 

Any tips will be much appreciated

Helen xx

[Adaias mom]

Oh i forgot to add, that i put extra holes in her teat to see if that made any difference and it didn't and i also bought faster flow teats but they were too fast and it just poured out of her mouth!

[Jonimu]

Hi Hellen,

You are not alone...Thank God I found someone with the same problem I am having!! My LO is 3.5mths and has been FF 6oz (180ml) now for 7 days and it mostly takes us about an 1hr-1.5hrs to feed him which interferes with his naps hence I don't think I am running an E.A.S.Y routine anymore as it has just gone haywire!

Hope someone has a solution to this!!!

[Adaias mom]

It has just taken me 1.5 hrs to feed her 5 1/2 oz. It takes so long that the last bit ends up feeding her to sleep as she is so tired as she is due to go down!

So now i feel like i am feeding her to sleep, which i really don't want to become a prop!!!

She started off really well, had about 4oz in about 30mins, but then she just falls asleep, so i change her bum etc to wake her up, put her on the mat, then try again. I have just wasted 6oz of milk reheating and throwing away....another problem with this feeding malarky!

I have also just tried a different teat, but no difference.

[TDR'smom]

I'm sorry it is taking so long for your lo to take a feed.  Could your lo not be used to the taste of formula?  I strictly formula fed but I have heard that breast milk is "sweeter"?.  There is a thread I'm going to try and find for you that discusses transitioning from breast to bottle.  Will look for it and post it.  Maybe it will shed some light!

{{HUGS}}

xxx
Judy

[TDR'smom]

Here you go!!  See if these help at all!

http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=64926.0

http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=67768.0

xxx
Judy

[Adaias mom]

Thanks Judy

I have looked at them, but not alot seems relevant to my lo, as she did exactly the same thing when bottle feeding expressed bm!

She is not bothered about the bottle, she will take it fine. At first i just though it was because she was holding out to getting some boob, but she hasn't had any boob now for 4 days! I am hoping this is that though and it will go away once she can no longer smell my milk! Its really starting to disappear now so hopefully just a couple more days and it'll be gone. Then i can really complain as i won't have any options left ha ha!

[Adaias mom]

Well i tried extending the time between her feeds, and she waited (quite happily) until 3hrs 40 mins, but she still only took 3oz before faffing. And by faffing i mean, i winded her, winded her some more, tried again, no joy, winded again to make absolutely sure no wind, tried again no joy. Still took 40 mins!!!

So i have decided to be cruel to be kind, and didn't offer her any more, and will make her wait until her next feed. Hopefully she will realise that if she doesn't eat it when offered, its gone. I really thought i would get a fight trying to put her down as she was sucking her hands etc, but no, well she put up a little one and had a cry for about a minute then went to sleep!

So she is due another feed at 5.10 so thats when i am going to feed her, and lets see if she takes any more. I am just really hoping that this doesn't bite me on the bum, and i end up with NW's to make up the calories!!!

Will let you know how i get on

[Jonimu]

Thanks Judy. But like Hellen it's not a bottle pr a problem as he gulps down his milk for the 1st 60-100ml then after the hustle begins with erratic feedings. Also he has gone off naps all together and the longest he has napped the last 4 days is 45min and at night he sleeps at 8pm with a DF at 10-10.30pm and then wakes up at 4.30am feeds then sleeps till 6.30am.
I am feeling totally lost and frustrated right now Help!!!!!

[romyluisa]

Hi ladies.
dont be too concerned about it, it's just another faze they go through. (personally i think it's a test for our sanity!)
my little one did the same thing: guzzle a big chunk of bottle, then take forever to finish it off.
there's a few thoughts i have:
1) they do seem to be a little lazy when it comes to the transition from boob to bottle. the boob is a nice easy flow, that one going, dribbles away with little effort. 
1A) the bottle, however, takes more work. and the flow stops is they're not sucking - which they're not used to.

2) it's a different type of suck: boob v's bottle.  so this they also have to get used to, and change their ways.

3) they seem to go through a change of feeding faze around this age. i was just reading an older post on this, with other mums saying the amount of milk baby was taking does drop off slighlty.

4) i found with my DS, that "I" would not stop the feed to burp/wind/change etc..  just keep them on the bottle until he pulled away himself.  so i wasn't breaking the flow that he had going. i found this helped to get that little extra amount in.  if you have a windy baby (which mine is the king!), then try the different bottles to assist (dr browns etc...).

it will take a little time for you.  i always give any new change about 7-10days to kick in.
dont forget - they're learning, as are we!!!
best of luck.  post on how it all pan out, so we all know how you go.

[Adaias mom]

Hi girls

Well Adaia is loads better. I did the cruel to be kind things and the very next feed i got her to take 5.5 oz in 45 mins! Thats half the time it used to take! She now takes between 4 & 5.5 oz per feed and i still have to give her a break, and she still does faff alot but she will take what she wants in about half an hour.

I never take the bottle from her mouth to wind. I wait until she pushes it out with her tongue. Similarly when she is faffing with the bottle and just playing with it in her mouth, unless she gets upset or physically pushes the teat out i leave it there and she'll suck a little then faff and suck a little and thats how i get the last oz down her. Takes ages, but she is still ver young.

[Jonimu]

Hallo Ladies,

Took time to respond but went back to work and it is pretty hectic. Fanaka got better and takes between 120ml(4oz) - 200ml(60oz) sometimes depending on the hour of day. He is taking about 1200ml(40oz) and still doing one/two NW which can be anytime between 2am and 6am. Should I introduce him to solids or what? I am really confused!

[Adaias mom]

40 oz is loads!! how much does he weigh? Have you tried hungry baby milk? how old is he again?

[Jonimu]

Hey Hellen,
You are right it was abit too much. I figured it out after reading the forums and when his night awakenings increased I realised he was not geting enough. So I have now introduced him to baby rice 3 times a day (incl. 30oz + BF) Which he has taken in well. My LO Fanaka (baby boy) is 4.5mths and he is quite the feeder.... Doc told me not to worry as he is doing fine.