Eleven Weeks Old and Not Feeding. Help!

[Sharon Eshmade]

Hello, things are awful. He still isn't feeding. We saw the doctor today and he suggested we try goats' milk formula (didn't work) and solids (rice cereal). My DS is 141/2 weeks old and it seems way too early to start him on solids but I don't think I have a choice. He hasn't lost any more weight but he isn't putting on anything either. I am so sick to my stomach and low. I have tried endless different formula and keep going back to the one that worked in the hospital, with minimum success.
I went and saw another doctor two days ago and well, he was super useless. I am seeing another doctor tomorrow who was recommended by a friend who had a child with feeding issues. I just can't think of what else to do.

A change that has occurred is that he is making his hungry cry all the time now. He even did it at the doctor's office but still doesn't feed. Our routine has become two hours long, as he is up for an hour then goes down for a sleep but because he is hungry he wakes up after an hour crying. I don't want to wait the next hour as then he is ready for a sleep and doesn't feed. There just seems to be no right thing to do. He is still feeding better during the night than the day. I am absolutely shattered and can't walk straight. I am coming to terms with the fact that things are never going to get better. Of course this has got me even more down as if there was a solution then it would have been found by now, surely. What a mess! It appears that no one has the answer. He is also not taking the DF very well because as soon as I pick him up he wakes up and refuses to feed. I feel totally out of control and am very sick of this situation. Wish I could post something positive! Thanks for thinking of me, Sharon

[M2M]

Sharon, you should post this in the health/medical needs forum too, I bet there are people over there that can help you as well.

I am so, so sorry for you and your DS that you are going through this.  Can a specialist be recommended by your pediatrician?  How much in total is he taking in per day?

Lauren

[Sharon Eshmade]

Hello, saw the doctor, an allergy specialist and he has said that there is no problem with me starting my DS on solids, as long as it is baby rice. He has referred me to a pediatric gastroneterologist who speciality is feeding problems. There is a three month waiting period to see him but he called and I am going to see him between patients on Monday morning. I am extremely relieved that a specialist is going to see him. The baby rice has been going well with my DS taking it easily. A midwife friend popped round to see me. She tried on three separate occasions to feed my DS but he wouldn't. It makes me feel better that someone as experience as she is with babies was unable to feed my DS. She suggested that I add vanilla extract and a little puree apple to his milk to make it taste better, which might encourage him to feed more. I tried it today but I am not sure if it has worked as unfortunately my DS has picked up our toddler's cold and acidic sore throat. He has been extremely unhappy since and life is even more miserable now with him struggling to sleep with oodles of crying. Feeding is obviously going to be an increased struggle. Last night I gave him his 7.00pm feed and after taking 70ml he vomited up a lot of it. I also tried to give him a DF at 11pm but he was extremely awake and reluctant, taking in only 40ml. He then woke me at 12.20am and took in another 110ml. He takes in about 500-750ml on a good day and 400-500ml on a bad day.  He took in only 390ml yesterday but slept through to 6.45am, for which I am extremely grateful. Since starting the solids he hasn't solid a nappy and I am watching carefully in case he is constipated. It is interesting that none of the nurses, midwives or doctors has been interested in seeing his nappy content. I will keep you updated and holding thumbs that the specialist can shed some light on the problem. Thank you for thinking of me! Sharon

[Baby911]

Hi it sounds like your baby might have thrush and not able to feed. If I were you I would give him some Acidophilus one for babies. BioCare is a really good one. This will balance him out. Your baby also sounds like he has silent reflux. What happens is that the baby learns to refuse food because he feels uncomfortable. So the older they get instead of increasing the intake of milk they drink less. The best feeds will be when he is half asleep as he will not realise until he has drank the milk that he is uncomfortable. The hardest feeds are when they are wide awake. If he is on formula you should look into Goats based formulas as they are easier to digest. When he is older look into slipper elm to coat the colon. If you want to know anything more feel free to ask. I work with lots of reflux babies.

[Sharon Eshmade]

Hi, thank you for the ideas and support. Unfortunately he has been checked for thrush and he is clear and we have trialed him on reflux medication and he hasn't got that either. We tried goats' milk formula and he didn't take to it.
He has been taking the vanilla and apple flavoured milk much better but is still taking in very little. For the past three days he has been taking the baby rice really well and for the past thre nights he has slept from the 11pm DF until 6.30 - 7.00am. I am very interested in getting him weighed tomorrow so that we can see if the solids have helped him put on weight.

[PeepersMom]

keep us posted

(((hugs))) you are doing great

[M2M]

Sharon, you are such a good mom!! You are doing everything you can!  Please let us know how you make out today.

((HUGS))
Lauren

[Sharon Eshmade]

Well, he also thinks it's silent reflux. He gave me Omeprazole 1.25ml twice a day and Novalac AR Digest formula. So far my DS has been feeding less and I wonder if he can't suck the new formula out of the bottle because it is so thick. My DS was on the slow flow teat, as this is the only one he would accept, but I have now put him onto the medium flow so that he can get more out. It doesn't appear to be having any effect. The doctor also said he wants me to stop the solids and strangely my DS refused them this morning.

I asked why the Zantac didn't work and he said that because it tastes so nasty my DS probably then refused all feeds. I am so confused and frustrated. I was up quite a few times with him last night because he isn't taking very much and is getting hungry more often. It took him almost an hour to take in 110ml. This morning he took in only 10ml. I really am so upset and sad because I am so tired and he is still taking in so little. I am tired of crying and worrying. I just want things to get a bit better. I am so dispondent that I really don't think that anything will improve.

Thank you for your posts. I'm not quite sure what I would do without them. Thank you so much for being so good to me.
Sharon 

[Lolly]

{{HUGS}} Sharon.

If he is on an AR formula he will need a faster flow teat. I don't think omep tastes any better than zantac to be honest. I can't remember how much zantac he was on, but it usually takes the full dose for weight to make a difference so unless he was on top dose that is more likely to be why it didn't work rather than the taste. It only takes a short while to get used to it, my two were sucking out of the syringe after a couple of weeks.

It will take a few weeks for you to see an effect of the PPI and formula, it needs to get into his system to reduce the acid then he needs time to heal and forget that feeding hurts him. I would try dreamfeeding him for as many feeds as you can for now, they often feed better this way.

Laura

[M2M]

Sharon, you should check out the reflux forum.  My DS had reflux terrible and the ladies over there have a lot of experience and are very helpful.  More hugs for you! So sorry this is happening.  Zantac did not work for my DS, but prevacid did.  Also, we had him on Alimentum formula.  My DD needed to be on Nutramagin for a milk/soy protein sensitivity.  (((HUGS)))

[Sharon Eshmade]

Things are rather up and down at the moment. I made the mistake of giving him some vitamins just before he went to bed to help with his cold and I think it really gave him bad reflux. He screamed from about 6.30pm till 8.00pm. He then woke at 9.30pm to be fed as he hadn't had a feed for quite some time.
He appears to be feeding much better at night but only when he wakes up. The DF have become impossible, as he wakes and refuses to feed or takes very little. Last night he woke at 11.30pm and 3.00am and took 180ml at both feeds. He is also coughing quite a bit and at 5.00am he woke up with a soiled nappy and then vomited. I have also taken the vanilla and apple out of his feeds just in case those are adding to his reflux.
Yesterday he took in 680ml over 24 hours which is more than he has taken in a while. He appears to be feeding a little but more often during the day. I hope we keep seeing slight improvements and more feeding during the day. I'm off to quickly catch up on some sleep!

[M2M]

It sounds like his new reflux meds may be helping!  The coughing and choking is probably from the reflux though.  Are you keeping him upright after a feed for at least 20 minutes?  You should do that.  You might want to look into the fisher price rock and play sleeper, this is good for babies with reflux.  More hugs Sharon! Thanks for the update, thinking of you and your little boy !!

[Sharon Eshmade]

I really hope they are! I am trying to feed him as often as possible and while he is sleeping, which is working. The problem is that he is ravenous and is feeding every two to three hours at night. I was up more than I was asleep last night. As soon as he latches he falls asleep and I have to wiggle the bottle to get him to feed. The problem is that he is mainly feeding while sleeping so I can't keep him upright after a feed, well, I guess I could but in the middle of the night when it has taken me an hour or more to feed him, I just want to get back to bed as quickly as possible. A concern is also that my DS is learning that feeding only occurs when he is going to sleep or asleep, which worries me a little. I am looking forward to him feeding during the day like a regular baby should. I do wonder if this will ever happen.
The good news is that he took in 800ml yesterday and he has taken in 740ml today and we still have the evening feed and DF later. I am really hoping that with all this day time feeding that he won't be up as much tonight.
Another issue we are having is that he is waking up at 5.00am with a soiled nappy and thinks that it's morning and a good time to get up! After being up all night this is a little more than I can handle. He then goes down for a sleep at about quarter to seven and the two-year-old gets up at about seven. I am more tired than I have ever been and I am not sure how to improve the situation. Looking forward to things continuing to improve.
Thanks for thinking of me!
Sharon

[M2M]

So happy that he is taking in more!! Please look into the rock and play sleeper (babies sleep on an incline strapped in, you can look it up and read the reviews through amazon...might get you through this with longer periods of sleep).  I wouldn't worry about the night and day confusion now, although you do NEED your sleep!  Is there anyone that can help you?

[Sharon Eshmade]

Like with so many things we have tried they seem to work for a few days and then we revert back to where we were before. My DS has stopped feeding so well again and is still not taking a feed unless he is asleep. We have been on the meds since Monday afternoon and we're not really seeing any improvement. It takes a full hour to get him to take a DF and I'm not sure how much longer I can keep this up. He is also feeding less a night now so his total intake is right down again.
I tried today to feed him every four hours as he is now 16 weeks old but he still won't take a feed on his own. When I lie him down for a sleep he cries and then settles down and then I can feed him. I have to sit next to his cot for an hour and hold the bottle and jiggle it so that he will feed. He then wakes up as he has to be burped.
A friend mentioned that Infant Gaviscon is very good. Do you think this is the case?