All sorts of problems with feeding, pls help

[miasmum79]

DS has been FF since abt 6wks of age with dr browns bottles and aptamil. At this point he struggled with tommee tippee (TT) bottles. Initially he did really well with this. When he was about 11-12 wks old, he started to feed less/ fall asleep/ arch his back/ cry at the sight of the bottle/ taking forever to finish feed. So I upped teat size and this helped initially but then all issues returned. So then I tried TT bottles with level 2 teats this time and this really helped. He would however never finish his bottles at one go. Drink 2-3 oz , 20 mins break or longer, then would finish the rest of the 2-3 oz. this pattern makes it quite difficult to keep to a descent EASY but we were coping. For the past few days all the issues described before have returned. He manages to feed3 oz and then strains/ grunts/ cries. But This is an issue only after the initial few mls!!! He feeds best when hes half asleep. All these problems are makin feeding times rather long!!! I'm at my wits end now.
My questions really are
1 could this be reflux? He was fine as a neonate but could there be like a late onset reflux. He is not sicky.
2 could it be constipation? He does a strange grunting/ straining only while feeding. Poos are soft pasty 1-2/day like they've always been. Never formed stools. Sorry tmi
3 should I change the formula and see
4 could it be bottles? A friend suggested standard neck ones. But why would he develop bottle issues so late into feeding?
5 could he be going off milk? He is showing a few signs that he is ready to be weaned but not many and I would like to hold that off if poss. Do children do strange things with bottles when they want solids instead?

Sorry re long post. Thank you for reading. Any advice is greatly appreciated!!

[Buttonbobs]

It could be reflux, the behaviours sound a bit like my DD who has silent reflux. How does your LO do with sleeping? Does he show any signs of discomfort during naps/night sleep?

You could talk it over with your doctor or health visitor or equivalent depending on your location.

It is the fussing and arching and crying that sound a bit like reflux to me, have you had a look at the symptoms of reflux post to see if anything else sounds familiar?

Alternatively, it could just be that your LO likes to take a break in his feeds, several of my friends' babies are similar with that. Why does it make EASY difficult to have this? I've forgotten what an A time is for a baby of your LOs age, but there should be time to fit in the feed even if it takes 45 mins/1 hour in total. I may have misunderstood you though. Also how often are you feeding and how old is your LO?

[ENMS]

hi lots of (((HUGS))) it is unsettling when LO has difficulty feeding.

It could be reflux. Have you seen this?

http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=654.0

Could he be tongue tied?

How old is he now?

For how long does it get better when you change bottle / teat? A few days, a few weeks?

[miasmum79]

Thanks Elise and Buttonbobs.
Ds is 17wks old. Tongue tie has been ruled out.

Sometimes I think it's reflux and then other times Im not so sure. He is presently jet lagged and naps are all over the place but historically he has been brilliant at naps/ sleeps. Never seems in discomfort lying down.

Bottle/ teat changes are seen within few days and tend to last a few weeks.
He definitely likes taking breaks during feeds- so that maybe an issue but then why does he get angry when I re introduce the bottle?.!,
He feeds every 3.5 hrs presently........the feeds however can take 1.5 hrs from start to finish/ refusal though!,

I was reading this thread about babies refusing feeds bt 3.5-4 mo for no apparent reason and I'm hoping it's just that!!!
It's just really frustrating having a baby just snarl at his feed, ESP given there's not much choice in what else I could feed him!!! These babies do test our patience!!!

[Lolly]

I have some thoughts but on phone now so Will be be back later this evening!

Laura

[Buttonbobs]

It could be developmental like you suggest. It might just be that he's going through a phase & might grow out of it. I hope so for you both :-)

If you are at all concerned he might be in pain/discomfort it is probably worth asking a doctor. If you think there is no discomfort then perhaps try not to worry.

Have you considered whether he might want to go longer between feeds or maybe drop a feed. I think my LO maybe moved towards 4hour EASY at around that age, but I can't remember without looking at my notes. 1.5 hours to finish a feed is a long time. I have a "rule" that if DD isn't interested, anything she hasn't taken from the bottle within a half hour from the start of the feed is just left. Some feeds even now she'll take 120mls and some others 240mls. I guess like adults there are some meals when she feels less like eating. If you let him stop feeding sooner from the bottle maybe he'll take a better feed the next time. What do you think?

[miasmum79]

Thanks again Buttonbobs.
Maybe need to start the 1/2 hr to finish rule. Cause right now, all we seem to do is be in some stage of feeding or other. You are probably right in that I should try feeding every 4 hrs. It's just with his naps being a bit all over the place right now, I tend to try and feed before naps and that's sometimes within  hrs of last feed!! I'm also probably reading his cues wrong. Within the last few wks- he has started using his hands a lot- to self soothe/ when he is hungry or tired/ teething ?,, Earlier hands in mouth always meant hunger!! For eg he had about 160 mls at 1345 (Feed surprisingly lasted 1/2 hr). Slept from 1530-1615 and is now lying in the mat chomping his hands. I'm using teething gel just in case! Im still trying to sort out NWs/ EWs. But trying to get him to take his calories during daytime is near impossible. Why oh why is this not straight forward, even the second time around!!!!!

[Lolly]

Can you post your days for us in terms of

Eat - what times, how much
Activity - how long for
Sleep - what times, how long for

I agree with PP though that you need to keep the feeds to 30 mins max, a bottle feed should be done with in about 20 mins really. All the stopping and starting means he is snacking and never getting hungry enough for a proper feed so the cycle continues.

Formula fed babies are generally ready for 4 hour feeds by 4 months at the latest but if their A times aren't quite ready then it can be a bit messy for a while. If he is short napping it could be that you need to push his A times a bit. Post your EASY (even if it's not EASY at the moment!) and we will see if we can suggest some tweaks.

Laura

[miasmum79]

Have a crazy few days coming up with outings/ dd graduation party from pre school etc. so maybe will try posting EASY mid next week. Thanks so much for taking time to read my posts and replying

[Lolly]

No problem Come back when you are ready!

Laura