Author Topic: 4.5 month old twins refusing bottles help please!  (Read 2147 times)

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Offline Jojogreeneyes

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4.5 month old twins refusing bottles help please!
« on: August 21, 2012, 08:47:43 am »
Hi ladies please can I ask for your advice?

My 4.5 month old twin boys have become really fussy eaters all of a sudden feeding time is becoming a nightmare with both boys taking half a bottle at best then pushing it out with their tongue, crying and kicking their legs. It's so upsetting when they must be hungry. 

They are on 3 hour easy their schedule is roughly as follows:

7am 90ml (used to take 120-180)
10am 100ml (again am offering 180 but they refuse it)
1pm 120ml (if I am lucky or it can be only 60ml)
4pm 100ml
7pm 160ml ( this feed is usually better but the last two nights one has refused the bottle crying and trashing around as if he had wind )
10pm 180ml dream feed this is best feed of the day
1am - they wake up and take approx 60-100ml
4am - as per 1am feed

They are showing signs of teething drooling chewing hands constantly etc but no teeth present yet. They are both trying to roll over too but getting stuck on their sides. Their startle reflex is pretty bad in the night and wakes them up too.

They are on SMA feed and I give them Hungry baby feed fit 7 m and 10pm feeds.

We are both so tired and now this not feeding properly makes it seem like sleeping through the night will never happen.

They are having tommee tippee easy vent bottles and are still on a size 1 teat. I have tried the no 2 and they go no quicker as they just suck less often one twin also gets awful wind when I try then too so I have reverted back again.

They weigh 16.5llb and 18.5lb so I know they should be taking
Much more milk than they are now. Please can you offer any advice ?

Thanks in advance!

Jo

Offline jessmum46

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Re: 4.5 month old twins refusing bottles help please!
« Reply #1 on: August 21, 2012, 09:13:56 am »
Hi Jo - wonder if you need to transition to 4 hour EASY?  (usually 4h at 4 months-ish) It may be that they are just not that hungry when you offer them a feed so are fussing.  What happens if you try say at 3h15?  You might find if they are a bit hungrier they feed better - worth a go?

Offline Lolly

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Re: 4.5 month old twins refusing bottles help please!
« Reply #2 on: August 21, 2012, 09:48:40 am »
I would move them to a 4 hour EASY too - 3 hours isn't long enough by the sound of things. I would also swap them to faster teats or try the Tommee Tippee vari-flow, taking less and chewing the teat are pretty classic signs that the teat is too slow now.

I would start with moving to 3.5 hours for a few days, let them adjust to that and then move to 4 hours between feeds. How are their A times? If they aren't quite up to the 2 hours needed for a 4 hour EASY you may need to stretch their A times a bit more slowly than the E times so they don't get OT.

If you need some links to typical EASY routines for their age, let me know and I'll post them for you!

HTH!

Laura


Offline Jojogreeneyes

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Re: 4.5 month old twins refusing bottles help please!
« Reply #3 on: August 21, 2012, 15:59:07 pm »
Thanks ladies that is so useful I will try the vari flow teat next and have another try with the medium flow fingers crossed they don't get much wind this time they were awful with it last time. Is there any way I can ease their transition to faster flow teats?

I think getting to 4 hours is too much right now for them but moving a bit at a time sounds more doable.  Their A time is still 1.5 hours from wake up to sleep time, am I recording that correctly?  Generally they will have a play on their mat or we will look at books or toys together.

Should i move each feed back 30mins? Only I would hate to move their bedtime later ( they generally go after a 7pm feed ?  Some example schedules would be very useful too thank you. 

Thanks again!

Offline Lolly

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Re: 4.5 month old twins refusing bottles help please!
« Reply #4 on: August 21, 2012, 20:01:55 pm »
Here is the link for the EASY routines for 4-6 months

http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=164029.0

They are at a low A time for their age - were they prem? You are right that A time is awake time - eyes open to eyes shut time not just play time.

I don't think there is an easy way to transition teats, you just need to use them and they will adjust after a few feeds.

Laura


Offline Jojogreeneyes

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Re: 4.5 month old twins refusing bottles help please!
« Reply #5 on: August 22, 2012, 08:54:39 am »
Hi thanks for the link. They were about 4 weeks early but seem to just be sleepy boys in the daytime! Last night they had 2 feeds and woke up about 6 times each zzzzz little monkeys.

Offline Lolly

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Re: 4.5 month old twins refusing bottles help please!
« Reply #6 on: August 22, 2012, 09:05:22 am »
How much are they sleeping in the day? If they are having too much that could be impacting on their night sleep.

Can you post your EASY so we can see what's going on? So..

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

Laura


Offline Jojogreeneyes

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Re: 4.5 month old twins refusing bottles help please!
« Reply #7 on: August 22, 2012, 15:23:42 pm »
I think they are sleeping between 3 and 4 hours each day.

I've been logging their EASY so here is the last couple of days

E 7am woke at 6.20am 120ml (one twin is fed about 20 mins before other)
A 2 hours
S 8.20 115 mins
Y
E 10.05 70ml
A 1.5 hrs
S 11.35 30 mins
Y
E 13.10 130mls
A 2 hours
S 14.10pm 1.5 hours
Y
E 4.00pm 80 ml
A 2 hours (seemed overtired)
S 17.45 20 mins
Y
E 7.00pm 180ml
A none went to bed after feed at about 7.45pm
E 10pm dreamfeed 160ml
E 1am 60ml
E 4am 60ml

Feeds take about 1 hour to do both half a feed for one then the other and so on.

The other twin had 20 mins less sleep over day.

Day 2

E 7am 105ml
A 1 hr 45
S 8.20am 105 mins
Y
E 10.10 150ml
A 1 hr 55 mins
S 12.00 30mins
Y
E 1.30pm 100ml
A 2 hours
S 2.35 40 mins
Y
E 4pm 120ml
A 1 hour 40mins
S 5.00pm again overtired 30 mins
Y
E 7pm 180ml
A bedtime !
E 10pm dream feed 100ml
E 12.40 60ml
E 3.30am 100ml

I've tried the medium and vari flow teats again today they are doing ok on the no 2s not drinking anymore but maybe chewing a bit less.

Thanks so much for looking over this for me  :)
 

Offline Lolly

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Re: 4.5 month old twins refusing bottles help please!
« Reply #8 on: August 22, 2012, 15:46:06 pm »
I really think you need to stretch those feeds out to 4 hours - or 3.5 at the earliest. The amount they are taking is very small for their age, I would be expecting them to be taking at least 180ml at a feed now, that's probably why they are waking so much at night - you need to increase their daytime calories!

I would start with the morning feed, make the next feed 3.5 hours later - you may need to distract them to make it to that time and the first few feeds will be the hardest but they should start taking more because they are hungrier and then you can stretch to the 4 hours.

They have been able to do some 2 hour A times, I think what may be happening is that their short naps are making them OT so if you can it's worth extending their naps so they have at least 1.5 hours. Do you use shh/ pat with them? Have you tried going into them just before the 30 min mark so they don't wake fully and shhing or just putting a hand on them to try and keep them asleep?

Do they have any digestive problems like reflux at all?

Laura


Offline Jojogreeneyes

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Re: 4.5 month old twins refusing bottles help please!
« Reply #9 on: August 22, 2012, 16:25:55 pm »
I will give extending the times a try tomo although it's injection day arggh!

They used to take 180ml at most feeds its just this last week this chewing and snacking had crept in.

I will try settling them again if they wake I have them sleep downstairs as if one wakes he will wake the other if you are not there fast. They do like to sleep in their swings which is where they do their longest sleeps.  I do the shush part I think but am not sure about the pat I just sort of stroke their chest or head to get them to sleep. How do I do the pat properly please?
 
They don't have any digestive problems other than lots of wind but I think that's pretty normal.

Thanks again it's so helpful to have another opinion!