11 week old baby not eating enough

[ceebs]

Hi,
DS is 11 weeks, and he still seems to be stuck at the 2-3 oz mark most days. He's formula-fed since week 2.  He increased to 4oz for a short while, and now we're back to 3oz. His birth weight was between 50-75th percentile (8lbs 3oz), and now it's down to 10th percentile (11lbs). His weight hasn't increased in the last 2 weeks or more. I'm worried sick. He only has about 15-18oz a day most days. The most he's had is 22oz once or twice. The doctor said hubby and I aren't big people, so we can't expect DS to be big. He was born big, so is falling so below on the chart not worrisome?

My DD is almost 4 years old and below the 3rd percentile. She was born at 15th percentile. We had tons of issues with her...reflux, bottle aversions, etc. I have struggled with her since the beginning. DS was born at a higher percentile, and he was a pretty good eater in the beginning. I was happy he'd be an easier baby to deal with in terms of feedings. Guess I was wrong.

Is there any way to increase his formula intake?
He doesn't wake up at night to eat. Should I start waking him at least once?
Should I also start waking him earlier in the morning to eat? He usually goes almost 12 hours without eating at night.

[Lolly]

Welcome to the boards!

What flow teat do you have him on at the moment? How long does a feed take and what is his behaviour like during a feed? Does he have any reflux symptoms?

How frequently are you feeding him - have you tried stretching his feeds out?

Sorry for all the questions but it will help! Are you familiar with Tracy's books - are you using the EASY routine at the moment?

Laura

[ceebs]

Thanks Lolly!

I've had both my kids on the 3-hour EASY routine.

DS is on the level 1 teat (MAM bottles). I switched him over to level 2 at two months (which is designed for 2 month+ babies), but he was having a hard time with it. Eventually he started fighting the bottle. We changed his formula and put him back on level 1. Now his feeds seem to be relatively calm, but once he spits out the bottle, there's no putting it back in. He's been on the 3-hour schedule since early on. For a couple of days, he wanted it every 2 hours, which is how he got his 22oz a couple of times. Now it's back to 3oz every 3 hours.

He has some symptoms of reflux, but it's not the case with every feed (since we changed his formula.)

[ceebs]

Forgot to write how long it takes to feed him. Usually it takes about 10-15 min. Some feeds he drains. Others, he'll stop at the 2 or 2.5 ounce mark, and then not take it again.

[Lolly]

What formula is he  on now? I would try the level 2 teats again to be honest, he's a bit older now.

If he is showing some signs of reflux have you seen the Dr about it? It could well be reflux stoping him eating much - 3oz is a very small feed for a bottle fed baby his age.

I have two mostly silent refluxers - it's hard work but the right formula and meds did wonder for my two.
Laura

[ceebs]

He had been showing some signs of allergy, though we haven't gotten him tested. We thought it would be worth it to try a hypoallergenic formula, so he's on Alimentum. The doctor said if his stomach seems to agree with it better, we should keep him on it for a while.

As for reflux, I'm not so sure. He hardly spits up. He doesn't seem uncomfortable after feeds. He has the occasional  bouts of discomfort, where we can't figure out what it is. It's like he has a hard time breathing, and he sprays a few drops of formula out of his nose and arches his back in pain. That makes me think it's reflux.

We had the most horrendous experience with our DD's loss of appetite once put on meds for reflux. We tried all sorts of dosages, meds, formulas, but she was deemed failure to thrive eventually, and having a feeding tube inserted down through her nose. She still failed to gain much..cuz she would throw it all up. Today she is still below the 3rd percentile. I was a 100% sure she had reflux unlike DS, and I'm sure she did at one point, but once all sorts of investigations and tests were done, they said nothing was wrong with her.

I don't know if I wanna put DS and ourselves through all that. I just keep hoping it's something simple, like a teat size. I've tried changing it twice but he after a bit of trouble he stops taking the bottle altogether. His intake didn't increase either. I'm at my wits end.