Author Topic: 14 week old poor eating  (Read 2283 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline MunchkinsMama

  • New & Learning The Ropes!
  • *
  • Showing Appreciation 0
  • Posts: 14
  • Location:
14 week old poor eating
« on: December 21, 2016, 20:59:24 pm »
Hi there mamas,

My lb was 10lb 4 oz at birth but has never been a great eater. He dropped half a percentile but HV not concerned.

He was initially breastfed but was constantly feeding... Not sure whether it was just me popping him on the boob every time he cried but he was forever bobbing on and off and never seemed full.

We moved to formula at 3 weeks and he was on Aptamil but was constantly spewing and saturating his bibs and clothes. He was/is very fussy around feeding times. The doctor diagnosed reflux and he was prescribed Omeprazole for 3 weeks and Carobel thickener. The thickener definitely worked in terms of spewing and he was taking feeds of around 4 oz 3 hourly. He would very rarely finish 6 ounces at 6-12 weeks.

We took him off the carobel and just gave him Aptamil No. 1 and he was fine for a few days but then the excessive spewing and wind issues arose so we put him back on Carobel. However, he has begun to refuse his bottle and fuss and cry when offered it.

He was always very difficult to get to sleep but now he is very unsettled most days. I'm not sure whether overtiredness is the issue or if he's in any discomfort (reflux again). Is it normal for a baby to fight sleep all day everyday? Lol His naps have never been longer than 30 mins (maybe 45 mins the odd one). He will usually sleep in the pram when we're on the move or in the car seat but that's it. Unless he's feeding to sleep, he doesn't like being rocked, cuddled or bounced to sleep etc.
I don't know whether he doesn't sleep well because he never really has a fully belly (only at nighttime).

The only way to get him to sleep was feeding to sleep but now that he's refusing the bottle, that's not an option. At night, he would feed to sleep but always wake 30 mins later and take more of his bottle before falling asleep. It can take 1-2 hours to settle him for the night. He usually goes to bed between 8-9 and can sleep for 8 hours, another feed (usually 3 ozs) and then back to sleep until 6:30-7. He seems contented in the mornings but won't touch his bottle until 2-3+ hours of being awake. Then he'll maybe take an ounce or two. So spacing out his feedings doesn't seem to help.

He hates lying back. If you sit him on your knee, he will strain his neck forward to sit up and only seems comfortable sitting upright or upright over my shoulder but yet he enjoys lying flat and playing on his mat so not obvious signs of reflux? Maybe this is because he is a very alert baby?

Also, I can't feel anything along his gum line but again, his bibs are saturated with saliva. Seems excessive to me. Could it be teething?

any advice mamas? I'm pulling my hair out because my lb isn't eating well (or sleeping well).

Offline Lolly

  • Bottle Feeding, Discipline and Socialization
  • Moderator
  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 318
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 11227
  • Location: Neath, South Wales
Re: 14 week old poor eating
« Reply #1 on: December 21, 2016, 21:13:06 pm »
A lot of what you describe is pretty consistent with reflux symptoms. Just to be clear are you using carobel now but no meds? If he isn't on any meds then my first thing to suggest is to go back to the Dr and get him put back on the meds. It's a bit unusual to go straight to omeprazole, the first med is usually ranitidine. I am surprised that he was only on it for 3 weeks too - I don't think any baby out grows it that quickly!

If I remember rightly the salivary glands really kick in around the 3 month mark so all the drooling is not always teething related.

How much is he taking at a feed - is he sticking to his growth curve? Have you swapped to a faster flow teat with the carobel too?

Laura


Offline MunchkinsMama

  • New & Learning The Ropes!
  • *
  • Showing Appreciation 0
  • Posts: 14
  • Location:
Re: 14 week old poor eating
« Reply #2 on: December 21, 2016, 21:29:20 pm »
Hi Laura, thanks for the quick reply. Yes, we decided to put him back on the Carobel at the end of last week and the excessive spewing has greatly improved. No, he was only given omeprazole for 3 weeks and if my memory serves me well, I think things did improve after a week or so.

Prior to the omeprazole, the doctor prescribed SMA Staydown and it seemed to be working a treat but LO ended up so badly impacted that we had to bring him to A&E so they suggested Carobel instead. We felt th Carobel helped a little but still a lot of fussy behaviour so we went back to the doc and he prescribed the Omeprazole.

Just to add, that s'times I can see his face grimacing as if he has a bad taste in his mouth.

I should say that with the excessive drooling that he is also chomping down on his hands (normal at this stage too I believe). Often he'll refuse the bottle and then shove his fists in his mouth.

He is following his growth curve but to be honest, I think this can be largely due to the fact that we're nearly force feeding him. When he fusses and refuses, s'times we give up and other times we persevere. I know this is wrong to do this but I don't want him to get dehydrated.

Offline MunchkinsMama

  • New & Learning The Ropes!
  • *
  • Showing Appreciation 0
  • Posts: 14
  • Location:
Re: 14 week old poor eating
« Reply #3 on: December 21, 2016, 21:33:34 pm »
Sorry, I forgot to say...

In the morning, 5 hours after his night feed, he may only take 2-3 ozs. The rest of the day varies... An ounce or two here and there or the odd bottle 4 ozs.

Strangely, his night feeds are the best feeds (fairly relaxed as he's sleepy).

Offline Lolly

  • Bottle Feeding, Discipline and Socialization
  • Moderator
  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 318
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 11227
  • Location: Neath, South Wales
Re: 14 week old poor eating
« Reply #4 on: December 21, 2016, 21:46:00 pm »
You really are describing classic refluxing behaviours in a baby - how soon can you get him in to the Dr?

The reflux milks generally have rice starch as a thickening agent which is probably why he was constipated on it. I'm not sure what the ingredient in the carobel is, but it's essentially the same as the reflux formulas just a bit more of a faff!

Better feeds while sleepy is typical reflux - you could try catching him just as he is waking for feeds in the day so he is still a bit sleepy. It may help. My two both got significantly worse around the 10 week mark, they both had a comfort formula from about 3 weeks old which seemed to help symptoms until they reached about 9/10 weeks, again that's quite typical for refluxers.

Have you got the cot elevated? We used wedges under the mattress and made a U shapes "nest" of rolled towels under the top sheet to stop them rolling and slipping. They slept in the middle of the U part so it went from armpit to armpit (hope that makes sense!).

Laura


Offline MunchkinsMama

  • New & Learning The Ropes!
  • *
  • Showing Appreciation 0
  • Posts: 14
  • Location:
Re: 14 week old poor eating
« Reply #5 on: December 21, 2016, 22:08:22 pm »
Yeah, the doctor seemed to think a 3 week course would sort him out until his digestive system matured (surely that would take longer than 3 weeks?!). Ive spent the last 2 months second guessing myself... Is it reflux? Is it teething? Is it a developmental leap? It doesn't help that my husband is anti-medication and thinks it'll pass.

I guess because he's OK lying down at times (8 hour sleep at night) and 20 mins (max) on his playmat that I figured it couldn't be reflux. And also because he doesn't necessarily squeal (although this is starting to happen more now) so I didn't think he was in pain. I just had him down as a fussy baby. I knew it wasn't normal that he only fed to sleep. I feel like such a bad mum for not reading the signs!

I presume the doctor will put him back on omeprazole rather than work backwards to ranitidine etc? How long should he be on this medication? Or would we better trying a different anti-reflux formula? I'm just so afraid of him getting constipated like that again. I suppose with the Carobel, we could control the amount of thickener a little better.

Offline Lolly

  • Bottle Feeding, Discipline and Socialization
  • Moderator
  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 318
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 11227
  • Location: Neath, South Wales
Re: 14 week old poor eating
« Reply #6 on: December 21, 2016, 22:19:31 pm »
Yeah, the doctor seemed to think a 3 week course would sort him out until his digestive system matured (surely that would take longer than 3 weeks?!). Ive spent the last 2 months second guessing myself... Is it reflux? Is it teething? Is it a developmental leap? It doesn't help that my husband is anti-medication and thinks it'll pass.

3 weeks!! Both of mine were on medication from about 4/5 months until they were 2 years, and they weren't especially bad refluxers! Some babies do improve when solids are established but it's unusual to be off meds that quickly. Don't beat yourself up either, we learnt so much with DS's reflux that it was easier with DD.

Some refluxers do sleep well at night because they are exhausted from their days. My DS was great in the day, napped well and was the happiest baby on the block (not so good when trying to convince Drs he really was in pain ::)) but the nights were just awful.

If your Dr prescribed omep first I would imagine he will do that again. Ranitidine isn't a backward step, it's a different med but it's been used in babies more than omeprazole and very rarely has any side effects which is why it's usually first choice. If you go back on the meds you would need a good few months really and then see how he is on solids as that can make things worse or can improve things.

I would stick with the carobel if that is helping. What are his nappies like? Is his poo green or mucousy at all? Just asking because cow's milk protein intolerance is often a cause of reflux in babies and you usually get other symptoms with that too like green mucous poo and skin rashes.

Laura


Offline MunchkinsMama

  • New & Learning The Ropes!
  • *
  • Showing Appreciation 0
  • Posts: 14
  • Location:
Re: 14 week old poor eating
« Reply #7 on: December 21, 2016, 22:59:03 pm »
Thanks for replying Laura. I appreciate you taking the time. I'm a terribly anxious person and my doctor knows this which is why I don't think he takes me seriously. He said, 'Babies cry. It's normal. Just enjoy your baby.'  >:(

Yes! I spoke to doctor and HV about his green nappies and they both said normal. He alternates between mustard and greenish nappies and s'times a bit of both. I don't think I've seen any mucous but his nappies are terribly foul smelling. They didn't smell too bad when he was just on the aptamil without the Carobel.

I brought him to the doctor on Monday because I was worried about his feeding. The doctor watched me feed him and he fussed so he said 'let me try'. Lb took his bottle perfectly (2-3 mins) Just lay there looking up at him, smiling. So he gave me some patronising tips on holding him comfortably and giving him breaks etc!!!

My poor wee man. Have to ring the doctor first thing and get this sorted.

Thank you so much for your advice. Much appreciated:)