Sudden difficulty bottle feeding, help please!! xxxxxxxxxxxx

[kellyhushhh]

Hi everyone,

Just wondering if anyone is suddenly having difficulty with bottle feeding. My ds has been a nightmare the last few days. He normally has 6 or 7 ounces, but has been stopping after about three or four, arching his back and wriggling, flailing his arms etc.  He is fine when i sit him up but totally refuses to drink and i know he is hungry as his routine has gone to pot, he is also waking in the night again, so obvioulsy hungry.

Its either bad wind or could it be this dyspehgia ( think thats how you spell it)!! :roll:  where the baby has problems swallowing.  I have noticed that he will take his dream feed fine as he is relaxed and also his first morning feed.

It is taking over an hour to feed, today i tried putting him in his chair to feed him and he seemed ok, it is as though he hates being held.

I think i will ask GP on thursday as he is getting his injections, so i will mention it then and see what he says.

Anyone else had this problem?? What could it be?

Reflux? although is that pain after thet have fed?

There has got to be something, ds is so tired from all this, not to mention i feel like a zombie!! :cry:

Kellyxxxxxxxxxx

[notenoughshelfspace]

Good idea to mention it to the Gp when you go. It does seem that he needs to be upright or very relaxed to eat which could be a slight case of reflux, mine started to get 'refluxy' ( not a word I know) at four and half months.

In the meantime try holding him as upright as possible when feeding and do burp him very two or three ounces, I know it is time consuming. Gigi went from eating in 25 minutes to 45 minutes feeds, have patience, it will get better.

Have you chaged the teat flow, formula or anything else which could account for his irratibility?

[kellyhushhh]

Hi thanks for your reply. I havent changed his teats, he is on avent, sometimes he needs size 1 and sometimes size 2. Just depends what type of fidgeting mood he is in :lol:  I tend to give size 1 teat at the dream feed as size 2 comes out too fast for him and he chokes and splutters. Come to think of it since he was born milk has always spilt from his mouth, bibs used to be soaking through. This is another sign of a swallowing disorder. Anyway i will mention it to GP, see if it could be Reflux maybe or something else.

Thanks for relpying xx

[Ennypen]

Hi Kelly

My little one - now aged 7 months - had his milk in avent bottles for several weeks from birth... he used to spit milk, it leaked from the sides of his mouth etc etc and I used to joke that it would be easier for me to just pour his milk over him than try feeding him as he would soak bibs, clothes and muslin cloths.. so I changed bottles to Dr Browns/B-free and have never looked back. He hardly dribbles at all now I can feed him without so much as a drip getting on his clothes... so dont count on your little one having a problem swallowing.. try getting rid of the avent bottles and seeing if it makes a difference.

Helen x

[NKmommy]

Hi Kelly,
The pulling off after a few oz, arching, and fussiness sure sounds like reflux to me.  We've definitely been there.  My LO would feed horribly - drink 1 oz, pull off crying, 1 more oz, pull off crying, and maybe 1 more oz, and then he would refuse.  He was FINE after feeds.  It was only feeding time that was the problem.  He also drank great during the night when he was relaxed, which is typical with reflux.  I hope that the doc has some answers for you.  Maybe you can ask him about thickening his feeds with cereal a bit?  That really helped my LO feed.  Good luck!

[kellyhushhh]

Hi Thanks for the replies..............

Helen, good idea,i can only but try. Where do you get Dr Browns from?? I have heard quite a lot of people say the same thing about avent bottles, it got to the point where i hated anyone else feeding him as it would seem to leak out even more. Eventually i learnt that if i kept his bib sort of bunched up under his chin it helped a lot, peolpe used to look at me like i was strange but it worked!  :wink: 

Shiela.... i wont be leaving the doctors surgery until i get some answers, i have had to feed him in his chair all day today, i want to hold him and cuddle him :cry: !!!

I have just fed him and had to have him with his back to me with his head leaning on my shoulder! thats the only way he would feed happily.


Thanks again xxxxxxxxxxxxx

[notenoughshelfspace]

The fact that he is only happy eating when sitting up also sounds like reflux to me. I am on PLaytex bottles with the disposable insters and they are great because you can squeeze the air out of them and they collapse as the baby eats so they do not gulp as much air. Keep us posted with what the doctor says

[kellyhushhh]

Will do thank you x