I'm going insane with 3.5-mo hardly eating, HELP!

[Caramel01]

Hi, I've got a 3.5 month old and he's hardly eating either He wants to only drink small amounts about 2 oz at a time and as a result his naps are all over the place. He's been on Aptamil and i had to buy cow and  gate the other day as the shop didn't have the usual stuff, wonder if that's what's caused it? I feel like tearing my hair out as his night sleep has him waking ever 2 hours as well just to drink about 1-2 ozs and go back to sleep.  So I feel like a wreck! Any advice is most appreciated x

[* Paula *]

Hello Caramel01,

Welcome to the BW website.

Can you post what your routine looks like at the moment so we can have a look at it?

E - how much
A - how long
S - how long.

What size teat are you using?  Do you think your lo could be ready for the next size up?

[Caramel01]

Hello Caramel01,

Welcome to the BW website.

Can you post what your routine looks like at the moment so we can have a look at it?

E - how much
A - how long
S - how long.

What size teat are you using?  Do you think your lo could be ready for the next size up?

Hi Paula,
 Thanks for getting back to me.

At the moment it's so erratic as he hardly drinks much formula which isn't great

E: 2-3 ounces (dragged out over the whole A time)
A: 1.5 hrs
S: 30-40 mins each time

By the time about 6.30 p.m rolls round I've found myself getting exhausted and  he is too. We have a bath at about 6.30 and he falls asleep. Between then and 7 am he'll wake up about 3 times for a feed which again is a minimal amount each time.

I'm using the Avent size 2 teats for the last week as I thought he may need the upgrade and was getting bored with the size ones.

TIA x

[* Paula *]

Can you keep track of what a particular day looks like and post it for us, so that we can get a better picture of what your day looks like.

Post it in the format like above, so that we can have a look and see where your routine needs tweaking

i.e
E - 7:00
A - 7:00 - 8:30
S - 8:30 - to etc.

[Caramel01]

Hiya, apologies for the delayed reply I've been getting error messages for the last while when I've tried logging in!

So our day loosely looks like this based on today:

E:7 am-7.20 (about 2 oz)
A:7.20-8
E:8-8.15 (another 2 oz)
S:8.30-9/9.15
A: 9.15-9.45
E:9.45-10.15 (about 4 oz)
A:10.15-10.45
S:10.45-11.45
A:11.45-12
E:12-12.15 (about 3 oz)
A:12.15-12.45
E:12.45-1 (another 2 oz)
S:1-2
E:2-2.30 (4 oz)
A:2.30-3.15
S:3.15-4.15
A:4.15-4.30
E:4.30-4.45 (about 2 oz)
A:4.45-5.15
E:5.15-5.30(3 oz)
A:5.30-6
Bath and bedtime at about 6.30  with another 2 oz drunk just before bed.

E:11 or 11.30 p.m, 2 am, 5 am and the day starts again at 7

Sorry it's so long!

Thanks in advance again!

[* Paula *]

Hiya,

The website has been down for a week or so, this is why you were getting the error message.

Looking at your routine, I would say that your lo could do with a bit more A time.  I would try increasing by 15 mins and see how things go.

The 5am feed also seems to be interferring with your lo's intake, so would try and wean this feed, to ensure that your lo takes a full feed in the AM.  This will probably off set the rest of the day for better feeds and eliminate the snacking.

I would also aim to have your feeds at least 3 - 3.5 hours apart, moving to 4 hourly feedings by 4 - 4.5 months.  This way you an ensure that your lo is taking a full feeding.

[Maggiegreen]

I dont mean to piggy back on someone else post.  My son is doing the exact same thing as other mothers mention.  Does this seem to last until they are close to 4 mos.? My son is sleeping alot.  He takes 3.5 hours nap in the middle of the day.  I dont want to wake him, specially if this is a growth spurt.  But his feeding have been all over the place, he use to take close to 30 oz... now hes barley taking 20.  He would take 5 bottles of 6 oz. 

[* Paula *]

Maggiegreen,

A 3.5 hour nap in the middle of the day seems like a lot of sleep for one nap.  I would not let your lo sleep longer than 2 hours per nap, so that it does not end up robbing your lo's night time sleep-.

Can you post your routine so that we can see how it looks

E - how much
A - how long
S - how long

Also what size teat are you using?  Do you think your lo could be ready for the next size up teat?

[Nadia11]

I also have a 20 week baby who has not been interested in food for weeks. She fusses and screams and will happily play well past her feeding time. Its so bizarre. i thought all babies liked to eat. Apparently not. Hopefully this is just a phase although its been nearly two months now. Also in the last 3 weeks she has started waking every 2 hours in the night. Surely it is hunger so i breast feed her and she will only last a few minutes. Her weight gain is really slow so it feels like she is starving herself. My pediatrician said that some babies are like that (including his own) which made me feel better. I have started to wean her off as my milk supply is low thanks to her not feeding. Its a vicious cycle. She seems to enjoy the easy milk from the bottle so hopefully she will gain some weight.

[* Paula *]

Hugs Nadia11, can you post your routine so that we can see what it looks like?

E
A - how long
S - how long

[Anka]

You cannot believe how happy I now feel after reading the above posts. I have been crying several times today with frustration over my daughter just not wanting to take enough food. Same as you guys - she's 16 weeks, was eating between 180 and 200 at each feed and is now refusing after between 60 and 80 - pushing away, keeping her lips shut tight, crying, waving arms like crazy etc Now I know it's now just my child I feel much better and will not worry about it again for another while Thank you all!

[* Paula *]

Hi Anka,

Welcome to the BW website.

What size teat are you using for your lo?  Do you think you lo may be ready for a faster flow teat?

[Anka]

Hi Paula,

I'm using medium flow on a tommy tipee bottle. I will check today to see if I can find a fast flow one to try. What's most annoying is  that we used to have problems getting her to sleep and in the last two weeks her sleeping has been fantastic and now she's not eating instead. This is what her routine used to look like until last week:

8 - 8.30am: 180ml
8.30 - 10am: activity (baby gym, singing etc)
10-12am: sleep in her bed
12 - 12.30pm: 180ml
12.30 - 2.00pm: activity
2 - 4pm: sleep in her bed
4-4.30pm: 200ml
4.30-6pm: activity
6-6.30pm: sleep in sitting room (normally on me)
6.30-8pm: activity
8pm: 200ml before going to sleep in her bed
2am: 150-180ml feed
8am - start routine again

It was great for us and she was very happy too. Now it's all over with at least two feeds at night and messy sleep during the day. Fingers crossed that some teething gel and a new teat will help!

Annica

[* Paula *]

Looks like you have a good routine going.

I would defintley give the faster flow teat a try and see how you do.  My DD was on the fastest flow teat by the time she was 12 weeks.  The age on the teat is just  a guideline, some lo's move up quicker than others.

Keep us posted on how you get on.

[Anka]

Just a quick update from me. We have been experimenting with her eating issues over the last week and the only thing which seems to be in any way successful at the moment is feeding her in the dark bedroom - preferably when she's very tired or half awake. This leads me to believe that the issue with our daughter - Maya - is that she is now so excited about everything around her that food simply isn't worth bothering with anymore Half of the time she will try to start "talking" with the bottle in her mouth.  I'm hoping this passes soon as I'd like to be able to feed her outside somewhere again.

Anka