Author Topic: I'm going insane with 3.5-mo hardly eating, HELP!  (Read 106514 times)

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Offline robinh13

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Re: I'm going insane with 3.5-mo hardly eating, HELP!
« Reply #30 on: July 24, 2007, 15:13:03 pm »
Hi ladies.....just read your posts, and i feel for you as i am having some serious issues feeding my twins.  didn't know if you had read the thread about dysphagia or not, but it can also be the cause of some feeding issues.  i know my girls are showing symptoms of it, so i will be checking it out further with their dr......just wanted to offer that as some helpful advice, and maybe something you hadn't read about......good luck and hugs!!
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Re: I'm going insane with 3.5-mo hardly eating, HELP!
« Reply #31 on: July 24, 2007, 19:09:30 pm »
Hi Pauline,

Sorry I did not get a chance to get on line yesterday.  I know the teething gel you are talking about , I used it for DS and it did seem to help at times. 

If you do think that she is extra fussy and seems to be a bit uncomfortable, you could always give her a dose of Calpol (paracetamol), this may help ease the discomfort.

Also, you might want to pop ont our Colic and Reflux boards, and see if anyone can give you any advice there.  I do know that when they suspected my DS with reflux that gave him gaviscon sachets to add to his milk.

https://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?board=13.0

Hugs, I am sorry to hear you are going through a rough time, I do hope things improve.
Thomas Michael - 12 July 2005
Abigail Louise - 23 October 2007

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Re: I'm going insane with 3.5-mo hardly eating, HELP!
« Reply #32 on: July 24, 2007, 21:09:14 pm »
Thanks Paula.  A friend of mine used the playtex bottles and has just finished with them and has offered them to me.  I don't want to change too many things all at once, but if it is reflux, do you think this type of bottle would help?  I am encouraged though, because she took to the new formula, like there was no change and has taken to the cup too and seems to enjoy the change.  So I think that weaning her onto solids might be OK and she may actually "enjoy" the process. 

I think both my husband and I are becoming more convinced that it's reflux.  I had terrible reflux for most of the pregnancy and had to cut out most root vegetables.  I know, a very strange food to give reflux.  It was the carrot soup I made that clinched it for me.  Also that sometimes when I'm feeding her she just isn't hungry and doesn't want what I'm trying to give her.  Who knows!!!!??

I'll have a look at that section of the site tomorrow.  I've been trying to find that section and couldn't find it, so thanks for link.

Thanks, I hope things improve too.
Pauline
Alice (30th March 2007)

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Offline grahamsmama

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Re: I'm going insane with 3.5-mo hardly eating, HELP!
« Reply #33 on: July 25, 2007, 12:50:04 pm »
I have never heard of a doidy cup before, but it seems cool!  I don't think we really have them for babies in the US.  Is this the same thing? (I like the idea and want to make sure I'm getting the right thing!!!)

http://www.amazon.com/Doidy-Childrens-Nosey-Cup-reduces-drinking/dp/B000LTEG4G

Meghan has been on her reflux medicine, Zantac, for a week.  She is a happy spitter.  She is still spitting up a lot, but doesn't seem bothered by it.  The feeding, however, hasn't improved much.  It isn't like she's in pain, just full, I think.

Offline Lippy Chick

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Re: I'm going insane with 3.5-mo hardly eating, HELP!
« Reply #34 on: July 25, 2007, 14:06:47 pm »
Yeah, that's it. They have a wide range of colours.  I hadn't heard of them either until my Health Visitor mentioned it.  Tried it with some formula today and she didn't want it.  However, she didn't want her milk at all at that point.  So will try again tomorrow. 

Alice woke twice in the night last night.  At 12am and I put her back to sleep and then again at 1.50am.  So at that point my husband decided to feed her as she was probably hungry and she took a full feed.  Took an hour to get it into her.  If her feeds only went quicker she wouldn't be wasting so much energy on feeding and could have more play time.  Trying to pay more attention to what she's doing, I've noticed that she fusses quite a lot when she's about to wind and then is fine afterwards.

I agree that Alice just doesn't want to be bothered with eating, it's like she's full too.  Maybe it is this developmental thing that we just have to ride out.  As mothers though, we want to fix the problem when one arises to get our happy wee babies back.
Pauline
Alice (30th March 2007)

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Re: I'm going insane with 3.5-mo hardly eating, HELP!
« Reply #35 on: July 25, 2007, 14:41:40 pm »
Quick question.

If it turns out that she does have reflux, one of the ways to deal with it is to feed less more often.  Does this not turn the baby into a snacker, something I have been working hard for her not to become?  Then how do you transition to a 4  hour EASY?  Is a 4 hour EASY out of the question and you just have to wait until they settle on a routine when they start solids? 

Actually, there are quite a few questions in there.

Pauline
Alice (30th March 2007)

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Re: I'm going insane with 3.5-mo hardly eating, HELP!
« Reply #36 on: July 25, 2007, 19:21:34 pm »
Pauline,

I personally would not consider introducing solids at this stage.  The recomended age for introduction to solids is 6 months.  Their tummies are very sensative and can end up causing digestion problems.  I would definitely discuss this with your HV before any introduction to solids.

Some lo's that suffer with reflux are able to go onto a 4 hour easy once they are established on their meds.  Your best bet is to probably scan through a few posts on the colic and reflux boards to see what other mums are doing.

Have you discussed the possibility of reflux with your GP / Health Visitor?
Thomas Michael - 12 July 2005
Abigail Louise - 23 October 2007

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Re: I'm going insane with 3.5-mo hardly eating, HELP!
« Reply #37 on: July 25, 2007, 20:49:37 pm »
I'm going to give the HV a ring tomorrow and have a chat about it with her. 

I agree that it's too soon to put her onto solids, I don't think she's anywhere near ready for that yet.

I was hoping to be starting the whole transition to a 4 hour EASY already, but this not eating has really thrown her off course.  I barely slept at all last night, it feels like when she was first born, really regressing. 

The great thing is that she's going to be having her next set of jabs on Tuesday, which she hasn't taken well to so far and really throws her out for about a week afterwards.  So we'll have that to contend with as well next week.
Pauline
Alice (30th March 2007)

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Re: I'm going insane with 3.5-mo hardly eating, HELP!
« Reply #38 on: July 25, 2007, 20:53:40 pm »
Awww hugs hun.  I would definitely chat with the HV about the possiblity of Reflux, and would not leave there without any answers.

Please let us know how you get on tomorrow.

Will be thinking of you.
Thomas Michael - 12 July 2005
Abigail Louise - 23 October 2007

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Re: I'm going insane with 3.5-mo hardly eating, HELP!
« Reply #39 on: July 25, 2007, 23:40:42 pm »
Oh, Pauline, I know how you're feeling.  Meghan has her shots next week too.  You know, I'm seriously considering postponing them until this other stuff is under control.  I'm wondering how we'd know if she had a reaction to the shots if she's already having issues.  We'd be off schedule, but I don't think a month delay would have too many health consequences. 
I'm going to try the doidy.  My bigger two kids don't drink well from regular cups yet, they're very messy, so I might just try it for all three of them!
We can't start a 4 hour EASY yet, but a lot of babies grow out of the reflux eventually anyway, so at some point we'll probably get there- who knows when, though.  She is on more of a 3.5 hour schedule.  Occasionally she'll push it to 4 hours.  I've started to wait until she "tells" me she is hungry for most of the feeds, figuring she'll take a bit more if she is actually hungry.   I still cluster feed her at night so that she'll get 6 feeds in a day.

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Re: I'm going insane with 3.5-mo hardly eating, HELP!
« Reply #40 on: July 26, 2007, 13:35:32 pm »
I've been considering postponing her jabs too.  Figure that I might as well get it all out of the way though.

At the moment Alice is more like 2.5-3 hours, she was more like 3-3.5 before all this.  She slept through again last night, but woke up about 20 mins after going to sleep initially and had to be put back to sleep.  She woke this morning at 6.40am.

Anyway.  Spoke to the HV today and she said to continue doing everything I'm doing and we'll see how she goes in the next week.  She does seem a bit calmer, but still not taking her food well at all.  The HV said that she can't reassure me enough that loads of parents go through this type of thing at this age and that it will pass and she will settle back down again soon.  I asked about the reflux and she said to give the Comfort formula another week to go through her system and we'll see how she is next week.  She said that if she is still showing signs of reflux I should then go to the GP and try some baby Gaviscon.

I thought about waiting a bit longer between feeds too, but she sleeps so little that by the time she is being fed she is so tired she can't feed and falls asleep.  I do think that some of it is down to the fact that she rarely sleeps longer than 45 mins, however, yesterday she had two sleeps of an hour long each.

Paula, for some reason initially I thought you were in America, but now realise that you have a bit too much knowledge of UK based drugs and products and so must live over this side of the pond.

We really don't think she is teething now, because we haven't used the teething gel for a couple of days and it's made no difference.

Hugs gratefully received ;-} 
Pauline
Alice (30th March 2007)

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Re: I'm going insane with 3.5-mo hardly eating, HELP!
« Reply #41 on: July 26, 2007, 19:24:18 pm »
Awww hun, I really don't know what to say.  I was hoping that you were going to come back from the HV with a few more answers.  Sending you loads of hugs.

The only thing you can really do is give the new formula another week, and see how she goes.

If you find that your lo cannot handle the A time of a 3.5 hour easy or 4 hour easy, you could always try doing a bit E A S A E etc, and see how you get on that way.

It is not uncommon for the easy routine to look something like that until your lo can handle the extra A time.  Might be worthwhile giving it a try.

Where abouts in the UK are you Pauline?  I am in Cheshire - near Liverpool.
Thomas Michael - 12 July 2005
Abigail Louise - 23 October 2007

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Re: I'm going insane with 3.5-mo hardly eating, HELP!
« Reply #42 on: July 26, 2007, 20:02:39 pm »
I am so very glad that you have posted this as a sticky!  I have been having similar problems with my almost 15 week old, however he is breastfed so I can't tell how much he is taking.  All I know is it is quite a struggle sometimes to get him to stay latched on long enough to get a full feed.   He just seems too interested in everything else around him.  He will pop off after the first 5 or 10 minutes and start smiling, talking, sometimes whining and after that it is a struggle to get him to stay on for more than a minute or so.  I do hope this is a phase.  I have tried putting the burp cloth over his eyes and that helped a little although one time it made him fall asleep  :)  I will keep visiting this thread and hopefully this really is developement and will pass very soon!!  I too do not want ds to start waking in the night for feeds again.  He just recently started sleeping through until at least 6 am (I like 7 better but hey, I take what I can get) but last night he was awake at 4:30 and fed. ARG!!  Hope you ladies are doing better!!





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Re: I'm going insane with 3.5-mo hardly eating, HELP!
« Reply #43 on: July 26, 2007, 21:10:33 pm »
Hi Anne Elizabeth.  Welcome to our none feeding babies rant.  Alice started doing this two weeks ago just before she was 15 weeks (she'll be 17 weeks tomorrow, Friday) and am hoping that she'll start to settle down soon.

She didn't sleep all that well today, so we'll see how we go tomorrow.  I'm finding that because her feeds are taking so long at the moment, I'm not really getting out of the house, because then it's time for a bit of activity and then wind down and bed.  I got out this evening while husband was feeding Alice and putting her to bed.  Bless him, he's put her to bed every night since this started, to give me a break.  We normally take it in turns. 

I got those playtex bottles from my friend this evening.  Might not use them for about another week or so just to give her that time on the new formula.  Also we've started reducing her colief, in preparation for potentially using the gaviscon.  Don't want to go "cold turkey" on the colief and then give her loads of chemicals etc.  My mum is convinced she needs solids "you were all on the spoon by the time you were weeks old and it didn't do you any harm".  I really do want to wait and not give her any just yet.

Paula, I live just outside Newcastle Upon Tyne on the coast.  Thankfully, although loads of rain, no flooding!!

Pauline
Alice (30th March 2007)

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Re: I'm going insane with 3.5-mo hardly eating, HELP!
« Reply #44 on: July 27, 2007, 20:47:59 pm »
Just as a quick update.

We've had a bit of a better day today. She's taken all of her feeds within 45 mins and has taken good amounts in each.  Still not as much as she was taking, but we feel a bit happier today.  Also she went down to sleep easier last night and tonight.  Don't know if this is the start of her getting back on track, we'll see how tomorrow goes.  It would be nice to feel like I could have friends round again.

Pauline
Alice (30th March 2007)

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