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Answers on a post card please!!

Help!!!

This last month Emilia has decided that milk is no good! I can barely get 120mls down her in one feed. This can now take up to an hour. I dont know if it something wrong with the milk, she just doesnt want it or need it?!

She was sixteen weeks yesterday and I would like to put off weaning her for as long as possible. Although I am not going to be pigheaded about it if that is what is recommended by the doc.

So ladies, with all your collective wisdom,can your think of any reason why she just wont feed!

I am completely scrubbed and scrubbed her bottles, teats, steriliser and kettle. I have changed the water we use. I have opened a new packet of milk, used liquid milk (this was slightly better). I have changed her teats, bought new teats to replace the one I just bought!! What else...adjusted the temp of the milk, winded her after half of the bottle, obviously winded her after and then tried again.. Tried gripe water to try and shift and wind that might be hiding. She has had a urine sample test - nothing. Been thourghly checked by two docs - nothing. She is perfectly healthy. She was weighed on the 1st of April and was 5kg. When she was weighed yesterday she had only gained 260grams. I havent done all this at once, these changed have been happening gradually over the coure of a month.

The doc recommended feeding her on demand again, so we did yesterday and today. It was even worse!! Yesterday she drank only 640mls of milk. Way below the recomended amount for her weight. the same today. So tomorrow I am going back to her routine of feeding at 7am, 11am, 2:15/2:30, and a split bottle at 5pm and 6:15pm (I only do this to get more lilk into her). Last bottle is at 10:15/10:30.
She is constanlty sucking her hands and licking the air, but when I offer her milk she takes about 90mls and stops.

She is showing no signs of teething and is perfectly happy in herself. In fact spends most of the day laughing at mummy!!!

She does suck very rapidly on the teat (fast flow) I was wondering if she is taking in to much air and not enough milk??? Might be that she is not giving enough of a break between sucks for the teat to refill, so she thinks she is full but its just air. But surely she would be upset with this?

She wont entertain a medium flow teat and gives up with a variflow after a couple of ozs.

So any ideas??

Sorry for long post but I am getting really worried about her - she sleeps at night, but I dont!!

Joanna xx

Replies

  • replied in baby the other day, but was just wondering how things are going for you?
    Liz x
  • I can't really help but I have read that showing a decreased interest in milk is a sign that they are indeed ready to start weaning?? Maybe try some baby rice as a sort of precursor to weaning properly? Lix x
  • emmy-lee went like this and my mum said i did when i started wanting food so i decided to give that a go as i was struggling to get more than 10oz into emmy over the course of 24 hours!

    she now has a spoonful of fruity porridge for breakfast and a spoonful of some puree at tea follwed by a spoonful of some fruity puree too. she also has 3 7oz bottles and a 5/6oz bottle a day again too. she even occasionally has a tiny drink of juice between dinner and tea too so i'm stick with the tiny bits of food xxx
  • Thank you ladies...I tell you I am going out of my mind with worry. Everyone here in Italy keeps saying dont worry about it....but I cannot sit by and watch my baby not take any milk. Each day she takes a little bit less. It is effecting her sleep, and although she is happy I know she is hungry. She wont have any hands left soon!

    I am bringing her back to the UK tomorrow so I can speak to a doctor who doesnt treat me like a neurotic idiot! I am unsure about weaning her, so I want to check there is no other reason as to why she is not taking her milk.

    Joanna x

    Thanks for your reply mybutler - it is nice to know I am not in this boat alone!! I tired the suggestion about feeding her in her chair, but this was just lead to her constantly jiggling around looking at what is going on!
    When you say Sara eats in two sittings do you make up two bottles or do you keep the same bottle warm? If so how do you do this? x

    [Modified by: joemoeuk on April 26, 2010 01:54 PM]

  • I make up 5oz bottles, and offer her it at say 2pm (as per routine) and she'll take probably 3oz, then I wind her, change her nappy if needed, have a walk around usually wait about half and hour or so before offering her the rest. If I don't wait and try to give it to her too soon she'll scream at the bottle!

    I pretty much make bottles up on demand, so the water i'm using is still warm from being boiled, so if its cold by the time I offer the bottle the second time I do tend to give it a few secs in the microwave (as its fresh its only like heating it for the first time IYKWIM!?!) Its prob frowned upon strictly speaking but atleast this way I'm getting something into her. She does only usually take another oz or so...basically each feed is like CLB split feed!!!

    Were you planning on returning to the UK anyway or are you concerned enough to make a special trip??

    ((((big hugs))))

    I take it Emilia is still having wet nappies etc? Fontanelle isn't depressed? How much has she taken so far today? Have you tried a diff brand of milk to see if its the taste?

    xxx
  • That pretty much what I am doing - She takes 3oz and then I leave it standing in warm water. It is still warm from being freshly made, and I figure I am not reheating it just keeping it warm!

    We are making a special trip - It is just not normal for Emilia to be this fussy with her milk. She was going great guns until a month ago and then suddenly she doesnt want any! I am really stuggling to communicate with the docs over here -they are quite old fashoned. I know they will prob say the same in the UK, but I need to know I have done everything to help her. Told you neurotic mummy!!

    Emilia will take between 600 and 650mls of milk in a 24hour period. Way below the guidelines. If it was only a bit below then I wouldnt worry, but she isnt putting on any weight.
    I have tried a different milk and it was the same. I am thinking about changing the bottle to see if that helps. next step will be giving her baby rice made with her milk.

    Joanna x
  • Was talking to my Mum about Sara taking less milk and she said I did the same around now and she started me on baby rice, obviously after visit to doc. So maybe its just her way of saying she's ready to munch properly?

    Really hope your trip is worthwhile and you get some answers, even if it is that she's ok and needs to start weaning. I can imagine its difficult being in a foreign country at a time like this - even though its home. You're right though 600mls, thats less than half the guide I think.

    Safe trip tomorrow...let us know what happens if you can get online, we'll be thinking of you
    xxx
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