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Feeding issues - any advice welcome
Hi all.
I was hoping for some advice from you girls as I keep getting conflicting opinions from health visitors - ggrrr.
My LO has been on Aptamil since she was 5 days old (after I gave up breast feeding) and has rapidly progressed from 3oz to 7oz bottles - she is 6 weeks tomorrow so I know this is a lot for her age. She has between 5-6 bottles a day and usually goes about 3 and a half to 4 hours between feeds, longer at night. These last few days she has started to drain the 7oz bottles every time and seems to still be hungry aferwards so I am wondering whether I should increase to 8oz (which seems excessive) or try hungry baby formula - HV told me not to try hungry baby as it can make them consiptated and has no extra nutritional/calorific value so I am now wary about this and have resisted so far.
LO has always been a sickly baby and at least one bottle a day she seems to throw the majority of it straight back up - over the last few days it had got a bit better but today she's thrown up most of the last 3 bottles. I therefore know she isn't getting the full 7oz each time. The advice from the HV when I told her this was to try and reduce her to 5oz and feed more often to try and reduce the sickness, whioh seems sensible advice - however, this is nigh on impossible as she screams when you take the bottle away and is then miserable and dissatisfied between feeds. I also don't see how it can reduce the sickness as quite often she is sick after the first ounce anyway. And there are also bottles each day where she does manage to keep the whole lot down.
As well as all this, we have some very loud and excessive moaning and groaning after and between feeds, which is particularly bad at night. It sounds like she is uncomfortable and straining, every now and then a particulaly loud groan results in a fountain of sick being produced so I can often predict when to get the muslin cloth ready. I am not exaggerating when I say the moans and groans are unbelievably loud, they keep us awake and seem to last for hours - last night hubby slept in the spare room to get some rest and still heard them from there. My MIL says it is just her, she is just a loud baby and if she was in pain she would be crying, rather than groaning but she does seem very uncomfortable - HV says moaning and groaning is normal but how do I know this level of groaning is normal when I have nothing to compare it to.
I have tried all the usual things to help the digestion process easier - keeping her upright after feeds, winding often, Infacol, tilting moses basket up, but none of these have reduced the sickness, although the Infacol does result in a few good burps during the bottle. We were also prescribed Gaviscon a while back but this just seemed to make the sick thicker rather than reducing it.
Apart from this, we have a very healthy contented baby who is gaining weight, holding her head up already, smiling a lot, very alert etc etc. I don't think it is reflux or colic as she doesn't cry inconsolably, doesn't go purple and the sick isn't projectile, though sometimes she does manage to hit the floor from the sofa.
What are your views ladies? Is she allergic to something in the formula or do you think the Aptamil doesn't agree with her and we should try a different brand? Does this sound like a lactose intolerance or is it just part and parcel of her little tummy getting used to digesting? Again, HV said don't switch brand as they are all much of a muchness, just marketed differently. I just want my LO to enjoy feeding time and to try and reduce the discomfort somehow.
Thank you for your advice, I know we are all very busy and sorry I didn't mean for this post to be this long.
xxx
I was hoping for some advice from you girls as I keep getting conflicting opinions from health visitors - ggrrr.
My LO has been on Aptamil since she was 5 days old (after I gave up breast feeding) and has rapidly progressed from 3oz to 7oz bottles - she is 6 weeks tomorrow so I know this is a lot for her age. She has between 5-6 bottles a day and usually goes about 3 and a half to 4 hours between feeds, longer at night. These last few days she has started to drain the 7oz bottles every time and seems to still be hungry aferwards so I am wondering whether I should increase to 8oz (which seems excessive) or try hungry baby formula - HV told me not to try hungry baby as it can make them consiptated and has no extra nutritional/calorific value so I am now wary about this and have resisted so far.
LO has always been a sickly baby and at least one bottle a day she seems to throw the majority of it straight back up - over the last few days it had got a bit better but today she's thrown up most of the last 3 bottles. I therefore know she isn't getting the full 7oz each time. The advice from the HV when I told her this was to try and reduce her to 5oz and feed more often to try and reduce the sickness, whioh seems sensible advice - however, this is nigh on impossible as she screams when you take the bottle away and is then miserable and dissatisfied between feeds. I also don't see how it can reduce the sickness as quite often she is sick after the first ounce anyway. And there are also bottles each day where she does manage to keep the whole lot down.
As well as all this, we have some very loud and excessive moaning and groaning after and between feeds, which is particularly bad at night. It sounds like she is uncomfortable and straining, every now and then a particulaly loud groan results in a fountain of sick being produced so I can often predict when to get the muslin cloth ready. I am not exaggerating when I say the moans and groans are unbelievably loud, they keep us awake and seem to last for hours - last night hubby slept in the spare room to get some rest and still heard them from there. My MIL says it is just her, she is just a loud baby and if she was in pain she would be crying, rather than groaning but she does seem very uncomfortable - HV says moaning and groaning is normal but how do I know this level of groaning is normal when I have nothing to compare it to.
I have tried all the usual things to help the digestion process easier - keeping her upright after feeds, winding often, Infacol, tilting moses basket up, but none of these have reduced the sickness, although the Infacol does result in a few good burps during the bottle. We were also prescribed Gaviscon a while back but this just seemed to make the sick thicker rather than reducing it.
Apart from this, we have a very healthy contented baby who is gaining weight, holding her head up already, smiling a lot, very alert etc etc. I don't think it is reflux or colic as she doesn't cry inconsolably, doesn't go purple and the sick isn't projectile, though sometimes she does manage to hit the floor from the sofa.
What are your views ladies? Is she allergic to something in the formula or do you think the Aptamil doesn't agree with her and we should try a different brand? Does this sound like a lactose intolerance or is it just part and parcel of her little tummy getting used to digesting? Again, HV said don't switch brand as they are all much of a muchness, just marketed differently. I just want my LO to enjoy feeding time and to try and reduce the discomfort somehow.
Thank you for your advice, I know we are all very busy and sorry I didn't mean for this post to be this long.
xxx
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Replies
we had the sick problem with Bella on SMA to the point that at least 2oz was coming up every feed she has 5oz and was feeding every 2-5 hours. We got told to stick with it as she was just a sicky baby.
I changed her milk to Cow and gate and she is loads better and now keeps down the majority of her feed rarely sicking any up. We also give her infacol to help her with her wind.
i'd follow your own feelings, that what we did and she loads happier
anyway, when she went on to it, we had projectile vomiting, but it also conincided with a growth spurt, we've just had another one and a few episodes of projectile but not too bad. she is on 6oz bottles and will drain those a couple of times a day, but she does tend to take them in stages and will come off the bottle herself for a wee break after 2-3 oz ( she did this when breast feeding as well). after 6oz she will sometimes look for more usually in the evening, but we've learnt, after a few evenings of being covered in sick that she just eats and eats sometimes, and her wee stomach just can't cope, so up it comes! so i try to keep winding her and distracting her if she's rooting for more, give it while and if she's still rooting, i give her some more, but only let her have an oz or so at a time with plenty of breaks for winding to help her body cope with the volume!
she is also a grunter, but its a sign of wind for her.
she's been in infacol since just after we started with the bottle as we couldn't get any wind from her in the beginning, cue much sick and unsettled nights, it has helped, but in the last week i think she has had a bit of tummy ache with wind so ive upped the dose to two before every feed and she's farting a lot more, but still strugging to get wind up. it's never ending isnt' it!
sorry if ive rambled, i know some people have success with comfort milk, i think aptamil do one?
good luck xx
sorry to hear how your LO one is that cant be any fun for you both,...
i think you should try a change of formula rather than the swith to hungry baby milk...neither are really recommended by HVs but its the advice i would give a mum i was visiting as yes changing can cause problems e.g vomiting and loose stools (hungry baby more likely to make her constipated and give her a wee sore tum - which if she is already groaning a bit she could have which is why i would try a change of forumla first - or onto the comfort milks instead and see how that went?) all milks have the same ingredients in them more or less they are just made ever so slightky different so where as they have the same things in them 1 formula wont always agree with one baby and so its a case of trial and error...aptamil is quite a 'watery' milk and tends to give lose stools where as sma alot of mums i see who use that tend to see their babies get constipated as its quite thick so maybe you could try a change to cow and gate? at the wosrt if it doesnt agree with your little one you arent going to be any worse of are you?
i would also agree with trying to feed a smaller amount more often but if thats virtually impossible then you have to try something else - are you sure she is hungry though and not crying cause of a sore tummy or trapped wind or just because she wants to suck? Megan doesnt take a dummy and sometimes after a feed she will get a bit gurney and cry and i know its just that she wants to sook as she will try to suck her scratch mittens then stops and forgets she was crying so distraction may work but i guess you have prob tried that? could you not give her some cool boiled water after a reduced feed to pacify her a bit more if need be?
i think that the amount of milk is the issue if she is having 7oz then she is having way more than the 'recommended' amount and while i would say to mums go with what your baby wants as by following a babies lead its virtually impossible to over feed them - i would only say that if feeds where tolerated and this doesnt seem to be the case with your lo...she could be not recongisning when she is full and so taking too much and over the course of the day her tummy is getting fuller and sorer and then that builds up and doesnt go away hence she may be grisly alot of that makes sense?
That could also be why sometimes she is sick after the 1st oz as well?
i wouldnt think she was allergic or untolerant to the milk unless she was having really loose stools as well and was upset most of the time but from the sounds of things she is thriving and doing welll apart from your feeding issues? infacol didnt do anything for Megan when she was having colicy episodes and i switched to 'colosynth granules' (from boots but ??7.15 for a wee bottle) and so far she has been great on them the past 2 weeks but she hasnt been a sicky baby (she feeds 3hourly during the day and sleeps upto 7 overnight but feed wise she will take anything from 100mls to 200mls e.g if she took less at one feed or more before going to bed but her average is 4oz to 5oz - she is 6 weeks today)
ultimately all babies are different and from what i have said which prob isnt much help lol is what i would say 'professionally' but as a new (1st time) mum i would say go with what you think is best for your baby...but i wouldnt go with the hungry baby personally (although lots of mums do and swear by it) not until i had explored all other options...
sorry this is so long - i hope you find a solution soon!
good luck...
Lx
Last night we decided to switch to Cow & Gate to see if it makes a difference (although I've since read that Cow & Gate and Aptamil are exactly the same as made by same company) - hard to say so far, she's now in her moses basket after the first bottle this morning and is still moaning and groaning away. Hubby thinks she may be lactose intolerant (as she also farts a hell of a lot!) but having read about it on the web this morning that doesn't seem likely and I'm wary about willy nilly switching to soya.
I do try the dummy after a feed if she still appears hungry, and that worked last night so I need to remember to always have it to hand, however this morning she was finished after about 6oz so didn't need the dummy at all. I guess it's all trial and error!!
Thanks again for advice xxx
Sorry your little one is not well. Have you switched to normal cow and gate? Dylan was groaning away and had really bad wind issues so i switched him to cow and gate comfort. It for windy and colicky babies. It has made the world of difference. He has been on it for a week and we could tell the differnece in a couple of days.
Hope she gets better soon
xx
Bella also farts a lot (she is better with the cow and gate than when she was on SMA) but now it's normally when she is trying to bring up wind or after a bottle when she hasn't brought up any wind, if it doesn't improve i may see if i can get the comfort milk didn't know they did one my rubbish tesco only stocks certain stages.
i hope things improve soon and maybe the cow and gate will have some effect (as i said all milks are basically the same ingredients anyway so dont worry about what company makes them etc) they are just made ever so slightly differnt and thats what can have the varying effecs on different babies and you are right sometimes it is just a case of trial and error.....
as for trying soya milk - please dont as it doesnt have enough vitamins etc in it for and really isnt recommended at all- there are low lactose formulas available (and sma even do a lactose free version usually available to buy in bigger chemists but quite expensive and in a small tin - gps dont usually prescribe it) however, you can also get 'nutramagen' which is for infants with a cows milk allergy and enfamil made by the same company (you can look them up online) so if things persist you could always chat with your gp and see if you could maybe get a trial of one of these milks as they are probbaly more likely to prescribe one of these and often they are quite effective for babies? as far as im aware you can buy these milks over the counter too in alot of pharmacies but again quite expensive for the up keep...
See what your hv says and hopefully she can give you some useful advice but i would have a look at the other milks and see what she can advise about them as she knows your little one and then i would think about a gp visit to discuss things further if it persists (and you can rule out 'over feeding') - you can always get reffered for allergy testing but again dependent on the gp as they might want to wait til your LO is older and in alot of cases when babies have an intolerance to lactose after a short break off of the formula milk it often self resolves...
as you have changed milk already then i would give that at least about 5 days to see if the change has any effect unless she started to have really lose nappies or other significant changes...
sorry its a bit long winded again x
P.s As for farting alot - Megan does this loads as she is just quite a windy baby so i wouldnt necessarily worry about that...last night for the 1st time i noticed her making quite a few groany type noises in her sleep which she has never done before (she slept 8hrs) she had a dirty nappy this morning so i think it may have been her trying to poo as she hasnt for 24 hrs? what like are your LOs bowel habits? She will also be going through her 6 week growth spurt which might be why she wants more and you might find she starts to take less OZs by herself...
[Modified by: Lauz41 on July 30, 2010 12:08 PM]
Thanks for your contined advice girls. Lauz41 - she tends to have at least 2 dirty nappies a day, they are quite runny now and there's lots of it, always a kind of korma colour (lovely!). I think the groaning is associated with her trying to poo as quite often a particularly loud groan is followed by an explosion in her nappy (or a fountain of sick as I said before). I know this is quite common, but the groaning literally goes on for hours at a time, especially at night when she is lying on her back more.
I'll take your advice and monitor her on the Cow & Gate for 5 days, by that time we'll be due the 6 week check anyway so I'll mention the issues we've been having and see what GP advises. HV I spoke to this morning (not my usual one) said it is better to up to 8oz than give hungry baby formula but to only give the extra ounce if I really feel she's hungry. Last night she slept from 11.30pm ish til 6.30am (well, the moaning started at 4.30am and carried on til 6.30am when I fed her) so HV said she's obviously getting enough calories to see her through the night, and that it sounds like she's "stacking" through the day in order to go longer at night.
Maybe I just have a very loud, expressive baby and there's actually nothing wrong, but it does seem like she's in a lot of discomfort sometimes. Oh well, hopefully all will become clearer on Tuesday at 6 week check
xxx