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Infant feeding

Help me figure out what is going wrong

9 replies

popcorner · 12/02/2013 11:47

I am desperately trying to get things back on track with my 12 wk old DD. her weight gain is so slow to be almost static after initially gaining well. We all got a dose of norovirus when she was about 3 - 4 weeks old and things have just not been right since then.
I can get her to latch on well but she generally only feeds for about 3 minutes then off and the same pattern when I offer the other side. I keep trying to latch her back on but she will just suck a couple of times then off and after several attempts at this just turns away and refuses.
She never feeds to sleep, no cluster feeds in the evenings. Out of desperation I started to give her a formula feed in the early evening for the last 10 days, she takes this happily after a bf, but it has had no effect on her weight gain.
I have called one of the help lines and tried skin to skin and laid back position, but his just really stressed her out. HV just keeps telling me to give her more bottles.
I managed to feed DD1 for 13 months after a rocky start, I so want to find a way to do the same for DD2 but I just can't seem to make it work for her.
Can anyone help?

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MoreSnowPlease · 12/02/2013 12:09

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popcorner · 12/02/2013 12:32

I really don't know, it has been a couple of months now since I was ill, would my supply have sorted itself out in that time, or is it just dwindling down to nothing?
Have managed to express with no problems, but am getting myself in a bit of a state not knowing what is best - do I express for the bottle at night, stick with the forluma or just bin the bottles all together. My gut is telling me to ditch the bottles and the dummy, but I am too scared to be left with a screamy unhappy baby.

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MoreSnowPlease · 12/02/2013 12:51

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MoreSnowPlease · 12/02/2013 12:54

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tiktok · 12/02/2013 13:00

popcorner, need more details to help. Can you say

  • what the weight picture has been and is
  • how many times you bf in 24 hours
  • does she feed at night
  • if there is concern about her health/develpment
  • if there is any suggestion she might have some sort of oral anomaly
  • how much formula she has
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popcorner · 12/02/2013 14:03

Hi tiktok - to answer your questions
Her weight at birth was 3.85kg, 2 wks 4.32, 4wks 4.52, 8wks 4.82 10 wks 5.07 then today at 12 weeks 5.15kgs.
She feeds around 7 or 8 times a day, I have tried to offer more frequently but she rarely accepts - just seems to have a very brief snack - literally seconds then is turning away. She does feed at night - usually at about 10.30 then 3/4 then 6/7.
No concerns about development, she has been referred to get a lump on her spine looked at, but the GP assured me that this is nothing to lose any sleep over, just feels like something is out of alignement. I have found that she is more receptive to 'dangle' feeding than the cross cradle.
No suggestion of oral anomalies.
Formula feed has been a 200ml carton of actMil.

She just had her 12 week injections this morning and I have had difficulties getting her to fed at all ever since. Have given her 40 mls of expressed milk and now she is inconsolable and won't latch at all. I think I will pop her in the pram and get some fresh air before I start pulling my hair out.

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popcorner · 12/02/2013 14:08

Moresnowplase - have been bf her before the formula feed - as much as I can get her to take from me. I had hoped that my supply would have been well enough established to have adapted to this, but it is not looking like this is the case really.

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tiktok · 12/02/2013 14:43

pop looks to me she has dropped through 2 centile spaces, which is normally an indication to look more carefully (most babies are fine - the 'careful look' reveals nothing!). This is being done.

Strikes me feeding is just not happy or fulfilling for either of you, and that there could be stress and angst for both of you - she is not feeding v. often and only waking once at night, too. Would she resist more night feeding?

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popcorner · 12/02/2013 16:32

She had an extra feed last night, was up at 1 and 4 - definitely unusual for her, but am happy to give it a go and get her up for an extra feed.
She is a very contented and settled little girl, I think that is half the problem I am having, surely if she was hungry she would be letting me know all about it?
The HV has been asking me to get her weighed every two weeks, on the day she gets weighed I get all upset that she isn't gaining too well and
get myself in a flap about what to do about it. Started a ff as the HV suggested after the last weigh in and it has achieved nothing.
Should I stop getting her weighed so frequently?
I have made an appointment with the GP in a couple of weeks to get her checked over, just to be sure that there is nothing wrong that is being over looked.

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