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Infant feeding

7 week old feeding nightmare - help!

3 replies

Pinkslipper123 · 01/08/2014 16:40

Hi all
Thank you in advance for your help! I am a first time mum to a gorgeous baby girl. She's been formula fed on aptamil since birth. She was taking about 100-140ml 2.5-3 hourly for the past 2 weeks but over tha past 5 days, her intake has reduced to 100ml every 3 hours at a push! She falls asleep after about 80 ml and it takes an hour to finish the bottle. She's had some reflux so I hold her up for half an hour after feeds and she has a wedge pillow in her cot (gavisvon didn't help and I'm not keen on ranitidine). We thought she had wind so tried infacol - spat in out each time in a spectacular fashion and screamed! She won't tolerate gripe water either. She gets cranky in the evenings but not colic cranky. She sleeps 6 hours with no feeds overnight most nights - when she wakes for nappy changes she refuses the bottle.
We use dr browns bottles with level 1 teats and she has leaking from the sides of her mouth with these. Health visitor suggested going up to level 2 teats but she jokes with the faster flow. I've ordered some boots vari flow teats as they fit the dr browns bottles.
She's fallen off the 50th centile for weight but not crossed a centile.
I'm really worried about what to do! Should I feed her more often but little amounts as she spits up or should I go longer and give her more feed?? She was 3.49 kg at birth and is 4.5 kg now.
Thank you and sorry for the long post xx

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Hedgehogging · 01/08/2014 19:25

I'm willing to stand corrected but I think the advice is they should be taking around 150ml per kg per 24 hours. Which would mean 675ml for your LO over 24 hours. How many times a day is she feeding? 6 feeds a day including any overnight would work out at 112ml per feed so that actually sounds okay.

Sometimes with FF babies the reason they spit up a lot can be down to giving a bit too much rather than because of reflux.

Again though the important things are plenty of wet and dirty nappies and roughly tracking a centile- some wobbles either side are fine as long as she's not falling across centile lines.

I hasten to add though I'm not FFing my DD so I'm not sure what the advice on the formula is in terms of expected amounts so maybe await advice from some other posters!

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Hedgehogging · 01/08/2014 19:30

Oh, and I realise I haven't addressed many of the other concerns you have but maybe she's becoming more of a "little and often" lady so offering a bit more frequently might help? Also all the usual trick to try to wake her- tickling toes, stripping her down a bit, changing nappy mid-feed. Maybe feeding her just a little after a nap so she's less ready for more sleep too!

Good luck and congrats on your lovely DD Thanks

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Pinkslipper123 · 02/08/2014 03:31

Thank you hedge hogging. I'll try offering more often in case she prefers the little and often feeding. She takes 5 feeds during the day and 1 at night which is about 80 ml so total works out less than usual. I'll see how it goes today - fingers crossed she takes more!

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