Feeding problems, revisited

Okay. one of my twins is a total pill when he eats. He's on Pepcid for "reflux", even though we're not 100% sure that's his problem. I have discussed this w/you girls at other times and have gotten wonderful advice, so here I go again....

He's 5 months old. I switched him from a Soothies bottle to Avent this past weekend and it seemed to work like a charm. But, suddenly he slipped right back into his old habits. He is NOT consuming the recommended amt. of formula that the pediatrician suggested he has... she said between 28-32 oz, and yesterday he hit only 26. The biggest problem the past 2 nights is that he is SLEEPING for his bedtime bottle at 9pm and won't drink more than 2 oz!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's driving me NUTS. Yesterday for his 2:30 bottle, he struggled with me for 45 mins and only drank 5 of the 7 oz. I poured for him.

This is what I've noticed...

If he is fussy, he won't eat.
If he is tired, he won't eat.
If you wake him up out of a good nap to feed him, he will eat the whole thing.
BUT, if there is NOISE he gets fussy and very NOSEY. This is what my DD did and she was a pill too!!!!!!!!

HELP ME!

 

26 is good! At least it was for my refluxers!! Those recommendations, are just that, recommendations. But, if it's not his normal amount, I can understand your worry. It was a good day, if I got the twins to drink 26oz in a day, most days, it was more like 22.


Are you on a 3 or 4 hour sched? Have you tried changing to a faster nipple?

 

Becky - I tried to go to a 5 hour schedule, and the guy only drank 18 oz, so yes, we're on a 3.5-4 hour schedule. I have not tried a faster nipple. Should I try stage 2 Avent? It's not too fast?

You made me feel better. Thanks.

 

Absolutely go up a size in nipples...I bet that is the problem!!

Glad I made you feel better! :blush:

 

Thanks, Becky - I will try it today - I hope he doesn't choke.

 

It might be too fast at first, because he is used to sucking so hard with the size 1's. But, don't give up, he will most likely get used to it, and drink better for you.

 

mine are total pills too when it comes to drinking, the only time they don't freak out is when they are half asleep. I use avent also, and did go up in nipple size, and they do drink more, but still freak out. The do best in their bouncies, and (I know this is weird) escpecially in the beginning of the bottle I sometimes have to pull it out so they can take a decent breath. Sometimes I am at my wits end. So we just struggle along, and hope that its all a phase, and that it please will end soon. :blink:

 

Question:

How concerned do we have to be about the amt. of ounces. Like Becky said, "26 oz is great, esp. for reflux". I am sooooooooo stressed out just counting the damn ounces everyday!

One more question:

For those who breastfeed, how do you know how many oz. your baby is consuming?

 

For my ds who has reflux, 26oz was amazing! <_< Sorry they are giving you a hard time with feedings, I know that feeling oh to well! Like the pp said, I put my ds in the bouncy seat and he has been eating a whole lot better...I think the incline is perfect. And also, I, too, take out the bottle if I see him gulping to much, just to let him catch his breathe. Good Luck! :hug99:

 

You snuck a question in!

I am a total oz freak! I was so stuck on how many oz, writing it down, etc. that I was losing my mind. I spent most of the day worrying. Then I had to stop. He was growing, gaining and happy...I think I was more of a problem then the reflux. I think they sense our anxiousness/worry...once I tried to relax, he seemed to do better. I guess as long as they seem content, not hungry and growing, then they should be okay. Plus my doc said at least 20-24 would be good for him since we were having such issues, so that did make me feel better.
I didn't breastfeed, so I can't help you there! Sorry!

 

QUOTE
I am sooooooooo stressed out just counting the damn ounces everyday!



I know exactly how you feel! I was constantly counting! :hug99:


As far as the bf'ing, they only way they could tell really, is weighing the baby before and after each feeding.

 

What about the fact that he's not drinking enough before bed? He's not angry or crying, he's SLEEPING. This has been the past 2 nights. This one stresses me out the most. If I put a gun to my head every time I said I was going to, I'd be dead 2,000 times already, lol.

 

No No, no guns to head! That would be messy!!!
What I did once they started falling asleep during their bedtime bottle was some rearranging of feedings! I started moving their feedings before we even started their bedtime routine. So instead of bath, jammies, bottle, bed..it was the bottle first, then bath, jammies, bed. It worked pretty good for them, plus it is one less habit I have to break them of later. So I would feed them starting at 5:30 and our routine started at 6 {or whenever I was done with the feedings} Now they don't associate bedtime with bottles being needed and they finish their last bottle.

 

Okay - well, right now our "routine" is that they eat at 5:30, then sit in their bouncys for about 45 mins. At 7pm, they go on the floor during the "bewitching hour" and let it all out..... roll around, scream, etc. Then they snooze a bit and at 9 they get their last bottle. After they eat (int heir bedroom), they get their sleep sacks zipped up, and lavendar lotion on their noses, and off to bed they go, w/the white noise machine, of course. Soooooooooooooo the nighttime routine hasn't been an issue except for the past 2 nights - he literally is in a coma!

Could this be a growth spurt?

 

Have you tried after the feeding at 5:30, go upstairs {or to their rooms} and get them in their jammies, zip them up and put them to bed? We never had to much of a problem with "bewitching hours" because ever since they were about two months old, we put them to bed at 6-6:30...we tried to "skip" that time being up. It didn't always work, but most of the time. Is he waking up to eat at 9? Or dreamfeed? If it's a dreamfeed, I would maybe try and let him go as long as possible, let him wake up for it. Sorry if I'm not helping. I'm trying to think of things! My memories are vague from that time! :lol:

 

OMG - I just replied and it disappeared, so I'll try my best to remember what I wrote, lol - still have preggie brain.

I am afraid to feed them last at 5:30, because for sure they won't have enough ounces for the day. ALso, I don't think they'd last till 6am or 6:30.

I'm also reluctant to put them down so early because our "routine" in the house is so rigid and our daughter goes to bed at 8 - I'm up for work at 5am and the twins wake at 6:30ish. So they eat then.
I hate schedules.

 

:hug99: I hear ya! I wasn't a big fan of schedules until the twins came!
They probably won't last til 6/6:30 but maybe if they wake on their own, say around 1ish, then they will finish their bottles? Again, sorry if this isn't much help, all these kiddos are so different! What I found was that when I dropped their dreamfeeding they woke up hungry and ate everything. And slowly through out the months they pushed it closer and closer to morning, on their own, until they weren't eating at night anymore {but this was like at 8 months, for us} One positive of putting them down earlier is that you get some one on one time with your older dd. For mine, they woke up at 7 no matter what time I put them down, so since 12 hours is the norm for night sleep, they may do better...but you have to do what works for your family. I hope that tonight they do better and finish their bottles!

 

I haven't quite been following this thread. But concerning the amount of oz they have to drink. The doctor told us that babies will eat what they need to eat, as long as it is offered to them regularly. Our dd's used to drink 24 oz per day 6X4oz and we could not get them to drink more. On their 3.4 month checkup they did not gain enough (it has to be around 2 lbs a months) The doctor really got me worried and told me that I had to feed them more often. We were feeding 2.5 - 3 hours. We tried for a couple a days, and they just left more in their bottle and still only drank that same amount. So after 2 days we stopped. We went for the 4.5 months checkup and they had gained 3 pounds each. The only thing we changed was the nipple and after about 2 weeks they are now drinking 5 - 5.5 oz per feeding. Anyway my point is that the babies will drink what they can drink and that's it. You can only force them so much, before they have a complete hairy coniption.
And I am afraid that eventually they just learn to hate it.

 

I am also a member of oz counters anon! My girls are small so I always worried about their intake. They suffered from bad reflux too. The only time they took 28-32 oz was at about 8 months and that only lasted a few weeks. They've always been closer to 20-26...and those were good days. We did a lot of sleep feeds at first. Anyhow, I was going to mention, if you don't want 5:30 to be their last bottle why not try to move bedtime up by 15-30 minutes and see what happens. It worked for us. Now at night they take 8oz and pass out! They NEVER eat that much during the day at once.