Feeding Schedule..

We saw the GI doctor yesterday and started adding beech nut rice cereal to the formula for the girls, and we doubled their zantac dose. The rice doesn't make the formula very thick or change the consistency of the formula at all, it's still very thin. However, the girls have only been eating about 2-3 ounces whereas they usually eat anywhere from 2.5-4.5. When we brought them home from the hospital I had them on a very strict 3 hour schedule, but for the last week I've been trying to allow them to dictact when they're hungry in order to get them to sleep longer and soon transition into STTN. Well, I would say yesterday I really starting noticing a big sleep difference. The older and bigger twin (she's 8.15lbs) has slept for much longer periods and I've found myself waking her up to eat, and then she hardly eats. The littler twin usually always wakes up between 3 to 4 hours. Last night at 9pm the bigger ate 3.5 ounces and she slept until 3am- I woke up and panicked because she hadn't eaten in 6 hours!! AHHH! The littler twin was still sleeping as well, I thought my clocks were playing tricks on me! Then they only ate 2.5 ounces at 3am and I woke them up at 7 to eat- they ate 3.5 ounces and fell right back asleep. What the heck!!

I'm worried that they're acting a little lethargic? I've posted before about their vomiting issue and possible reflux- but that's been going on for weeks, and I don't know why they would just now be showing signs of lethargy. What do you think? Should I just continue to eat when they want, but just make sure that they're getting double their weight in ounces throughout the day?

 

When we first started cereal we experienced a drop in oz's and then it picked back up. Personally, I would wake them to eat every 3 hours. Is the vomiting any better?

Keep an eye on their wet diapers.

:hug:

 

I don't have experience with reflux babies, but I agree with Becky to possibly keep waking them and keeping an eye on wet diapers. If you concerned about the lethargy, I would put in a call to your pediatrician. Good luck!

 

QUOTE(becky5 @ Apr 17 2009, 07:54 AM) [snapback]1277189[/snapback]
When we first started cereal we experienced a drop in oz's and then it picked back up. Personally, I would wake them to eat every 3 hours. Is the vomiting any better?

Keep an eye on their wet diapers.

:hug:


Nope. vomiting is still the same. Im taking them into the doctor in an hour. Im going to take a shot in the dark and have them refer us to someone who can test the girls for allergies, I dont know why. Its just something we havent tried yet.

 

Im not sure about the cereal, but my girls are reflux babies. They are on 0.5ml of zantac 2x a day. I always on demand fed my babies, letting them dictate when they were hungry. They started to STTN all of a sudden around 7 weeks, when we started to bathe them before going to bed, so they are getting baths every night. Really early on they started going longer before waking up again, sometimes 5 hrs. Now they are eating 4oz every 3 hours during the day on the dot practically, and then the last feeding they get 5 oz and they sleep from 9pm to 6:30-7 or so..


edited to fix word syntax

 

QUOTE(Kaie05 @ Apr 17 2009, 08:18 AM) [snapback]1277139[/snapback]
We saw the GI doctor yesterday and started adding beech nut rice cereal to the formula for the girls, and we doubled their zantac dose. The rice doesn't make the formula very thick or change the consistency of the formula at all, it's still very thin.


How much cereal are you adding to the bottles?

 

QUOTE(DATJMom @ Apr 17 2009, 02:41 PM) [snapback]1277767[/snapback]
How much cereal are you adding to the bottles?


I was wondering too. We had to add a lot to make it effective. What kind of formula are you on? For some reason I was thinking you were already on a hypoallergenic. Let us know how the appt goes. :hug:

 

QUOTE(becky5 @ Apr 17 2009, 03:21 PM) [snapback]1277952[/snapback]
I was wondering too. We had to add a lot to make it effective. What kind of formula are you on? For some reason I was thinking you were already on a hypoallergenic. Let us know how the appt goes. :hug:


We are adding 1/2 teaspoon for every ounce, and they're on Alimentum formula. We were told by the GI doctor to give them beech nut rice cereal and that should help with the vomiting, but the cereal is like the consistency of salt and it doesn't make the formula any thicker at all. I just got home from the pedi and I asked her if we could use the gerber cereal because it makes it a lot thicker and she was fine with that. So we are going to try that now. She also said that feeding them every 4 hours during the day is fine, and then letting them sleep for no more than 6 hours at night.
We got a really surprising info at the doctor just now so I'm going to make another post about it.

 

QUOTE(Kaie05 @ Apr 17 2009, 04:58 PM) [snapback]1278017[/snapback]
We are adding 1/2 teaspoon for every ounce, and they're on Alimentum formula. We were told by the GI doctor to give them beech nut rice cereal and that should help with the vomiting, but the cereal is like the consistency of salt and it doesn't make the formula any thicker at all. I just got home from the pedi and I asked her if we could use the gerber cereal because it makes it a lot thicker and she was fine with that. So we are going to try that now. She also said that feeding them every 4 hours during the day is fine, and then letting them sleep for no more than 6 hours at night.
We got a really surprising info at the doctor just now so I'm going to make another post about it.



Just as a comparison, we were adding 2.5 teaspoons per oz. So a lot more. You might find(at least I did) that the Beechnut goes through the nipples better, so that might be why he recommended that brand.