Help with Feeding!

Help!!

My twins are 6 months old and have had unpredictable habits!!

I breastfed until they were 4.5 months. Now that they're on bottles I was looking forward to more of a routine and knowing how much they are eating! Not the case though... recently my girls will not eat much all day! At most, they eat about 3-4oz every 3-4 hours and it takes about an hour to get them to eat that much. But at night it's a different story! They've been waking up every 3 hours and they will eat 6oz!! How do I get them to reverse their eating habits?

I started solids when they were 5 months. We are feeding them breakfast and dinner...but they really eat only about 2-3tbs at each meal.

Please help!

 

What size nipple are you using? It may be that they are tired from sucking so they don't eat as much and if it comes out too slowly it can take forever for them to eat a decent amount. That would be the first thing I'd try.

 

I agree with the nipple size. Going up a size might help. Also do they have reflux issues? That can cause slow feedings as well. And lots of times reflux babies eat better at night.

 

Yes I have increased their nipple size and it hasn't really helped.

Yesterday I decided not to feed them any solids to see if that would help them eat more formula...although they did not each much more formula, they did only wake once at night.

Also..that's interesting about the reflux. I believe one of the girls has it for sure..but the doctor refuses to see it. He says as long as she's growing and gaining weight, she doesn't have it. She is the smaller of the 2 by more than a pound, and does not gain weight as fast as her sister. Their 6month appt is next week and I really want to address the reflux. Will medication help her with eating?

 

That's BS IMO. Reflux is reflux. Mine both gained weight like champs, but once their reflux was treated with meds and cereal to weigh the formula down (we discovered this after seeing a Ped GI), eating became fun instead of a chore. I would definitely address it at their 6 month appt.

 

I agree with Rachel that that is crap, my dd ate well and gained well, but she was constantly grimacing, grunting, hiccuping, sleeping restlessly...etc. Reflux can ruin their esophagus if it goes untreated!

Bring it up again and stress that you think it's affecting eating. If he/she won't prescribe something (usually zantac is tried first, and if it doesn't work then prevacid), then request a referral to a pedi GI.

I would try to back off the feedings at night, start feeding an oz or two less than normal, and try to get them eating those extra oz's during the day. 6 months is also a common growth spurt, that can either increase feedings (as in add night feedings back in), or just throw them off altogether as their body focus's on growing instead of eating!