@kcollins14 It's a bit the nuclear option but see if you can get samples of amino acid formula from your Dr. Ours got us 2 cases of Elecare. It's prescription only but also not covered by insurance and like $1-2 an OUNCE. which is disgusting, but it's super duper hypoallergenic. Moreso than the hypoallergenic/extensively hydrolized formulas (nutramigen etc). If you go that route, you should see reflux get better in a few days. Any lower GI trouble may take longer since the gut needs to heal, but the amino acid formula can help with that as well since it's so broken down it doesn't take the GI tract any effort to digest it.
Good luck! it's a tough road but you're doing great.
(also just FYI if you have a little one with tummy issues, be prepared for the rotavirus vaccine. It's live attenuated virus so it can give them some GI upset and can exacerbate any issues that are already happening. It's short term tho and definitely worth it for the protection!)
@kcollins14 Mine at 6-7w was doing 2 or 2.5oz and she feed 6-7 times per day. Then the oz intake go up over time. Each baby is different. Currently my lo sleeps more and feed from bottle less but direct breastfeeding more. We lost one or two oz in weight but keeping track til it alarming then we find a solution.
@kcollins14 my baby is 2 months and barely finishes 2.5-3oz each feeding. there’s times she only has 1oz but then for the next feeding she’ll finish 3oz.
I went through a week or so that I was also worried about her not eating enough and I almost caused a bottle aversion. it was a struggle at EVERY single feed. eventually I said I wasn’t going to cause her to start thinking of eating as this horrible experience of me trying to force her to eat. I now let her eat until she starts pulling away from the bottle.
@kcollins14 7lbs12oz at birth, 8lbs at first appointment, 9lbs at her one month appointment. (I don’t know her current weight because we have her 2m appointment coming up) the pediatrician is happy with her weight gain.
also keep in mind the number of wet diapers your baby has a day and if they’re pooping normally. I tried not to worry too much when she went through a period of not wanting to eat much because she was still peeing and pooping like she normally does. if there is significant decrease in wet diapers that can indicate that they’re dehydrated.
@justawitness Thanks! She has about 6-8 poops a day and 7-9 pees. So I think she is eating enough but all the anecdotes and curves and guides seem to suggest that she may be undereating.
@kcollins14 wait for next appointment and see how everything goes then. you can discuss with your pediatrician what’s next steps for trying to get baby to gain weight. in the meantime I’d say try not to force baby to eat, you may possibly create a bottle or feeding aversion and then that’s very difficult to get rid of.
once i stopped trying to force baby to eat more, feeding slowly got easier and it wasn’t a horrible experience for the both of us.
@kcollins14 Don’t worry so much if bubs not hungry shes not hungry don’t force feed her, when she’s done let her be done, as long as she’s gaining and not falling to far in percentile she’s fine, just work with her doctor
@kcollins14 My little guy was born at 2 percentile and is still on that curve at 6 weeks. he’s easily downing 3.5 without much of a fight. He has always had a big appetite.
Have you tried different bottles? We were having dribble at Mitch Dr browns and I switched to avent bottles and we’ve had virtually no dribble while he’s awake, different story when he’s sleeping though!
She may also be intolerant to whatever you’re feeding her.
Def talk to your doctor, and remember that comparing weights on different scales isn’t necessarily accurate due to variation!
@kcollins14 My baby does similar things (pushing nipple out with tongue, arm flailing) when the gas from the first half of the meal starts to hit her. I usually try to distract her from the discomfort. Learning to bounce or walk with her WHILE she finished the bottle helped soooo much. Sometimes it takes some pretty vigorous bouncing but it will get her to reattach. If she falls asleep mid-feed I move her to her crib to sleep and she’s guaranteed to wake in 10 minutes if I’m not with her, so then we try again after the micro nap.
It’s much better now at 11 weeks. But man it was painful and sad feeding her for a while. I’d talk to your ped for sure
@kcollins14 We changed bottles and it helped alot. Got ones with a wide brim, soft texture that resembled a boob and things got much better. Sometimes she eats 60, sometimes 90 and sometimes (evening) not even 20.
