I’m lost please help!!

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Forum -> Parenting our children -> Infants

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amother

Sun, Mar 10 2024, 8:38 pm

My baby (4 months old) just will not eat.
She was an amazing eater when she was born. Always was formula fed. All of a sudden around 3.5 months old she stopped eating. She fights every bottle (except if it’s late evening and it’s a bottle I wake her up to eat. Those she usually eats pretty nicely although sometimes she fights that one too)
She usually gets down 5 oz (should be 6) but this is after around an hour of fighting for her to eat. She used to finish entire bottles in minutes!! I’ve tried everything
Changing formula
Change bottles
Feed closer together
Feed further apart
Giving her breaks
Propping her bottle (this is her fave way to eat it’s usually how I get 4 of the oz down)
Not propping her (at night she usually eats very nicely in my arms)
Distracting her while she eats
Keeping the room completely silent.

A typical feeding looks like this: we start. Sometimes she’ll take half a oz when I hold her sometimes she off the bat refuses. I put her in the doona. She eats 2 oz. Burps. Refuses to eat. We try giving her breaks then feeding her and usually after 40 min are 4 oz down. Sometimes she’s done for the feeding. Sometimes after another 10 min break she’ll gobble down the remaining 2 oz. Sometimes she’ll just eat another 1-1.5 oz after a break. Every break I try to burp her.

I’ve spoken to her pediatrician who’s not too concerned since she’s gaining weight. In the meantime I’m at my wits end and looking for ideas
Looking for any and all advice!!

amother

Lightblue

Sun, Mar 10 2024, 8:40 pm

If she’s gaining weight and eating at some points why are you concerned? I mean I get it that she should be eating more, but what is worse case scenario? How many feelings less?

amother

Sun, Mar 10 2024, 8:43 pm

I’m concerned because this is a new development. There has to be something bothering her! She usually eats 26-30 oz when she should be getting 32. Again it’s not the amount it’s the fighting her bottle. I’m trying to get to the bottom of why she won’t take it!!
I forgot to mention that she was taking hemangeol for a strawberry mark. I took her off the medication since I thought that could be the issue but it’s been a couple days already and no change

amother

Wandflower

Sun, Mar 10 2024, 8:43 pm

Is she your first? Can she be teething? There’s so much development and change now.
I’d leave it for one week.
Not fight it and offer her regular feedings at regular times. No twisting and no forcing. No song and dance.
Weigh her if you want to before she starts, and take notes during the week, and after a week see what happens.

This felt like a Dolly post 😂

amother

Sun, Mar 10 2024, 8:44 pm

It’s been going on for a month and a half already!!

amother

Sun, Mar 10 2024, 8:46 pm

And yes she’s my first lol

amother

Wandflower

Sun, Mar 10 2024, 8:47 pm

Why are you waking a 4 month old for a bottle?
I don’t bottle feed but I doubt it’s different than nursing in that sense- I don’t wake up my babies at that age unless they’re dehydrated.
Maybe more experienced bottle moms can chime in.
If she is gaining weight it’s ok. 🤷‍♀️

amother

Wandflower

Sun, Mar 10 2024, 8:48 pm

amother OP wrote:

And yes she’s my first lol

It feels like they change things up every other day at this stage. 😝

amother

Sun, Mar 10 2024, 8:49 pm

I’d rather not derail this thread with questions about my feeding methods… yo answer just you - I put her in at 8 and feed her at 1015 and 1230 (adapting the baby whisperer method to my needs) and she then sleeps till 8. But not the point and happy to answer these questions in a dif thread

amother

Sun, Mar 10 2024, 8:49 pm

amother Wandflower wrote:

It feels like they change things up every other day at this stage. 😝

Nope. She’s consistently fighting her bottle!

amother

Turquoise

Sun, Mar 10 2024, 8:55 pm

have you changed the newborn nipple to the next size? could be it's coming out too slow and the baby is getting frustrated with it. my sis in law had the exact same problem as you and once she changed the nipple to the next size, her baby started taking the bottle again.
also make sure they don't have thrush which can cause sucking to be painful

amother

Wandflower

Sun, Mar 10 2024, 8:55 pm

amother OP wrote:

it’s part of it though. Because I wonder where you’re getting the feeding schedule from and perhaps baby doesn’t want or need that feed then. It’s all a delicate dance. It’s not meant to be a rigid schedule and if you follow The Baby whisperer you for sure know that.
So I think it actually might be a hint to what’s going on.
But it might be something completely different. I just think it’s all part of it.

amother

Sun, Mar 10 2024, 8:56 pm

Yes she’s on level 2 which is for 3 months plus. (Switching it helped for a day or so and then stopped)
How would I know if she has thrush?

amother

Sun, Mar 10 2024, 8:57 pm

amother Wandflower wrote:

She takes those bottles best. It’s the rest that are the biggest problem!! And I’ve tried feeding her at dif time points but it still doesn’t help

amother

Oatmeal

Sun, Mar 10 2024, 9:02 pm

It sounds like a behavioral aversion.

Read this.
https://courses.babycareadvice.....rsion

If it resonates, she has an excellent book on the topic. Also does coaching.

amother

Seablue

Sun, Mar 10 2024, 9:05 pm

Teething or too much food

amother

Zinnia

Sun, Mar 10 2024, 9:09 pm

My baby did this at around that age. But he's my fourth so I didn't even blink lol. It passed after a while but it had a lot to do with environment. Sometimes he wouldn't eat when his siblings were around because they were too distracting, other times he only ate when they were around because they were distracting him 🤷‍♀️ go figure.
However, I would definitely not feed a 4 month old 2 night feeds! Especially if they use the night feeds to fill up on daytime calories. Maybe drop one and see if it helps.

amother

Seagreen

Sun, Mar 10 2024, 9:15 pm

Just chiming in my daughter did this. And was also my first and I freaked out but really it’s normal for them to take less calories - as long as they are growing.

She only took bottles at night and on walks. Some days as little as 16 oz in 24 hours!! I went to the ER but they laughed at me. Started her solids at 5 months and she was a rockstar eater- she ate three meals at 7 months. Continued offering bottles (basically took them at night) and mixed formula into her breakfast oatmeal. Stopped bottles at a year and never missed them:)

amother

Seagreen

Sun, Mar 10 2024, 9:16 pm

amother OP wrote:

26-30 is a very normal amount why would you think she alway has to eat the max she ever ate?

amother

Broom

Sun, Mar 10 2024, 9:37 pm

amother Seagreen wrote:

26-30 is a very normal amount why would you think she alway has to eat the max she ever ate?

They exactly. OP why do you think she ‘has’ to take 32 Oz? Frankly she can pickup on your anxiety about her feeding. A calm, confident mom is what your baby needs. Stop focusing on the minutia of a few ounces if she’s well appearing and if her growth is good

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