If It Weren't For The Baby...

[Heidi]

Seriously, he never gets enough to eat!

Up at 6:15, drinks 4-6 oz.
Crabby at 7:30. Nap 7:30-8:30, wakes up screaming. Change diaper, talk to him...

Nothing will satisfy him until he gets a bottle. Drinks 6 oz, but it takes 45 minutes of drinking 2 oz, burping, lygagging. Put him down (actually in an exersaucer so he's upright)...scream. Pick him up...**** on bottle like he's starving. Repeat until he drinks 6 oz.

Now he's been awake an hour or so, so it's nap time again...nap 10-11

wake up screaming, same as before....

Now it's 12:15, and I'm trying to finish lunch with everyone else while feeding him in intervals, then get diapers changed and everyone to bed. He mostly fusses or screams unless he's got a bottle in his mouth during that time. Not a pacifier, only a bottle.

12:30, get him ANOTHER bottle, to top him off. He'll usually take 4 oz. with one burp in between. Then, off to bed. He'll sleep until 3:30 this time (yeah) most days. Wakes up screaming...

back to diaper change, talking to him, feeding him. Mom comes at 4:20 or so and whew!

He does the same thing at home, but mom's not concerned. She just goes with it. She also plays with him all the time or puts him in the swing, so he's always entertained.

Again, now he's 14 weeks. He's getting almost no floor time or tummy time. He's either asleep, eating, being played with, 5 minutes in the exersaucer here and there.

I tried to make him wait 3 hours between 6 oz bottles the other day. He screamed from 8:30 to 9 and from 11:00 to 12:00, pretty much. I tried walking him, distracting him, pacifier.

It's now 9:45. Today is a little different, and he ate at 6:15-6:40 (4oz), at 7:45-8:15 (6 oz), and then napped 8:20-9:15. It's 9:45 and he's pissed.

I've tried different bottles and different nipples. No change. He'll also wet THROUGH a size 3 diaper in an hour. One hour. He's just about doubled his birth weight at 13 weeks. 6 month pants are tight on him!

Sorry this is long!

[Heidi]

So...the short version is, he takes forever to finish a bottle (45 minutes), and is drinking 45-50 oz of formula in a day.

That just seems like a whole lotta formula for someone who is so unhappy so much of the time...:confused:

We switched from Similac to Similac gentle a few weeks ago, and this is actually a huge improvement. The first few days after we switched, his crying was much better, but then the ly-gagging thing started.

There is no short version...

[momofboys]

So...the short version is, he takes forever to finish a bottle (45 minutes), and is drinking 45-50 oz of formula in a day.

That just seems like a whole lotta formula for someone who is so unhappy so much of the time...:confused:

We switched from Similac to Similac gentle a few weeks ago, and this is actually a huge improvement. The first few days after we switched, his crying was much better, but then the ly-gagging thing started.

There is no short version...

Not a lot of advice but that sounds exhausting. Is he still on the slow speed nipple, maybe he needs moved up to the mid-range flow? Sorry youa re having a rough time with this!

[Heidi]

Not a lot of advice but that sounds exhausting. Is he still on the slow speed nipple, maybe he needs moved up to the mid-range flow? Sorry youa re having a rough time with this!

He's on the fast flow. That's the first thing we changed when this started...

[Willow]

Could it be something with his ears? (****/swallow alleviates pressure)

Does he take a nuk?

[Heidi]

Could it be something with his ears? (****/swallow alleviates pressure)

Does he take a nuk?

****, spit, scream... It's always been that way. Still does this almost every time he goes to sleep. I'm about to throw the darn thing (the nuk, not the baby) out the window.

[Laurel]

I would put some cereal in his bottle (with mom's permission). He must not be getting filled up. It seems like he is drinking too much formula hence the really wet diapers and being somewhat overweight.

Can you try not burping him until he is clearly uncomfortable? If I am reading correctly, it seems like he is drinking 2 oz. and then burping and then lygagging or going into a seat. Then back up out of the seat for more formula? I have a baby now who takes the whole bottle and doesn't burp until the end (although he is older). Maybe the starting and stopping is a problem for this baby possibly?? Don't know, just guessing.

I would not hesitate to use the swing if it calms him. I would rather see a baby in a swing then crying for long periods. The swing seems a healthier alternative until he no longer needs it. I think you have said in the past that he would then need to be broken from the swing. I have never heard of that. They either outgrow it (won't fit in it) or they fuss when you put them in. I've never ever had a baby that didn't want to get out of the swing once they were too old for it. Kind of like a child doesn't want to ride a tike bike once he sees how fun a tricycle is.

Laurel

[daycarediva]

WOW! I would try cereal at this point (and I am a big advocate for waiting) but if his tongue thrust reflex is gone, it's worth a shot to try.

AND/OR, with Mom and dr's permission, I would try water in a bottle to fill him up so he isn't taking 50oz of formula/day!

I would also talk to Mom about the constant holding, as that HAS to be contributing to him being unhappy in a group care setting. I KNOW that's tough with an unhappy little one, but he probably expects to be held all the time.

If it were MY child (and not a daycare child) I would let him scream it out and offer bottles every 3-4 hours. He doesn't sound truly hungry if he is essentially playing with his food, kwim?

NO reflux....

How are his poops?

lactose intolerance, maybe?

[Heidi]

WOW! I would try cereal at this point (and I am a big advocate for waiting) but if his tongue thrust reflex is gone, it's worth a shot to try.

AND/OR, with Mom and dr's permission, I would try water in a bottle to fill him up so he isn't taking 50oz of formula/day!

I would also talk to Mom about the constant holding, as that HAS to be contributing to him being unhappy in a group care setting. I KNOW that's tough with an unhappy little one, but he probably expects to be held all the time.

If it were MY child (and not a daycare child) I would let him scream it out and offer bottles every 3-4 hours. He doesn't sound truly hungry if he is essentially playing with his food, kwim?

NO reflux....

How are his poops?

lactose intolerance, maybe?

we tried reflux meds the first week he was here (for about 3 1/2 weeks) no change. Then changed to low-lactose formula and saw a big change at first. Much less crying. He always has seemed to drink a lot of formula, and often.

Until early last week, when he started the lygagging. Then it's still a lot, it just takes all morning to feed him, it seems. We did change to a faster nipple, but noticed no change.

I brought up rice cereal, but mom wants to wait until 4 month well baby. Not sure about tongue thrust since we haven't tried anything on a spoon.

[TwinKristi]

Do not give water to an infant that young or even recommend it. There's a reason he's doing this and there are different types and doses of reflux meds he may need to try before ruling that out. It sounds pretty classic for a reflux baby. The insatiable hunger but not eating a lot, fussy, happier upright, etc. Have they tried soy formula?

[MotherNature]

Do not give water to an infant that young or even recommend it. There's a reason he's doing this and there are different types and doses of reflux meds he may need to try before ruling that out. It sounds pretty classic for a reflux baby. The insatiable hunger but not eating a lot, fussy, happier upright, etc. Have they tried soy formula?

[blandino]

If it were MY child (and not a daycare child) I would let him scream it out and offer bottles every 3-4 hours. He doesn't sound truly hungry if he is essentially playing with his food, kwim?

I have had babies who drink 1/2 oz every 30 minutes or so. That is absolutely impossible for me to attend to. So I offer the bottle, if they decline it gets offered later. I know babies that young are to be fed on demand, but the only way to stop that behavior (if there is no medical reason behind it) is to have the baby wait and then he will be hungrier and therefore take more, instead of just taking enough to knock the edge off because he has eaten 30 min prior. It's not fun - but when trying to care for other children I cannot be that child's personal attendant.

[Cradle2crayons]

I agree this still sounds like reflux. Maybe he wasn't on the right dose, right med, or on the med long enough. His symptoms are pretty classic.

Is mom willing to take him back to the doc

[Heidi]

I changed things up a little today and stretched the time between naps. He's usually good for an hour awake, then and hour nap. Then FEED ME!

Maybe a little less formula at a time (whatever he takes in say, 20 minutes, today it was 4 oz. each time) and longer stretches of awake time between naps (even if it means a little fussing).

Will give that a try...

[daycarediva]

Do not give water to an infant that young or even recommend it. There's a reason he's doing this and there are different types and doses of reflux meds he may need to try before ruling that out. It sounds pretty classic for a reflux baby. The insatiable hunger but not eating a lot, fussy, happier upright, etc. Have they tried soy formula?

That is why I said ask the pediatrician, but yes they do give infants that young water. My own son was on water from 2 weeks on to curb the reflux over eating, per our pediatric ENT. He would take .5-1oz of water in between bottles usually.