[AMom2Two]

Hi everyone...

I am continuing to have feeding concerns with our son. He was drinking about 38 - 42 oz's a day, 5-6 ounces a bottle, usually about 2.5 hours apart.

Within the past 5 days he has suddenly changed. He has drastically reduced his bottles to 4 ozs., usually sipping 1 to 2 ozs and then stops. He seems to want to suck on the nipple alot. When we take the nipple away and burp him and try to get him into his swing, bouncer, crib, cradle he fusses and fusses until you give him the bottle again. Then he smiles, takes a few sips and stops. He has lost interest in his nuk and just wants the bottle now.

He has gained weight and is now 9.5 lbs. He was 8.1 at birth. Is this normal? Any suggestions?

[tobeafamily]

The weight gain is normal.

His formula intake for the first month is acutally high for an 8 pound baby. This may be why he's backing off a bit? Normally a 9.5 pound infant is taking 3-4 oz bottle formula every 3-4 hours.

Here's a good guideline from Dr. Sears:

http://www.askdrsears.com/html/0/T000100.asp#T031009

Lastly, always check with your pediatrician on issues like these. Ours has an ask-a-nurse line who could 'triage' to make sure Ryan wasn't dehydrated, etc.

Does this help?

Regina

[bumpkin]

AMom - it is amazing how once you get into a groove with something, they change... you don't mention how long between the bottles it is, is it possible that you're feeding him every two hours and he's ready to spread out a bit and perhaps he'd be more hungry?

When is your next ped appt? I agree with the previous poster, if you are concerned, certainly call you DR.

Keep us posted

Bumpkin

[AMom2Two]

He wants a bottle about every 30 minutes. I just held off for an hour and he drank 5 ozs. most times it's only 1 or 2 oz.

[tobeafamily]

Sounds lik ehe may also be going for comfort - the sucking/nurturing kicking into high gear? If he's not showing any other signs of illness/dehydration (listlessness, poor color, poor urine output, dark urine, poor skin tone, dull eyes, etc), it may just mean that he's associating comfort w/bottle.

Are you doing anything like babywearing?

Regina

[AMom2Two]

Originally posted by tobeafamily
Sounds lik ehe may also be going for comfort - the sucking/nurturing kicking into high gear? If he's not showing any other signs of illness/dehydration (listlessness, poor color, poor urine output, dark urine, poor skin tone, dull eyes, etc), it may just mean that he's associating comfort w/bottle.

Are you doing anything like babywearing?

Regina

Everything else seems fine. I constantly have to change his diapers as he has alot of urine output. His stools are green and gooey but I think that is normal for a forumla feed infant. Do you think the baby things can help? Even when I try to hold him and carry him around for awhile, he starts butting his mouth to my shoulder routing for a bottle. If I put him lower on my shoulder, as when I'm sitting, he will root somewhere else. His head because frantic as he starts searching for the bottle nipple. When I don't give him a bottle, he then becomes upset and starts to fuss and then cry until you give him one.

[tobeafamily]

We wore Ryan when he was an infant. Everyone loved it, especially Ryan who sometimes just wanted to be in his sling. When he would fuss, I'd offer him a very clean finger, he loved that. Wearing calmed him and freed my hands up for other stuff.

The thing that makes me think comfort is that he's going for the bottle but then not eating hardly anything, right? Have you tried other pacifiers too? If the pacifier is a different material or shape he may reject. Ryan at first loved any one, then settled on only the First Years ones, then by 9 weeks decided he liked my finger or his thumb way better than any pacifier and junked them all.

Just some thoughts. His bowels and kidneys seem to be working just fine. Green and gooey is just what it should be.

Regina

[Leigh131313]

I was so excited when my sons poop was no longer the green goo....lol

Leigh

[AMom2Two]

Originally posted by tobeafamily
The thing that makes me think comfort is that he's going for the bottle but then not eating hardly anything, right?

Have you tried other pacifiers too? If the pacifier is a different material or shape he may reject. Ryan at first loved any one, then settled on only the First Years ones, then by 9 weeks decided he liked my finger or his thumb way better than any pacifier and junked them all.
Regina

Right Regina! He is going for the bottle and then not sucking much. We tried different pacifier's in the beginning and he seems to like the Avent the best. He will ocassionally suck on his pacifier. Should I try other new one's now? Could he have changed his preference? He does seem to be trying to put his tumb in his mouth and then gets frustrated. I noticed that and then I would put the pacificer in and he would spit it out angrily with his browns furrowed together! LOL

I do have one of those baby bjour or something like that. I used it when shopping with my daughter when she was an infant. I'll try putting him in that tomorrow and see if it helps. I have also decided he is not gettting a bottle closer then 3 hours together. My doctor has said it takes about 3 hours to properly digest forumla. If I continue to give bottles closer, then he might not be fully digesting his bottles. I will just have to endure this and see how this might work. Hopefully these things will help. Every 20 minutes at the bottle was way to much. I agree maybe he was using it to comfort himself.

One good thing happened out of today was he didn't nap at all. He feel asleep about 7 p.m. Hopefully we might get more 2 hour sleep tonight. LOL

[sugarbabysmommy]

Yes, I would try different pacifiers again. This will sound crazy, but what our baby wanted more than a pacifier, my nose. We didn't do this much outside of the house, tended to wierd people out. The really crazy part, a friend was holding baby when fussing and tried to offer her nose until I came, baby began screaming wanted nothing to do with her nose. Nice to knwoa big nose is good for something. It was short lived habit, but awfully sweet while it lasted. We also used our fingers a lot with success.

[tobeafamily]

Amom,

Yes, pacifier preferences change quite often. Initially he liked the Nuks, never liked Avent, then decided he wanted the First Years pacifier, then by 9 weeks was totally off pacifiers forever.

Baby Bjorns are actually not comfortable for newborns, their spines are still curved from being in utero, don't straighten out until they're 3-4 months old so don't be surprised if he doesn't like it. Look at a baby sling - Nojo, Maya, Over the Shoulder Baby Holder are all popular 'brands'. IF you can't find in store search the web. The Snugli isn't very comfortable for you or for baby, haven't heard of much success with that one.

Also, offer him your finger. He may really like that and if so, you never do have to worry about losing his pacifier again LOL.

Sugarbaby - that's so cute! I'm also glad it didn't last, though. :-)

HTH

Regina

[tlc4kidz]

Is he arching or stiffening at all? Our fd did the same thing and she ended up having reflux. I never would have guessed because she didn't spit up much at all. The Dr told me that she wanted to eat because it made her feel better for a minute, but when she stopped the formula/stomach fluids came back up just enough to cause a burning in her esophagus. We ended up putting her on Zantac and switching formulas and that helped alot. Just an idea. Hang in there.....I know how hard it is to see your baby uncomfortable

[Guppy]

My baby works on short intervals. when he was born he ate very often and even now (7 months) he eats every 2and half hours and only about 2 and half oz. (breastfeeding though).
But one thing that I noticed was that he appeared to be hungry even when he was sleepy. He slept about 5 times a day for 30 mins or so. And still sleeps 2-4 times a day (depending on excitement going on around him). So maybe sometimes baby is looking hungry but is tired. Try to rock to sleep (shouldn't take more than 15 mins, baby will get used to falling asleep later- my baby learned to chew on a toy etc.)

[DAmparano]

Hi, I have a newborn as well. I currently am feeding her only 4 oz. every 3 hours. She is gaining weight and the doctor told me no more than 4 oz for now.

Hope this helps.

[DAmparano]

Hi, I have a one month old and she is drinking every 3 hours 4 ozs only. She is gaining weight and is to doing well. Sounds like your giving him to much at one feeding. Did you ever check with your doctor?