Hi there, I'm new to the group and I'm a new mom. My daughter, Kenley, was born on May 6 of this year via emegency c-section. I am bottle feeding and have been since her second day here.
The feedings start out great, because she's usually very hungry. She's been taking right around 3-4 ounces and has for the last 2 weeks. I usually feed 2 ounces and then get several good burps out. We're using Similac Sensitive and our Tommy Tippee bottles have anti-gas / anti-colic tubes inside. (They've really helped, as we weren't using them at first and noticed how gassy she was getting). After the first 2 ounces and some good burps, I'll attempt to start feeding again, only to find that she has a hard time taking the bottle back. She'll arch her back, kick her legs and sometimes even gag on the nipple. However, if you pull the bottle away, she'll start to cry and open her mouth in a sucking motion, like she wants more. We've thought this was stuck gas and spent tons of time burping, but sometimes, nothing comes out. Sometimes she'll finally take the bottle, but makes an awful face, like she wants to spit it out, and it takes a few seconds for her to start sucking again.
Anyone else have this? I've done research on colic, but it doesn't seem like it fits. Other than this short amount of time, she really doesn't cry. Unless she's over tired or wet.
Any help / suggestions / tips / comments would be helpful!
my son had bad tummy issues when we stop bf (wish i had pushed through but i gave up :() we spent the first six months trying out new formula ....soy were bad on my sons tummy and made his gas worse....some feedings we would feed him in a more upright postiion and only a few oz then wait a while and feed again like an hour or two later ...Sounds like she just needs things to settle ..its perfectly okay to feed her 2 oz at time and just do it more often and maybe try and keep her more upright and strechted out
I was going to suggest what KelliansMom did...maybe just stop after those first two ounces, or let her drink 3 oz. before burping, then just wait a while before feeding her again. She is still very young, frequent feedings is normal.
That may not be the problem, but it's worth a shot.
Congratulations on becoming Mommy!
I know that arching of the back can mean reflux. I had a baby with colic and reflux, and nothing seemed to help...we just had to wait it out. But I'm totally not saying that's what is going on with your baby! I hope everything works out! Feeding a new baby can be so challenging!
I, too, have heard that the back arching *can* be a sign of reflux. Doesn't necessarily mean that's what it is, but it is a possibility. I do agree with the other moms. If she's still hungry after the 2 ounces, maybe try giving her 3, burping her, and then stopping - and begin the next feeding a little sooner than you were before. Good luck, momma.
Thanks guys! I've heard several people who have had newborns - infants with reflux. Some cases are bad, others not so bad. It's not everytime with the feedings, and I am mostly beginning to think it's gas. What are some other signs to look for with reflux? Spitting up is very rare around here (thank goodness). And once she takes the bottle, the arching seems to stop and all is good again. Thinking it could be that she's just so little still and all of this is just as new to her as it is to me!
Just fed her about 30 minutes ago. She took the first 2 ounces perfectly. I got a few good burps out of her and then waited a good amount of time to let her belly set before taking more. I brushed the bottle over her nose & mouth and she opened up just like she normally does. Then as soon as the nipple goes in, she starts to cry and push it away with her fists. She kicks her legs and tenses up as if to say "Get that freaking thing away from me".
I'm obviously thinking she's finished. So I let her calm down on my shoulder and a few minutes later, she's back to gasping for air (she opens her mouth & sucks air when she's hungry). So we try again, and same thing. It takes at least 3 / 4 times of this rotation until finally something just clicks and she latches on.
I'm leaning more towards gas than I am reflux at this point, because she rarely has any spit up. She also doesn't cry for more than a few seconds at a time and is pretty easily calmed down.
Once she latches, she usually will finish the last two with no problem, unless she has a gas bubble.
Just worried it is reflux. Can doc's check for this without poking and proding too much? She has her 1 month check up on the 18 (which is 2 weeks late because that's only when her doc could see her).
Thanks for all your suggestions / tips / thoughts. I'm brand new at this and it really helps to have some support!
I don't think there's a whole lot the pedi can do for gas. I remember my DD had really bad gas the first few months and our doctor just told us pretty much everything we shared with you. She did recommend Mylicon, but honestly, I don't know that it made any difference. I would just stick with maybe trying to feed her more at a time, before you stop to burp her, that way if she's still hungry after 2 ounces, she can have more, and you might not need to worry so much about the fights after the burping. Good luck!
Sleeping Through the Night: Will It Ever Happen?
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on May. 30, 2012 at 12:19 PM