My DD (11 weeks old) has taken to crying/fussing a lot when she feeds , but only sometimes. She is FF and I know that she is hungry when it happens as it has always been 4 hours + since her last feed. She will start drinking from the bottle and after about 5 minutes she just starts to scream and is obviously uncomfortable... I have found that after I calm her down she often will take her bottle again but only if she is lying flat on her back! (like on her change table or something). I can't go on feeding her like this - when we are out and she does it, it's near impossible for her to have a proper feed. It happens only during the day and anywhere from 1 to 3 times a day.
Help please!
It could be reflux, this is what used to happen to my boy and is a very common symptom, in general is she happy all day and it is just the feeds? If so you can try and keep her upright at the start of the feed and that may help it.
The other signs of reflux would include, hiccups, throwing up, gulping, arching the back, a lot of crying and screaming, weight loss or low weight gain or excessive weight gain.
If she has any of these other signs I will post some things you can do to try and alleviate it.
When I sit he upright she screams more! It can't be reflux as there is no throwing up or anything and she is happy otherwise...plus it only ever happens during the day and not all the time. I also thought that relux babies don't like to lie down flat, but she loves it. I think it might be colic and I am just hoping she will grow out of it soon
Babies with reflux dont have to throw up, this is termed silent reflux, but if she is happy otherwise and likes to lie down, this is a better indicator of no reflux.
Colic doesn't usually interrupt feeding like that, and generally has an afternoon screaming match.
Have you checked the teat to make sure that there are no lumps in the formula or the flow of the teat is fast enough, this can sometimes make them frustrated?
Maybe the flow of the teat isnt enough or is too much? What brand do you use?
Jesse would often fuss also.. so we'd move up to the next teat and he'd be fine.. so maybe she wants the milk but isnt getting it enough.. then when you take it away, thats even worse to her as its even less.. might be an idea to try?
I did try going up a size teat last week and it made no difference - the strange thing is she only gets really fussy like this sometimes, not all the time. In fact just her last feed I struggled to get 70mls into her - less than half her quota. She weighs 5.5kg. She NEVER drinks her quota, so when it is such a small feed, I really start to worry.
There are definitely no lumps in the teat and I always check the flow and the temp...
Hi, i'm have no experience with this personally but just thinking about it could she have a tummy pain that she needs to burp up? Almost like she sometimes gulps a heap of air and then needs to dislodge it. Sometimes when my DD is upset during feeding she will only settle with lying flat, then after a while I sit her up she does a rip roarer of a burp and then we are fine with the feed. As I said, just a suggestion. hope you work something out soon.
Thanks Rachel - I will give it a try. I was at my mother's group this morning and like clockwork she decides that this is the feed she is going to fight me on! She is quite a burper so I will try your technique today. How long does your DD lie flat for before you sit her up?
fussing/crying when feeding
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