He won't eat again, and he won't stop crying.

Hi all

A few weeks back I came here with the same problem - my 4.5 month old won't eat! He had 120mL at 7:30am and 60mL at 12pm. He is screaming at the bottle, kicking, fussing, turning his head away. I've tried his formula thickened and unthickened (he has reflux), sitting him upright, all the classic reflux things. He had some panadol earlier on today then had a 1.5 hour nap, since he has been awake he is just screaming.

He doesn't have a temperature like last time, nor a rash. He has a slight cough which the doctor said last week was nothing.

Any advice would be really helpful, I am about to go off the deep end a) with frustration b) with worry. I'm sick of doctors telling me there is nothing wrong or nothing they can do, when there obviously is.

Do I go to the hospital to be told there is nothing that can be done again? Do I wait for my paed appointment tomorrow at 12 (another 23 hours away, not sure I'll survive)? Has this ever happened to anyone!?!?!

Hellllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll llllllp.

Have you tried just giving him water ?

Eleanor was so sick the other week all she would drink was really weak baby juice or water.

He could still be ill without showing any symptoms yet. I wouldn't be forcing him to have any milk if he doesn't want it, but to let him guide you if he is hungry (I know I would hate someone trying to feed me if I didn't want it). If he doesn't have a temp, then he possibly wont get dehydrated that quickly if he doesn't drink for a few hours. If you are definate that there is a problem then take him to a Gp or the hospital and trust your instinct.

Oh Ashlee I could have written your post 2 years ago (in fact if you do a search you will rad pretty much the same thing). My DD wouldn't eat either and I was told by everyone that there was nothing wrong and not to worry blah blah blah but I know in my heart there WAS something wrong. She is fine now, on the small side but fine. She used to SCREAM every feed time and it was soooo metionally draining. It was like that until she had her last bottle at 13 months. Are you in Brisbane (I think so?). Who is your paed? We were in Brisbane when we had Lucie.....

My paed is Dr Scott Burgess, the Director of Paediatrics at Redlands Hospital.

I just let him cry for about 5 minutes whilst under his playgym - and he is falling asleep.

Is sleepiness a sign of something more sinister?

I've tried water and he won't take it either, I tried feeding him with a syringe for fear the thickened formula wasn't making it through the teat, and he just screamed louder.

I just want to know how he is getting sick or where he's getting it. We rarely go anywhere, I'm very vigilant with sterlising, and I try and keep mine and anyone who touches him hands clean.

Maybe he could have a sore throat? I know it is hard to get anything at all into them when their throat is really sore.

Is there anything I can do for a sore throat?

I should also add, he is shoving his hand in his mouth and chewing on it alot, and also chewing/playing with his tongue.

Could he be teething if he's shoving his hand in his mouth. I know this is pretty normal to stick hands in their mouth but it may be associated with teething and that can cause fussiness with feeding.
Also my son went through something like this. Started at about 3.5 months. During the day he was screaming with his feeds, but not the night and morning feeds I was doing in our bedroom. He also has reflux and had also just had a major mouth operation - he has a cleft lip and palate - so I figured lots of reasons to scream with feeds. I was using various forms of pain relief that we'd been given post op and mylanta. Eventually someone told me their son got really fussy with feeding at about 4 months and they couldn't feed in public. I didn't think the kind of screaming he was doing could just be behavioural, but I tried feeding him in our bedroom with the lights off and curtains closed and it made an amazing difference. He would all of a sudden take his feeds with only a little fuss.

Big hugs. It was absolutely awful trying to feed him and have him screaming like that. I felt helpless, on the verge of tears, while trying to stay calm so that he'd calm down. It may not be the same thing - cause he was happy as larry when I wasn't feeding him - but I know how difficult it is.

It could be a urinary tract infection.One of my girls had one at 11 weeks.Symptoms for her were not wanting her feeds,tiredness and she had a fever.

I'm just a bit confused because he has no fever whatsoever, his temp about 30 mins ago was 36.43.

I think it sounds like teething personally. Have you tried giving him something like a frozen flannel to chew on? Or a teething ring that has been in the fridge? Has he pulled or poked at his ears at all?

Paris went through this on and off a lot! And whilst it stressed me out at the time all the Dr's and hospital said to do was just wait and see, if she wanted a bottle let her have it if she didn't then don't push it. If there were signs of dehydration or she didn't drink within the 24 hour period then bring her back for observation but it would always pass within 24 hours. Or to keep an eye out for fever or rash.

Cai, I think I'll go wet and freeze a face washer. He is pulling at anything he can grab - his face, eyes, ears, me, my hair, my chest, and it's really hurting me so it must hurt him too.

Hi Ashlee,
Just wondering how your little man is doing now...... Did you see the paed?

I saw the Paed, and was told nothing is wrong, we're doing all we can for him. They didn't really seem to care he wasn't eating much, and screaming and pinching at me all day long.

I didn't get a chance to ask if his teeth were coming up, but my mum had 2 kids of her own and says all the signs are classic and his gum is white and lumpy so it looks to be.

Thank you for asking!

I know this is really late Ashlee but I was wondering how it was going? Food and bottle refusal is a classic reflux sign, and for us the best way to overcome it was to get on the right combo of meds. I hope that he is doing better, having your baby not drink is so frustrating, especially when the doctors do not take you seriously.

My DS was behaving in a similar way, I took him to the doc, hospital and child health nurse and they said nothing is wrong. I was going insane and was just as upset as he was at times. Turned out to be teeth, he is doing it again now so I expect a couple more to pop up. I feel more relaxed this time round becuase I know what is wrong with him.

I think it's his teeth too, they are so close to coming up, he is refusing sleep and it drinking alo of milk. I just with they would come up already!

I know!!! It will make you feel better when you see or feel them. My DS also went through the stage of not wanting much milk, one day he only had about 180ml. When they behave badly it feels as though it will go on for ever and you forget that yes, things will change tomorrow or in a few days. But still,it is so draining. Some babies dont have a problem with teething!!