Hello Scott,

Drinking a small amount and then refusing is her way of communicating that she has reached her limit. She is communicating to you that the first two ounces tasted pretty good but now either the milk is refluxing up her esophagus, causing churning pain in her stomach or both. Have you ever finished a meal and said, "I cannot eat one more bite?"

The tricky part is finding the combination of treatments to help her eat more and eat without causing discomfort. You will need to look at the treatment plan with the doctor. Does she have a food allergy or intolerance? Milk soy protein intolerance is a common cause of food related bottle refusal. Does she have a high enough dose medication? Does she need another medication? Does she need to have a thickener in her bottle? head elevated after eating?

Meanwhile, keep track of what she is eating and see if she is able to eat small amounts but more frequently to get in enough calories.Is the doctor worried that she isn't taking in enough calories to grow?

Jan Gambino

The Reflux Mom