My son who is 6 1/2 months old is completely refusing to have his bottle. He has consistently fallen on the centile charts since birth and despite several trips to the health visitor and gp, they haven't seemed to be able to offer any advice on his feeding problems. He started on the 50th centile and is now on th 8th. I spoke to a pediatrician who is a friend(as a favour) , who said she thought it sounded like he had reflux, having gone through the trials of different milk, bottles, trying gaviscon etc. She prescribed domperidone and ranitidine which the gp felt was a good idea. Initially this seemed to help and his milk aversion seemed to improve but things are worse than ever. He screams at the sight of a bottle and refuses to be held to feed and it can take me hours to get 1-2oz in him and he is very difficult to dream feed as he cries the minute he feels the milk/bottle in his mouth. I went back to the gp 3 days ago begging for a pediatric referral as we can't carry on like this. At the time the gp didn't think he was dehydrated but as I only managed to get him to have 10oz of milk today, 13oz the day before and 10oz the day before that I'm worried sick that he will get dehydrated/won't grow. I'm going back to the gp tomorrow as I don't feel I can wait weeks for a referral to come through. Should I take my son to A&E if the GP can't offer me some help in getting more milk in my son?
Q: Refusing to take a bottle and worrying about dehydration - what can I do next?
Dear Meg,
Oh Meg, I am worried about your little guy. As the other Sharepost mentioned, babies can dehydrate very easily and quickly. It sounds like your little boy has gone from a feeding aversion (the sight of the bottle is upsetting, refusing to eat) to a feeding strike-he is refusing to eat altogether.
Some parents are able to get a small amount of milk/formula in with a syringe, spoon or sippy cup. I like the idea of using a rehydration drink. Unfortunately, as your son resists eating, he can feel your desperation and pressure to get a few ounces in. This can increase the resistance. You really have done everything you can to help him. It is up to the doctor to diagnose and treat the problem right now.Sometimes it helps to give the doctor a lot of data-number of feedings, how much, amount of crying. I know one mom who brought the bottle to the doctor's office and showed the doctor how upsetting it was for her baby to just see the bottle. The doctor was amazed at the level of feeding aversion and got right to work helping her. Perhaps your health visitor could try feeding him or observe him during a feeding? Would she be able to advocate for your son and call the doctor?
If you do not get assistance from the doctor or the doctor is not available, it is best to go to the Emergency Department of the hospital if you are concerned about dehydration.
There is much support and information on this site. I hope you will give us an update. Also, I hope the other moms and dads will share their stories and ideas with Meg.
Jan Gambino
The Reflux Mom
My ped said if they don't get 24 oz of fluid a day they can dehydrate in a matter of hours, so I would take him in, if his front soft spot is sunken in that is a sign of severe dehydration, also count how many wet diapers he has a day, he should have one for every bottle or attempt at feeding. My son dehydrate due to spitting up and we were told to give him a childrens electolyte juice.
Hi,
It is like I am reading my own words- with my 4 month old. It started out as an ear infection but it is better & he is still not eating. He has reflux, so we are going to a GI on Wednesday to get some answers.
My email is oursweetsigns@gmail.com If you want to write to me after our appt. I can let you know what they do. I am SOOO worried- he has dropped to the 5-10 th percentile as well & just won't gain. yesterday he drank 12 ounces total.
GOOD LUCK! LET ME KNOW IF YOU FIND OUT ANYTHING! I feel desperate. :(
I know exactly what you're going through. Ever since my daughter was 12 weeks she wasn't eating "right". Now she's 6 1/2 they have finally diagnosed her with reflux and now is taking Prilosec (1 tsp) twice daily and we haven't seen much of an improvement in her eating. We have been to the ER, Children's Hospital and even a GI performed. They all just say it's reflux. She's in the 10% for her weight (only 13lbs 9oz). We worry everyday and struggle to feed her since almost every feeding is either her crying or throwing a fit because she doesn't want the bottle. We've gotten to the point that sometimes we can get her to sleep and then she drinks really well. But she's catching on to this and sometimes will even refuse the bottle when sleep. They are so smart! They say it just takes time for them to realize that it's "okay" again to drink from a bottle. In the meantime feedings are not as enjoyable as they once were when she was a newborn. She takes anywhere from 18 to 24 oz a day and our family doc and peds doc says that is okay as long as she's having enough wet diapers. Plus she takes her soilds pretty well for the most part. I hope sooner rather than later that she'll come around and realize that the bottle is her friend. Good luck!!
Both of my children were born with SILENT GERD. I have no idea why, but I have dealt with it for sometime now. My peditrician told me medication can be given only in severe conditions of gerd.
He recommended with both of my children to add a teaspoon of rice cereal to every 1 oz and keep elevated for at least a hour after a feeding. This seemed to work for both my children. WIthout meds. I hope this may be helpful to you and good luck .
We are in the same boat. I have 4.5month corrected age twin boys. One of my boys is a great eater...151/2lbs and happy as can be. My other twin has never been a good eater. He was diagnosed with Reflux early on...despite medication, several formula changes, different bottles etc...nothing has changed. It takes me an hour every feeding to get him to take ~4oz. We shoot for 20 oz of 24 cal formula per day. He cries the minute the bottle touches his lips as well. One thing that has worked for me is feeding him right when he is about to fall asleep...I put him down, then pick him back up when he is almost dozed off. He is so relaxed that sometimes he will eat. The trick is catching him before is actually asleep, but not picking him up when he is still awake...WHEW.....what we will do to get our kids to eat! I wish you the best...I personally cannot wait for this phase to be over!!!
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hi--I have the same problem and I am looking for reassurance--how is your son doing now?