At 8.5 weeks my son takes small feeds which seem to lead to disrupted naps
I am having problems with my 8.5 week old son’s feeding.
My son is not taking on enough milk during the day and we had no weight gain last week, although this has improved this week. He will only take small bottles and seems quite content on them, and is doing well at night.
When I feed him he will only take about 3oz and then will wind and then will not take any more. I have tried letting him have a 15 / 20 min break but he still does not feed, often he will just gag if I continue to try. He is not in discomfort or pain and is quite happy.
He feeds as follows yesterday:
4am 2oz
7am 3oz
10.45am 3oz
2pm 2oz
5pm 5oz
6.45pm 2oz
10.30pm 4oz
4am 2oz
7am 3oz
His naps during the day are quite erratic but normally sleeps 9am until 10am but often wakes early, then has a long sleep from about 11.30am until 1.30/2pm, and then again at about 3.30pm until 4.45pm. I have a older child who goes to nursery in the afternoon, so my son’s lunchtime sleep is broken between the cot and car seat, when I get home from dropping my eldest off I leave my son in his car seat as when I have moved him he has not resettled. The naps are not always like this and I often have problems getting him to stay asleep in his cot during any of the day time naps. He settles well at 7pm and wakes around 10.30pm when I wake him for this feed. He always wakes up crying and is not content in his cot.
What should I do to encourage him to take proper feeds as he is not reaching anywhere near the amount he should be having. I know I should wake him at 10pm and keep him awake for longer perhaps? But what about the day time feeds, how can I get him to increase the amounts?
He used to feed well, I just am at a loss, and am concerned about his weight gain.
I have taken him to the doctor who says he is fine, as he is having some milk!
He has woken early from his nap after only half an hour so my husband has now decided to take him out, which I know is the wrong thing to do, but we have seem trying for 20mins to get him back to sleep,
So many questions I know but I am convinced the reasons for these problems is the lack of feed.
My son was first fed on Cow and Gate Premium but on the advice of our health visitor we changed to Omneo comfort. My son had been having problems with digestion, resulting in terrible wind which we could not get up and in discomfort which that had him crying most of the time. We had added Colief to the Cow and Gate which seemed to work for a while but then things got worse again, including him pooing a lot and straining.
Since being on the Omneo comfort he has been far more settled and rarely cries unless tired.
I have wondered if he has reflux [not badly], he possets sometimes and seems uncomfortable although this seems to be improving.
My son weighs 11lbs 13ozs. He feeds at the times listed above.
He naps at 9-9.20am, 11.30-2pm 3.15-4.45pm. He settles at 7pm
The Omneo Comfort is helpful for a baby who possets or who is uncomfortable after feeds. As it is thicker than the Cow and Gate Premium your son may feel full sooner than he did whilst you were using the Cow and Gate Premium, which may be why he has not been taking such large feeds.
As you have found your son is more comfortable since moving on to this formula it would be best to stay with it but, by structuring the feeds differently, you should be able to increase his daily intake and this should also help him to nap better during the day. To help your son increase his daily intake, try the following:
- Feed him at 7am with the amount he usually takes. Before settling him for his nap at 9am offer him a small top up of 1-2ozs. This should help him have a good 45minute nap and then be able to wait until 10.30/10.45am for his next feed.
- Give him the 10.45am feed as usual but, again, offer him a top up of 1-2ozs before his lunchtime nap at12 midday.
- If he has a small feed at 2pm, offer him some more feed at 2.45pm, even if only another 1oz.
- Looking at your form I can see that your son has his best feed of the day at the split 5pm/6.15pm feed, so keep that in place.
- To encourage him to take a larger feed at 10pm use the split feed method, described on page 138 of The Contented Little Baby Book. This means you begin to wake him at 9.45pm, so he comes round naturally and is fully awake before you offer him a feed. If he takes 4ozs at around 10pm/10.10pm let him have a time of kicking and quiet play until 11.15pm. Then, change his nappy and offer him a fresh feed of 1-2ozs in his room before settling him down.
- Using the split feed method means you will need to make up more bottles than you have been doing until now. A fresh bottle must be given if the top up feed takes place over an hour after the original feed time.
This way of feeding him should increase your son’s daily intake and you may also find he is more settled at nap times.
Fitting in naps and school runs is not easy. When you return from dropping your older child at nursery tuck your baby into his car seat in a quiet spot of the house, where you can hear him, but he is less likely to be disturbed. If he begins to take a top up feed before his lunchtime nap he may even let you resettle him into his cot when you arrive home as his sleep should be less disturbed due to hunger.
If you feel that your son is still uncomfortable and you are concerned about reflux take him to the doctor to be checked over thoroughly. Keep a record of his feed amounts, the times he seems uncomfortable, the times he possets and also the number of dirty nappies he is having. The more information you provide the easier it will be for a doctor to see if there are some gastric problems.
If your son’s weight gain continues to be a problem then discuss your concerns with your health visitor.