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Won't take feeds. Help!!

laceybee29laceybee29 member
in May 2015 Moms
my daughter turned 4 months this week for past few weeks has been dropping amount of milk she is taking. The first feed of the day is around 5-6am and she takes 7oz no issues, winding no problem. She then takes a further 4 feeds throughout the day and was taking 6-7oz but now just fusses at every feed and I sit for 2 hours+ trying to get milk into her. She fusses at bottles, chews teat, pulls away, arches back, screams. She will take a few sucks then start fussing then scream for milk so will take bottle then repeat all of the above after a few sucks. It's taken 20 mins this morning to feed her 2oz it's driving me mad and I'm worried about the amount of milk she isn't taking. I've tried bigger teats. Help!
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Re: Won't take feeds. Help!!

  • justkeeptryingjustkeeptrying member
    Is she teething? I've heard babies can go on a nursing strike (not sure if it's the same for bottle fed) that can last 2-5 days!!
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  • ftm0413ftm0413 member
    We just went to the doctor for this! My son is almost 4 months and went from roughly 30oz per day to 10, maybe. Every feeding was a screaming struggle! Our pediatrician said to give as much pedialyte as we can between feedings to keep him hydrated. If he loses a little weight during the strike it's fine, but he started eating again after a few days. He told us not to be overly concerned unless he has less than 4 wet diapers in 24 hours or continues 5 days. Some of the diapers were barely wet, but he said those count because it shows that the kidneys are still producing. We still have no idea why he stopped eating for a few days - no cold, no congestion, no signs of teething. We used the unflavored infant pedialyte. Offered bottle first but when he refused it we'd spend the next few hours offering the pedialyte to get a few extra ounces in him.
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  • SmrBrd2012SmrBrd2012 member
    How much is she getting on average total throughout the day? A 7oz feeding at one time seems like a lot, even if she was doing it before. Maybe she's just not hungry later since she is having 7oz in the morning. My LO eats about 4-4.5 oz every 3-4 hours.
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  • Sammadden27Sammadden27 member
    Is it breast milk or formula? 7 oz of breast milk is A LOT. Unlike a formula fed baby, breastfed babies don't need to increase the volume of milk they take in because your milk adjusts to their needs.
    Are you pace feeding? Burping after each ounce given? Maybe she has a big gas bubble. Also if it's breast milk try nursing instead of bottle feeding. Just so you aren't worried about her getting enough food. Also try having a different person give her a bottle.
    If you plan on introducing solids at 4 months you could mix in breast milk into baby oatmeal so you're sure she's getting all your goodness!
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  • SUNshin322SUNshin322 member
    My baby did the same. Figured out she hated being held that way (cradled)so we sit we in car seat or bouncy chair and feed her while she sits in there. She drinks no problem like that , or we sit her on our laps facing out with her back on my tumy and just lean back and feed her
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  • laceybee29laceybee29 member
    She is formula fed. She's been taking 6-7oz for a few weeks now so I know that's how much she takes & this is on track for her age & weight according to formula guides so don't get people who have commented on the amount!! And I thought from my post it was pretty clear she is bottle fed... Thanks everyone for constructive advice & comments.
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  • dec2018momdec2018mom member
    I might catch some flack for this, but my daughter was doing the same thing for a while. She's 4.5 months old and had been drinking around 5 to 6 oz of formula every time she ate then suddenly only wanted around 3 oz. She started to look a little smaller to me, so I started her on baby food. I started with the 1st foods from Gerber and since then she's done great with not only the baby food, but also formula too. She's not over eating and isn't heavier than she should be. I always offer formula first and make sure she has at least 2 oz. Of she's not acting satisfied thsts when I offer her fruits and veggies.

    We also have a routine where she wakes up and eats a 4oz bottle and then goes straight back to bed. After she wakes up for the day she will get changed, play for a while and then eat. I don't feed her as soon as she wakes up which allows her time to get hungry enough to have at least a good amount of formula. She sort of put herself in that routine and it works perfectly.
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  • SmrBrd2012SmrBrd2012 member
    laceybee29 said:
    She is formula fed. She's been taking 6-7oz for a few weeks now so I know that's how much she takes & this is on track for her age & weight according to formula guides so don't get people who have commented on the amount!! And I thought from my post it was pretty clear she is bottle fed... Thanks everyone for constructive advice & comments.
    I wasn't saying what I said to be unhelpful about the amount. Even though it has been normal for her in the past, maybe she is adjusting. 7oz is a lot. When my LO was really young, he was taking up to 4oz even though doc said he absolutely shouldn't be eating that much. But he was hungry so I let him eat what he wanted. After a few weeks, he adjusted, and went down to 3oz. Even now he doesn't always take 4.5oz. As long as your LO is still gaining, I wouldn't worry too much about her refusing to eat that much.
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  • Sammadden27Sammadden27 member
    @laceybee29 I didn't mean to make you feel bad about the amount. I understood that you were giving her a bottle but I was unsure if it was a bottle of pumped breast milk or formula. Now that I understand it's formula, 7 ounces sounds about right but I also don't formula feed and don't know much about it so I probably wouldn't be good help anyway.
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  • TessaGarringerTessaGarringer member
    My son goes to a nutritionist because he was born with gastroschisis. He is completely normal now and weighs 12lbs 3oz. At 4.5months. Was 8lbs at birth. They want him to have 100ml every 3 hours. Which is 3.5oz. 8 times a day. 7oz at one time just seems like an overly large amount. And that seems like she has acid reflux. With the back arching and refusing food.
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  • laceybee29laceybee29 member
    She will take 7oz at first feed of the day, is fine no issues during or after this feed. It is the feeds after this during day/evening she fusses & pulls away from the bottle & it's a battle. How can it be reflux if for weeks she took 5 feeds per day 6-7oz per feed no issues now struggles to take 3oz. We have tried different bottles/teats, offering water, offer more bottles with small amounts etc but it is not making a difference. We are sitting for 2 hours sometimes per feed & she was sleeping through but is now waking in the night. She will happily take a feed during the night without a problem. I try feed her is quiet room with nothing to distracting but this isn't easy if out of the house.
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  • TessaGarringerTessaGarringer member
    Reflux can out of no where start. And it's like heartburn it can sometimes only happen certain times a day
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  • kremerj1kremerj1 member
    Could be problems with her ear?
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  • jmorneau09jmorneau09 member
    We went through this the last couple of weeks. His pediatrician said that it's common around 4 months and that as long as he is wetting and messing normally then not to worry and not to push the feedings. She said to just feed till he gets squirmy and then be done.
    Also she suggested checking to be sure the nipples aren't clogged.

    As for the whole 7oz bottles that everyone is talking about....it sounds on track to me for a formula fed baby. My guy is 4 months 2 weeks and had been eating 6oz bottles for over a month. He now eats 7 oz bottles but he only eats 4 times in a 24hr period. He also sleeps 12 hrs at night.
    Formula guidlines say that from 3-6 months LOs should be consuming 6-7oz in in 4-5 feeding per 24hrs . Formula fed and breastfed babies eat very different amounts and often in very different frequencies. I think people forget that every baby is different.

    I wouldn't stress about it unless she starts to go down in weight considerably. She will likely be back to her normal routine soon. Your doing great mommy!
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  • laceybee29laceybee29 member
    Thanks, her weight is good. I think I was just stressing so much about the change. She is now taking 3-4oz every 2 hours or so it's like having a new born again, but I'm getting used to it. A few more weeks & I will start purées and I can add formula to these. Thanks again everyone for the responses. ! :)
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