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April 2016 Moms
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Little one doesn't want to eat :(

WiseUsagiWiseUsagi member
in April 2016 Moms
I'm a FTM and in all the issues I worried about during pregnancy it never occurred to me that my LO wouldn't want to eat! He was born at 6lb 7oz and is one week old today (he was born at 37+4) and is down to 5lb 15oz. We are really struggling with getting him to eat. We are attempting BFing but he is so impatient that if the milk doesn't come immediately he unlatches. He just wasn't taking the breast at all in the hospital so the LC finally got me to start pumping. I'm making TONS of milk but even with a bottle he still eats very little.

His pediatrician wants him to get at least 1iz every 2-3 hours but we really have to work hard to get him to take between 15-25ml at each feeding. We've only gotten one whole ounce in at a handful of feedings. We're waking him up every 2 hours to feed even at night but still no weight gain. :( We're exhausted and don't know what else we can do.

Anyone else have experience with a LO with a bad appetite? 
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Re: Little one doesn't want to eat :(

  • kerinsarakerinsara member
    Have they checked for tongue tie?  My niece had that, and they didn't find it until about a week after birth.

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  • Mailmans Baby MommaMailmans Baby Momma member
    There can also be a lip tie. Have your pedi check. Also try different bottles and nipples...some babies are picky. 
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  • kgott82kgott82 member
    I second trying different bottles. Also, with my first son, he was a very lazy eater from day one. He wouldn't latch but didn't have any issues with being tongue tied. A nurse in the hospital taught us a trick when bottle feeding. While holding the bottle with your thumb and pointer finger, put your middle finger under his chin and gently push up. It would remind him to suck/relatch. He still wasn't a perfect eater but it did help. 
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  • WiseUsagiWiseUsagi member
    We're in the process of trying different bottles and nipples now. We were able to get an ounce into him with a Tommy Tippee earlier and I'm going to try a MAM next.

    The doctor didn't mention or check for any ties. I'll definitely ask about it at the next appointment. 
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  • sarahuflsarahufl member
    My DD is ultra lazy and it turns out she has a bad suck reflex and really doesn't swallow. I BF her, but I also pump some. Then H and I literally spoon feed her and stick our fingers in her mouth to get her to suck/swallow. She is only 4 days old and it is already getting much better.

    Ask if this is a potential problem for your son.
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  • AnyaZMAnyaZM member
    edited April 2016
    as I understand you bottle feed? we were in the same boat with my older son - his sucking reflux was too weak for slow flow nipples and fast flow would make him cough.he was on the smaller side too, maybe it has something to do with that.
     So at some point ine nurse suggested  Enfamil NUK Newborn Orthodontic Disposable Nipples (cant insert the link for some reason but you can find them on amazon. I was trying to find silicone alternatives in the stores but honestly nothing I tried could compare) From that day he started to eat no problem and in two weeks his sucking reflux improved. He is a year old, tall and 29 lbs so am sure its just a rough start for you.  I wish everything gets better soon with your LO. 
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  • Mailmans Baby MommaMailmans Baby Momma member
    Also I understand you're pumping but I'd also see a lactation consultant...they are a wealth of info for breastfeeding and pumping Mommas. 

    Good luck!
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  • Ready4thePartyReady4theParty member
    My nephew was born at 34+4 and wanted to sleep more than eat.  He was going long stretches before they realized he was sleepy, so the nurses had the parents strip him down to a diaper.  It really helped, he stayed awake longer and started putting on the lbs after that.
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  • sarahuflsarahufl member
    We have to strip Eliza to eat and she still sometimes conks out. My husband rubs her feet vigorously as well, which also seems to do the trick.
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  • MamaRoniMamaRoni member
    And keep in mind.... it usually takes 2.weeks to regain to birth weight.... and a loss of 10% Ish is normal.....
    I'd definitely see a lactation consultant as well.... man they know alot!

    Good luck
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  • yodiggityyodiggity member
    We are going through something similar. Baby girl is down over 12% as of yesterday. She is 4 days old and is at 5# 5oz. Her doctor suggested we supplement with an ounce of formula until my milk comes in. She isn't really latching and I fear now that we've been supplementing with a bottle, she may not be able to at all. She just gets pissed off and falls asleep. I think she's just too small to latch. We've got another appointment tomorrow to recheck he weight. While we're there I am going to have them check for tongue tie also, for the lip tie thing. I'd never heard of that one. I am pumping as much as I can and I can see that my milk is starting to come in and feeding that to her in a bottle. We've had the most luck with the Munchkin Latch bottles since the actual nipple part is shorter.
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  • BebeOnBoardBebeOnBoard member
    With DS1 we used a syringe at first. He would get milk drunk and fall asleep after one. 
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  • redseligredselig member
    @yodiggity my DS was the same weight at day 3 and the midwife also suggested that I supplement with formula (20 ml)  for the first couple of days until my milk came in. DS also didn't have a lot of sucking power and got too tired too quickly. She showed me how to cup feed DS to avoid any nipple confusion. It was a lot of hard work to prop DS in a semi seated position while feeding him tiny capfuls of milk. PITA but in the end this was successful for me.  
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  • sarahuflsarahufl member
    redselig said:
    @yodiggity my DS was the same weight at day 3 and the midwife also suggested that I supplement with formula (20 ml)  for the first couple of days until my milk came in. DS also didn't have a lot of sucking power and got too tired too quickly. She showed me how to cup feed DS to avoid any nipple confusion. It was a lot of hard work to prop DS in a semi seated position while feeding him tiny capfuls of milk. PITA but in the end this was successful for me.  
    @yodiggity and @redselig - I may have already mentioned this somewhere but I'm too lazy to look. But we also cup fed for a couple days then stuck our fingers in her mouth to make her swallow the milk. If you put your finger up against the roof of her mouth (tounge underneath) , she will suck really hard on it. It both helps her eat what you cup fed her and helps with suck training. She responded very well and is now taking my breast much better.
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  • mannylynn88mannylynn88 member
    I had the same exact issue with my LO ( she born born 37+4 too). She weight 6lbs 3oz and went down to 5lbs 6oz, but now she is over her birth weight. She didn't want to eat till about 1 1/2-2 weeks. She started out at 15 ml and I fought for her to even drink that, but now she drinks almost 3oz .
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  • WiseUsagiWiseUsagi member
    I've been trying to reply to this for ages but little man keeps distracting me, lol. He had a recheck last Thursday and his weight was exactly the same. I'm making plenty of milk pumping so the pediatrician basically said I have to force him to eat. So if he starts Fallon asleep I have to wake him any way possible to get him to eat. 

    His appetite seems to have picked up the last 2-3 days. He's actually downed 2 oz of milk at a few feedings so I'm feeling better about him at least getting enough to eat. He seems happy and content.

    We have another weight recheck today so we'll see how it goes! 

    I still can't get him to stay on my breast though. He latches really well but only sucks for about a minute and then unlatches. It's really frustrating for both of us. 
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  • duendefduendef member
    If he's putting too much effort into sucking he could be burning as much, or more, calories than he's taking in. You may need to try to make it as easy for him as possible. I'd still try the breast first but if/when you offer the bottle, make sure to use a slow enough nipple so he can control the milk, but fast enough that he doesn't work too hard. Providing chin/cheek support will help decrease the amount of movement and effort he would need to put into sucking and provide extra support. Keeping him awake and stimulated is necessary, like others said, strip him down, bright lighting, maybe even gentle swinging/rocking/bouncing first (not in a calming way though!). Cup drinking could also work. If he doesn't already take a pacifier, offer it often in order to encourage non-nutritive sucking which will help him become stronger, increase endurance, and coordinate his movements. Feeding issues are the worst, but you guys will figure it out! 
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  • DougalMcGDougalMcG member
    What's your letdown like? With DD1 I had an overactive letdown from pumping too early and the same thing would happen that you are describing. She would latch and then the second I letdown she would pull off because the flow was ridiculous. My milk would literally shoot across the room (or choke her if she stayed latched). The fact that you said you pumped early on makes me wonder if this is what is happening when you put LO to the breast. 
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  • WiseUsagiWiseUsagi member
    DougalMcG said:
    What's your letdown like? With DD1 I had an overactive letdown from pumping too early and the same thing would happen that you are describing. She would latch and then the second I letdown she would pull off because the flow was ridiculous. My milk would literally shoot across the room (or choke her if she stayed latched). The fact that you said you pumped early on makes me wonder if this is what is happening when you put LO to the breast. 
    I have a very strong letdown so it is entirely possible that that is an issue. 

    He finally gained weight! He went from 5lb 15 oz last Thurs to 6lb 3oz on Monday. We're not back to birthweight yet but the doctor was happy with the results. We switched to Mam bottles and he's eating a lot more at each feeding since then. I'm still offering the breast each time but I've decided if I have to exclusively pump and bottle feed him it won't be so bad. As long as he's getting fed that's all that matters to me! 
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