How do you sleep feed?

[Anonymous]

I have a neighbor with a newborn who has reflux (I wonder if she was overfeeding him and not burping him every ounce. He is tiny and has a tiny belly. I think the Ped thought of reflux because he would vomit up all of his formula which can happen if you don’t burp)

Anyway, I am trying to help her get the baby’s weight up so he does not end up in the hospital.

Can someone tel me how to sleep feed and if it is reccomended to help the baby increase weight?

How do you sellp feed?

Thanks all, Susan

[Anonymous]

When Abby was an infant I think I burped her every 2 ounces. It just depended how much was in the bottle. But even when Abby was burped often she would still spit up a lot. Did the pedi. prescribed any reflux medication like Zantac or Prevacid? If they are in pain it is really hard to make them eat. She might want to ask for some medication to help. Once a baby is in less pain then they are more likely to eat and the sooner this happens then they are less likely to develop any feeding adversions. I would somtimes Dream Feed Abby which is when you go in pick up the baby and feed them without really waking them up. What type of formula is the baby on? They might want to try a switch to a soy or hypo-allergenic formula.

Andrea

[Anonymous]

Susan,

I used to sleep feed Nathan exclusively because he has feeding aversion. On hind sight, I probably should not have done it. When we went to feeding clinic, they said that once the baby is used to sleep feeding, it is very difficult to have him eat during awake again. Of course, every baby is different but something to consider and balance with benefit of more weight gain.

Fen Fen

Nathan (05/2006) GERD, MSPI, 20 mg Prilosec

[Anonymous]

Susan,

I would not recommend sleep feeding as something that someone “should” do. In my experience it’s more like it’s something that you fall into out of desperation.

We had to start sleep feeding Hailey when she went on feeding strike at 2 months. And she’s been sleep feeding ever since, and hardly drinks when awake. It’s been h*ll, in a way that I can hardly explain.

If your friend is having trouble feeding her baby or the baby is not gaining weight, I would recommend a referral to a peg GI and/or a dietician, and a feeding assessment. It’s best to address these issues early on to prevent future problems.

If I could go back in time and do things differently, I don’t know if sleep feeding would be the best option for Hailey. We still live every day trying to get calories into a child who doesn’t want to eat.

Good luck.

[Anonymous]

I agree completely with Lori. Sleep feeding for us has been more of a desperate attempt to feed a baby who did not want to eat from the time he was a newborn. For us, it was the only way to get enough calories into him so he could grow. It is extremely stressful once you begin and rely on sleep feeds. Your whole life begins to revolve around it.

If the baby is williing to eat, but just isnt gaining, or is vomitting often, I would highly suggest she consult with a GI first and foremost.

lisaann2006-10-25 12:46:50

[Author]

Posts