no one really believes me

[Anonymous]

What I’ve learned is that 10 times out of 10 your “gut feeling” is correct. Don’t ignore your motherly instincts. Doctors see so many patients I’m sure its a case of the one or two moms that really do have a healthy kid that ruin it for the rest of us. Like I’ve said in other postings, Pediatricians are there to diagnose ear infections and that’s it (well that’s the way it seems to be anyway).

Have you gone down the path of trying different formulas yet? If my son was sick and I was supposed to give him pedia-sure (?) he’d refuse the bottle before he even tried it because he knew by the smell of it that it was something different. When he turned 1, he’d do the same thing with cows milk – he wouldn’t drink it, but he’d suck down “Yo-J” like it was going out of style!!

I’d start trying different formulas or maybe even adding rice cereal to the bottle. I don’t know why, but the thicker formula doesn’t come up as much as the formula by iteself.

lansima2006-3-1 15:20:40

[Anonymous]

Jill, I’ve had the same problem over and over again with Hailey. She’ll go for half a day without eating, and then take an ounce or two, and people will say “there, she’s eating”. They would focus on her weight and not her behaviour, which to me, is unacceptable. I really hope that you find a doctor who will listen to your concerns because I’m with you- it’s not normal to go so long without eating in my opinion either. I was wondering how much cereal you’re putting in his bottles?

[Anonymous]

well, I kind of expierement, I was told to put 1 tbsp per ounce but I usually put 3 1/2 per 4 oz , the brilliant gi told me to decrease it to 2 tbsp’s per 4 oz..LOL he is screaming as I type, will not be doing that again!!!!!!

[Anonymous]

I was just asking because I did some math when I first started adding cereal to Hailey’s bottles at around 5 months or something. A regular bottle is 20 calories per ounce, but a bottle with 1 tbsp per once of formula doubles the calorie content to 40 calories per ounce. That means that if he is eating only 9 ounces, he is getting the calories of 18 ounces. What’s his behaviour like while he’s eating? Does he seem content, but just not eating much, or does he seem like he wants more but is uncomfortable? I’m just wondering if maybe he’s getting his calories filled up by the hypercaloric milk and so he’s taking in less (I know it’s unlikely). BTW, I get so mad when doctors immediately tell us that we have PPD because our babies are having trouble. It really upsets me, and I won’t take Hailey to doctors who suggest this anymore.

Also regarding the 1 tbsp per ounce formula, I was just wondering if your doc felt that this was okay, given that the calorie content gets increased to 40 calories per ounce? I’m asking because Hailey’s intake is awful, and I’ve been trying to increase her calories in the bottle, but both our doctor and dietician said that we couldn’t go beyond 30 calories per ounce due to excess solute load putting burden on the kidneys and the risk of dehydration. But since she won’t take in any solids, we are pretty desperate to get calories into her as she only takes about 18 ounces @ 24 calories per ounce.

I hope that he’s doing better today.

[Anonymous]

Both his peditircian and the GI said that 1 tbsp per oz was ok, when he stoped eating a lot, I was told to decrease it, but like I said decreasing it turns him into a refluxing monster!!! yeah I had never looked at it in the way of how many calories he’s gettign, that makes me feel a bit better. Aidan has never shown any signs of being dehydrated, BUT that may be because he’s chunky, not sure, but even when he went until 7 yesterday with eating only 6 oz (he ate 4 more before 11 thank God) he was srill crying tears and wetting diapers. etc, but also it may be his age 2, he’s a lot youner than Hailey, you know what? maybe just increase it a little bit during the day and watch her to make sure she’s still wetting diapers, etc. soemtiems I’d decrease the cereal to 3 1/2 tbs per 4 oz, and he used to do ok on it, but it seems adding that extra 1/2 tbsp last night was what he needed. It was a tiny increase bit it made a huge difference. WIll she take water? If so, then you could give her a bit of water before bed (in a med dropper if she refuses it in the bottle) if you’re worried about hydration if you decide to increase the cereal. I wish the doc’s up there were doing moreto help Hailey I can’t imagine the crap they would be giving me if they saw Aidan. When he eats at when he’s very sleepy he does ok, but most of the other times he screams, eats a bit, screams somemore, eats, looks pained, until finally a whopping ounce is gone. He doesn’t arch his back he just either tries to eat and cries while he does, or screams like he’s starving and calms down as soon as I put the bottle In his mouth but just won’t latch on and eat it. He’ll just play with the nipple, chew on it, etc it’s annoying. Lori it just breaks my heart to hear what’s going on with Hailey and makes me so angry that it will take so long for them to really help her. Maybe if any good comes of that at all it’ll will be that they start taking cases that theysee like hers more seriously because she can’t be the only baby in Canada who reacts to food this way. As of right now he is doing better, has eaten 4 oz this morning (it’s 6 30 so that’s great), I’m also playing with when and how much prevacid I give him a once, last night I gave him 15 mg before bed, maybe that helped?

*Marsha, I think you are absolutely right about trusting our guts, although with this reflux thing, it’s hard to tell what my instinct really is, on one hand I see how t he dr’s could be saying what they are and think “well maybe i AM overreacting, maybe he’s just full”, but on the other I don’tunderstand how he could be so full on so little..it’s so hard.

[Anonymous]

This whole thing is baffling to me sometimes. Last night, I fed Hailey and she only took 2.5 oz then went back to sleep. Today she wouldn’t put anything in her mouth at all for breakfast, and then when I offered her her next bottle (8 hrs later) she kept refusing, arching, pulling away and then finally with 3 breaks took 3 oz!? I honestly don’t understand. Sometimes it makes me so frustrated with her I have to meditate so that I don’t lose it. Of course, since she didn’t take the bottle in time, her prevacid probably did nothing for her. I honestly wonder if I’ll be able to get 14 oz in her today….AAAHHHH!!!!

[Anonymous]

ohh man I hear that, today aidan has eaten 8 oz..which is better than yesterday, if this continues much longer I am going to call the gi back make an appt and flat out tell them to do an endo and stomach emptying test, if they won’t I’ll just have to find someone who will!!!! I have however figured that the more stressed out I get, the less likely he is to take the bottle, nuts I know but for some reason when I’m getting really anxious about it, he seems to know and REALLY start to refuse the bottle….my first son is kind of a little pain in the butt like that sometimes ( the madder I get at him, the more he refuses to listen) but sheesh I never knew a baby could be like that?????

[Anonymous]

Jill, all I can say is MEDITATE, meditate, meditate! I swear it sounds nuts, but when a feeding is going really awful, I just close my eyes and wish myself away to wonderful places! It really helps me to calm down and Hailey can feel it too, and usually relaxes as well. Hope that tomorrow is better for us both!

[Anonymous]

ok so I’ve decided that since neither the ped or the ped gi seem concerned about him, I’m going to take him down to the children’s hospitla and park myself there til soemone listens and will help, until someone recognizes the fact that yes, my child is chubby, not unhappy, and not dehydrated but that it IS an issue that he only eatsd 8-10 oz a day. SOMEONE in the medical community HAS to hear that and be able to say..ummmm yes that’s a problem let’s see why and let’s see how to fix it. At this point I could care less if they ALL think I’m nuts, I’m not leaving the darn hospital til someone can deffinitevly tell my WHY this child is not eating. Til I have a solid black and white reason as to what the issue is. I will not accept that “he has a slow metabolism” or be told to “wait until we see him losing weight” I’m tired of talking to the ped gi only to be told well, just update me in the next couple of weeks. NO MORE!!! I’m fed up with all of them and now I’m going to take matters into my own hands and sit there til we see someone who is willing to help us. ugh ugh I am so frustrated with dr’s…

[Anonymous]

Good luck! I wonder if in addition to the reflux making him eat less, he’s getting full on the oatmeal (8-10 oz at that concentration has the calories of 16-20). Good luck. I hope that you can get someone to listen. I agree that it’s a problem, but we’re in the same boat… I have a 9 month old that only took 15 oz yesterday, and no one was concerned.

[Anonymous]

it really IS totaly frustrating…I lessend his cereal to 2 tbsp’s per 4 oz..just to see if it would be ok and maybe he would take more formula..I really hope they help you with Hailey soon..it seems like dr’s kind of want to stick their heads in the sand when babies are eating in a way that baffles them and a lot of them do not want to admit that they just don’t have a clue about what’s going on. I think sometimes that they would rather tell US not to worry than admit they’re clueless about the situation. (although Aidans dr flat out said some things just don’t make sense to her either) Have you had any more luck with trying to get them to see her sooner???I know that has to be much more frustrating than what I’m dealing with, I got him to eat 4 oz this morning by totally ticking him off by putting on his tummy for tummy time, not really sure why that worked but I’m all willing to try it again…it would be really weird if that was the only way I could get him to eat, by making him angry..not sure I really want him to make he connection of “I’m hungry” with “I’m totally pissed off”..but we’ll see. I wish I could give you some advice on how to get her to eat, or at least how to help her not be in pain when she eats (which it has sounded like she sure is). I;m sure you have tried everything under the sun to try to soothe her into eating, I usually have to feed Aidan standing up, but then again don’t you always have to be standing with them when they are little?? I’ll still keep her in my prayers, I know you all need them. On a different subject, how’s your other little one doing? It’s hard for the older ones, especially if they are too little to really understand. I hope today goes better for you Lori, hopefully someday she’ll have a breakthrough and you can all look back on this time as something you went through but GOT through…your story makes me want to smack the dr’s eeven more than dealing with this myself..

[Author]

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