sleep/dream feeding questions?

[Anonymous]

Hi everyone,

I am new to this…but about 3 1/2 weeks ago our 3 1/2 month old, Lauren, started screaming during feeds, arching her back, etc. She went from eating 32oz per day to maybe 20 to 25 (and that is with a LOT of work) Somedays we are lucky to get 20. Finally saw a GI last Wednesday who put her on Prevacid 15mg, solutabs. He thinks her feeding will pick up once her esophagus heals and she is not scared to eat (he said at least 3 weeks). In the meantime now we are having to “dream” feed her as once we put the bottle in her mouth she screams! She is obviously hungry…sucking her pacifier, eating her hands, but as soon as we stick the bottle in her mouth she pushes it out and screams! Having to feed them in their sleep just isn’t normal…IS IT?? Do any of you have any tips/hints/suggestions on how to get her to eat when she is NOT asleep???? Does this get better???????????????????????????

I’m so scared she is not going to ever want to eat like a normal baby again….she used to eat SOOOOOOOOOO good with no problems, now everything has gone downhill……

I’m so tired…and desperate for any answers now…

Thanks,

Krista in Houston

[Anonymous]

I can tell you that dream feeding was the only way that my little man, now almost 10mos, would eat at all from 3 mos until just recently. Probably not what you want to hear – but we had to get whatever we could into him no matter how it was – sleeping or not.

Have you tried all the distractions, walking, television, all that good stuff?

Christian is now able to eat at what I call passive alert – presleeping. Most times he finishes his bottle just as he is going under completely.

Again, not what you wanted to hear – but our experience. Good Luck!

[hellbennt]

I’d give zantac, too…that’s just me…I’d try giving it at least 2 hours seperate from the prevacid…also, are you splitting up the prevacid into 2 doses? are you giving it on an empty stomach?

[Anonymous]

I’m really sorry that you’re having such a tough time with the feedings right now. I find that it makes things so much more difficult. Hopefully that will straighten out for you once her pain is under control.

As for the dream feeding, you’re right…having to feed them in their sleep is NOT normal. But I personally don’t believe that GERD is normal. It’s not normal to be in so much pain that you can’t eat.

My daughter nursed non-stop from the minute she was born, but once my milk came in, I got the sense that she didn’t want to drink it. She would pull off constantly, and then go back for more as if she was starving. She did this all day and night, and as a result she gained very well during her first two months. It started to get really bad at about 6 weeks. At two months old, she stopped eating, and we had to use sleep feeding to get her to eat. We’ve had ups and downs, and I’m sorry to tell you this, but she hasn’t eaten in an awake state since. We’ve had to keep up with the sleep feeding only because she won’t take anything any other way. She is now 8.5 months old.

Please don’t let my story depress you. Hailey is a difficult case. If it makes you feel any better, since moving to bottle feeding, Hailey has very rarely taken more than 20 ounces, and even now we don’t usually get more than 18. Many people on this board have had to use sleep feeding, but then their children suddenly turned around and started to feed like normal children. I hold onto this hope that one day my daughter will also turn around. I know it is exhausting, but please continue to search for answers. Do not give up. Things will get better when her reflux is better controlled. Good luck.

s&h’s mum2006-2-13 21:15:38

[Anonymous]

Sorry to hear that things are so tough. Alot of us have been there with the sleep feeding, and although its not normal, sometimes you just have to do whatever works. Give the prevacid some time to work, it sometimes can take a couple of weeks to see results.

In the meantime, if you want to feed whilst awake then distraction is the only thing that works for us. As laura said, television and walking around the house can help. Even now that my sons feeding has improved immensely, we still have him watching the tv whilst feeding and if he stops drinking we will lay him on a pillow on the floor to finish the feed as he drinks better when not held. Changing bottle types often can also help, different nipple sizes etc. Just see what works for you.

I hope things improve for you soon.

[Anonymous]

Thank you for the advice. I have tried distraction, feeding her in her bouncy seat, her swing, in the rocking chair, in her crib….I’ve tried 5 different bottles and nipples….I am splitting the Prevacid dose into 2 (I started this yesterday) so we will see how it goes. I am praying that once she feels better she will want to eat again…She takes 2 swallows and then cries and pushes it out with her tongue…Maybe she is still hurting…any other advice would be greatly appreciated. For those of you who have had to “dream feed” before did you find that they went back to eating in an awake state once the medicines kicked in?? Just searching for answers at this point.

Thanks

[Anonymous]

I’m sorry you’re having a tough time feeding your little one. My ds has had difficulty from the day he was born. He has never wanted to eat much. He’s now 10 months old and the majority of his feeds have been and are still done while he is asleep. If he happens to wake up, we end up syringing the rest of his milk. Distraction rarely works for him anymore. I think Noah is a more difficult case than the average baby with reflux, so please dont let this worry you. I’m sure that once the meds kick in, your dd will begin to improve. I know of many people who have said their baby turned around and started eating normally once the medicine started working.

[hellbennt]

I see you’re giving soy- this might be a problem?

[Anonymous]

Krista, glad your splitting the dose. Also, remember to give it 30 mins before she eats and on an empty stomach. l used the zantac in between too, 2 hours seperated from the prevacid, until it really kicked in. I know 2 weeks is a long time to wait, but when you see results, you will have a totally different baby. Heard the soy formula can aggrevate some babies with reflux like Laura said. We are on nutramigen and hypo forumula that has really helped. (I know I already told you this stuff but sometimes it helps to hear it again , it did when i was new to this.) Email me anytime you need anything! Sarah

[Anonymous]

Hello!

My little girl (7 months old but born 3 months early) had to be “dream-fed” for a couple weeks when we (stupidly) tried her off her medicine and she went on a feeding strike. What worked for us was turning on white noise (LOUD static) while she ate and dimming the lights, and whispering “sshhhh” while she ate. This calmed her down and while she didn’t really sleep, she did calmly take the bottle. After the solutabs kicked in (which only took a couple days for us), she was much better and now eats wide awake with commotion in the room.

Good luck!

[Author]

Posts