Newborn doesn’t eat..please offer suggestions

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:1 - get a baby scale and weigh before and after.
2 - undress him before feeding. It sounds awful but if he’s nice and warm and toasty he’s going to fall asleep
3 - tickle his feet and under his chin as he starts to fall asleep. Sadly, the idea is to keep him awake.
4 - don’t be afraid to supplement with formula if it’s too much or too hard. I bfd for more than 2 years for both of my kids and they both got formula too. It’s ok.
5 - ignore the PP who says your milk tastes bad. You’d know because he’d spit it out and reject it, not just fall asleep.

Also 22oz/day is a lot for a baby on breastmilk.

1. The pediatrician warned against a scale because she said hey aren’t super helpful and cause more anxiety.

2. We do undress him and change diaper changes. I will also tickle him, adjust, and make loud noises to wake him up.

3. I’m fine pumping. It’s really not that and for me. It’s best that I know how much he takes each feed. I’m not afraid of formula but I make enough that we don’t need to supplement. At least not yet.

Idk. The pediatrician said 18-22oz is what he should be taking for his age. She wants us to get 20oz a day.

Find a new pediatrician. Or at least work with an IBCLC-certified lactation consultant.

Your pediatrician knows nothing about supporting breastfeeding — 2 oz. every 2.5 hours for a newborn is way too much, and not nearly often enough. Your pediatrician is using formula-feeding recommendations and not adjusting the advice for a breastfed baby.

You should be doing a weighted feed every 1-2 hours. Using a scale is not anxiety-producing — it’s an accepted standard of care for situations like this.

Bug the heck out of your baby during feedings. Feed less milk, take longer (especially if at the breast, to get the high-calorie hindmilk), and feed more often.

Also, the person who keeps suggesting that OP eat a bland diet is an idiot. Ninety percent of the world’s population eats food with chilis, spices, and other strong flavors. Telling the OP to eat like a c.1952 WASP is not the answer.

What is the recommended amount for a breastfed baby? I’ve looked it up and 1.5-3oz seems to be the standard.

I don’t eat spicy foods. I eat with seasonings but nothing spicy. Pretty basic like salt, pepper, garlic, onion, taco, Italian, etc.

[Anonymous]

Are you getting a lactation consultant? That seemed to be a modal response.

[Anonymous]

OP, you may want to try the following:

1. Cut dairy for at least a week from your diet to see if it’s a dairy allergy or dairy sensitivity problem for your baby. Takes a few days for this to reflect in your breast milk. There are other allergens that you could try cutting too.

2. Agree with others on the Avent bottles, which require active sucking on baby’s part. Como tomo bottles and a faster flow may help baby eat more and faster too.

3. Definitely listen to others on feeding baby more often if possible in smaller quantities

4. Other wake up methods not already mentioned: using a cold wet cloth to wipe the baby’s face. Have someone other than you feed the baby (baby smells you and immediately falls asleep — this happened to me)

5. Might be worth trying a hypoallergenic formula in case it’s a lactose sensitivity. My little one was able to eat more because he was less gassy/reflux-y after we started using HIPP HA. But there are lots of other hypoallergenic formulas out there.

Good luck!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, you may want to try the following:

1. Cut dairy for at least a week from your diet to see if it’s a dairy allergy or dairy sensitivity problem for your baby. Takes a few days for this to reflect in your breast milk. There are other allergens that you could try cutting too.

2. Agree with others on the Avent bottles, which require active sucking on baby’s part. Como tomo bottles and a faster flow may help baby eat more and faster too.

3. Definitely listen to others on feeding baby more often if possible in smaller quantities

4. Other wake up methods not already mentioned: using a cold wet cloth to wipe the baby’s face. Have someone other than you feed the baby (baby smells you and immediately falls asleep — this happened to me)

5. Might be worth trying a hypoallergenic formula in case it’s a lactose sensitivity. My little one was able to eat more because he was less gassy/reflux-y after we started using HIPP HA. But there are lots of other hypoallergenic formulas out there.

Good luck!!

1. The pediatrician doesn’t think it’s reflux. He doesn’t show any signs of reflux and isn’t very gassy and never spits up. We think it’s that he wasn’t eating enough from the breast and now he’s too sleepy. It might be the bottle.

2. We will try other bottles.

3. How much and how frequently?

4. We have used a wipe and an ice pack. My husband is sharing the feeding responsibilities and he still falls asleep with him.

5. I’m not comfortable using imported formula. He didn’t have an issue with the formula we bought. He isn’t gassy and never spits up.

[Anonymous]

Skin to skin contact (remove all clothing and lay baby to mom/dad chest area)
Lightly stroking to their cheeks.

[Anonymous]

A couple things….

Must check form tongue and lip ties ASAP. Not good enough to have pediatrician check. They always miss the posterior. Some LCs can find them but ideally an ENT who specializes in revision, your ped can recommend names. Highly likely this is part of the issue. These issues cause the sleepiness because eating is so difficult and exhausting. Because normal sleepy babies can still feed ok.

It is way too early for pediatrician to say there’s no reflux. High possibility of silent reflux and or cow milk protein allergy going on here. I’d definitely be considering that right now.

Most Pediatricians are terrible with this type of stuff. So you will need to get multiple opinions and really be persistent in identifying capable providers. It’s tough and exhausting but the path of dealing with failure to thrive is also exhausting so you’ll have to push through either way.

-been there and done that x2 kids

[Anonymous]

My baby had insane reflux from birth. Refused to eat completely. But, she was also crying from the start and throwing up like she ate 8 ounces when she drank less than 1/4 of an ounce or had breast milk, but only few pulls at a time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Try a different bottle, or try next nipple flow level up. Maybe yours is too slow.

I wouldn’t use a faster flowing nipple if you want to breastfed eventually. Breast feeding will feel like so much more work and they may reject. Plus you want the baby awake enough to actually suck and swallow. Having milk passively fill in their throat from a fast flow nipple is a chocking hazard.

Have you looked into pallet issues or tongue tie?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, you may want to try the following:

1. Cut dairy for at least a week from your diet to see if it’s a dairy allergy or dairy sensitivity problem for your baby. Takes a few days for this to reflect in your breast milk. There are other allergens that you could try cutting too.

2. Agree with others on the Avent bottles, which require active sucking on baby’s part. Como tomo bottles and a faster flow may help baby eat more and faster too.

3. Definitely listen to others on feeding baby more often if possible in smaller quantities

4. Other wake up methods not already mentioned: using a cold wet cloth to wipe the baby’s face. Have someone other than you feed the baby (baby smells you and immediately falls asleep — this happened to me)

5. Might be worth trying a hypoallergenic formula in case it’s a lactose sensitivity. My little one was able to eat more because he was less gassy/reflux-y after we started using HIPP HA. But there are lots of other hypoallergenic formulas out there.

Good luck!!

My pediatrician said you had to cut dairy for 2 weeks, and if you were cutting diary just cut soy at the same time so you can eliminate both common options.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Have you tried different bottles and nipples? If he's having to work too hard to drink a faster flow might help; if he's struggling to swallow what's coming out he might need a slower flow. I don't know of a lactation consultant or other specialist who could look at how your baby sucks and swallows but it might be worth asking your pediatrician or people who live near you for recommendations.

I would try a higher flow nipple. Also try turning/swirling the nipple while feeding to keep his interest and remind him to keep eating.

The Avent bottles suck. I’ve used them and it takes 30+ minutes to finish like 2oz. Go with the Dr.Browns or a silicone bottle. We switched to Dr. Browns glass and it was much easier for my baby to eat.

The bottle shape, nipple, flow level, etc. really really really made a difference for my baby who sounds very similar to OP's. OP, if I were you, I would buy a whole bunch of bottles -- including some faster flow nipples -- and test them out and see if it makes a difference. It did for my sleepy newborn.

[Anonymous]

I scheduled a lactation consultant and an ent appointment for him. I wonder if a tongue tie is the reason he didn’t eat well on the breast for 5 days. My nipples are small and we had to use a nipple shield but he still falls asleep a lot.

And the most important, we feel very dumb because the Avent bottles are apparently supposed to line up. My husband looked it up and that’s what he said. I looked at reviews and many said that these bottles are very hard for their baby to eat from.

We did 6 feeds already following the 2.5 hour schedule and he sucked down 2oz. It still took a while but he was done in about 30 minutes. I’m really wondering if the bottle was making him so tired trying to eat from that he became more tired and couldn’t finish it. I personally didn’t like the comotomo bottles ( very hard to unscrew and get cap off) but the Dr.Browns did work. He took 2oz every feed. We did try the Avent bottles with the parts lined up, and he was better but still had a hard time eating. I noticed he had to really use all of his mouth and jaw muscles to eat with the Avent bottle. Now it’s easier and he isn’t trying as hard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:1 - get a baby scale and weigh before and after.
2 - undress him before feeding. It sounds awful but if he’s nice and warm and toasty he’s going to fall asleep
3 - tickle his feet and under his chin as he starts to fall asleep. Sadly, the idea is to keep him awake.
4 - don’t be afraid to supplement with formula if it’s too much or too hard. I bfd for more than 2 years for both of my kids and they both got formula too. It’s ok.
5 - ignore the PP who says your milk tastes bad. You’d know because he’d spit it out and reject it, not just fall asleep.

Also 22oz/day is a lot for a baby on breastmilk.

1. The pediatrician warned against a scale because she said hey aren’t super helpful and cause more anxiety.

2. We do undress him and change diaper changes. I will also tickle him, adjust, and make loud noises to wake him up.

3. I’m fine pumping. It’s really not that and for me. It’s best that I know how much he takes each feed. I’m not afraid of formula but I make enough that we don’t need to supplement. At least not yet.

Idk. The pediatrician said 18-22oz is what he should be taking for his age. She wants us to get 20oz a day.

Find a new pediatrician. Or at least work with an IBCLC-certified lactation consultant.

Your pediatrician knows nothing about supporting breastfeeding — 2 oz. every 2.5 hours for a newborn is way too much, and not nearly often enough. Your pediatrician is using formula-feeding recommendations and not adjusting the advice for a breastfed baby.

You should be doing a weighted feed every 1-2 hours. Using a scale is not anxiety-producing — it’s an accepted standard of care for situations like this.

Bug the heck out of your baby during feedings. Feed less milk, take longer (especially if at the breast, to get the high-calorie hindmilk), and feed more often.

Also, the person who keeps suggesting that OP eat a bland diet is an idiot. Ninety percent of the world’s population eats food with chilis, spices, and other strong flavors. Telling the OP to eat like a c.1952
WASP is not the answer.

Thanks, but I am not an idiot. As I stated, some kids have different needs. I have 4 kids and breastfed all of them. One of my boys ended up in the feeding and preemie clinics at Georgetown. He had appointments every few days for a few months. This was actually a rec from their head pediatric GI specialist, who I also do not think is an idiot. It's unclear why certain babies have different feeding needs, but for this one, that ended up being the trick that really helped his silent reflux. He is a twin, and his twin brother could eat anything. Please don't be rude to people who have been there and are making simple suggestions that could help. I can't tell you how many appointments (and 2 inpatient NICU and then PICU stays) it took to come to the exact formula that worked for this one baby of mine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:1 - get a baby scale and weigh before and after.
2 - undress him before feeding. It sounds awful but if he’s nice and warm and toasty he’s going to fall asleep
3 - tickle his feet and under his chin as he starts to fall asleep. Sadly, the idea is to keep him awake.
4 - don’t be afraid to supplement with formula if it’s too much or too hard. I bfd for more than 2 years for both of my kids and they both got formula too. It’s ok.
5 - ignore the PP who says your milk tastes bad. You’d know because he’d spit it out and reject it, not just fall asleep.

Also 22oz/day is a lot for a baby on breastmilk.

1. The pediatrician warned against a scale because she said hey aren’t super helpful and cause more anxiety.

2. We do undress him and change diaper changes. I will also tickle him, adjust, and make loud noises to wake him up.

3. I’m fine pumping. It’s really not that and for me. It’s best that I know how much he takes each feed. I’m not afraid of formula but I make enough that we don’t need to supplement. At least not yet.

Idk. The pediatrician said 18-22oz is what he should be taking for his age. She wants us to get 20oz a day.

Find a new pediatrician. Or at least work with an IBCLC-certified lactation consultant.

Your pediatrician knows nothing about supporting breastfeeding — 2 oz. every 2.5 hours for a newborn is way too much, and not nearly often enough. Your pediatrician is using formula-feeding recommendations and not adjusting the advice for a breastfed baby.

You should be doing a weighted feed every 1-2 hours. Using a scale is not anxiety-producing — it’s an accepted standard of care for situations like this.

Bug the heck out of your baby during feedings. Feed less milk, take longer (especially if at the breast, to get the high-calorie hindmilk), and feed more often.

Also, the person who keeps suggesting that OP eat a bland diet is an idiot. Ninety percent of the world’s population eats food with chilis, spices, and other strong flavors. Telling the OP to eat like a c.1952 WASP is not the answer.

What is the recommended amount for a breastfed baby? I’ve looked it up and 1.5-3oz seems to be the standard.

I don’t eat spicy foods. I eat with seasonings but nothing spicy. Pretty basic like salt, pepper, garlic, onion, taco, Italian, etc.

I'm the PP who posted that for one of my babies, I truly had to cut everything out. This included basic black pepper. Taco seasonings would have set off his silent reflux. It's tricky to figure out b/c there's a bit of a lag between what you consume and when it's in the milk. It is nothing you would be able to taste.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I scheduled a lactation consultant and an ent appointment for him. I wonder if a tongue tie is the reason he didn’t eat well on the breast for 5 days. My nipples are small and we had to use a nipple shield but he still falls asleep a lot.

And the most important, we feel very dumb because the Avent bottles are apparently supposed to line up. My husband looked it up and that’s what he said. I looked at reviews and many said that these bottles are very hard for their baby to eat from.

We did 6 feeds already following the 2.5 hour schedule and he sucked down 2oz. It still took a while but he was done in about 30 minutes. I’m really wondering if the bottle was making him so tired trying to eat from that he became more tired and couldn’t finish it. I personally didn’t like the comotomo bottles ( very hard to unscrew and get cap off) but the Dr.Browns did work. He took 2oz every feed. We did try the Avent bottles with the parts lined up, and he was better but still had a hard time eating. I noticed he had to really use all of his mouth and jaw muscles to eat with the Avent bottle. Now it’s easier and he isn’t trying as hard.

The Avent bottles were HORRIBLE for my baby.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I scheduled a lactation consultant and an ent appointment for him. I wonder if a tongue tie is the reason he didn’t eat well on the breast for 5 days. My nipples are small and we had to use a nipple shield but he still falls asleep a lot.

And the most important, we feel very dumb because the Avent bottles are apparently supposed to line up. My husband looked it up and that’s what he said. I looked at reviews and many said that these bottles are very hard for their baby to eat from.

We did 6 feeds already following the 2.5 hour schedule and he sucked down 2oz. It still took a while but he was done in about 30 minutes. I’m really wondering if the bottle was making him so tired trying to eat from that he became more tired and couldn’t finish it. I personally didn’t like the comotomo bottles ( very hard to unscrew and get cap off) but the Dr.Browns did work. He took 2oz every feed. We did try the Avent bottles with the parts lined up, and he was better but still had a hard time eating. I noticed he had to really use all of his mouth and jaw muscles to eat with the Avent bottle. Now it’s easier and he isn’t trying as hard.

The Avent bottles were HORRIBLE for my baby.

We didn’t know that we had to line up the nipple with the cap and hold upwards.