Baby refusing to eat

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Forum -> Pregnancy & Childbirth -> Formula Feeding

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WitchKitty

Thu, Jun 22 2023, 8:11 am

This has been going on for 3 weeks now.
My baby is 4 months old. As soon as the bottle touches her lips she starts screeching and refuses to suck.
I tried different types of bottles and nipples. I tried warming the bottle, and cooling it.
The only thing that works is sticking it into her mouth when she is asleep sucking on her pacifier, I take the paci out and stick the bottle right in. If the first few sucks are without her realizing she continues well.
She is hungry. 3-4 hours after the last bottle she starts crying and complaining, until she eats.
Sometimes she takes it better if I'm not the one feeding her.
What can be causing this? And what do I do?
Her feeding is taking up so much of my day, because it can take over half an hour to get her to eat it.

oneofakind

Thu, Jun 22 2023, 9:30 am

Teething? Ear infection? Reflux?
Was she bottlefed since newborn or does she associate you with nursing so she won't take it from you?

amother

Lemon

Thu, Jun 22 2023, 9:39 am

My baby with reflux also refused bottles and would only eat while asleep.

WitchKitty

Thu, Jun 22 2023, 10:52 am

Thanks for responding.
She has been bottle fed since birth. Some nursing at the beginning but definitely not enough for her to remember. She was also fine up until 3 weeks ago.
Wouldn't teething/reflux/infection come with additional crying, not only during feedings?
She is a very calm baby, doesn't cry unless she needs something or something is bothering her.

amother

Lime

Thu, Jun 22 2023, 12:25 pm

Try going into a dark, quiet room with no distractions to feed her. That usually helps when my baby is refusing bottles.

amother

DarkGray

Thu, Jun 22 2023, 12:29 pm

I also had a baby who refused to eat, nursing or bottle unless sleeping. it was so hard. she was not gaining well and it was very stressful. she is now 5 and while not a good eater , is healthy and happy. we still don't know exactly what the issue was

some things that sometimes worked: feeding her outside, dancing or singing while feeding her, using a preemie nipple, having other people feed her. have you seen a lactation consultant? or pediatric gi?

amother

Dill

Thu, Jun 22 2023, 6:01 pm

Omg my baby is also refusing bottles and solids the last few weeks... she's 9 months old.. Dr said viral..idk

sunshoweryay

Thu, Jun 22 2023, 6:29 pm

Baby’s have a sucking reflex till 3 months
If they have any oral motor weakness it shows up much worse at 3 months….
Many moms notice then bc reflex isn’t active anymore
I would have ur baby seen by a feeding specialist

Last edited by sunshoweryay on Thu, Jun 22 2023, 9:13 pm; edited 1 time in total

amother

Indigo

Thu, Jun 22 2023, 6:56 pm

For those with older babies, it’s usually viral and they will regain their appetite after a few days. If it’s a younger baby, check the mouth for sores, red throat, ear infection etc. otherwise reflux. Could also be developing an allergy and need to switch formula

amother

Eggshell

Thu, Jun 22 2023, 10:32 pm

Check her for tongue tie. Take to a specialist and ignore your pediatrician’s advice. They don’t know squat about tt

sunshoweryay

Thu, Jun 22 2023, 11:10 pm

amother Eggshell wrote:

Check her for tongue tie. Take to a specialist and ignore your pediatrician’s advice. They don’t know squat about tt

I can’t agree more about paediatricians, they don’t realise how much it could affect

WitchKitty

Fri, Jun 23 2023, 6:45 am

So.. I tried in a dark room and outside, no change.
Went to the pediatrician to check ears/throat. He said she has some sores in her mouth, probably viral, but that there's no way this is what is bothering her for 3 weeks straight. He recommended going to an ENT.
Re: tongue tie, I know she has a very posterior tongue tie. It was already snipped twice and I really don't want to have to snip it a 3rd time. We were seen by 3 lactation consultants for the nursing, all of them said that they just can't find a problem, it seems as though she was latching, sucking, and swallowing beautifully, but she just wasn't getting enough. I was at a GI doctor with her about 2 months ago for this reason.
But my son had the exact same thing and he was fine with bottles. She was, too, until 3 weeks ago.
What is a feeding specialist? Do you know how I can get to one in Israel?
I have tried different formulas already.
I tried feeding her baby cereal with a spoon yesterday, and she will eat it, even mixed with formula. But she won't take only formula with the spoon. Of course the spoon feeding takes her a long time, it's not really a solution.

amother

Offwhite

Fri, Jun 23 2023, 6:59 am

I had this with my baby starting at 8 months - she's had back to back viral infections, and each time she gets sores on the top of her palate and in the back of her throat. The pediatrician said to give her tylenol and or advil and then to try again after it kicks in - it was a miracle.

There is one more thing that it reminds me of - a bottle aversion. My baby had some problems with the babysitter and suddenly refused bottles (this was right when I went back to work). Any bottles at all. We went to a feeding therapist (speech therapist by trade for babies) who coached us through taking a break from bottles for at least a few days to a week, creating a different environment for my baby around bottles, and yes trying yet another type of bottle. It took some trial and error but BH it worked. They also said some babies have such a strong bottle aversion that they recommend cup feeding, that babies often can start with a cup earlier than parents think.

much hatzlacha!

sunshoweryay

Fri, Jun 23 2023, 9:24 am

WitchKitty wrote:

So your saying there is oral Motor weakness
Snipping a tongue tie without doin exercises is almost worse then Doin nothing bc as I explained the reflex disappears and now their way of compensating sucking, was removed.
So they are left w nothing
The tongue is a muscle it needs exercise to work, does your baby mouth breath?
A very good lactation consultant can help or I feeding specialist that’s knowledgeable in tongue ties.
Also a full tongue tie and posterior can have the same effects it’s not less of a prob
It’s a tie holding the tongue back from its full function.

WitchKitty

Fri, Jun 23 2023, 11:15 am

Of course we did the mouth exercises afterward. I also took her to craniosacral/osteopath -I think both? I don't really remember the difference, but I took her to 2 people. One of them also showed me exercises to do with her face and jaw at home that I did for over a month.
I'll try the Tylenol idea.
Bottle aversion sounds like it could be it?

sunshoweryay

Fri, Jun 23 2023, 12:18 pm

WitchKitty wrote:

They give you exercise to strengthen the muscle or that it shouldn’t grow back

WitchKitty

Sat, Jun 24 2023, 4:35 pm

sunshoweryay wrote:

They give you exercise to strengthen the muscle or that it shouldn’t grow back

Right, with fingers in her mouth and also to get her tongue out, in different ways. That was from the doctor. We did it.

amother

Hyssop

Sat, Jun 24 2023, 6:54 pm

My baby is 9 months and also has been like this. Every few weeks she refuses bottles for a few days, I just have to feed small amounts until she starts again eating properly, she's also not great with having solids it's usually one week on and one week off with her.

amother

Yellow

Wed, Jun 28 2023, 4:13 pm

If you haven't already, try nipples with different flow speeds, she might need something with a faster or slower flow.

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