My 8 month old daughter has had trouble feeding from the bottle for her entire infancy. I have consulted doctors, tried different bottles, asked other moms, etc. with no resolution. When she is hungry she gladly takes the bottle, only to detatch from it, squirm around and cry, then immediately take it back and start sucking again - but only for a few seconds at a time. This repeats constantly for the entire bottle at each and every feeding. We've had to strap her into the high chair to feed her since she was 4 months old. Neither my husband or I am able to hold her and feed her. We've tried burping her, not burping her, different bottles, different speed nipples, sippy cups, different positions. We have tried different formulas too. And we make sure she is definitely hungry before feeding her. I keep thinking she will outgrow it but she has not yet and she is 8 monts old. The pediatrician just told us to try a different bottle. Well we did that and it didn't work. I think maybe does she have reflux? But she doesn't arch her back and she has no trouble laying down after feedings. Any ideas?? Please help.
The first thing that I thought of was that maybe she is allergic to the formula. she could be allergic to dairy, soy or both. If the reflux meds don't work I would take her to an allergist.
Sounds like my daughter. It turns out she had silent reflux so she did not spit up or anything but fought eating so badly. At 12 weeks she went on Zantac and it was like night and day. By 9 months she was able to stop taking it since she was eating more solid foods and now at 2 has no issues.
My so is 11 weeks old and has been on Zantac since 3 weeks old for the same reason. Reflux runs in our family so it was not surprising.
See if you can get a referral to children's hospital(DMC) in Detroit. They have an pediatrics occupational therapy department that specializes in oral motor skills using beckman's oral motor activities. They will actually observe your child feeding and evaluate the necessity for services. I would definitely act on this because your little one needs to have the proper oral motor skills now so she can progress onto higher level oral motor patterns (like chewing food and SPEECH).
I agree with Pat. I am thinking she has some inner / middle ear issues that you should perhaps check into with a specialist.
L., sounds like you have tried many alternatives as well as consulted with your doctors. Since nothing has made a difference, Im wondering whether your daughter might have a tactile aversion to the nipple. Some babies have difficulty accepting different sensations on their skin, or tastes in their mouth. The best person to ask would be your pediatrician,a pediatric speech and language therapist, or maybe a pediatric occupational therapist. I agree with Sue M. Good luck!
Have you considered seeking a second opinion? What your daughter is experiencing sounds like something more than just trying a different bottle. Although, if the flow of the bottle is either too fast or too slow that could cause the reaction you're seeing. You might want to ask your Dr. to recommend a pediatric speech therapist to observe a feeding and offer some suggestions. I know it doesn't sound like a speech problem. But a speech therapist can assess baby's ability to suck, and then swallow etc. I hope this works out for you soon. Best of luck, S.
My daughter has silent reflux, we had no idea. She didn't show any of the signs they tell you to look for. I know it is supposed to get better as they get older. She is almost 7 months and we recently took her off Prevacid and she didn't do well. I would call your doctor, you could at least try the meds for a few days and see how she does. We noticed a HUGE difference right away. Good luck!
First, I would find a new pediatrician. This is not normal! It could very well be reflux. Reflux often causes feeding problems. I would also ask the doctor about getting occupational therapy for your daughter. My daughter had feeding difficulties when she was an infant so I do understand how frustrating it is for you and your husband. My daughter had a feeding tube for 3.5 months. We were able to get her to take a bottle by using a Haberman feeder. It is a special bottle that is often used for babies with cleft palates but it worked for us! We did discover that my daughter had severe reflux when she was 2 and a half....almost 3. She was getting a set of ear tubes and at the last minute, the ENT decided to scope her esophogas since she was already in surgery. That is when we discovered the acid relux was destroying her esophogas. The weird thing is that she never spit up or threw up. She has what is called silent reflux.
Good luck. Please find a new doctor and trust your gut.
Poor thing. And, poor you! That's so heartbreaking to watch your little one go through that. Have you had her stool checked to see if she has enough healthy bacteria and nothing bad that's causing her stomach distress? Also, she might benefit greatly from probiotics designed just for babies. Your regular doc may not have a clue about this, but you can learn about it. Probiotics are so important for overall health and have no side effects. You might like this article: http://www.nourishmd.com/index.php?option=com_content&...
Best of luck!
Sounds like silent reflux to me! Tell your pediatrician you'd like the try meds for that for aprx 1 week and see how it goes. If it helps, then horray you found the problem.. If not, then no harm done trying.
Good Luck!
Ear pain is what comes to my mind first. Reflux is a good idea, but I agree about the arching and being able to lay down afterwards (my little guy had reflux and those were his symptoms, arching and crying if laid down after eating) I think you should seek a second opinion, 8 months is a long time. When she sits in her high-chair, she doesn't have a problem? Being a mom is such a rewarding and frustrating experience. We are the communication between our little ones and the professionals. Keep trying, she is trying to tell you something.
Many blessings to you!
