Author Topic: 1yr/10.5 adjusted uninterested in bottles  (Read 4502 times)

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Offline Alexian28

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1yr/10.5 adjusted uninterested in bottles
« on: November 23, 2013, 22:37:53 pm »
Hello!  I've perused the posts here some and have found some good info but I am still in conflict so I figured I'd post.  A bit of background: I had a complicated pregnancy from day 1, ruptured sac/labor at 26 weeks, DD born at 34 weeks, 24 day NICU stay with heart/lung issues.  She's overall healthy, heart and lung issues have resolved.  She is in ECI for PT, OT (minor feeding issues/tongue thrust), SST and dietitian.  She has no diagnosis despite lots of tests, just general hypotonia.  She does have reflux and MSPI.  She'll be 1 year old next week, 10.5 months adjusted.  Gross motor wise around 6 months.  She can sit independently but falls backwards still, doesn't crawl or walk.  Progress is excellent and her therapists expect her to be fully caught up by 3 years old.

Ok enough of that!  She is no longer interested in bottles hardly ever.  At first we thought it was teething and colds (she's always sniffly), then she had to have ear tubes in and adenoid taken out and that caused issues for a bit, then it was teething again.  She loves solids, but rarely wants her bottle.  We dropped to 3 bottles a few weeks ago but her dietitian is adamant that we do not drop below 20 oz formula a day.  She just doesn't want that much!  Her next dietitian appt is in 2 weeks and she is out of town until then so no help there and I am going insane.  I know kids are supposed to drop intake around a year but we have to take her adjusted age into account.  On a normal day it is:

7am wakeup and meds
830am bottle (7 oz)
930am breakfast (6tbsp oatmeal, 2 tbsp fruit, made with the bit of leftover formula and water)
1:30pm bottle (7 oz)
2:30pm lunch (8 tbsp total, 1/4 meat, 1/4 fruit, 1/2 veggie)
6:30pm bottle (7 oz)
7:00pm dinner (sometimes fruit/veggies, sometimes what we're eating for dinner, just depends).
8:00pm bed

I do not want to force feed my kid but she just doesn't want to drink anymore.  But she'll always eat more fruit and veggies!

We do bottle first due to reflux but might be able to switch it around, it's been a long time since she had solids first.  She is ok with her morning and evening bottle.  Sometimes all of it, sometimes 5 oz only, but that midday bottle is rarely a go.  She used to be so hungry in the morning she could barely wait the half hour after reflux meds for a bottle.  Now she doesn't care about breakfast bottle at all.  Some days that she's been at home she has refused morning bottle until 9 am.  Daycare lets her wait as long as she wants, which is fine with me, so some days she has solids lunch at 3:30 pm.  Is she really too young to go down to 2 bottles and/or less oz?  Any recommendations for dairy that I can incorporate?  I found some coconut milk yogurt I'm going to try but not much else.  Her dietitian said milk replacements aren't high enough in fat so we have to keep her on formula past 1 year rather than switch.  We'll try to transition to cow's milk at 2 years old.

I know this was long, thank you for reading and your help!
« Last Edit: November 23, 2013, 22:41:48 pm by Alexian28 »
3 year old DD with special needs
DS born 12/11/2015

Offline LovelyLilyandJack

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Re: 1yr/10.5 adjusted uninterested in bottles
« Reply #1 on: November 24, 2013, 07:02:57 am »
I'm not sure about the adjusted age element, but can you make her some food using her formula milk to keep getting it into her? E.g. Pasta in cheese sauce,  fish pie,  custard? At least that way she's still getting something in the day? My daughter went off milk overnight at around one. We tried sippy cups (ones she was already used to,  and a special one just for milk). It didn't work for us cos she just stopped liking milk but worth a go?



Offline lilisuze

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Re: 1yr/10.5 adjusted uninterested in bottles
« Reply #2 on: November 25, 2013, 14:20:37 pm »
Was going to suggest the same, try and sneak the formula into the food. Do you have baby rice powder. You can make lovely fruit puddings with apple or peach puree, and an oz or 2 of baby rice
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Offline Lolly

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Re: 1yr/10.5 adjusted uninterested in bottles
« Reply #3 on: November 25, 2013, 20:46:22 pm »
What about trying to shift the bottles/ solids a bit and see if that helps?

A more usual pattern is to have a wake up bottle, solids, lunch solids then bottle just before the afternoon nap, evening solids then bottle at bedtime. What time are your naps at the  moment?

Laura


Offline creations

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Re: 1yr/10.5 adjusted uninterested in bottles
« Reply #4 on: November 25, 2013, 23:26:53 pm »
I'd shift the bottles areound as Laura says.

Also, if your paediatrician is adamant on the formula level staying high for her health I would really give it a good go to follow the advice.  Mine wasn't keen on his milk and much preferred solids but he didn't have any health issues or adjusted age so I far less to be concerned about yk.

A very simple way to make her feel she is getting solids is to thicken the formula with cornflour so it's becomes a milk pudding (think blancmange, literally just add cornflour and heat until thick then allow to cool and spoon feed), you can flavour it a little with some natural flavourings like pp suggested fruit puree but I would not increase her daily fruit intake, use the amount she would usually eat at some other time in the day otherwise you are increasing her solids which could result in even less milk being taken. Her tummy is only as big as it is and can only take so much of either milk or solids.


Offline Alexian28

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Re: 1yr/10.5 adjusted uninterested in bottles
« Reply #5 on: December 03, 2013, 04:54:29 am »
Thanks for the replies, sorry it took me so long to reply, T-giving plus her first birthday was crazy.  We can't do wake-up bottle or night bottle, she needs to wait an hour after her meds to eat, and she's not hungry first thing in the morning anyway, and if she gets a night bottle her reflux acts up.  I could try to shift things around a bit.  If she's already not drinking her bottles I'm not sure how giving the bottle after solids will make her drink it but we can try.  Lunch is the only one we can flip around though.

Laura her daycare naps are horrid.  Normally at home it's wake up at 7 and meds, bottle at 8, solids at 9, nap 10-12, bottle at 12:30, solids at 1:30, nap 3:30-5, bottle 6:30, solids 7:30, bedtime routine, asleep at 8:30.  She has almost stopped napping at daycare.  2 50 min naps if they're super lucky, only 1 nap of about 1-1.5 hrs most days.  There's too much going on and she loves to stay up when all the other babies are asleep.

She had her dietitian appointment today and she hasn't gained any weight in 3 months.  So we're stuck between needing to up her solids intake to get more calories in her (which won't be a problem, she loves solids) and still keep her milk intake up.  The evening bottle is the worst of the 3.  It's a struggle to get 4 oz in her in an hour.  She opens her mouth for the bottle, takes a swallow then pulls off.  It's as if she wants it, but doesn't want it.  DH and I are at our wits' end especially with her not gaining weight and just don't know what to do anymore.  Probably a stupid question but is there anything we can flavor her formula with?  Maybe she doesn't like the taste anymore (Nutramigen certainly smells awful!). 

That's interesting about the cornflour I'll have to give that a go this weekend.  Wouldn't work for daycare though, unless I just decrease her bottles and make the extra into pudding each day.  Whereas at home any she didn't drink I could make into pudding.
3 year old DD with special needs
DS born 12/11/2015

Offline LovelyLilyandJack

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Re: 1yr/10.5 adjusted uninterested in bottles
« Reply #6 on: December 03, 2013, 06:37:35 am »
Sounds like you're having a really tough time at the moment :(  With regards to the pudding,  couldn't you give that to her in addition to her bottles and whatever she normally eats?  If she needs more calories in her,  I'd be adding foods rather than substituting - but adding foods made with her formula if you need to get more of that in her.  Sorry if I'm missing something or misunderstanding.... ???



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Re: 1yr/10.5 adjusted uninterested in bottles
« Reply #7 on: December 03, 2013, 07:54:34 am »
Yes I agree with LL&J, I'd be making a batch of pudding up with fresh formula and sending it in to day care along with her milk (as though it was a little pot of yoghurt which she can't have because of the dairy intolerance), not waiting to see what she drinks and then using the left over for the pudding.
I hear nutramigen tastes foul. have you tried anything in it?  I think one of the mums here adds some vanilla to help the taste. Has your paediatrician talked about any other supplements?


Offline Lolly

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Re: 1yr/10.5 adjusted uninterested in bottles
« Reply #8 on: December 03, 2013, 11:38:47 am »
I've heard of adding vanilla too, or nesquik powder I think? May be worth checking out,

Spreading the bottles through the day with solids does seem to help. My DD wasn't getting 20oz on 4 bottles, but once we switched to 3 at 8 months she was taking full bottles and getting 24oz plus solids.

Can I ask about the meds and the reflux? Is it under control? What meds is she on and how much does she weigh now? Is it the reflux meds you are waiting an hour for after taking? Have you ever tried thickening her milk?

My two were/are both refluxers on meds but we never waited an hour to feed, 20 mins is plenty of time really. I also found that when their reflux wasn't controlled they didn't want to eat first thing and they would want to drink their milk but stop after a couple of oz even when I knew they should be hungry.

I would be looking to get higher calorie and fat foods in her really, especially as she is enjoying eating. I understand your concerns with the milk but at the age she is now, even with the adjusted age at lot of babies are getting down to 2 bottles now and from 12 months they only really need 12-14oz of dairy (or substitute) to get their needs met.

Laura


Offline Alexian28

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Re: 1yr/10.5 adjusted uninterested in bottles
« Reply #9 on: December 04, 2013, 15:40:11 pm »
Laura, her reflux is mostly under control.  I think her stomach bug last week threw her off, plus a well-meaning cousin gave her some milk last week.  She's currently on 15mg Nexium 1/day.  Before her reflux was controlled she wouldn't pop off the bottle, just scream because she wanted to eat and eat to soothe her throat.  We sent a bowl of coconut milk yogurt and fruit puree to daycare yesterday for an afternoon snack.  She ate the entire thing (2oz yogurt, 2 oz fruit) at 4:30pm and amazingly, 2 hrs later was screaming for her bottle at 6:30.  Normally she has lunch at 1 or 2 pm and doesn't care about her bottle at night!  She hasn't had any reactions to the coconut milk yogurt yet and seems to really enjoy it so hopefully it can supplement her dairy.  She doesn't like water much so bottles are her only fluid intake during the day and daycare doesn't offer water through the day.  I don't see how upping her solid intake would make her want her bottle though so maybe yesterday was an off day.  I'm sure teething (her bottom incisors are coming in) doesn't help the situation.
3 year old DD with special needs
DS born 12/11/2015

Offline Buttonbobs

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Re: 1yr/10.5 adjusted uninterested in bottles
« Reply #10 on: December 04, 2013, 15:47:53 pm »
Just a thought. My DD when hungry needs towards more regularly. Is it possible that adding that snack in the mid-afternoon stopped her getting over-hungry so she was ready for the bottle. Sometimes if my DD eats less often she actually eats less.
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Offline Alexian28

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Re: 1yr/10.5 adjusted uninterested in bottles
« Reply #11 on: December 05, 2013, 03:54:33 am »
Maybe Naomi!  She did it again tonight. Sucked her battle bottle down in 10 minutes. Could giving her more food really be the answer? Hard to believe it could be that easy.
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DS born 12/11/2015

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Re: 1yr/10.5 adjusted uninterested in bottles
« Reply #12 on: December 05, 2013, 07:26:21 am »
I hope for you that is the answer xx
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Offline Alexian28

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Re: 1yr/10.5 adjusted uninterested in bottles
« Reply #13 on: December 10, 2013, 17:42:11 pm »
Just a quick update:  She continues to love her milk again!  I'm so thrilled.  That afternoon snack has made all the difference; she is ravenous for her evening bottle now.  I also FINALLY got an "official" diagnosis of dysphagia (which I've known for months) so I got authorization to thicken her formula.  I just use the tiniest bit of thickener and it's helped even more.  I never DREAMED that giving her more solids would be the answer.  Babies really need to come with a manual.
3 year old DD with special needs
DS born 12/11/2015

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Re: 1yr/10.5 adjusted uninterested in bottles
« Reply #14 on: December 10, 2013, 18:23:38 pm »
Oh I'm so pleased, and it's great news that your instinct about the diagnosis was right too - mama knows best :)
~ Naomi ~