Hi Ladies!
I have a 3 month old baby boy who, within, the past few weeks has gone from 4.5 oz every 3 hours to 5- 5.5 oz every 3 hours. The past few days his eating has been erratic. He will drink between 3-4 oz every 3- 4 hours and hardly ever fusses for it.. He has been somewhat fussy and really struggling to go down for his naps and a couple nights ago he woke up 7 times (in comparison to maybe 2 times) and I had to rub his belly and pacify him. He did have bad gas that night, but I did not change anything (same formula, same amount, same bottles etc) The past week or so he has been waking up in the middle of the night congested so I have his humidifier on. He also occasionally coughs (maybe 3 times a day) Could he be sick? Is it just too much food? Does he need a faster flow nipple? Any thoughts? Thanks so much
Hi everyone! I took my little one to the DR.. He is extremely congested so we raised his mattress, ran his humidifier and used saline drops in his nose. It helped so much, he only woke once last night for a feeding.. I am going to use those salines during the day and run our humidifier in hopes that it helps with his day feedings. She did also say he was starting to teeth, but I think it was the congestion that was really bothering him.. My only problem now is that he scoots down his mattress while sleeping, do you think its to elevated? THANKS FOR EVERYTHING!
He went through a growth spurt and is now over it. It's hard with bottles because you assume you know how much they need instead of just letting them take what they want until full. Don't ever force feed him and just try to watch more carefully to his cues for hunger and fullness. When you force feed through fussiness, they take in a lot of air and get gassy creating the night problems.
It appears to me that you have several things going on. First of all at 3 months your son went through a growth spurt and ate more for a few days. Now that the growth spurt is over he can go a little longer between feedings and doesn't need quite as much. You do not need a faster flow nipple. If anything you might want to look for a slower flow nipple. The faster the nipple the more air and the more upset his stomach will be. It does also sound like he is suffering from some congestion. Not unreasonable with the weather going from 20 to 50 back to 20 then going up to 60. The cough is probably just a result of the sinus drainage. I would keep doing the humidifier though (we run whole house ones all winter). Also with congestion he isn't able to breath through his nose as much, is he breaking suction while he is eating? If so he can be taking in air. Let me know how things are going.
Hey T.,
At around 3 months, baby's growth tapers off, so maybe that is why he is not eating as much. Babies can eat from 24oz. to 32 during the day. As long as past weights at the doctor have been ok, I wouldn't stress about how much just yet. Does he have a temp? He could be sick, could be teething, could be an upset tummy from extra mucous if you say that he has been congested. I have a 4 mo. old and I go through wierd sleeping patterns too with my son. and nothing is wrong, I think babies just do wake up more at night from time to time. Feel if there are teeth popping up, maybe try some tylenol before bed, teething tablets or some gripe water (teething tablets and gripe water have nice natural ingredients like chammomile and fennel to help there tummies and help them rest better). Just pay attention to his behavior, his temp., try a different nipple if you want. Its good to experiment and see what helps your baby. And know these times won't last - we'll make it!
Babies do go thorough spurts where they will eat a lot and then not need as enough. It is usually tied into growth spurts. That said if your child is behaving like he is uncomfortable, cranky then may be you should check with a doctor to see if something else is going on. This is the flu season. WHen my kids are cranky they are usually fighting something. But a baby can also be cranky when they start teething too. For your own peace of mind have the doctor take a look.
He may have a little cold and his appetite is down. Babies are humans too and their appetites change just like ours do. As long as he seems satisfied I wouldn't worry and don't force him to eat more. That will screw up his body's ability to detect satiety and lead to all kinds of eating and food issues later. If he isn't eating more in a few days I would call the doctor and see what he or she says.
Hi T.,
If your baby is having gas problems, he could need to be on a different formula. I would check with my pediatrician. Babies on formula should not have bad gas. I wouldn't go to a faster flow nipple, as that could cause him to eat too quickly.
He could be starting to teethe, also, which may account for the congestion.
If your baby is having gassiness, he may also be having acid reflux. What are his burps like? Does he cry right before he burps? Is he bringing his legs up toward his tummy?
I hope you figure it out. I know how badly it feels to not be able to help your baby.
Good Luck,
D.
