Baby not eating well. what to do?

Question

MY little girl is 6 weeks old and having problems with her bottle. Last week she was eating about 4 or 3 oz every 2-3 hours. Well the last 2 days she has been eating about 1 oz every hour and falling asleep or just crying b/c she seems to be gassy. I have the cheep bottles that you get at wal-mart. I was thinking last night that maybe the nipple is to small and I should go to a stage 2. I went and got her the Gerber comfort med flow bottle to try thinking that it would help with not being gassy b/c its the huge nipple so not alot of air will come out and that if would flow better. We tried it and in one feed setting she choked three times and only got an 1oz down that was not spit up. I just put the rest in the cheep bottle and she ate about 1oz out of that. Then this morning at 6am she downed 4oz out of the cheep bottle. I don't know what to do should I get a different brand but still a stage 2 or a better bottle stage one. I was thinking that the stage one was to small and that's why she was falling asleep from all that sucking, but then the med flow she got way to much.. I'm new at all this and I hate having her feel hungry or her tummy upset b/c I don't know what to do. Its sad her poor little lip just quivers when she cries. Breaks my heart to see her up set b/c I can figure out what to do.

Answer 1

bring he to the hospital! you need to something might be wrong with her body.  

Answer 2

Many babies are very particular about what type of nipple they like I would go and buy a few different shapes and always use the evenflo bottles they help reduce gas a lot or the ones with the bags....The bag ones look at those nipples much more like the breast.. also check the hole on the bottle you are using the hole may be clogged or need to be made a little bigger if the baby keeps it up I would take her to her DR for sure... Hope this helps :) good luck to you and congrats and your new baby....  

Answer 3

Oh the joys of having a newborn.  You have no idea what is wrong.  You can't ask her why she's upset and there you are with that uneasy pit in your stomach, wondering what the h**l do you do.  Oh yeah, I've been there girl!  I have 3 kids--ages 4, 3, and 11 months.  So let me try and answer your question:

We had a very similar problem with my son (the 4 year old now).  He would spit up a lot, cry a lot, and be generally miserable with feedings.  We did some research online and discovered that Dr. Browns bottles got great reviews from parents with gassy babies.  We bought just one package (because they are expensive, about $4 a bottle).  We figured if it worked, great.  And if it didn't well we were out $12 (it was a package of 3).  I have to say that we saw a difference in our son after the very first feeding with these bottles.  He cried less, and seemed more comfortable during the feeding.  Also, on the advice of our pediatrician we added gas drops (mylicon), to every bottle with the formula (or breast milk if you are feeding it from a bottle) and this also seemed to help.  

I know you are nervous about your baby's well being, but I don't think you should worry.  Try switching bottles.  Get 2 or 3 and see if it helps before you buy more.  If the crying/fussiness continues more than a few days, I think a doctor visit might be in order.  Good luck, and I hope your little girl feels better soon!

Answer 4

At that age you do not want a med flow nipple, it's way to fast..we used Avent bottles(not expensive, some people swear they leak, we rarely have a problem with that, they only leak if you don't s***w on the cap right!) and we used teh 1 nipple and started to transition to the 2 at that age...

As for the gas, use Mylicon drops BEFORE every feeding, it works wonders!!!

What type of formula are you using?

And they do go thru phases where they will be starving some days and not that hungry other days

Answer 5

call the Dr. and get her in. It could be nothing but it could be a bit of a problem. Some baby's just change there eating habits others have digestive problems.

My sister was lactose intolerant after we figured it out that she ate fine.

Answer 6

When you are bottle feeding a newborn (yours is young enough to be considered a newborn) you should remove the bottle and raise the baby to your shoulder and pat the baby's back until it burps (or spits up) every 1/2 ounce.  After the baby is 'full' (and the baby should eat more with the frequent burping) then you need to put it onto your shoulder and pat its back for at least ten minutes to be sure every bit of 'gas' possible has been 'burped up'.  When you put your baby down to sleep, put the baby on it's back, with the head raised at least three inches above the feet (on a slanted piece of heavy foam) with something to keep the baby from rolling over.  Your daughter should start sleeping better and be more comfortable immediately.  You also need to get GOOD baby bottles with no BHA in them or the 'nipples' ... and your baby is far too young to need the 'second stage' bottles which are for babies over a year old.  If possible, you need to take a 'newborn parenting class' since you are just 'guessing' with your daughter, and you are making so many mistakes.  Your daughter isn't sleeping well because she has 'colic' ... to much gas builds up in her tummy and it hurts.  Carry her and pat her back until she burps, don't try feeding her any more, and see if she doesn't go right back to sleep.  

Answer 7

Sounds like the medium flow is pouring out too fast for her.  I would put it up for later.  

Maybe you could try burping her more often - or holding her more upright to feed.

Worth a shot!

Good luck!!  I know it is overwhelming!

Answer 8

She sounds like she likes and is used to the cheaper ones.  I would get a stage 2 in the Walmart and see how it goes.  If she is a no go, go back to the stage one and try later.  She may just be going thru a phase.  

The stage two has a bigger opening in the nipple which may make for more gas.  Keep that in mind  Make sure the bottle's contents are always fully covering the opening so she is not sucking air and bloating her sweet belly.

If she looks like she is suffering from weighloss, but not b/c of growth, talk to your pediatrician.

Answer 9

put a little bit of baby cereal in her bottle, take one of your old bottles and cut the nipple just a lil bit, trust me this will help her get full and sleep better and she isn't too young so dont worry about that