Any Babies Only Drink Milk While Sleeping??

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chihuahua

New Member
Hello. My baby has started to refuse the milk bottle eversince 2 months ago. He is almost 6 months old now. We have no choice but to rock him to sleep and feed him, as he will only suck the bottle when he is asleep. Also, he will only take about 70-90ml each time, hence we have to feed him every 2-2.5hr. Even though we try to increase the number of feeds, he is still only taking 600ml-650ml everyday. It is much lesser than what he requires.

We try to feed him solids, but he is not interested in eating anything, and will even display a puking action (but never really vomit). I am at my wits ends now. Can anybody give me some advise or share their experience with me?
 


hey chihuahua, my nephew was exactly the same from 4-8 mths... only want to suck from bottle when he is asleep... and intake very little. also refused porridge at that time. what my sis did was to try to increase the cereal in the milk so that he is more full. he started to want to take porridge only in his 9th mth and he is now a fat and cubby 14th mth toddler.

from this experience, we realised that bbies will take more when they are ready. as long as they are eating/drinking everyday and still growing with normal number of soiled nappies/diapers, you should not worry so much. when my nephew started to take porridge, he can actually eat more than me!! dunno how the small stomach can hold so much....

but if you are still worried, a visit to the PD can prob set your mind at ease...
 
chihuahua,
Wat u have descibed is exactly like my son. He started refusing to drink milk from the bottle when he was 3 mths old. Like u, i was initially very very worried. Consulted PD oso who told me not to force feed him. In the end, we fed him when he jus fell asleep. until now, he is still the same. The most stressful period was when he took lesser naps, so dat means we can't feed him though it's time to drink. He started 'bi gor' at 4 mths. 5 mths plus (i tink), he started cereal, then porridge. N yes, he makes puking sound very often. Even now, he does dat at times. PD told me it could be dat his mouth area is sensitive, so when he experienced smth wif a diff texture, he will react by trying to puke. I dun calculate milk intake by ml. I remember dat time his milk intake was abt 25 oz each day.
 
Hi chihuahua,

Totally agreed in jannie mention, as long as bb still gaining weight, shld nt b a prob.. if u reli want to hv a peaceful mind, visit the PD for advices..
happy.gif
 
Hi mothers,

Thanks for your advice. I know that as long as baby is gaining weight that's fine. But the problem is my doctor has actually told me that he is not gaining well. Only 250g in 5 weeks. And seeing a doctor is actually not much help, as there is nothing they can do if your baby just doesnt drink. What a nurse recommended was to let him try drinking from a cup. Not the sippy cup, but just a normal small cup. Going to start training him today and see how...

Skyblue, have you tried feeding your baby when he is not asleep again?
 
chihuahua,
If he doesn't wan to drink when awake, then maybe u feed when he's asleep?

i tried when he's awake but not successful....haiz..
 
Chihuahua,

I have the same problem as you! My 3 mth old bb also refuses to drink milk. Cries each time we put a teat into his mouth. And also not putting on weight well. Only 4kg at 3 mths. PD also doesn't know what's wrong. Was so desperate that PD referred us to feeding clinic with speech therapy who told us a bunch of crap and was a waste of money.

He's a bit better now. I tried changing a whole lot of different teats, and eventually used one that is similar in shape to his pacifier (which he sucks with gusto). But when he gets cranky again, got no choice but to feed him when he's half asleep.

At least you have the option of feeding him solids now, I still have to feed milk only! Really looking forward to the time I can start cereals!

You may also want to try massaging him. Apparently cranky bbs improve with regular massaging. I went for lessons at TMC (abt $40 per session). But KK also conducts such classes, and cheaper too (don't know whether bb needs to be born there tho)

Let me know if any of you have any success. Like Chihuahua, I'm also at my wit's ends!

Pl feel free to email me at [email protected] if you have any secrets on how to feed cranky bbs.
happy.gif
 
Hi all,
All of your babies sounded like my son too. I got adviced from another forum member saying that this is like a "3rd mth symdrone". My son started out in his 2ndmth+, gets very cranky when feeding, don't eat much, after ard 5-6hrs still drinks only 60ml, most serious case is only 20ml. Seems like they don't feel hungry. After advices from member, I still bring him to his ped. cos I was worried. So better check him out first. He got no throat infection, no stomach upset, no colic, no nothing. Then ped. told me that there is something unexplainable about this period of a baby. Usually they lasted ard 3mths. Now now my son coming to 4th mth is kinda drinking more and not as cranky. Now also 4-5hrs drinking 120ml-150ml. My ped. advice me need not bother to change teats, milk powder etc. But she said if baby really totally refuse milk... then might need to go for cereal liao.

Hope this helps.
 
Hi all,

I am now still feeding my son when he's asleep. But will try to supplement him with about 40-50ml of milk using spoon feeding in between his feeds. he takes the milk with spoon, but will have to entertain him before he will open his mouth. Perhaps some of you mummies can do this too.

I am also adding about 1 teaspoon of cereal into all his feeds, so that he will be fuller.
 
mummies,
Dun worry, tis period will pass soon. U'll feel more relaxed when ur little one starts solids. Last time, i seldom bring my boi out cos of his feeding pblm.
 
Hi mummies,

My little darling also behaves the same too. She is now 4+ months. She cries whenever we put the teat near her. She only stops crying when we put her down. Her weight gain is not good too. Have not gained a single bit during her last month. She is now dropped from 50 percentile to 25 percentile... My PD only advised us to try feeding her more, but my problem is she refuses milk! So worry... I have been expressing breast milk for her. My hubby was suggesting to stop breast milk but to feed her on formula so that she can gain more weight.
sad.gif
 
Hi Neko,
I think breast milk is actually better than formula as it's more easily digestable. My boy gained most weight when he was on breast milk. I really regret stopping breast milk for him as it's supposed to be the most nutritious. My PD also said that the fats in the breast milk is more easily absorbed by the baby and hence, more weight gain. So please dun stop... If really want to try formula, you can try giving your darling formula for the night feed to try...

Are you feeding her when she's asleep? My boy refuses the bottle too when he's awake, so bo bian, feed him when he sleeps lor.... Atleast he takes some when he is sleeping...
 
Hi everyone,

Good to know that I'm not alone in my feeding problems. And Missylan, I sure hope you're right that it will pass in 3 months! I cannot tahan forever! I also hardly bring my bb out cos of the feeding problem. Also becos bb always cries in the car seat....actually, he cries so often I can hardly bring him anywhere!

Neko, I agree with Chihuahua. Do try to continue bf. It really is the best for the bb. My PD suggested that we put some protein supplement (called HMF, can get from KK pharmacy but need prescription) into the breast milk to boost the weight gain. It really worked. My bb weight increased from 10g a day to 50g a day! But very ex tho, one box costs $80, and last only 1 week.
 
Hi Melissa,

Would like to ask for the exact specific name of the supplement tat your PD has recommended? I am currently staying in Sydney and is not sure if they have it available here. I am also looking for a supplement to add into his milk so as to make it more nutritious. My doctor here said they used to have an infant supplement by sustagen, but he thinks it's not available anymore. So he can't think of anything else.

By the way, how old is your baby?
 
Hi mummies,

My baby son is the same too. He started from around 3- 4 months, and is now 8 months. He has gained very little weight, and I have brought him to see 2 PDs. One of them is the famous Dr T Tan in Mt. A. But since his weight is above 50th percentile, I was told not to worry. I brought him to see another doctor near my place in Jurong, and was also told there was nothing wrong with him. I tested his urine but there was no urinary tract infection. I am thinking of bringing him to do blood test.

My son would not drink Mamil Gold 2 at all, but he will drink Promil Gold 2. But because that was giving him constipation I changed to Nan Premium a few days ago, and now he is refusing the bottle again, so I am having the headache again. But I found that he likes other things like chocolate ice cream very much, and will open his mouth very big when the spoon comes near. I feed him Gerbers baby food like peaches and prunes, and also fresh mashed banana, and he likes it. He is also having porridge for one meal now. But he needs to drink his milk to gain weight, and I really hope that this stage will pass soon.
 
Hi Ladies

My twins had this problem too.They started to drink lesser and became more fussy when they were abt 4mths. PD said not to worry if they are taking 120ml every 4-5 hours. At times, they could last for abt 6 hours with just 60ml of milk. We kind of let them be and they lost some weight. Consulted a GP, he also said not to worry.

They were sick during the last 2 weeks, we consulted a Chinese Physician and also asked about their feeding problem. The Physician said that it's prob due to the "wind", tummies were bloated. He added some powedered medication to their cough mixture and asked that we apply some sesame seed oil to their belly button before their bath to prevent water from seeping in. Things seem better now and they have even started to demand for milk sometimes at 2.5hr interval.

I hope their drinking patterns continue to improve and gain more weight.
 
Melissa,
Right now my boy(4mth) is skipping breakfast. He will wait till 10-12hrs after the last fed, then he will drink....

yvonne,
Water can seep in belly button!?!
 
Hi all mummies,

my son too, dun like to drink milk since 5mths until now (13mths)I still facing this problem. Usually i spoon feed him if he refuse to drink from bottle.
 
Missylan

According to the Physician, the belly button wound has not completely healed yet, so a little amt of water/ air may seep in at times. Maybe that's why we get colicky babies?
 
My girl also has this feeding problem! At first I was wondering if it's due to some 'pangtang' thing as many has suggested 'Cos I brought her to my neighbour's(malays)2nd child's full mth celebration, then they kept commenting whilst carrying her that 'oh she's sooooo chubby',etc... N that nite itself, she vomitted twice and from then onwards, rejects her milk liao... That was abt 3 wks ago. Changed to soymilk as her PD advised(cos she's also got alot of phlegm, so tot it might b due to that)but also didn't work leh.
Now, after reading this thread, I lagi dunno what is what liao... very jialat. She's now lost 1kgs+ leh, really heartache, imagine her intake drops from 180ml to 30-120ml and can last 5-6 hours. N ya, like wat u've all mentioned, she takes only whilst slping...
Very tiring lor, trying to get her to take more, but she juz simply doesnt want, So cant force her also least she rejects even more...

She's now juz turned 4 mths and I bought the Dumex's cereal which was meant for 4 mths old bbs, she also doesn't wanna take.
 
dat time my confinement lady oso applied sesame oil on my boi's belly button stump. But when drop off liao, she said no nid oredi.

tamarind,
I oso brot my boi to Dr T Tan when he refused to drink milk then. He was the one who told me not to force-feed n dat bb will drink milk when they're hungry.
 
skyblue,

What else did Dr Tan tell you ? He only told me that my son is about 50 - 60 percentile so it is OK, and asked me to monitor his weight for the next few months. But my son already gain very little weight for the past 4 months already ! I am really not convinced.

If my son don't want to drink, he will keep turning his head away, or just spit out all the milk. I will just wait until the next feed. My niece also refused milk when she was a baby, and my brother actually used a syringe to stick into her throat to feed her milk. I pray that I will never have to do this.
 
tamarind,
Basically he jus told me to leave my son alone n not to worry too much as long as he's active, healthy etc etc. My son's wt has dropped slightly recently n my current PD oso told me to monitor his wt. Funny thing is he's drinking as per normal (abt 6 oz every 3 hrs) or cereal/porridge if he's awake. Oso dunno y wt dropped. Anyway,my son is at the 25th percentile. Birth wt was 2.53kg.
 
tamarind, skyblue,

I think PD can't help much with this feeding problem. Most of the time wat they suggested r quite general.
 
cutebao,
Dats wat i tink too. my son is really active. He can hardly sit still when awake. N yes i agree dat PDs can't help much in tis feeding pblm. Dat time i consulted the PD was cos i was at my wits end n wanted to have a peace of mind dat all was well. Now, i've sort of gotten used to the fact dat he dun drink milk when awake.

yvonne,
My son is now 8 mts 2 wks. last wt taken at abt 7 mths was 7.4kg.
 
Tamarind,
I dun think blood test also got use lor. And like what cutebao says, most doctors and PD just says very general stuff because there is nothing much they can do if your babies dun wan milk. I think it should mostly be a behavioural issue... Maybe our babies just dislike milk. And you lucky, at least your baby eats. Mine call him to eat macham feed poison like that...

Yvonne,
Sesame seed oil means Ru Yi Oil? I just apply after he bathe leh...

Cutebao,
So are you also feeding your baby while he sleeps? I also try spoonfeeding to increase his intake. But nowadays he pukes when I spoonfeed him. Merlion kind... So I kinda scared to spoonfeed him again.

mum05, I know it's super tiring. Trying to rock the baby to sleep every 2-2.5 hours and painstakingly feed half hour just to get 80ml. Also everytime think about 2 months back when he was still drinking 160ml every 4 hours. Hai.... sad story. Was on the verge of depression several weeks back due to worry and exhaustion. Now trying to take things easy. Keep consoling myself that baby active and happy, then should be ok.

Skyblue,
I think it's mostly due to the fact that your boy's intake never increase alot but his activity level increase in comparison... Read somewhere before that a little weight loss is nothing serious suring his stage...
 
Hi mummies,
My baby is getting better for these few days after I have 'complained' her here
happy.gif

I have changed the teat and it works well so far. She could drink about 50 ml more for some of the feeds. Hopefully she likes the teat and continue with the improvement!
In the past I used Avent bottle for her (6+ month teat), seems like she has to use great effort on sucking. She is only 4+ months. Now I use those no brand teat, and somehow she likes it. ?(>.<)?
 
Neko,
Wah... my boy is 4mth+ but using a 2mth+ Avent teat. I tried changing to 3mth+ "lined" Avent teats, too big for him.

All,
After reading from my close relative not to force them to drink, so I don't force liao. Used to force abit when his "dun want to drink syndrome", but heartache cos he kept rejecting. T_T

Now he will cry for milk when he is hungry. Imagine almost 12hrs since last fed in midnight. Though now my son is drinking less than what the formula estimated, he is well and healthy.
 
neko,
No brand as in those from neighbourhood shops? Then those r under the brand of Kidster or smthg. The teats r very very soft. My boi's nanny oso bot dat for him to try. I used to use Avent teats oso n i oso find them abit 'hard'. So i changed to Nuk. No improvement leh.

chihuahua,
Ya, i guess it's quite normal for wt to drop when they're older. I saw ur post in another thread abt not bringing bb out. I was like u last time. I really dread bringing my son out. Hubby N i onli became more confident when he was nearing 5 mths. If u worry dat there're distractions outside n ur bb can't zzz, then u go to those places that r less crowded? Suntec Kids Mall is a gd place cos dat same level has an area where not many pple go to. I usually go there when my son wans to zzzz. Or a sling may be useful oso.
 
chihuahua, ya lor, but no choice lor cos when even when she woke up hungry, the most she'll take is 30ml n then she'll turn her head left n right, stretch herself all the way and scream! I really buay tahan man - super tiring lor. Juz put e teat into her mouth only she scream, my neighbours must be wondering why my child cries so much... haiz.

missylan, my girl also like tat! 120ml(only drinks this much when she's aslp, sometimes lesser!) can last her 8-10 hours too!
Today, I used our total wgt(wif me carrying her) on the scale and minus off my own, got an estimate of her wgt n found that she's lost more than 1kg liao... very sad.
oh has yr son started on cereal already?
 
Teats: I was using Avent too. But found it too hard. My boy dun like. Changed to Nuk and there was improvement for a while. Now all teats also can, as long as he is sleeping. But personally still feel that avent abit too stiff, maybe the ums of the babies will feel sore after sucking too hard???

mum05,
I also buay tahan... but what can I do? My boy only drinks about 80-100ml each time. Sometimes when we are lucky, can go up to 120ml max. I will just rock him to sleep when time's up to drink milk. So very very long never hear him cry for milk liao. If I let him be, he can 'tong' 5-6 hours on 80ml of milk, and yet still dun cry...You wanna try putting cereal into your baby's milk? I know not supposed to be very good, but at least there is some intake of cereal, maybe can boost the weight a little bit. I put about 1 teaspoon of cereal into 120ml of milk for a few of his feeds.

Missylan,
Yeah I also agree dun force. Last time I used to force my boy to drink, so I think he got traumatised and now hates milk liao... Let them be lor... I believe someday, they will take milk again. (hopefully)

Skyblue,
I try to bring him out to places where there are nice nursing rooms. But sometimes, there will be crying babies or noisy mummies in the rooms, so my boy will wake up = no milk. Then super stress cause have to end everything and go home to feed. Sianz... So I try to time everything. Immediately after his feed, we go out and if lucky enough, he sleeps outside and drinks more than 80ml, we can jalan a while more. If not, we have to go home within the next 2 hours lor...
 
Hi moms,

Avent teats really no good, my son totally dun 1 to suck, after I changed to Pigeon Wide Neck Bottle with Peristaltic Nipple (soft silicone)treat, at least he will suck. He has been using it for 7 mths.

Chihuahua,
No, if he dun 1 to drink, sleep or awake also the same. My son also puke quite a few times before, but i just keep trying. Wat else I can do? Now he is quite ok with spoon feed liao.
Usually I will try bottle first, then he will take abt 50ml to 100ml. For the remaining milk, I will add cereal to make it thicker and spoonfeed him.

If I bring him out, I have to go according to his feeding timing.
 
chihuahua,
I oso used to time my son's feed zhun zhun then go out. Like wat u say, if not then end up he nvr drink milk for hrs. It's indeed very stressful. I dun really like gg to nursing rms cos quite noisy. I'd rather choose a quiet corner or go to a cafe which is not very crowded.

mummies,
Wat cereal do u add into milk? My son is a born puker. Even now at 8 mths plus he still pukes at times. Last time i was super stressed when i bring him out cos he'll jus merlion suddenly. I remember once when i was at suntec barang barang, he suddenly merlioned a whole feed. End up hubby n i cheong home.
 
Hi Mummies

I guess we have to learn to relax a little, maybe our little ones can feel our stress during feeding times and all the more they refuse their milk. Also, different babies require different amount of milk so it's tough for us when we compare them with those who love their milk. It should be fine if our babies are feeding less than what is recommended, after all , most of the FM we buy are meant for caucasian babies, so we may have to give and take a little.

My PD has also told me that after their growth spurt during their 1st few months, babies require lesser milk intake and we will definitely see a drop in their interest.

I still bring my babes out despite this. If they dont cry, we continue shopping, if they cry due to hunger, we will just find a quiet place to feed them. Usually, when they are really hungry, they will drink with gusto and will finish their milk within minutes. How wonderful!

Missylan
I have a nephew who is like your baby. He will take his last feed at abt 9pm and will sleep through the night, will only take next round of milk at 9am. He is like that since birth and never was my cousin worried as he is growing well and healthy. From what my cousin has described, my nephew only takes abt 600ml of milk daily and he is still a chubby one.

Chihuahua
Sesame seed oil as in the kind we use to cook, not the ru yi oil. I use the Sesame seed oil before their bath and ru yi oil after.

Tamarind
I think your baby's weight is perfectly fine. Although my other nephew is taking his milk regularly and a big bowl of porridge everyday, he is abt 9.5kg at 11.5mths. He was a big baby at 8 mths weighing over 8kg and after that, he started to slim down although he is still feeding well. I think the slow weight gain is just a phase they go through.

Bottom line is we should all be enjoying time with our little ones and not be so stressed over how much milk they are taking. Think our babies will also be happier and may be willing to drink more??

Cheers to all.
 
Skyblue

From what you have described, your baby may have a reflux problem. There's a FM, Enfalac AR, which is specially formulated to counter this problem. Maybe you could check with your doctor about it.
 
yvonne, the problem is that my son was 7.9 kg 3 months ago, it is difficult for me not to worry. But you are right about not stressing the baby. My niece, who was force fed by my brother, still hates to eat now when she is already 5 years old.

skyblue, my daughter also used to vomit a lot, it only got better when she was more than 1 year old. But luckily she loves to drink milk so we don't have any problem feeding her. Now we will just give her a bottle and she will find a pillow to lie down then suck everything on her own. I really hope that my son will grow up faster to be like her.
 
Skyblue, Tamarind,
We sama sama! My boy also pukes quite alot. Everytime we finish feeding will have to lie him down and minimise acitivities for the next 45min, else he will merlion. Very scary. And nowadays when I try to spoonfeed him the remaining of his milk, he will definitely puke. Funny hor? How ah?
 
yvonne,
Being mummies, i guess we can't help but get worried when we see our little ones drink so little milk. Of cos we know dat as long as they're healthy, active having wt gain etc then it's not so much of a pblm. But then, it's jus a nagging worry constantly at the back of our minds.
Ya, my son was diagnosed as having reflux at 3 mths plus. My PD suggested giving him Frisovom which was supposed to thicken the milk but like wat tamarind said, it didn't help dat much. When he started solids, i stopped giving him Frisovom.
 
chihuahua,

u can try to spoonfeed him abt 1/2hrs later, keep the milk in the warmer.

tamarind,

maybe u can get some muti vitamins from PD if u really v. worry abt his weight.
 
Skyblue

I know the worries when our little ones are little "off-track", I have two to worry about at the same time.
287508.gif
Was so stressed that the minute I stepped home, I would be questioning mom and maid how much milk they had taken during the day until they also couldnt tahan.

Always have to tell myself to be more relaxed. Not sure if I'm being ultra-sensitive but babies' attitude towards their milk seems to be better when I stop worrying how much they would finish during each feed.
 
chihuahua,
Wahahahah, ya ya, i have to minimise movements after my son's feed cos if not he'll merlion big time
proud.gif
If he continues zzz after feed, then not so jiatlak. But many a time, he wakes up rite after finishing his milk. Funny hor. N then i won't be able to keep him still cos he'll be so bz moving abt. When he was younger, he'll be bz flapping his arms n legs. When he knew how to flip, he's bz flipping all the time. How to prevent puke u tell me when he's moving so much? :p
Now dat he's on solids, he's still puking at times. He makes puking sound like going to vomit when eating so we'll have to hurriedly distract him. Heheheh, so cham but i'm used to it liao :p

yvonne,
Till 2day, i'm still monitoring his daily intake of milk.
 
skyblue,

haha..my son makes the puking sound too. sometime is real puke others r false alarm. but whenever he do that, my heart like sink to the bottom.
 
cutebao, I gave my baby multi-vitamin from the PD, but he drinks even less milk, so I stopped. Does your baby have that problem ? If not, which brand are you using ?

yvonne, I also ask my mom and maid everyday whether my son is drinking milk. During the few days when I went to Seoul with my husband, my mom said that my son was drinking very well and I was so happy. Then once I returned home, he started refusing milk again. I wonder if it is really me ? May be he can sensed what I am feeling. May be I should go away some more :p

skyblue, chihuahua, my daughter move or don't move also will puke. When she was very small it was so bad that the milk can come up from her nose, and her face will turn red, very scary.
 
not sure abt the brand, is orange color. PD give when my son dun gain much weight during a period of time. he never drinks lesser or more with this multi-vitamin lar. I give him as a kind of supplement.

I ever had the same feeling as u, i always think my son is doing better when I'm not around. Somehow i lost confident as a mother. Now, I learn to be more relex cos i think the reason why my son become worse when I'm around it due to my stress. It was too intense till he really can feel it.
 


cutebao,
Wahhaha, same lor...my heart oso miss a beat whenever i hear the puking sound.

tamarind,
My son oso had milk coming out from nose at times. During confinemt, my CL suck out the milk. Oh yucks
proud.gif
 
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