Almost at wit's end - Please Help!!! - Baby not eating or drinking (long)

evansmahmah wrote: Evan is currently 11 months old, weighs 17 lb (3rd percentile), length is 26 inches. He was born at 36 weeks gestation, weighed 5 lb 5 oz, length was 16 inches. He's gained about one pound since his six month checkup. Started on solid food (mainly commercial purees) at six months. He was breastfed until he was 10 months old and weaned himself during his hospitalization for fever/dehydration/stomach flu -- has been on food strikes on and off for a month.

He had never eaten very well to begin with: He would BF for a max of 3-7 minutes per session (5-6 times/day) and on a good day eat three meals of baby food (4 ounce jars). We had introduced the bottle very early on, but he had never really taken to it (basically refused it all together by three months of age).

Since we've come home from the hospital we had reintroduced the bottle and have gotten to the point where he would take 3-5 ounces consistently every three to four hours while awake. Now we're back down to 1-2 ounces per session and he's frequently refusing the spoon. We've tried finger foods, table foods, different places, etc but to no avail. With the bottle, it seems that he's not really sucking...he'd sometimes chew on it and it would go from one side to another. Many times he would gag and choke on the liquids and solids whereas he hadn't before.

We have spoken to his pediatrician about this and they suggested: Add butter to all his food; try high caloric foods even if not totally healthy; take an antihistamine to increase appetite (is a side effect of that particular drug). Not much more they can do until he gets older (i.e. more invasive testing--swallow tests--upper endoscopy) and allergy testing since he does have eczema. What do I do in the meantime? I'm practically feeding him or attempting to feed him all day long. I offer the bottle every 1/2 - 1 hour if he had refused the first attempt and then have to pour it out and start over. If he absolutely refuses to drink, then I try the solid foods. People keep telling me that he will eat when he's hungry, but we have found that to be untrue. He'll sleep for 8-10 hours per night then wake up and drink 2 ounces.

Is it harmful to feed him so often even though he doesn't take much in? Will it cause an aversion to eating even if we don't ever force feed? This had caused quite a bit of stress for us which I know isn't helpful.

Any suggestions, advice would be greatly appreciated.

momofone replied: The only time my daughter had trouble eating was when she had teeth coming in and the bottle hurt.


You can maybe try new foods just to see what he likes.

Boo&BugsMom replied: Have you tried a sippy cup?

Calimama replied: First I would take him off the bottle personally and get onto sippie cups. Do you feed him or do you let him feed himself? I've found if I try to feed Miabella off my fork she refuses, but if I give her own little toddler fork and spoon then she's more willing to eat. It also helps her if we give her a variety of foods at once that way if she doesn't want the meat she might be more willing to try the veggies or the fruit, kwim? Anyway good luck. I hope you find something that works.

evansmahmah replied: I've actually tried several different sippy cups. He loves them, but not for drinking. He chews on the spout and lets all the liquid drip out the corners of his mouth OR gargle whatever makes it to the back of his throat. He thinks it's funny Well, I can't say if the teething is to blame for his food strike. He's been cutting teeth since Memorial day. He has nine now and probably one or two upcoming.

momtoMegan&Alyxandria replied: Have you tried PediaSure. If he even drinks a little atleast there will be some nuterients in him. Other than that I am not real sure what else to suggest other than pedialyte so he isn't back in the hosptial.

Good luck I know it is stressful.

My2Beauties replied: With him being 11 months I'd also make the transition to whole milk instead of formula because it contains more fat. I'd let him try to eat on his own, even if he makes an absolute mess, he may find it fun to do.

mysweetpeasWil&Wes replied: Wesley didn't eat any solids until about 12 months. I met with an OT and a dietician and talked with his ped several times. It is very stressful. The only good thing was that he BF strong, so it wasn't as if he was starving. But his weight gain suddenly slowed around 10 months. He wouldn't take baby foods (pureed) at all. Never. It wasn't until I offered table foods, chunky stuff, that he started eating. To this day, I'm not exactly sure why he had the aversion to pureed foods, but it could be what's happening to your kiddo. I suggest introducing small bites of food, like rice puffs or cheerios first. And don't put too much on the tray. The dietician told me that babies really only need about as much as the size of their fist per meal. Sometimes the amount on the tray can cause the aversion alone, because they fear that they have to eat so much. Wesley is definitely this way. He will throw the food on the floor if I offer too much. I also only offer one thing at a time, so small soft carrots first. When he is done with those, maybe a few cut-up grapes. Again, too much can be overwhelming, especially for a kid who may also have problems swallowing. Wesley NEVER took a bottle. Hated them. He chewed on them like you describe, but that was it. Never swallowed. I tried just about every sippy cup too and found that the ones with the straws worked the best for him.

Now at 16 months, he sometimes eats more than Wil (who is 3)! So remember that you will get through this.

GL

jcc64 replied: Fwiw, 17lbs at 11 months for a preemie really isn't all that bad. My dd was born full term, and she was barely 17 lbs at a yr. I'm sure it's stressful, but your anxiety could be exacerbating the problem- he's old enough to feel the pressure coming from you, even if it's unconscious.
If you're not satisfied with the answers you're getting from your ped, request a referral to a specialist, a nutritionist, or at the very least, a 2nd opinion. You want to rule out any underlying physical issues, and then once you've done that, you can take a breath and remind yourself that no healthy child will starve himself. It's something we all worry about as moms- it's in our blood.

MyBlueEyedBabies replied: You are talking about my life right now. my youngest has been in the hospital for the last week with what started as a kidney infection and now they are holding him 'hostage' running every test they can think of on him all stemming from his weight/ eating issues. (<14pounds at 14 months)

Add butter to all his food; try high caloric foods even if not totally healthy; definately an option...not necessarily a good one but honestly you know him better than anyone else. Is he busy, on teh move? burning off the calories he is taking down?
take an antihistamine to increase appetite (is a side effect of that particular drug). We are currently talking about appetite stimulators so I am for that one in teh right circumstances
Not much more they can do until he gets older (i.e. more invasive testing--swallow tests--upper endoscopy) NOt true. Johnny had them all done at 3 months and again in teh last week. swallow study is realllllly easy. I actually fed him the barium laced baby food during the test. Upper endoscopy probably not my first step but again it really isn't a hard test.
and allergy testing since he does have eczema. Rast might not be totally reliable under a year but can give a good starting point. Does he show any sign of allergies besides teh eczema? dark circles around eyes? target around anus? gagging, retching, gassy cramping?
What do I do in the meantime? Offer him food, have snacks that he will eat, give him good fats like use olive oil when you cook give him avocado.

I'm practically feeding him or attempting to feed him all day long. I feel that one...we went through months of this after Johnny's reflux surgery when he was 3 months

I offer the bottle every 1/2 - 1 hour if he had refused the first attempt and then have to pour it out and start over. No you dont just put in back in teh fridge. I have talked to many doctors and OT's and there is no reason to toss a bottle unless it's been out for hours. also wait 4 hours between offering it to him. Eating is a huge area where they have teh control and know it. If he is hungry he will eat when you offer it to him.

If he absolutely refuses to drink, then I try the solid foods. People keep telling me that he will eat when he's hungry, but we have found that to be untrue. Maybe he jsut isn't hungry. I have personally seen JOhnny go for 2 full days on 4 ounces of milk and 3 graham crackers and he jsut wasn't hungry/


Is it harmful to feed him so often even though he doesn't take much in? Will it cause an aversion to eating even if we don't ever force feed? This had caused quite a bit of stress for us which I know isn't helpful. i wouldn't go as far as saying harmful...it is stressful for you and that will definately rub off on him. Me personally I am trying to teach my ds to eat without having foods shoved in his face all day. the more I push teh more he pushes back. I can not force him to eat no matter how badly I want it for him. I can give him to tools he needs and the food he can make choices from but even at 14 months it is up to him and it's a battle that is just not worth fighting.

evansmahmah replied: I wanted to thank everyone for their advice and suggestions. I'm trying to work on being more relaxed about his ongoing food strikes knowing my stress is probably rubbing off on him. Just worried about another hospitalization...last time they wanted to put in nasogastric tubes every couple of hours or so to get in fluids since they tried and tried, but couldn't get an IV in Needless to say we got outta there quick!!!

I have asked the pedicatrician about starting whole milk and supplementing with pediasure. He pretty much said that it was too early for that. Oh and anybody with any insight about loosely formed greenish-grey stools? Evan's been having those since he had the stomach flu. Shouldn't that have cleared up by now? I've asked two pediatricians about that and they said not to worry

evansmahmah replied: You are talking about my life right now. my youngest has been in the hospital for the last week with what started as a kidney infection and now they are holding him 'hostage' running every test they can think of on him all stemming from his weight/ eating issues. (<14pounds at 14 months)
Hopefully they'll find out what the problem is. It's usually pretty aweful when adults go through that process so I can imagine it's that much worse for you and your little guy

I have personally seen JOhnny go for 2 full days on 4 ounces of milk and 3 graham crackers and he jsut wasn't hungry/
So then after those two days, did he go back to eating more?

Rast might not be totally reliable under a year but can give a good starting point. Does he show any sign of allergies besides teh eczema? dark circles around eyes? target around anus? gagging, retching, gassy cramping?
He probably does, but we're just not recognizing the signs. Sometimes he'll have dark circles around the eyes (we'd attribute that to not getting enough sleep);yes to gagging and retching, we wouldn't recognize the gassy cramping but he does sometimes have bouts of unconsolable crying which may be related; and what is target around the anus -- I looked today and did see that he has a thick reddened area encircling the anus.

Boo&BugsMom replied: The color and consistancy of his stools will depend on what he ate. Aiden has all kinds of poop depending upon what he ate the day before. It's normal for them to get weird looking stools frequently, especially when they are starting or have been eating solid foods.

momofone replied: Maybe a possible cows milk allergy?

Just to keep him hydrated can you give water?

MyBlueEyedBabies replied: First with regards to allergies...it's worth looking into. and really having your doctor do a RAST is so simple that even if they protest say you want it done for piece of mind so that you are not continuing this feeding battle over foods that are causing him discomfort. The 'signs' i was pointing out. THey start looking normal. ds had huge red bags and sunken in eyes for months...looking back at old pictures of him I think it's depressing because I never noticed them..it was just...JOhnny.

Did he go back to eating? Yes and no. that particular time yes...he went back to drinking. not always though. Even talking to his GI he is saying JOhnny is just a very smart little boy. He knows what is going to cause him pain and he knows how much he can tolerate before that point so he wont pass it. the more something gets pushed at him the more he will push back. Say I want him to eat 1/5 of a bagel so i keep handing it back to him to eat it after he has decided he doesn't want it. not only will he now not eat that bagel but the next time I offer him food he won't touch it then either. It has become a power game and he holds the cards. I back off follow his cues on eating and now he will eat the 1/5 of the bagel if he has room and wants it...maybe he'll even ask for more after...when the issue gets pushed forget about it.

punkeemunkee'smom replied: Have they tested him for a gluten allergy?

I would be worried about the antihistamine too- they usually make my daughter behave wayyy differently than normal so maybe he feels sleepy or too zoned out to eat. I hope they find what is wrong and fix it soon!

MyBlueEyedBabies replied: I meant to add in earlier that we started Johnny on what I am guessing is the same drug...Periactin? very weak antihistamine and a very good appetite stimulator. he has had 2 doses so I don't know how it will work but ask me again in a week and I might have some more input there.

mysweetpeasWil&Wes replied:
The dietician said the same thing, that it was too early to introduce Pediasure for Wesley. I believe they wanted him to get comfortable with solids first. If their are food aversions, they didn't want him to just get used to drinking Pediasure and that's it.

Is that all the doc said about the stool, just to not worry? Did they say what it could be then? GI virus is going around, but it seems strange to me that they wouldn't do a stool sample if your little guy has had it so long.

evansmahmah replied: Maybe a possible cows milk allergy? Possibly, but again no testing has been done yet.
Just to keep him hydrated can you give water? Pediatrician said only milk formula if he's ever thirsty since he hardly drinks or eats.

Have they tested him for a gluten allergy? No testing done yet, but we're pretty certain he's allergic to soy.

I meant to add in earlier that we started Johnny on what I am guessing is the same drug...Periactin? very weak antihistamine and a very good appetite stimulator. he has had 2 doses so I don't know how it will work but ask me again in a week and I might have some more input there. Funny, Evan's only had two doses too. I wanted to hold off on the drugs until I was sure that he had recovered from the stomach flu. Not sure it's increasing his appetite, but I have noticed that he's sleeping a little longer at night.

The color and consistancy of his stools will depend on what he ate. We haven't introduced any new foods since he's been sick except for the formula. His stools have never been this color or as foul smelling as it is now.

evansmahmah replied: Is that all the doc said about the stool, just to not worry? Did they say what it could be then? GI virus is going around, but it seems strange to me that they wouldn't do a stool sample if your little guy has had it so long. That's pretty much what they said...he had those green stools for two weeks at that appointment.