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@SweetiePie: Thanks for the update! Good luck tomorrow!

@SweetiePie: sounds so so frustrating but you are definitely doing everything you can do trust your mama gut. He's happy and peeing and no other signs of distress. Keep us updated for sure but try to relax until you get more answers from the ped. You're doing a great job!

I've been lurking your post for a while. I didn't comment because I don't have any suggestions, but this reminded me of my struggle which hopefully makes you feel less alone!

Back when we were in the baby stage, DS also won't eat big feeds. I think it started around 2-3 months for us. He went from 95% in weight (he was a big newborn), to 10-15% when he was 10 or 11 months old. We were often told he was breastfeeding and breastfeeding babies eat less, but it was driving me bananas how he ate very little every time we fed. Unless it was the morning, evening and overnight feed, I seldom felt completely emptied after the feed. A friend has suggested don't put him on a feeding schedule, let him cry when he's hungry... but then to me I thought he'd probably only eat 2 times a day and would be super malnutrition after a while . I went bananas at one point, would weigh him after every feed and he ate 2-3 oz. I made a daily journal and he was eating borderline the lowest recommended amount (19-21oz a day, most usually a tad lower than usual requirement). I had a freezer FILLED with milk because the baby ate so little. We were on reflux meds, seeing nutritionists...etc. He was healthy and happy, tons of wet and dirty diapers, just that his weight and height "stalled" and went down in %. He never lose weight so docs said it was fine, but it was a difficult time.

Fast forward to now (6 yo), while he eats healthy, he also eats so little, and takes him FOREVER to eat! I am talking about there are times he takes 1.5-2 hours to eat dinner which we are trying to stop that. He is still the skinniest and smallest compared to same age children, but otherwise very healthy and happy. His reading level is way ahead of his peers, and he is a very smart boy. There were times he flat out would not need lunch if we don't serve it and require him to stop playing and eat. And then of course he doesn't eat that much. He almost never asks for a snack at snack time. Seeing his other friends drives me nuts because other kids eat so fast and so much while mine is always soooo slow and doesn't even finish a small snack. I often wonder how did this boy stay alive while eating so little, but he is really healthy and happy. So I got over it.

What I am saying is, while I know it is hard, if docs think he is OK, and you have a gut feeling he's OK (smiling, happy), he's not losing weight, I really think he's OK. It is easier to say than done. Unfortunately this may really be your baby's personality..... just remember that suggested oz they supposed to eat is derived from a bell curve. Yes other babies does eat a lot more, but if he is thriving, I think he's OK. He's just doing his thing.

My friend once said, don't worry, there is always a next meal

Best of wishes to you!

I was going to comment on the original but couldn't.

I was going to say, how are you feeding him? I see the update saying he eats better in his dark room. If you usually feed him where there are distractions, maybe try returning to EASY (I'm trying to work our way out of a eat/sleep association...ugh), but maybe offer the bottle in his dark room where there's no noise or visual distractions.

DH likes to try to feed our baby in front of the TV and can't understand why he keeps turning his head away (um... the TV maybe?!?). I turn the TV off when DS wakes up and try not to talk to him too much or have much going on while he's eating, and he usually eats better for me than for DH.

So glad you started this, I tried to reply on the other one and couldn't. The blog you shared is us. I mentioned she's on omeprazole, but we're also doing something called Marci dosing which is 3x/day because it was so severe. Zantac is highly weight sensitive, and its effectiveness often wares off very quickly. Zantac is an H2 Blocker, but Prilosec, Prevacid and Nexium that have been mentioned are proton-pump inhibitors (PPI), so @Beehive: is correct that they are different kinds of drugs. Unfortunately neither one entirely stops stomach contents from coming back up, they just take away the acidity that causes pain. Zantac is like sticking a rag in a leak, and PPIs are like turning off the faucets. They're much stronger. Give it a few days and see if the new Zantac dose helps, but you may need to go stronger. Again, my baby is on nearly the highest dose out there and still goes through phases of refusing, so I'd watch for other cues that his reflux is not under control like pain responses and sour smelling breath.

Also I totally missed it before, but green mucus stool is definitely an intolerance. Is the Alimentum helping? Are you using powder or ready to feed? They actually do contain small amounts of dairy, but my daughter failed them and is on Neocate now. We're still not at baseline. But Neocate (and elemental formulas in general) taste horrible, and the Ali is not much better. Is it possible he just doesn't like the formula? I've seen some people try flavoring like with alcohol free vanilla. Reflux and intolerances do often go together, and some people find reflux clears up with eliminating the trigger. It can take 2 weeks to trial a transition to Alimentum.

And finally, I have PPA because of my daughter's MSPI and GERD. I am on 100mg of Zoloft. I have an entire photo album on my phone full of dirty diaper pics when we were tracking for blood. I log every drop she drinks. We have our own scale at home for weight checks. I've researched extensively to get her the help she needs. I compound our Prilosec at home using over the counter ingredients (with pediatrician's blessing). We've been to two different pediatric GI doctors. She's happy now, but as I said, she's still not at baseline for her intolerances. I"m doing better on the Zoloft, but it's so freaking hard. You don't have to struggle alone. There are some helpful FB groups out there for parents going through this if you search Reflux or MSPI. Feel free to reach out if you need to chat or have any questions.

@SweetiePie: oh oh not literally but just as you exclaimed, so many of the same struggles. She was aspirating too. I’ll watch for the update but we had to switch pediatricians. The biggest thing is that you are his advocate, so don’t rest until you are happy with his treatment. Hopefully your doc is responsive!

@irene: My first was like this and I was incredibly stressed. I attempted fortifying my breastmilk, but that only further reduced her intake.. from like 18-20oz per day down to 16-18oz/day. I also put olive oil/coconut oil in all her solids early on. BUT she stayed at the 10-15% from 2.5months to now 2 years. She also eats anything and everything in normal toddler portions.

Today- My DD2 ate once overnight at 1am and woke up at 7am to eat and only took about 1.75oz from a bottle. I have to tell myself everyday not to stress out about it! She's growing and happy.

@SweetiePie: FWIW...my baby isn't hungry in the morning either.

I think at this age, they technically should be able to sleep through the night without eating. So if they're eating during the night, they often wake up without an appetite. We're offering smaller overnight bottles to try to encourage more daytime eating.

Yesterday was the first time he finished all the 20 oz. I send to daycare (i went from 5oz to 4 oz overnight bottles the night before). Then last night, he skipped an overnight feed (two vs. three), I had to wake him up at 6 (he went down at 6 and ate 4 oz at 10 and 1:45), and he ate a whopping 1.5 oz before going to daycare. He's also around 14 lbs.

He tends to eat more during the day than your little guy, but just throwing that out there that it's probably not abnormal to not be hungry in the morning if he's eating over night.

@SweetiePie: awwww, I wish I can reach into the monitor and give you a big hug! I remember vividly how difficult that time was.

Honestly, from what you've been saying, I have a feeling that in your gut, you *know* your baby is fine. It is especially difficult when they are so little, we feel especially guilty / responsible as a mom when they are not eating as much as other babies. And I swear, my DS was doing 18-20 oz a day too, and isn't the norm 20-30 oz a day? lol. You are not alone. Just that the bell curve is published prominently, but there is not enough voice of those of us who are at the ends of the curve to tell you, hey, that happened to us too, and our babies grew up and nothing is wrong You are doing everything you can - you voiced your concern to your doc, put him on reflux meds, continue to try out new ways on feeding, do research, seek out opinions with your peer...etc. You are doing great, mommy

If you feel it is going to help, I would say go to the GI just to get a 2nd opinion, and see if they have suggestions for you. But do believe them if they did all the necessary tests and tell your baby is fine

And in 3-4 years, you'd realize it is in his personality that he doesn't eat much, or he's just not a breakfast guy. I do want to say though, now coming to think about it, my DS does occasionally complain about a heartburn in the middle of dinner. But it usually always itself within 10-15 mins tops. Probably the same reflux that carried through maybe...

Oh! And if your baby which normally doesn't drink more than 3 oz is asking for more in the middle of the night, feed him! Growth spurts! You are doing great!!! Wishing you a lot of sanity, and hopefully your DS will eat more for you soon!

Oh good! 8oz is a lot, yay!

@SweetiePie: Hows the eating going?? This makes me feel like maybe I should have my kid evaluated for reflux. Is 2-3oz not normal? my kid drank 1oz this morning, then 2oz 3 hours later, and 3.5oz 3 hours after that.

@SweetiePie: of course now im paranoid even though im pretty sure my kids don't have reflux?? I'm actually a pediatric nurse practitioner (don't practice in primary care though) and feel like I should know what I'm doing.. sigh. i have an appt with my pediatrician in an hour to discuss my kid. ha.

@SweetiePie: soo no reflux. She’s gained 4oz/wk the last month so Dr just thinks she’s a slow gainer and will stay in the 15% for her weight just like older sister. I keep telling myself everyday that my Breastmilk must be super fatty???