Last night, Ryan and I sat in bed and discussed Olivia's feeding issues. We're two intelligent, well-educated people. . .you'd think we could figure out what is going on. We're not happy, Olivia's not happy, so something has to change. One thing that Olivia has always excelled at is communication. She may not say many words, but it's easy to know what she's trying to tell us. When she screams and cries and pushes her bottle away, she's naturally trying to tell us that she doesn't want it. Right now, she takes her bottle 5 times a day. It's the only way that we can get close to the 15-20 oz per day. Well, we're cutting that back to 3 times a day in hopes that she'll begin taking more at each bottle and eat more baby/table food. We'll also offer her a sippy cup or straw continuously through the day. It's a long shot, but we've got to try something different. Worst case scenario. . .it doesn't work and Olivia loses weight. Maybe then her doctor will help us figure out something else to do. I feel like I spend every ounce of energy trying to make sure she gets enough to eat and it's exhausting. I don't want to continuously force a bottle on her and make her resent it that much more.
This is going to be difficult for me because I worry a lot about making sure she eats and drinks enough. I want her to stay hydrated and healthy. Wish us luck.
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4 comments:
I hope she starts eating and drinking. Maybe it's just a phase. She's done so well. I found some singing sippy cups. Kinnick loves music, so I ordered some to see if she would try one. She won't even TOUCH her honeybear. Anyway, if Olivia likes music, she might like these sippy cups. They are made by Playtex. They're called 'Talkin Sippy Cups'. I found some on the Loot Lady's site.
Shanon
Good Luck! I hope she starts eating more, but it might not be anyone's fault. Maybe her doctor should investigate to see if there is a medical reason why she's not eating. One of the things I always worry about is will Bella eat when she gets out of the NICU, because being a preemie they need extra nutrients and time to "catch up". Well I will pray for you both and Olivia tonight!
How many oz is she actually TAKING from her bottles?? I really think your idea of cutting back is a great start. Even at her adjusted age she should be taking less bottles and getting more calories elsewhere... hopefully by cutting back she'll start eating more foods!! Good luck!
We did the same with Enya everytime she started refusing her bottles we'd drop one and increase the amounts she'd get in the remaining bottles.
We're now at 2 bottles a day and both our frustration levels are much better for less bottle fights!
The only sippy cup that worked for us is one without any valves i.e. NOT spill proof, but as Enya doesn't need to work to get the fluid she will take sips from it.
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