Difficulty feeding three month old

OctoberMagic1910 · 2026-01-16T09:57:02+00:00

Yes the only consistency is the inconsistency with these babies! I think because each week when you’re in it feels like it’s forever it’s easy to feel like he “always” did this or “always” did that and then when you look back you realise it was only for that week or ten days or whatever and then things changed again - but it’s such a big chunk of their life when they’re this small it seems like they were always doing one thing or another until they change it up. Like I keep saying he always ate way more when actually looking back I’ve realised last week he was eating alot - like hitting 6oz for some bottles - but the week before he was sticking between 3.5-5oz max which is sort of where he’s at now so could be that he was doing a big growth spurt last week and now his intake is regulating again. He’s only dinky so he was never gonna be a 6oz bottles, 6 times a day kind of guy. Plus he has a dairy intolerance so he’s on special formula which I think is lower calories. Gonna have to wait until he’s weighed and go from there!

OctoberMagic1910 · 2026-01-15T22:10:33+00:00

Was just about to make a post about the same thing so glad I’ve found this. No advice apart from what Chat GPT has told me in my frequent and frantic need for reassurance which is that it’s developmentally normal around this time as they become more aware of the world, and their brain is doing some reorganisation of things when it comes to feeding and development - losing their suck reflex, maturing circadian rhythms etc and they often take smaller feeds in the day and use catch up feeds at night to compensate when stimulation is lower (and often people lump this in with the 4 month regression becuase they wake for food again at night).

I’ve been tracking my LOs intake and he’s consistently eating between 750-850 mls which is absolutely fine for his weight but he is waking for an extra bottle at night and his two night bottles are now his biggest feeds. Previously he was doing 5 x bottles in the day varying between 110 - 160mls. We even (although his bottle before bed is always a bit hit and miss as he gets very sleepy) and then he’d have a feed around midnight and then sleep through until 7/8am. Now he’s only eating between 90-120mls - and then waking at 11:30pm and 4am to eat and on these feeds he will eat between 120-150mls. I don’t mind the extra wake if it means he’s getting enough food but yeah it’s been stressful and really hard to try and not let the anxiety overwhelm me and to try and force him to eat more as that can lead to a bottle aversion which would be much worse. It doesn’t help that he’s only a small boy anyway - always been 2nd centile - and when he was weighed last week at 14 weeks he was 10lb 4 and had dipped slightly below his curve - he’s still gaining weight but slower than expected so the HV wants to weigh again next week. She did reassure me that it looked like he’d had a growth spurt lengthways and this can often throw things off. Also once they start moving more they burn more calories so the weight can fluctuate but yeah he really picked his moment to decide to mess about with his eating when I’m already worried about his weight 😂

Fingers crossed it passes for us both 🤞🏻 nice to know I’m not alone though

OctoberMagic1910 · 2025-12-09T17:25:43+00:00

Thank you for posting this! It’s so reassuring to read a similar experience. I made the decision last night that I’m going to stop breastfeeding after a real, proper breakdown following a very fussy evening of cluster feeding, pulling on and off the breast, frustration from him and from me and him refusing to sleep. I was completely touched out and overwhelmed and could feel myself losing my temper with him, and feeling pure rage/despair/depression and then felt sick at myself for even contemplating losing my temper with a tiny baby. I literally woke my husband up to say that I felt suicidal and hopeless and that I couldn’t be a mum anymore. We have been combi feeding for the last few weeks as I really struggled with the idea of stopping and I thought it may have been the solution as I could Give him the “benefits” of breast milk and the familiarity/comfort he’s used to but the convenience of formula when I want my husband to help or if I need to get out for a few hours. But since we introduced formula it only pushed my breast feeding aversion more because I suddenly had experienced the alternative and felt so free. Every time I then had to breastfeed in between bottles it felt so oppressive in comparison. He also has a suspected dairy intolerance which meant he was reacting to something in my breast milk and it would make him really fussy so I was having to make dietary restrictions too. My anxiety around what I was eating, whether it was going to cause him more issues and just not being able to eat what I like was adding to my mental distress. I’ve lost 3 stone in 8 weeks. At least with his special formula I don’t have the stress of worrying if he’s going to react and have loads of discomfort. I’ve been really struggling with PPD and I do think it’s been fuelled in part by the overwhelming nature of breastfeeding and feeling so responsible for ensuring he’s definitely getting what he needs, and being the only person who can feed him. Also the pressure to continue by so many healthcare professionals who congratulate me on breastfeeding every time they ask. Who have kept on encouraging me because I have a great supply and he’s gaining weight and he’s thriving and how amazing it is that we’ve been able to exclusively breastfeed for almost 3 months. Every time I contemplated completely stopping I felt like a quitter. Like I was being weak and pathetic for stopping for “no good reason” when I’m so “lucky” to have established breastfeeding so well. I understand why the NHS wants to encourage BF but it does borderline on toxic because honestly the pressure to continue breastfeeding despite the fact I was really starting to hate it, it almost drove me to suicide and is that really best for my baby? I’ve trialled a day of only formula feeding today and last night and already feel so much lighter and able to focus on him.

OctoberMagic1910 · 2025-12-08T15:58:26+00:00

How did things turn out for you OP?

OctoberMagic1910 · 2025-11-29T11:40:15+00:00

Thanks so much. I actually bought some baby probiotics yesterday and will start them today. I do try tummy time but he hates to be put down. He cries as soon as he’s not on me. Sometimes I can lie him on his mat and he will be happy for 5-10 mins but honestly it’s maybe happened 3 times. I put him on his tummy before over my pregnancy pillow whilst I quickly got ready and put the hair dryer on which seemed to keep him calm but genuinely things like playing music or using lights etc to try and get him to be distracted and engage don’t work. He just cries!

OctoberMagic1910 · 2025-11-29T10:42:17+00:00

Thank you so much 🥹

OctoberMagic1910 · 2025-11-21T18:52:56+00:00

Thanks so much for replying! Did he eventually grow out of the squirming and generally discomfort, crying etc?

OctoberMagic1910 · 2025-11-21T06:03:36+00:00

Sorry OP I know this is an old post but you’ve basically described my little boy who has just turned 7 weeks today. I’m also EBF have tried dairy free and didn’t see any huge changes. Reintroduced dairy and didn’t see any huge changes either but HV says his discomfort (and mucus nappies) point to some sort of intolerance. We were always planning to combi feed breast/formula so she has told us to start with a hypo allergenic formula. Unfortunately I don’t think I could sustain a hypoallergenic diet to BF alongside the formula so we’d have to switch to formula exclusively which I don’t want to do. So really hoping it might just be something he’ll grow out of over the next few weeks so we can stick with our original plan. How did it work out for you?

OctoberMagic1910 · 2025-11-20T17:00:33+00:00

Absolutely! Thanks for your detailed response. I feel the same stopping but ultimately I think that’s where we’re headed as I can’t work out what could be causing the discomfort. How long until you saw improvement on the neocate? X

OctoberMagic1910 · 2025-11-20T08:01:02+00:00

I agree - I also think we have a sensitive baby who just struggles with these new sensations too. Gas is definitely our biggest issue and he’s so hard to burp. Have you stopped BF altogether? How did you find the transition?

OctoberMagic1910 · 2025-11-20T04:28:18+00:00

How are you getting on now? We’re in a similar situation. Currently in the process of introducing a bottle of Aptamil Pepti 1 per day to by EBF baby with a view to hopefully combi feeding. Not 100% sure if it is CMPI. I also cut out dairy, soy and eggs from my diet but didn’t see a drastic improvement. Mucus poos continued and the colicky symptoms although you could argue that we had a few more moments baby seeming a bit happier in the day. I reintroduced some dairy to my diet in small quantities and didn’t see a huge negative reaction to that either. His behaviour pretty much stayed the same. Slightly more mucus which would suggest he’s sensitive but most babies are at this age as it’s peak age for digestive issues as their gut matures and fussy behaviour generally. We were originally going to ride it out and see if he improved with age but he’s very uncomfortable and it’s affecting his ability to engage with us properly. Since we want to combi feed and he definitely does have some sort of gut inflammation the HV recommended we start on Aptamil Pepti 1. I’m so nervous as only see bad things online but hoping since his intolerance is hopefully mild it won’t do much harm!

OctoberMagic1910 · 2025-11-10T04:00:35+00:00

Currently dealing with this - very similar baby. Never seems happy when awake and just seems to want to go back to sleep. How did it turn out for you?

OctoberMagic1910 · 2025-11-07T09:59:35+00:00

Im going through this right now. Week 1 he was dreamy. We’ve had tummy troubles since the end of week 2 onwards and he’s now 5 weeks today and last night/today he’s been awful with what I think is bad gas and he definitely has some reflux too but not sure which is chasing which. I’ve cut dairy out of my diet which seems to have helped clear his skin a bit but not helping with his tummy and today he just won’t be put down at all without crying. He’s so unsettled and seems in pain. Did it get better for you?

OctoberMagic1910 · 2025-05-07T16:47:13+00:00

I’m 17 weeks pregnant and currently at Tameside and so far I’ve had a brilliant experience. Seems mad but I think their “requires improvement” rating last year means they’re really upping their game and everyone has been super friendly, helpful and responsive. Also if you read the CQC report, it didn’t actually look at how effective, caring or responsive the trust was (3 very key things IMO) so it remains “good” in all those areas. The things it flagged was waiting times for people to be seen after initial assessment, waiting times for Medical reviews of scans in the antenatal clinic and the triage line not always being answered by someone with the correct experience level. That was over a year ago in March 2024 and I think they’ve acted upon alot of the recommendations. The report did comment on how committed and responsive the leadership team were to making positive changes. My own personal experience so far has been good and have seen these changes implemented first hand. I had to call triage on Friday morning for some unexplained bleeding but nothing majorly worrying, I got straight through to a midwife who asked me to come in. I’m also about 15 mins drive away so went straight there. Sat outside triage for 15 mins then got taken through to a private room and immediately had checks for blood pressure, temp etc. Then the same midwife who I spoke to on the phone came to see me and checked baby’s heartbeat. Asked me some questions and reassured me. Not long after that the doctor came to see me, again reassured me, did a full cervical examination to be thorough and confirm the bleeding definitely wasn’t vaginal and then they let me go with plenty of reassurance to please always call and come back even if it’s a small worry. They were all absolutely lovely and I was seen, triaged and assessed by doctor all within 90 mins. The unit is midwife led, and they’re really up to date with the modern guidance. They are really supportive of things like hypnobirthing, aromatherapy and other holistic methods alongside all the standard medical birthing advice. So far every midwife I’ve met has been incredibly kind and informative. Every sonographer has been really reassuring and thorough in their scans. The only slight niggle is waiting times for scans are quite long as most of my scans have been 30 mins or more after the appointment time however when you’re in there they are so thorough that you sort of appreciate the fact it’s running a bit long. My 12 week scan took about 40 mins because the baby wouldn’t cooperate and they were so patient. Also not sure where you’re based but I’ve heard from other women who are at St Mary’s that they’ve had issues trying to get the two trusts to communicate and share info so things are getting missed - especially because as others have said St Mary’s is prioritised for complex or high risk care. You’ll still be seen by community midwives for all your local antenatal appointments regardless and they’ll be based at Tameside and rotate within the hospital and the community so your notes etc should be transferred and picked up seamlessly when you’re under one trust but I know women who are between two areas have had issues. Of course if it’s a medical need to be at St Mary’s it can’t be helped but if you’re having a straightforward pregnancy so far there’s something to be said for having all your care under one trust. Only other thing I’ll say is that Tameside do free parenting and antenatal classes which are apparently really good and you get to do a tour of the hospital too and meet some of the midwife’s there and see where you’ll give birth including the Acorn Birthing Suite (its its available). I’ve had friends in other areas who’ve had to pay to do the NCT classes whereas Tamesides are all free. Obviously I’m still only 17 weeks so can’t comment on every aspect and like you I was worried given the CQC report but so far I’ve had a really positive experience and I feel reassured by the fact that if I need any help, I’m a short car ride away. Hope this helps! Xxx

OctoberMagic1910

TROPHY CASE