FEEDING PROBLEMS PLEASE HELP

[SUSAN]

Hi:


I have a 4 month old girl who has bilateral cleft lip
and palate. She is underweight and is refusing to eat
more than two ounces. She eats every four hours four times
a day. Health wise she is fine. She used to
each 3 1/2 to 4 ounces. She will have lip and gum repair
at about 5 or so months.


I am using the haberman. She can suck out the milk herself
and hates when I squeeze it.


Has anybody had this experience.


Please help!!!!!


Thanks, Susan

[Elizabeth]

Susan,
You didn't mention the weight of your baby. That is more afactor
for how much she should eat than her age. Still, 2ozs. is not much!
My son is very underweight, he is 13 months and still under the 5th
percentile! He wouldn't eat much more than 2 ozs either, so I added formula
to the breast milk or formula I already had.
15 ozs per day may be the bare minimum she can have.
We started with 22 extra calories a day. I was told if that didn't work-to go up to 24 calories
a day. I was also told to try 1/2 tsp.6 xs aday of canola oil.
I never did that but it's the calories he needed.
check with your dr. I really had to bug mine until he listened to me!

[Elizabeth--OOPS!]

Sorry Susan, I meant to say 22 calories an ounce-not day!
To add it to breast milk add 1/2 oz liquid or 1/2 scoop powder formula
to 10 oz.milk. 1 TBLS of canola oil =100 calories.
Good Luck!!

[kathy]

My son is now 21/2 years old. He has alays been under weight and not on the charts. This is normal. He has a cleft palate. Has had two surgeries and needs more. The stiches on both surgeries split open. after his first surgery he did start to gain weight and is now in the 30 percent for weight.
I stopped using the haberman and just sliced a bigger hole in a soft bottle nipple.
that seemed to work great and cost much less. I made the hole big enough so it would drip on its own.
Make your own food with a prossecor and add butter. lots of it. it helps fill them up with calories.
I always used cereal in all of my bottles also for calories. Good Luck.

[kailadawn@yahoo.com]

My daughter has Pierre-Robin Syndrome and cleft palet. She is 5 months old and she only eats 2 oz. every three hours. We also use the Haberman bottle. My daughter is gaining weight and we are spoon feeding her solids. I noticed the big difference when we started the solids. Even though my daughter only eats 2 oz. she is still growing. If your daughter is gaining weight, I wouldn't worry.

[CONNIE Z.]

MY SON IS 2 1/2 MONTHS OLD. HE WAS BORN WEIGHING 5'2, FULL TERM. WEIGHT GAIN IS OUR BIGGEST ISSUE. MY DR RECOMMENDED ADDING TO THE REGULAR AMOUNT OF FORMULA AN ADDITIONAL TSP AND1/2 PER 4 OZS,AND IN ADDITION ADDING 1 TSP OF MALT SUPEX (EXTRA FORMULA IS VERY CONSTIPATING.)
NOW HE'S 9'8, AND STARTED ON A PRE DIGESTED FORMULA(BY ENFAMIL) BECAUSE HE'S TERRIBLY CRANKY. I'M ADDING A TSP OF RICE CEREAL PER 4 OZS AND INCREASING IT UP UNTIL 2 TBSP PER 4 OZS.
WE'RE USING THE HABERMAN FEEDER.IF ANYONE KNOWS THE CHEAPEST PLACE TO BUY IT- LET ME KNOW PLEASE!

[Elizabeth]

We had our local hospital order them for us. they
got them cheaper than out of the Medela catalog and they
would arder a few at a time. they let me pick them up as I needed them.


Try YOUR local hospital! Good luck!!(WARNING: The babies go through them like crazy when they start teething!)

[shelley]

hi susan i have a little boy who has a cleft lip and pallet he is now 2yrs.old and is doing good i am 23yrs.old it is very hard i had a lot of problems feeding him and he would never eat alot i found out that if you feed them small amounts and more often that they vomit alot less.i also use the haberman nipples he was off the bottle at 8 months old because he had his 2nd surgery and couldn't have it for 2 wks. so i thought that it was perfect timing to break the habit so that he wouldn't have any more promblem with his teeth with a bottle.please i have a lot of info.if neededgood luck and godbless those sweet babies

[Anonymous]

Shelly-The Haberman feeder was a lifesaver for my daughter. She had a bi-lateral cleft palate plus was 5 wks premature! She was literally starving to death until I received the Haberman. She is 5 yrs old now...and eats like a horse! No problems anymore!!