My daughter is 15 weeks old... she has always had a healthy appetite, and has had no problems eating (formula fed) despite having had a nasty case of thrush since she was born (we have tried everything to get rid of it, and taken a lot of your suggestions.. thanks by the way!) Anyway, she still has the thrush but lately it seems like she is in pain when she eats. She will vigorously suck on the bottle for about an ounce... then cries out in pain and arches her back. We think that she may be teeting, as she has most of the signs and symptoms. Has anyone had any experience with this type of eating behavior? If so was it teething? Any suggestions of how I can help her to relieve some of the discomfort so she can eat would be great. I am very much into alternative health and eastern medicine, and though I am not totally opposted to tylenol I would prefer more natural suggestions.
Thank you for the responses.... I was wondering though...what do I feel for in the gums if she is teething. I guess I never really felt her gums early on. It feels like there are some bumps in her gums and what looks like a couple of white-ish colored areas in her gum line on the bottom. Any advise about what to feel for would be helpful, as I am just not sure. And she is not really a spitter... I think we have had maybe three big spit-ups since she has been born... so does that rule out reflux. I went to the pediatrician last week for ear tugging, and there was no sign of infection.
Sounds like she is a little collic, her formula may be too strong for her..if its teething you can try these natural remedies, white little pills place underthe baby tongue. you can find it in cvs etc.You should call her doctor so she can be looked at if it continues.
If it is teething then Hyland's teething tablets should help - CVS sells them and if you can't find them there Whole Foods will definitely have them. They are all natural and work wonders. Both of my kids started teething at 4 months, so I wouldn't be at all surprised if that is the problem. Good luck!
I am not familiar with thrush, but my son got his first teeth at 6mo old. I would wash your hands well, and take your finger and firmly rub along her bottom front gum (where usually the first tooth comes in). See if you feel anything, or a split in the gum that the tooth is coming through.
I never gave my kids much of anything for teething other than Tylenol, but you could try a cold wet wash cloth to bite down or suck on.
Best of Luck
Hi K.,
My daughter behaved as you describe, except that it didn't start at 15 weeks, but rather right away in the hospital. For her, it was severe acid reflux--the valves at the top AND bottom of her stomach were both refluxing! So, that may be one culprit, although, if it is only beginning now, I'm not sure.
Could be an ear infection--certainly worth the trip to the pedi for that one!
Could be a reaction to the formula.
I wouldn't rule out teething, but I don't know.
Could it be acid reflux or a milk protein allergy? Does she spit up a lot - have diarrhea - fever - cold like symptoms? Have you talked to her pedi about this? What kind of formula are you using? Maybe switch it?
4 mos is early for teething though not unheard of... but it could be.
Hi, K..
I have 3 thoughts... First one is, I have heard that thrush is extremely painful. You may want to discuss this with her pediatrician. The second thought, rub your finger along her gums and see if you feel any bumps. It's very early for her to be teething, but you never know. Thirdly, you may want to have her checked for an ear infection. My son would get ear infections, and have no other symptoms, no fever, no runny nose, nothing. Except when he drank his bottle he would scream (I guess the pressure that builds up in the ears from the suction of the bottle becomes very painful). He would do the same thing - suck a bit, scream, suck a bit more, scream, etc. I'm not saying your child has one, but it may be worth bringing her in to the doctor.
