u/fayben90

I have twin girls born at 34 weeks, now 7.5 months actual / 6 months corrected. With one of them, feeding has been difficult from the very beginning. She stayed in the NICU longer mainly because of poor bottle feeding and later developed reflux and what seems to be a bottle/feeding aversion. We’ve tried different bottles, formulas, reflux treatment, and feeding support.

We’ve been doing solids for a month, mostly purées (ped's advice due to reflux). She’ll take a few spoonfuls and sometimes seems interested at first, but then gets upset and wants to stop. We always follow her cues and never push because I really don’t want to create more negative associations with feeding.

I’m starting to wonder whether spoon-feeding/purées just aren’t the best fit for her and if BLW/finger foods might help by giving her more control.

For parents whose babies had bottle aversion or similar feeding issues: how did solids go? Did you do purées, BLW, or both? Did your baby struggle with solids too, or was it completely different from bottle feeding? When did eating start to click?

I have twin girls born at 34 weeks, now 7.5 months actual / 6 months corrected. With one of them, feeding has been difficult from the very beginning. She stayed in the NICU longer mainly because of poor bottle feeding and later developed reflux and what seems to be a bottle/feeding aversion. We’ve tried different bottles, formulas, reflux treatment, and feeding support.

We’ve been doing solids for a month, mostly purées (ped's advice due to reflux). She’ll take a few spoonfuls and sometimes seems interested at first, but then gets upset and wants to stop. We always follow her cues and never push because I really don’t want to create more negative associations with feeding.

I’m starting to wonder whether spoon-feeding/purées just aren’t the best fit for her and if BLW/finger foods might help by giving her more control.

For parents whose babies had bottle aversion or similar feeding issues: how did solids go? Did you do purées, BLW, or both? Did your baby struggle with solids too, or was it completely different from bottle feeding? When did eating start to click?

I have twin girls born at 34 weeks, now 7.5 months actual / 6 months corrected. With one of them, feeding has been difficult from the very beginning. She stayed in the NICU longer mainly because of poor bottle feeding and later developed reflux and what seems to be a bottle/feeding aversion. We’ve tried different bottles, formulas, reflux treatment, and feeding support.

We’ve been trying solids for a month, mostly purées (ped's advice due to reflux). She’ll take a few spoonfuls and sometimes seems interested at first, but then gets upset and wants to stop. We always follow her cues and never push because I really don’t want to create more negative associations with feeding.

I’m starting to wonder whether spoon-feeding/purées just aren’t the best fit for her and if BLW/finger foods might help by giving her more control.

For parents whose babies had bottle aversion or similar feeding issues: how did solids go? Did you do purées, BLW, or both? Did your baby struggle with solids too, or was it completely different from bottle feeding? When did eating start to click?

I have preemie twins (6.5 months actual, 5 months corrected), both with colic, reflux, and one with CMPA. It feels like it's been endless crying since the day they were born. Everyone kept telling me it gets better, and in some ways it has—we have genuinely happy moments now.

But the hard moments are still so, so hard.

One twin is happy and content most of the day, but every evening bedtime becomes a battle. We tried following appropriate wake windows, and we've tried keeping her awake longer, thinking maybe she was getting too much daytime sleep. Nothing changes. I've also tried shifting their whole day earlier, hoping bedtime would move earlier too, but she just naps after the last meal, wake up refreshed, and end up partying or crying until 1–2 a.m. anyway.

The other twin is easier to settle at bedtime, but she cries almost all day if I'm not actively interacting with her. The second I put her down, she screams. I have things that need to get done. Her sister needs attention too. I simply cannot hold one baby every waking minute.

People suggested getting them on the same feeding schedule, but that has never worked for us. One twin gets hungry every 3 hours and the other every 4 because of feeding issues we've dealt with since birth. Trying to force them onto the same schedule just doesn't work.

It's like they somehow know the exact moment I desperately need just one minute to myself... and that's when they unleash their loudest, most heart-wrenching screams.

I can't even sit down and watch a movie with my husband. We haven't had something as simple as that in months.

I know they're babies. I know they need me. I love them more than anything in the world. But I'm so exhausted and overwhelmed. I don't even want a whole day to myself - because I am sure I'll miss them- I just want a couple of hours where I'm not "on" every second.

Has anyone else had babies who needed constant attention every waking moment? Did it eventually get better? Did bedtime get easier? I could really use some hope right now.

I'm a parent of a former NICU baby with feeding issues and I'm hoping to hear about others' experiences. To this day, 4 months corrected (5 actual), we are still struggling with the bottle.

For those whose babies had significant feeding difficulties as infants—such as dysphagia, choking during feeds, poor coordination of suck-swallow-breathe, feeding aversion, or ongoing bottle-feeding struggles—how did things progress as they got older?

Did your child eventually outgrow the feeding issues, or were they later found to have any neurodevelopmental differences (developmental delay, autism, cerebral palsy, motor coordination issues, etc.)?

I'm not looking for medical advice or trying to assume that feeding difficulties mean something more serious. I know many NICU babies have feeding challenges and develop completely typically. I'm just interested in hearing real-life experiences from families who have been through it.

My 4 month old daughter suddenly seems to have lost her appetite and I'm not sure what's going on.

She was consistently taking 5-6 oz every 3-4 hours, but over the last few days she's dropped to around 3 oz per feed and doesn't seem interested in eating more, even after 4+ hours. She's also been fussy and crying a lot throughout the day, which is very unlike her as she's normally a calm, happy baby.

She has reflux but has been doing really well on treatment. The only recent change is that she had a vaccine 4 days ago, but I wouldn't expect that to still be affecting her.

Has anyone experienced something similar around this age? Could it be developmental?

My baby is 3 months corrected, 4 months chronological, and she constantly wants to be held. Luckily, she sleeps in her crib with no issues, but whenever she’s awake, she never wants to be put down. She cries and screams almost immediately.

I do have help, but I’m alone with them for many hours during the day, and it’s becoming emotionally exhausting.

What breaks my heart the most is that she has a twin sister who also needs me. I try so hard to hold the other twin while talking to her at the same time so she doesn’t feel ignored, but it’s never enough for her — she wants to be in my arms constantly. And it’s not even enough to just hold her. I need to be looking at her, talking to her, actively engaging with her almost nonstop, otherwise she starts crying or whining again.

So the “easy” twin almost always ends up being the one not in my arms after a short period of time, because I can’t stand leaving the other one crying hysterically.

I’m terrified I’m somehow emotionally neglecting or even traumatizing one baby while trying to comfort the other.

Has anyone gone through this with twins where one baby was significantly more high-needs? Did it improve with age? How did you balance the guilt?

Hi everyone! How much was/is your LO drinking around 3 months old?

We basically throw a party over here if she drinks more than 700ml in a day 😅 Most days she’s around 600–650ml.

She’s on medication for reflux and is gaining weight, although a bit slowly. Still, I can’t help worrying that her intake seems low.

Tried many different nipples/bottles just in case there's an issue there, but the outcome is exactly the same. I am feeding on demand because anytime I try to top her up she completely rejects it.

What makes it harder is that her twin sister happily drinks around 800ml daily, sometimes more. I know I shouldn’t compare them because they’re different little humans, but it’s really difficult not to sometimes.

Would love to hear others’ experiences, especially with reflux babies or babies with lower intake.

Hi everyone! How much was/is your LO drinking around 3 months old?

We basically throw a party over here if she drinks more than 700ml in a day 😅 Most days she’s around 600–650ml.

She’s on medication for reflux and is gaining weight, although a bit slowly. Still, I can’t help worrying that her intake seems low.

Tried many different nipples/bottles just in case there's an issue there, but the outcome is exactly the same. I am feeding on demand because anytime I try to top her up she completely rejects it.

What makes it harder is that her twin sister happily drinks around 800ml daily, sometimes more. I know I shouldn’t compare them because they’re different little humans, but it’s really difficult not to sometimes.

Would love to hear others’ experiences, especially with reflux babies or babies with lower intake.