Feeding Bottle Colic.

A N intelligent, primiparous woman, who was confined in hospital, delivered herself of a healthy male infant weighing 8k lb. at birth. The mother's nipples were inverted and for this reason her lactation was suppressed at the outset, the baby being fed on reconstituted, half-cream, dried milk from an upright feeding bottle. They were discharged home on the tenth day, the infant having regained its birthweight. Artificial feeding from an upright bottle was continued at home, and although increasing feeding difficulty was encountered the mother persisted for two weeks before seeking advice. By that time both she and her baby were in a pitiful state. The baby was obviously dehydrated, restless and miserable. He wailed nearly all day and night and had frequent spasms ofabdominal pain, drawing up his legs with each paroxysm. His stools were frequent, small, green, and accompanied by flatus. In the preceding six hours he had been vomiting back the smallest of feeds. The abdomen was distended and tympanitic to percussion but, apart from this and the dehydration, no abnormality was found on examination. The mother was almost distracted with worry, frustration, and lack of sleep. When the baby was offered a feed he grabbed the teat hungrily and sucked it for about ten seconds; then, rejecting the teat, he resumed his wail and could not be coaxed to take the teat again. Shortly afterwards he eructated a small amount of milk and wind. Using a boat-shaped bottle with teat and valve adjusted to give an easy flow, the baby was given small but increasing feeds of glucose water, which were retained. Next day he took a mixture of milk and glucose water hungrily and by the third day he was taking normal feeds of half-cream milk and sleeping soundly. He gained weight rapidly and continued to thrive.