My 8 week old is eating about 5-6 oz. per feeding. He is fed on average 4 hours apart, sometimes not as long at night and sometimes longer apart during the day. He was born 3 weeks early at 4 pounds 4 oz. and the doctor encouraged us to feed him as much as he would take to help his weight gain. He is up to about 8 pounds right now.
Everything I am reading on here and a lot that I hear about from friends and family make it seem like he is eating a lot in comparison to other babies. My nephew topped out at about 30 oz. a day. I guess I am wondering if we are over feeding him or if this is okay. He is primarily breastfed but I am not producing enough to keep up with him so he gets 1-2 feedings of formula a day. I have tried to up my supply but nothing seems to be consistently working. Any suggestions for me?
Also, because he is eating what seems like a lot, we wonder if he will be able to spread out his feedings. We had been increasing the amount we were giving him (4-5 oz about every 3 hours) but if he has maxed out at 6 oz we wonder if we will ever be able to get more than 4 hours of sleep at a time overnight.
Post by curbsideprophet on Dec 29, 2013 22:05:24 GMT -5
How many feedings does he take at the breast vs a bottle? I would not assume every nursing session is the same amount or the same as what he is willing to take from a bottle.
I think at that age it is very hard to over feed a baby and every baby had different needs as far as how much they take. Both my kids never took much, we don't own a bottle that is bigger then 4oz. This will not be the first time you have to repeat this to yourself, do not compare my baby to other babies. If the doctor is not concerned try not to worry yourself.
Post by curbsideprophet on Dec 29, 2013 22:07:35 GMT -5
I think every 4 hours sounds like a long time for an 8 week old. I would not try to spread them out any more any time soon. Have you considered trying a dream feed at night?
How many feedings does he take at the breast vs a bottle? I would not assume every nursing session is the same amount or the same as what he is willing to take from a bottle.
He eats from the breast maybe 1-2 times per day. I have a hard time with feeding him from the breast because I think that his latch is not the best it has been somewhat painful. I am also having to turn the pump up to a higher setting and I don't think that is helping with my nipple soreness. When he takes it straight from the breast I have no idea how much he is getting, but I don't think that it is as much as he gets from a bottle. Almost every time he seems to finish eating from the breast he will seem to be hungry. After I bf I try to pump and by the time I am done pumping he is crying and will take whatever I pump.
I think every 4 hours sounds like a long time for an 8 week old. I would not try to spread them out any more any time soon. Have you considered trying a dream feed at night?
He seems to be a pretty light sleeper. Most nights he wakes up at 3-3.5 hours. How do you do dream feeds? Would we try to feed him before he wakes up?
I'm sure there will be other experts weighing in, but four hours apart for feedings does not sound too frequent to me. My 10 week old probably goes 2 hours, maybe 3 between feedings during the day and averages 4 or 5 at night. As she gets bigger, it seems like she can go a little longer between feeds at night (she used to wake every 2-3 hours to feed). I would listen to the doctor on this one.
I didn't worry about overfeeding for the first few months and especially when I was nursing (we supplemented from the beginning). If it made her happy and not cry, BFing or formula it was! She evened out on her own once she started daycare.
First, everything I've read says that age, not quantity of food, is what makes the baby sleep longer at night. The fact that you know how much your baby is getting makes me think that you are pumping/giving bottles, right? Some of the moms here have mentioned that bottle fed babies may overeat because it's easier to do so. I think AmyRI or @birdgirl knows more about this.
Both of these comments are 100% anecdotal but here's my factoid:
DS is 15 weeks. He is mostly bottle fed and gets 4-5 oz every 3 hours. He also eats a couple times in the MOTN. So a little less than your baby.
First, everything I've read says that age, not quantity of food, is what makes the baby sleep longer at night. The fact that you know how much your baby is getting makes me think that you are pumping/giving bottles, right? Some of the moms here have mentioned that bottle fed babies may overeat because it's easier to do so. I think AmyRI or @birdgirl knows more about this.
Both of these comments are 100% anecdotal but here's my factoid:
DS is 15 weeks. He is mostly bottle fed and gets 4-5 oz every 3 hours. He also eats a couple times in the MOTN. So a little less than your baby.
Yes he is mostly bottle fed. We figured he was so small at birth and is still small for his age that we would feed him as much has he would eat to help w weight gain. At the rate he has been increasing his intake we didn't know if he would keep increasing or if he would top out sometime.
If he doesn't seem hungry during the day would you feed him every 3 hours anyway?
I would. He probably doesn't let you know until he is really hungry, so 3 hours in he may be ready to eat, but not hungry enough to holler at you. Also, when my LO ate more during the day, he went longer stretches at night. We also never went over 4oz at a feeding and own no bottles over 5oz. (LO is almost 13 months).
Post by noodleskooze on Dec 29, 2013 23:14:58 GMT -5
I agree with gilly that it might help him sleep longer at night if you feed him more often during the day. If he's waking about every 3 hours at night, that might mean he's hungry that often.
Kids are all different and all weird though. If things are working for you both, I would just koko.
If he doesn't seem hungry during the day would you feed him every 3 hours anyway?
I would. He probably doesn't let you know until he is really hungry, so 3 hours in he may be ready to eat, but not hungry enough to holler at you. Also, when my LO ate more during the day, he went longer stretches at night. We also never went over 4oz at a feeding and own no bottles over 5oz. (LO is almost 13 months).
I agree. My DD did not give clear cues at that age. I'd try feeding smaller amounts more frequently. If he isn't hungry at 3 hours, he won't be interested in eating.
Also, it's completely normal for him to wake at night at his age. Sorry Some babies don't but most do. It's not anything you are or aren't doing.
As to your supply...your body won't respond as well to the pump as it will to your baby. Try putting him to the breast as much as possible. If you try at 3 hours, rather than 4, you might have better luck simply because he isn't frantically hungry so you can try to adjust his latch and make sure everything is good. Have you had him checked for tongue tie?
DD ate a lot - up to 40 oz for a couple of months. She was always average weight, and still is. Some babies just eat more.
I'm not 100% sure how much DS eats because he gets both bottles and nurses, but it seems like a bit less than DD and he is HUGE. Again, I don't think it's something you can really regulate. Babies eat when they're hungry.
Post by Jalapeñomel on Dec 30, 2013 8:55:49 GMT -5
My 10.5 week old eats every three hours all day and all night. I think there has been only one or two times he has ever gone more than 3 hours. But I almost exclusively breast feed, with the occasionally bottle. But when he does take the bottle, it's only about 3.5 oz of expressed milk.