Post by iamdifferent on Apr 26, 2016 13:06:29 GMT -5
C was just over 14# at 4 months. I send 4 4oz BM bottles to the sitter from 7:30-4:30 and depending on the day she'll take three or all of them. We nurse about 2-3x's in the evening and once through the night and again in the AM.
I noticed a change in my milk a little after four months. I feel like my supply settled down and the milk looks creamy and not so watery. I guess I equate this to more calories per oz for C. Also, how does T look? Are his thighs and cheeks filling out?
1. How old is your baby and how much does he/she weigh (or feel free to give me data from 4 mos / 12 lbs if you remember!). At 4 mos, he was 18.5 lbs. He was 12 lbs already at one month.
2. How often does your baby feed? At that age, he was eating about 8 times per day.
3. How many ounces per feed? At home, it was all nursing, so I don't know how many ounces. At daycare, we started off sending 3 oz bottles and gradually worked up to 5 oz bottles, but that wasn't until maybe 9 months or so. He never went over 5 oz bottles.
4. What is your baby's average daily consumption? Don't know.
5. Mode of feeds (formula bottle vs expressed BM vs nursing)? Nursing at home (5x per day) and expressed BM at daycare (3x per day).
1. How old is your baby and how much does he/she weigh (or feel free to give me data from 4 mos / 12 lbs if you remember!). At 4 months they were both around 14 lbs (started at 5 lbs!) 2. How often does your baby feed? They ate 7x per day around that age, plus a couple of 1 oz snacks 3. How many ounces per feed? We were doing 4 oz bottles, plus a few 1 oz snacks here and there 4. What is your baby's average daily consumption? 30-32 oz per day, each. 5. Mode of feeds (formula bottle vs expressed BM vs nursing)? All bottle feeding. It was usually 5 BM bottles, and 2 formula bottles.
40-60 oz is a lot! I think he would only eat 6-8 oz bottles if he were eating 4 or 5 times per day.
shelbyann YES! He has plenty of wet and dirty diapers. He can roll both ways, push himself on all fours, sit unassisted for <10 sec. Probably because he doesn't have much to move! He did go through a sleep regression but sleeps 14-15 hours a day, super happy and social, alert. We seem to be ending his sleep regression (FX). He's back to 12 hours overnight with one wake up and is able to put himself asleep.
It sounds like you (and he) are doing great. We had a couple of well checks where my DD dipped in percentiles and it was stressful, but she evened out over time. Many hugs!
I can't remember all the answers to your questions, but I can tell you that neither of my small-percentiles babies EVER consumed more than 4oz in one bottle feeding and only nursed for about 5-10 minutes at a time after the 3 month mark. And they were healthy, well-nourished babes. So no, Boiler's Doctor, a baby does not need to drink 6-8 oz at a time.
Same, same, same. DD wasn't even on the charts at 2 months, at 4 months she was 5th percentile and at 6 months I believe she was also 5th percentile. She was a pretty slow eater so was on the boob for a while, up to 30 minutes per feed, but I don't think she ever ate more than 4 ounces at a time at that age, and when I went back to work at 4.5 months definitely didn't eat that much from the bottle. And largely didn't until she was closer to 12 months. Even at 15 months if she finishes a 5-6 ounce bottle I'm thrilled to death!
I still have anxiety over her weight and am dreading her 15 month appt b/c I know she hasn't gained much, if anything, since 12 months. But she's happy and healthy and just small. I'm sorry you're stressing over this. Have you considered maybe talking to another pedi?
I will say starting solids did seem to help DD have a significant gain between 6-9 months - she inhaled food during that period. And then started crawling and lost a bit. But hopefully the same happens for T.
Another doc appt, another paranoid momma about his weight! T is down to 5th percentile for height and weight at 4 months (11 lbs 13 oz). We are back to weighted feeds and weight checks. Pedi said he should be eating 6-8 oz at a time now based on age but has been taking 3-4 oz when we bottle feed (which is not often). He is feeding 6-8 times a day (after every wake up, before bed, and 1-2 times overnight) so 40-60 oz seems like a ton of food. So questions for you: 1. How old is your baby and how much does he/she weigh (or feel free to give me data from 4 mos / 12 lbs if you remember!). 2. How often does your baby feed? 3. How many ounces per feed? 4. What is your baby's average daily consumption? 5. Mode of feeds (formula bottle vs expressed BM vs nursing)?
My baby was about the same size as yours. He is now 7 months and around 13.5 pounds. He is just a little guy but he is growing. I think he would drink as much BM as I would give him. A normal bottle for him is around 4 oz. He gets 3-4 oz of solids 2-3 times per day. I don't keep track of how many times per day he drinks, but I would guess 7, with no normal night wake up. I think we were more worried about his size than the doctor.
I thought I read somewhere that a breast milk fed baby shouldn't take more than 5 oz at a time.
In my non-professional opinion, as long as the baby is happy, growing (gaining rather than losing) and is pretty much meeting milestones then you are fine. You are the one that is with that baby and you know your baby better than the doctor. Trust yourself!
boiler717, A's doctor had a baby who was in the 80-90th percentile at birth and eventually found his curve at the 5th. She said he just wasn't meant to be a big baby. This is partly why she's not worried about A. Anecdotal, I know, but thought it might help to hear.
1. How old is your baby and how much does he/she weigh (or feel free to give me data from 4 mos / 12 lbs if you remember!). A is 3 months and probably weighs around 10lbs. She is in the 3rd percentile for weight, 30th for height. She doesn't have a big head either. 2. How often does your baby feed? We stopped tracking, but generally 8-9 times per day. She STTN some nights, others she wakes up once. 3. How many ounces per feed? She will not take more than 4.5oz. It's usually somewhere between 3-4oz. 4. What is your baby's average daily consumption? Again, we stopped tracking because it was making me so anxious, but I suspect it's around 800-900ml (so 27-30oz?) 5. Mode of feeds (formula bottle vs expressed BM vs nursing)? EFF now.
genet313 this is our second pedi. The first wanted me to stop BF so she said to switch. This one seems okay about his weight (I think it's fair to be concerned with the percentile drop), but I question the amount of ounces per day.
1. How old is your baby and how much does he/she weigh (or feel free to give me data from 4 mos / 12 lbs if you remember!). She is 9 months and weighed 16 lbs, 8 oz at her appt. At 4 months she was 12 lbs 12 oz. 2. How often does your baby feed? Now is 4-5 times per day, but was probably 6-8 times still at 4 months. 3. How many ounces per feed? More at wakeup and before bed, but on average (based on bottle feeding when I have a sitter a couple days a week only), she had between 2-4 oz per feed. Her bigger feeds were still only 4-5 oz. 4. What is your baby's average daily consumption? now it's probably about 20 oz per day, but at 4 months it was 25 oz. 5. Mode of feeds (formula bottle vs expressed BM vs nursing)? 90% of the time nursing, 10% bottle with BM
DD never started taking large bottles, except for wakeup and before bed which are now 4-6 (at 9 months old), but the rest of her bottles are usually 3-4 oz even now. I'm unsure obviously when she's nursing but I imagine she's not getting TONS more than that.
1. When G was 4 months, he was 13 lbs (14th percentile) and 25" (51st percentile).
2. He ate every 2-3 hours
3. 3-4 oz per bottle feeding. He got 3-4 bottles at daycare depending on if I came to nurse (I usually did). He nursed in the am, at lunch, when we got home, and before his bedtime. And motn because he hated to sleep.
4. 9-12 oz via bottle; unsure how much he nursed
5. EBF (nursed or pumped milk at daycare)
Eta - I don't think we moved to 4-5 oz bottles until 8 or 9 months. He still ate (bm) every 2-3 hours until right at a year when he started eating more solids.
My daughter never took more than 4oz of be in a bottle the whole time she had bottles. She drank 12-20oz a day while I was at work and nursed in the evening.
My son (7 months) has never had a bottle, but typically only ever eats from one side at a time. I'd guess about 4-5 ounces each feeding. He nurses every 2-3 hours during the day.
That's a crazy recommendation regarding # of ounces for a breastfed baby.
Neither of my kids ever took a bottle more than 4 oz (they were exclusively breastfed), and everything I've ever heard confirmed that that was normal.
I would be pretty seriously upset that a pediatrician was giving such bizarre advice. I mean, of course you want to listen if a doctor is truly concerned about failure to gain weight, but it's hard to trust that doctor's opinion when their knowledge of breastfeeding is so far off.
iamdifferent He had chubby cheeks and is starting to get rolls on his thighs and upper arms. His calves and feet are still skinny.
Depending how you feel and trust yourself with how you think T is developing and growing I would go with your gut. It sounds like you are providing nourishment if he's filling out the thighs and cheeks-good job momma! I had major oversupply issues early and didn't feel like C got the hind milk like she does now at 5 months. Similar to you, I could freeze 6+ oz' of milk a day. It might be something to slow down your supply.
DS never ever took more than 2.5 oz at a time and he ate maybe every 2 hours. He was 17.5 lbs at 4 months old.
DD was 17 lbs at 4 months old. Never took a bottle so I am not sure how much she's eating. She eats every 3ish hours.
DS was EBF and refused bottles after 5 months old. DD is EBF and a bottle refuser.
Every baby is different- I wouldn't worry about what other babies weighed at 4 months old though. But I don't believe that every baby is even capable of taking 6-8 oz at a time!
So I just checked and my bitty baby was 11 lbs 15 oz at 4 months.... but she was born IUGR at 34 weeks and weighed 3 lbs 13oz at birth. Given how fabulously your son is doing developmentally it's probably nothing, but I do agree that your doctor is right to be paying attention to this. I'm sorry you have to sort through this.
1. How old is your baby and how much does he/she weigh (or feel free to give me data from 4 mos / 12 lbs if you remember!). 8 months/23 lbs 2. How often does your baby feed? Nurses at 7:30am 1pm, 4:30pm 7pm and approx a million times over night 3. How many ounces per feed? Don't know. She doesn't take a bottle on a normal day. DH feeds her breakfast at 9am then a pouch at 12pm then she nurses at 1pm on my lunch break. 4. What is your baby's average daily consumption? 5. Mode of feeds (formula bottle vs expressed BM vs nursing)? Mostly nursing. On days she is with my aunt or MIL she has like 2 bottles with 3 oz each. She will gladly drink it but takes a long time and plays with the bottle a lot. She's a big girl so I'm not too worried about consumption. She prefers eating solids when not with me.
BB is 3 months and my guess is that she weighs about 10.5lbs
Feeds every 3 hours still.
She gets 110ml but I just moved her to and even 4oz since she still seemed hungry. At night she takes less. We let her decide what she wants then. It's much less lately.
I can't remember all the answers to your questions, but I can tell you that neither of my small-percentiles babies EVER consumed more than 4oz in one bottle feeding and only nursed for about 5-10 minutes at a time after the 3 month mark. And they were healthy, well-nourished babes. So no, Boiler's Doctor, a baby does not need to drink 6-8 oz at a time.
I still have anxiety over her weight and am dreading her 15 month appt b/c I know she hasn't gained much, if anything, since 12 months. But she's happy and healthy and just small. I'm sorry you're stressing over this. Have you considered maybe talking to another pedi?
Neither of my kids gained more than half an ounce between 15 months and 18 months. They gained a little extra between 18 and 24 and no one was concerned at all. These things happen!
1. How old is your baby and how much does he/she weigh (or feel free to give me data from 4 mos / 12 lbs if you remember!). DS was 12lb 12oz at 4 months, 15lb 13oz at 6 mo, and 19lb 6oz at 9 mo. His weight reached its lowest percentile at 4mo and steadily climbed until 9-12mo when he hit 50th percentile (he is 3 now and holding steady)
2. How often does your baby feed? All the time. DS ate every 2-2.5 hours (with longer stretches at night) for a very long time.
3. How many ounces per feed? He took 3-4oz when I first went back to work. This gradually increased to 5oz for most bottles and sometimes 6oz. He never took more than 6oz
4. What is your baby's average daily consumption? He took 20-25oz at 4 months at daycare plus nursing before, after, and overnight. DS ate more than average. By 6 months he took 25-30 oz at daycare. He didn't eat much in the way of solids until after a year.
5. Mode of feeds (formula bottle vs expressed BM vs nursing)? Bottlefed at daycare. I supplemented when he was around 6 mo and he generally got 1 bottle of formula; the rest was BM. I BF him otherwise (before/after work, overnight, weekends)
I will also say that if my doctor wanted A to eat more, I actually have no idea how we could make that happen short of tube feeding her. She is very good about letting us know when she is full - she will push the nipple out of her mouth with her tongue, push the bottle away with her hands and generally protest loudly if we try to get her to take more.
ebeth No. He ends by pushing the boob away. I'm a producing more than he is consuming. My breasts generally still have milk in them after feeding but my supply has regulated some. I am able to freeze 6-10 oz a day (if he's not growth spurting/sleep regressing).
did they have any suggestions to DOUBLE his consumption?
I'm not a doctor or anything but absent any other signs his weight was a problem I might try to add in more nursing sessions rather than force feed him. but I can understand why this conversation with the doctor would make you anxious.
I will also say that if my doctor wanted A to eat more, I actually have no idea how we could make that happen short of tube feeding her. She is very good about letting us know when she is full - she will push the nipple out of her mouth with her tongue, push the bottle away with her hands and generally protest loudly if we try to get her to take more.
I feel the same way! And thanks for your anecdote from your pedi too.
Was he ever evaluated for tongue tie? Even if he is transferring 4oz maybe that's not enough? But 6-8oz at that age seems like a LOT.
At that age DD had about 5, 5-6oz bottles of breast milk a day and shortly after went to 5 6oz bottles of formula (so 25 to 32ish ounces of breast milk or formula per day). She was 60ish% then IIRC.
Was he ever evaluated for tongue tie? Even if he is transferring 4oz maybe that's not enough? But 6-8oz at that age seems like a LOT.
At that age DD had about 5, 5-6oz bottles of breast milk a day and shortly after went to 5 6oz bottles of formula (so 25 to 32ish ounces of breast milk or formula per day). She was 60ish% then IIRC.
We were at the LCs at least 2x a week for the first month. I think they did check but not extensive since he was always transferring well and I've never had pain with latching. He doesn't spill milk at all (even side laying nursing).
1. Ds2 is 3 months today weighs about 14lbs and takes about 3 oz a feed. He eats about 10-12 times day, though we are struggling with the bottle. I agree the pedis amounts are for formula. And if he is in the same % for both then maybe he's just going to be small. I would probably call a lc just for a consult but mostly koko. If anything maybe pump before you feed so he gets the hind milk (but maybe only a 5 min pump to avoid oversupply)
We have had weight issues, at least early on, so I feel your pain/concern. DD is now a little over 6 months. She was born at 8 lb, 5 oz, so not a small baby. At her 4.5 month appointment, she was 13 lb 8 oz. At her 6 month appointment, she was 15 lb 8 oz. So she has consistently gained about a pound a month, sometimes a little more. She is now around 30/35% in weight, around 50% in height and head.
She mostly is fed bottles of expressed BM. At around 5.5 months, we increased the bottles from 4oz to 5oz each. She now eats 25oz of expressed BM a day, plus maybe 10-15 minutes of nursing before bed and a longer session if she wakes overnight. She is eating solids, but not much, max about 4oz of purees a day.
I don't know that she needed to go to 5oz bottles, but she would take them and I have the milk supply, so I went with it. She also seemed about as satisfied with 4oz bottles. I don't think we will go above 5oz bottles and it had been my understanding that their intake doesn't really increase after 6 months, esp as they add in solids and are actually eating a decent amount of solids.
From what you are saying, it sounds like he is getting plenty, esp if you did a weighted feed of 4oz. I know you have mentioned you don't like pumping and you work from home so nursing is convenient. (Promise I am not a stalker!) For me, nursing became less convenient and I liked the idea of tracking the ounces in bottles. You also mentioned he is meeting milestones. I had to just tell myself that if she looked good and seemed happy, she probably was doing fine, and I think that's true. A hungry baby will tell you they are hungry.
@callmefia I think he is getting it. Maybe not all my hindmilk, but I jiggle before feeds and massage to help it out. I do push for him to completely finish the breast. He was doing more single sided feeds, but as my supply regulated we feed off both most sessions.