advice needed please...gettin really down about it now

[mummy2b2010]

My 3 week old son seems to constantly be hungry,we were giving him 5oz every 4 hours which the mw and hv said were fine but i was worried about him gaining too much weight as he put on 9.5 oz in 4 days so we went down to 4oz but he seems so hungry allllllll the time,like as soon as yes finished his bottle hes hungry again but he will eventually fall asleep but give it an hour or two hes screaming for food,hes sucking his arm,teddy,my chest anything he can,if i hold him he flings his head all over the place,usually resulting in me getting hit somewhere on my face,i just dont know what to do!!!!

Please help xxx

 

[mrsthomas623]

babies will not over eat, if he wants 5 ozs, give him 5 ozs. At 2 weeks my LO is eating 2-2.5 ozs every 2 hours.

 

[dom85]

If he's hungry then feed him, don't worry about 4 hour schedules or how much he's having, Brady was feeding every 2-3 hours at that age and having more than 4ozs. They can't overeat at this age, they'll just throw up what they don't need.

 

[Helabela]

5oz isnt too much at all, some babies are hungrier than others.

 

[rach321]

I'd feed him more often - maybe every 3 hours and if he still takes the full 5oz then so be it - he's obviously hungry and needs it, if he starts throwing most of it up or gets really bad belly ache then you might need to reduce it a bit. They go through some pretty major growth spurts in the first few weeks so I'd just go with the flow to be honest. Do you think he just finds the sucking sensation a comfort? Does he have a dummy?

 

[mummy2b2010]

He was quite a big boy at birth,he was 9lb and now he is 9lb 15.5oz but i just worry that im over feeding him,it makes me feel awful like im not cut out for it as i dont know what he needs :'( xx

 

[karenm28]

Yeah I agree with the feeding more often, not all babies are textbook and for some 4 hours is too long

 

[purpledaisy2]

If he's hungry feed him hun, up his bottles andlet him take what he needs

My LO used to gain a lb a week when he was little, it soon leveled out as he got older x

 

[mummy2b2010]

Yeh he has a dummy and he sucks it like crazy then will spit it out once he realises he aint gettin nothing from it and will then cry xx

 

[purpledaisy2]

You can't overfeed him hun, if he is abit greedy and takes more than he can handle he'd spit it up anyway x

 

[bubbles123]

I agree with OPs, my LO still needs feeding every 3 hours and he's 15 weeks now. If he is too full he'll either start fussing and fighting the bottle or just throw the formula straight back up again, so I know to feed him less. If your LO is taking the formula easily, not throwing it up (any more then some babies usually do) then they probably need it.

 

[Mynx]

Definately give him more if he wants more As PurpleDaisy said, if he eats a little too much, then he'll spit up what he cant handle.
If he was a big boy at birth then he's gonna continue to be a big boy If your HV and MW arent concerned about his weight gain, then all is good, just continue to give him what he wants, when he wants it
You also have to take into consideration that he'll have many growth spurts along the way too, where he'll just seem constantly hungry and will either sleep all the time, or wont settle.
Evie gained weight really quickly in the space of a month, jumping from the 50th percentile up to between the 75th and 90th and the HV wasnt concerned

 

[_Vicky_]

AWWW ditto the above - the boys were born on the lowest percentile 0.4 I think but are charging up and now nearing the 50th - they have been piling on the lard and I LOVE IT. babies dont have to be restricted at this young an age xxxx

 

[twinklestar]

i agree with everyone else feed him more often or more oz, his a big newborn so will need more than a smaller baby to fill him

dont doubt yourself chick, i bet your doing a great job, if hes hungry feed him

x

 

[pheobe]

if you look at the box of formula there are guidance notes on the side for amounts at different ages.....if you work off LO's weight rather than age I'm pretty sure he will of been taking a suitable amount when he wa son the bigger bottles.

I do think it's true that it's rare for a baby to overeat, Niall had a huge appetite & always 'overate' for his age but for his weight he was spot on & I notice your LO was a generous 9lb...big baby, big appetite

xxx

 

[lisa9999]

Agree that you cant overfeed him hon.
my LO had a growth spurt at 3 wks and I think its common at that age x

 

[Feltzy]

Agree that you cant overfeed him hon.
my LO had a growth spurt at 3 wks and I think its common at that age x

My LO had the biggest growth spurt so far at 3 weeks too, they normally only last a few days and hopefully you will find he can go for longer between feeds after.

 

[KittenKat]

Rosa has from very early on eaten more than "recommended" for her age, currently during the day she can drink anywhere between 5-7 oz every 2-3 hours, I just go with what she wants

 

[Eternal]

dont pay any attention to the what the tins say they should eat, just give him what he wants and needs. my son was 9lb born and took massive amounts of milk up until be weaned him.

 

[Eternal]

btw if you do over feed he will just be sick, some babies do that but at 3 weeks old you should just feed what he wants.