Feeding baby too much or too little?

[Kaitybug]

My little guy is 4 weeks 2 days and is eating about 3.5 ounces every 2-3 hours. There are times that he can eat up to four ounces. He was born at 6 lbs 8 oz, and is now right at 8 lbs. I took him to get weighed at our pediatrician's office a week ago, and our doctor seemed to think I was feeding him too much. She said that she only wanted him to gain an ounce a day, and that I should take him back down to only three ounces and make him wait a full three hours between each feeding. I took him because he was having terrible stomach pain when he ate, actually screaming during nighttime feedings, and I thought something was wrong with him, like perhaps a food allergy, like his dad had when he was a baby.
We tried to follow the 3 every 3 "rule" when we got home for about 3 days, and it was HORRIBLE! He screamed bloody murder between feedings because he wanted to eat, and we couldn't let him. He was never satisfied with only three ounces. She mentioned that we could put rice cereal in his bottle, 1 tsp for every oz, to keep him full. We tried this, and he just spit up and choked on it. I thought it was weird to give a, at the time, 3 and a half week old rice cereal. Does this sound crazy to anyone else? I finally gave up and have been feeding him when he is hungry, but the doctor acted like I would be harming him in doing so. What do you all think?

 

[x-li-x]

I think you should feed lo what he wants when he wants it, surely your doctor doesn't starve herself when she's hungry so why would she expect a baby too be left hungry!
I wouldn't worry about your babies weight some babies are small, some big, and his weight will even out eventually. If he's hungry he's hungry making him wait and then giving him less than he wants is not only going to upset him it will upset u as he wont be a happy baby!
As for the rice cereal that is ridiculous he is much too young so if I was u I'd cut that out all together, I'm also shocked she said put it in his bottle, it's a choking hazard.

I would ignore her and go by your lo and not her stupid rules x

 

[Kaitybug]

Thanks, I, too, thought the rice was a silly recommendation. I thought it was for older babies and wouldn't be tolerated well by such a tiny baby. Ah, I don't know. This pediatrician is very well-liked by many of my friends, but her advice on this just doesn't seem to be helping at all.

 

[philly1982]

My health visitor told me baby would know when they are full and would stop drinking. I have done this and my LO sometimes drinks 6 ounces. He is nearly 5 weeks old. Sometimes he drinks 3,4 or 5 ounces. I don't limit what he drinks as sometimes we want alot or a little to eat just like they do.

xxx

 

[Eala]

I'm appalled that any doctor would recommend putting rice cereal in a baby's bottle. For one thing, your LO is way too young to start on solids. "Early" weaning is usually 16 weeks! For another, as x-li-x said, it's a choking hazard to put anything other than milk in a bottle. If I were in your shoes, I'd be seriously considering whether or not this doctor is someone I'd want to be treating my child. He/she obviously isn't keeping their practice up to date by keeping abreast of the latest research, so who knows what kind of garbage he/she will come out with in the future?

My health visitor tried to get me to stretch out times between feeds etc, when my LO was very small. This HV branded my LO a "snacker" because she was taking 1.5oz to 2oz every couple of hours. I tried for one day to get her to 3 hours between feeds, and it was a day from hell.

I decided that it was better to trust my own instincts, and feed her when she wanted fed. We have always gotten on much better with demand feeding! Your baby is too young to over-feed. Babies aren't "greedy", they will only take as much as they need.

One thing I would say though, is that if he has a sore tummy, young babies can't always distinguish between a sore tummy and feeling hungry. We found that when LO had bad wind; she'd cry as if hungry, but then be sick when we fed her.

If you're worried about intolerances etc, I think you might need to find another doctor who actually knows what they're talking about

Good luck!

 

[Lara310809]

I have always been told that you should feed a baby what it's asking for. A baby is unable to understand the concept of greed, and therefore it will only take the milk if it is hungry. There are times my LO only wants some water, and she will point blank refuse milk, and will scream until I give her water, and then she's fine.

When my LO was about 2 months old I switched to demand feeding. I gave up reading the recommended doses on the side of the formula pack, and just fed her what she wanted. Since then she's been a little erratic, but overall she's eating half of what the formula pack says she can have (they recommend about 35oz, and she normally has 14oz). I have spoken to the HV about it and she's happy as long as LO is thriving, gaining weight and happy within herself, which she is.

I've never heard of gaining an ounce a day, but look; my LO weighed 10lb 12oz, and a friend of mine's LO weighed almost 16lbs. Every baby is differnet, and both babies were cosidered healthy.

And I know how hard it is to refuse a screaming baby food, because I spent 2 months feeding her every 3-4 hours, and I refused to feed her more often, even though I knew she was hungry, because people had drilled it into me that I shoudln't overfeed her. Now I've been demand feeding, she has what she likes, when she likes, and is a very happy baby; much happier than she was before, and she's a very average weight.

And in my opinion, you're better off giving extra milk rather than giving baby rice. They say baby rice is suitable from 4 months I think 1tsp is a lot too, because it swells and therefore becomes a lot thicker. I know mums that are giving 7oz bottles and still only put 1tsp of rice in, and it's enough to keep their baby asleep the entire night. I personally think 1tsp per ounce is excessive, and probably too much for a newborn to handle.

 

[Lara310809]

This HV branded my LO a "snacker" because she was taking 1.5oz to 2oz every couple of hours. I tried for one day to get her to 3 hours between feeds, and it was a day from hell

My LO does this too. Sometimes I wake up and think "since she's slept all through the night, if I give her a big bottle, she may take it, and then will be full enough to go 4 hours until the next feed, and I can have a normal baby for a day", but it never works. Even after 12 hours of not eating, she only wants 3oz, and then 90 minutes later she will scream the house down for another measly 2oz. I don't really understand it, because on rare occasions she will drink 6oz, so I know her belly's big enough; she just doesn't want it I've since stopped bothering and just feed her every couple of hours

 

[Mel+Bump]

My LO is 3weeks and 5days old and was 6lb 12oz when she was born. Shes recently decided she no longer wants her 11pm feed so only has 5 feeds a day, a will go anything from 3-5 hours between feeds and up to 6 hours at night. I now offer her 5oz at each feed, which she will usually have, except at the 4pm feed, where she only has around 3/4oz.

I got her weighed today and she was 7lb 13oz. So her weight gain hasnt been far off your LOs and the HV has said that is absolutly fine! I deffinatly follow LOs lead in feeding. She enjoys having a routine and gets hungry generally every 4 hours. Ive let her decide that she wants to drop a feed, and Ive also realised that she needs more. Deffinatly do what you believe is best and what your LO will be happiest doing

 

[iceylou]

i was actually going to post a thread like this. nicole is 4 wks old, sometimes she will take 4 or 5 oz and sometimes only 3 (like this morning). i was thinking she should be on more coz of what the stupid hv said but as i refuse to speak to her atm im doing what i feel is best.

nicole weighed 7lbs 7oz at birth and now is 10lbs 8oz. my son was guzzling 9oz bottles at this stage every 3 hrs!! he still eats alot (hes 12) and is skinny but very tall. as others have said every baby is different and so is every person, luv the way "professionals" always think they know better