Overfeeding...?

[Shineystar]

My girly was 7lbs6oz at birth and yesterday was 8lbs2oz !!

I did BF for the first 10 days, but im concerned about over-feeding with formula..

The HV said what im giving her is fine, heres a typical day..

6-7am 90mls
10am 90-120mls
2pm 90mls
5pm between 90-120mls, This is done by giving 60mls then bath and then the remainder at about 6pm
10pm 90-120mls
2-3am 60mls

There are times when she has a feed and appears tired, but wakes less than an hour later hungry (I think that's what it is!) so I give her more.

I am gently trying to encourage her into a routine, and i know its early but she pretty much gets hungry at like clockwork so she kind of has her own routine already. It makes the day so much easier as I'm not on edge wondering when she will be hungry or tired next!

 

[BeachyBronzer]

i alway put an extra oz in the bottle. babies know when they are full and wont take more than they need. plus if lo finishes feeding and there is some milk left over then you know she is satisfied.

 

[BeachyBronzer]

oh and the weight gain is great! your doing just fine.
and babies still need a lot of sleep at that age, so dont worry if she falls asleep while feeding and then wants more when she wakes

 

[Bats11]

I know with bf'ding you cant over feed, I bf for the first 3months of her life, but with formula, 'they say you can over feed', so I feed my lo every 3hrs during the day, cause she sleeps through the night.

As far as Im aware a formula fed baby should only be fed every 3 to 4 hours.

 

[dragonhawk]

Despite the scare tactics they try, with young babies, you cannot overfeed. If they have full tummies, they'll just expell what is not required. Usually by vommiting.

 

[smile83]

Despite the scare tactics they try, with young babies, you cannot overfeed. If they have full tummies, they'll just expel what is not required. Usually by vommiting.

Thanks dragonhawk that's put my mind at ease now, I was starting to worry I've been overfeeding my almost 6 week old her appetite has gone up massively in the last few days! yesterday she had 910ml/30.7oz. going from what the book I've been reading (The BabyWhisperer) up to the age of 6 weeks babies should be drinking between 500-725ml/18-24oz a day.

Think im going to stop reading feeding advise from baby books now as all they do is set a idea in my head of what they tell me my baby should be feeding which i guess is just an statistic based on the average baby.

As you said dragonhawk if shes had enough formula she'll do one of two things stop feeding or throw it back up!

 

[Shineystar]

Thanks for all your advise, i think its just all a bit stressful trying to encourage them gently to understand the difference between day & night, without waking them to feed and worry your giving them too much!

 

[glitterfly]

Hey Hun, don't worry your babies routine is pretty much exactly what mine was at 2 weeks.. She guzzles too. The midwife came round and said its absolutely fine and to feed on demand, but if she's hungry after a feed to make another ounce. As a pp said, they know when they're full, if they over feed they'll spit out what they don't need.

Charlotte was weighed on thurs and in a week and 3 days she had gone from 6ib 8oz to 7ib 15.5 oz. the midwife congratulated us on doing a fantastic job, so don't worry Hun. I did too and I'm still considering hungry baby milk in a few weeks but for now just feed her when she wants. They also have a big growth spurt around 2weeks.

Xxx

 

[glitterfly]

Just re-read,her weight gain is fantastic considering they are supposed to loose weight, well done mama, you're doing a great job! xxx

 

[Shineystar]

thanks! your LO sounds very like mine!

When do you decide to go on the hungry milk? is it meant to make them fuller for longer?

 

[Mrs.B.]

My little girl was born on 11 October at 8lbs, by 16 Oct she weighed 8lb5, 23 Oct She weighed 8lbs15 and 30/10 9lb6 1/2!! Thats 1lb6 in under 3 weeks! Little porker

Elyssa takes 3oz every 2.5-3 hours in the day time, with her last feed at 10-10:30 pm, night feed at 2-3 am and then feeding resumes at about 6am

 

[Shineystar]

Thanks, it sounds like we are pretty much on track then!

Today she has been a bit difficult, waking and appearing hungry and only taking 1-2 oz then sleeping for at most 2 hrs!

She has also done the biggest poop Ive ever seen (explains the constant crying and wriggling earlier on!), and not slept well today at all. Last fed about 6pm and snoozily took about 40mls, I really couldn't get her to take anymore! I hope when she next wakes she will take a full feed and sleep better

Thanks for all your help!