so confused..... bottle feeding.

[BrittBS]

Ashlyn is now 6 weeks old and getting 4oz. every 3-4 hrs. Does this sound normal to you guys?? This past week she has been very cranky, crying non-stop even when we're holding and cuddling her. I don't know what to do anymore.... I can't take it. I'm calling her doctor tomorrow but was wondering if you guys could give me any tips to try, to get by until tomorrow?

 

[ryder]

Is she drawing her knees up and stuff? She might be a bit colicky, or she may just be over tired and going through a growth spurt... Jasmine has days like that too, particularly sundays for some reason... lol... rest of the time she is fine, come sunday she is a terror.

 

[brownhairedmom]

My LO takes 4 oz every 2- 2 1/2 hours. She took 6oz every 2 hours for a couple days but I think she was having a growth spurt because she's gone back to 4oz every 2 hours now. She might need more formula if she's still crying all the time. When Renah starts crying I try to give her a dummy, if she keeps spitting it out and sucking her fingers, I know she needs more milk. I was hesitant to be giving her 4oz so often but if its what she needs, its what she needs. Babies can't overfeed.

 

[LeannieB]

Hi u could try adding an extra ounce to her bottles and seeing if she takes the extra, that is what we did with Toby as he started to fuss after finishing a bottle like he wanted more. Or like Ryder said she may be a little bit colicky, have u tried giving her infacol before a feed? This helps bring the wind up. I know that once they hit 6 weeks their crying can increase a lot but it does get better!! I read that somewhere. Toby has always feed every three hours. U could try putting her in a vibrating bouncy chair this helped when toby was little as he suffered from wind and he used to have his crying time between 6-9 but he did grow out of it and Infacol did help him. We also gave him a dummy around that age and that helped him a lot too. They do grow out of it but if u say she is crying all the time maybe speak to your HV as it may be something to do with the formula she is on.

 

[Rachiebaby24]

Maley is 6 weeks and she is on 5oz every 3-4 hours....she has started moaning after each feed and isnt quite bloated afterwards so im going to up an oz....try another oz.....i do with Maley when she gets like that...sometimes she takes the whole bottle and sometimes she will push out the bottle when she has had enough or just stops sucking when she is full....she will tell you when she has had enough....

 

[JennTheMomma]

Your baby could have colic. Hunter had that for a few months when he was a baby. He would cry for a few hours on end, no matter what we did. Sometimes it can be from the formula, it might make the babies tummy upset. Or it could be from the bottles, getting too much air in them and giving the baby a tummy ache. You could try switching bottles to a colic-reducer bottle. Most bottle companies make them. Dr. Browns, Soothie, Nuk, etc. You could also try putting in an extra oz like some of the other ladies said. But don't push it, if your baby doesn't want it then she is most likely colicky. Hang in there, things do get better.

 

[mommyof3co]

6wks is a very common age for a growth spurt. Does she seem hungry after she finishes a bottle? If so I would give her another 2oz or move her feedings a little closer together, she will let you know when she's full. My oldest was bottle fed at this age but is now 5 so I can't remember now what he took but I want to say it was 6oz at the same 3-4hrs but then started spreading it apart after 1-2wks since he as through the growth spurt. I breastfed my other 2 at this age and they both started wanting to eat more often and longer at this age

 

[LaDY]

Like the other girls said...it could be colic...

However i thought my LO had colic only to see that he was hungry all the time...i added a ounce and as time went on i began to see that he was slowly wanting more and more...he ended up drinking alot for his age however he was a happy baby...HV said it looked as though he had a fast metabolism...

Hope it all goes well xx

 

[charlie07]

Hi

I have gone through both colic and reflux with Gabbi. I wrote everything down so I had a record but also as I was so tired, I couldn't remember when I fed her!!!

I can tell you from when Gabbi was 7 1/2 weeks (I can't find my other book!!), I also feed in ml, so ounces are approx.:

On average she had 120 ml (approx. 4 1/4 oz) but had 150 ml (just over 5 oz) for the first and last feed.

She then went up to 150 ml almost every feed at 8 weeks.

I felt like she was feeding too much, but recently, about the last month, she has got into a better routine. She did spit the bottle out if she had enough.

I think what you are feeding her is absolutely fine. I hope she gets better

Colic, I used Infacol and have calpol also. I don't use it every time, mainly when she has a bigger feed.

Reflux - I did research and got advice of this forum. Formula takes about 3 1/2 hours to digest and breast milk takes 3 hours, so I would make Gabbi wait for 3 1/2 hours between feeds, even if she was whingeing and it does help. If she is really bad I give her a bit of water. Also I keep her upright for 1/2 hour after feeding and always wind halfway through. It has helped her a lot.