Still hungry.

[mommy2corbin]

My son is 5 weeks also and we went to the doctor yesterday and found he has a little bit of over feeding. he was eating 4 oz every 3 hours and sometimes could do 6 but its only night. she cut him down to 3oz every 3 hours but he's acting like he's hungry about 2 hours later during the day and right after a night. he seems unsatisfied at night then any other time. I'm also having a problem with BF too. I feel that if I completely stop that I'm letting people down even tho he's eating formula and getting very little BM

 

[Vickie]

Is there a reason she told you to cut the feeds down?

At 5 weeks mine was having 3-4 ounces every 3-4 hours and the doctor was completely okay with that.

A general rule of thumb with FF is that if there is nothing left in the bottle than you should up it so that baby is getting enough milk.

 

[skunkpixie]

Im sorry but 3 oz every 3 hours at 5 weeks old doesnt seem that much to me! I agree with PP that you should always make up 1oz more than what your baby wants to drink. Try making 4oz bottles and if he drains them every feed then try 5oz bottles and so on.
When it comes to BF as long as YOU are completly happy with stopping then stop. You are not letting people down and your baby will still thrive and be getting all he needs from formula. xxxx

 

[Courtcourt]

There is no way I would listen to anyone who said feed less without a major medical reason! That seems totally normal to me. Mine was eating about 4oz every 1.5-2 hours at that time. She still eats a lot (up to 50oz) and has no problems. She is very tall and active! I have trouble with her if I am out and it's been 3 hours since last bottle- even now! I can't imagine a dr telling me to keep her hungry!

 

[bumpin2012]

My LO takes 6 oz every 3 hours, and has since he was 7 weeks old. You rally can't over feed a young baby. They are programmed to eat what they need.

If you are happy to stop bfing, you don't need to justify that to anyone. Baby will get the nutrients needed from formula, and that's all there is to it

 

[littleANDlost]

I really don't like going against what a doctor has told you but i would ask for a second opinion. Babies will not over feed at a young age, they eat what they need to and if they take to much it comes back up. Every baby is different so guidelines are just that, a guide.

Our LO was taking 4oz every 3 hours from 2 weeks

with BF i stopped after a week as i just wasn't coping with it and over all it was better for my daughter to be FF and have a happy mummy than be BF and have a depressed one. Don't let others make you feel like you have to do it. It's what ever is best for you and your baby, not them! You wont be letting yourself or your son down if you stop. Sod everyone else!!

 

[bigbetty]

I totally agree with the others love. Unless they specialise in paediatrics, generally doctors have no training in feeding babies so they don't really know what they're talking about - unless they've got one themselves.

Francesca was on 5oz bottles from 3 weeks old. Whenever she started draining the bottle we would up the amount by an oz. There's also a big growth spurt at 5-6 weeks when LO will want feeding more often, bigger bottles or both - so denying them what they want can affect their growth.

Babies very rarely overfeed and 4oz bottles really isn't overfeeding at 5 weeks old hun. Francesca gained weight very rapidly - went from 50th centile at birth to 99.6th centile by 6 months old - but our hv constantly told us she was perfect and her growth rate would slow right down when she started moving - and she was completely right.

Go with your gut instinct love. Giving smaller bottles when they are still hungry will only lead to them wanting to be fed more often. Let your baby guide you xxx