too much formula at night for bf baby 7month old

[pinksmarties]

I asked this in the FF forum but got no responses so thought would ask on here.

I have been exclusively bf up until 4 weeks ago I was doing all-night feeds (usually twice per night although he woke more often). We introduced a bottle when he woke 11-12 so OH could be involved and I could get more sleep. Initially he only took 3-4 oz but that has increased and now he is wolfing down 8oz and could probably take more.

I am just worried this is to much. Since starting the bottle I haven't needed to bf him before his normal wake time (7-7.30) where before I would normally have fed him at 5am.

As we don't have much experience of FF is what he is taking okay? It makes me feel like he is not getting enough from me during the day.

 

[kitabird]

I think 8oz is about 'normal' for a FF baby and your LO sounds like he's doing fine with it and letting you get a good sleep! Has he dropped any daytime feeds or still BF as often and for as long?

 

[Rachel_C]

Hmm well my first LO was FF and she only took 8oz at once when she was a lot older and was really hungry, but she was more of a snacky feeder e.g. she'd have 3-4 oz every 2 hours during the day.

What size teats are you using when you bottle feed? I'd say it's unlikely LO isn't getting enough from you if everything else has been fine up till now, but it is easier for a baby to drink from a bottle. Even the teats for newborns are sometimes quite fast and there's less work involved for LO with them, so he may be wanting to drink for a certain amount of time to send him off to sleep again, but if the flow is faster than he's used to he will be taking more milk in that time. That would lead to him overfeeding and staying asleep longer... one of the 'dangers' of bottle feeding really. Could you switch to a slower flow teat and see if that helps? If that doesn't help, I would probably continue as you are as long as it's not affecting your supply and as long as you're ok giving formula. If you're not, you probably just need to go back to BF in the night. I don't think feeds at 11pm and 5am are that bad really, if you can get OH to get up for non-feed related wakings

 

[pinksmarties]

I didn't mind doing the feedings but oh really wanted to feel he was helping and he couldn't up every night with the other wakings so this seemed like a good compromise.

He is on a medium size 2 teat but when we first started giving him a bottle he would only take 3-4oz and he'd had enough but it's gradually gone up from there.

It did take me a while to get used to not bf him at that time but now I am okay with it and oh loves that time with him. I don't think it's affected my supply, not how you would know that that though. He has dropped a daytime feed but his solids have increased also. He still on for the same time but since 3 months old he rarely does more than 5 minutes in total.

 

[kitabird]

If he's still happy nursing then he must be satisfied with what he's getting from you. I would only worry if he starts losing interest in the breast in favour of the bottle. Unless as Rachel says you're unhappy about him getting less breast milk, in which case you could try cutting back the formula.