Keeping track of formula and Bm oz 7 months

misshazel27

Hey just wondering if people are still keeping track of how much their baby eats between six and 9 months.  My little one will be 7 months on Friday.  She was born 37 weeks full term but born small 4 pounds 6 ozs and is currently 13.5 
Some days she eats like a little piggy 25 oz but other days it's a fight.  I'm finding myself so wrapped up with the Dr's saying she can't eat less then 20 that I panic during the day during all her feedings.  I don't want to cause an issue with her eating and make it a thing.  She doesn't cry, she is not gassy, just a very happy baby who's not hungry.  Should I just follow her lead and feed her what she wants when she wants? Skip the schedule? What would you guys do? Thanks a bunch

swizzlemalarkey

I would follow her lead and not stress. Also, this will come up later too when she’s on solids. I’ve been told that sometimes you have to look at what they’re taking in over a full week. So if one day she eats 25 oz and the next only 15 oz, that evens out to 20 a day. You’re doing a good job!

misshazel27

Thank you! I needed to hear that and I never thought to think about the over all week. She loves her purees! 

knottiea5c5e54a6f5da505

I'm having the same exact issue! I feel not so alone in this struggle now lol

complexity

My granddaughter tuned 6 months a few days ago, and she’s doing this, as well. Part of the reason is because her two bottom teeth are coming in, and I think the other part is because she’s more easily distracted with wanting to move, move, move!

I think it’s unhealthy to force feed so I just go with the flow. I show her the bottle, and if she wants more, she’ll reach out for it and open her mouth. If she doesn’t want it, I wait a minute and try again. After a few tries, I stop offering it to her and let her be.

I have never heard of a healthy child starving themselves so I figure she’ll eat when she’s hungry. Sometimes she’ll only take 4oz; other times she’ll drink 8oz! The main thing is that she’s happy, active, and developing well.

As long as the pediatrician has confirmed that she does not have any health or developmental problems preventing her from eating as much as she needs, then I would follow her lead. Our job is to offer the food (breast milk, formula, and/or solids). The baby’s job is to determine how much of it they eat each time. There will be times in which she may not be very hungry. She may be too fascinated with a new milestone she’s working on (rolling over, sitting, crawling) or may be uncomfortable (teething), or she may be coming out of a growth spurt, for example.

As long as she gets what she needs over time, then I wouldn’t worry about it. I’d only be concerned if it persisted over time, she isn’t developing well, isn’t happy or active, or is not gaining weight as expected.

If the pediatrician suggests that you force feed her to get 20oz in, then it may be time to look for another pediatrician or at least get a second opinion. No healthy child should be force fed (that introduces a whole host of problems in the long run). Also remember that our babies can sense and react to our anxiety, and anxiety turns off our hunger signals. So worrying about it may actually create a self-fulfilling prophecy, causing her to stop eating, creating a vicious cycle.