How much formula should my 4 week old be taking?

navgogia

My baby boy is 4 weeks old today and is taking 2 ounces of Enfamil Premium ready to feed formula every 2 hours.  It takes him about 30-40 minutes to take 2 ounces, so I'm pretty sure he doesn't need more and seems to fall asleep after eating.  How do I know if he needs to eat more?  Is this normal.  I've read a lot of moms saying they give their baby 2-4 ounces, but he is taking only ready to feed (the powder made him gassy and spit up), so I usually put 2 ounces in the bottle when I heat it up and when he is finished if he is not crying I don't offer him more- should I be?  Any advice would be great.  I would love to get him to sleep longer b/c right now I get about 1 hour between feeds to myself if that.

mrsseguin

If he is content after 2oz, the I'd leave it.  He will start to get fussy and not seem satisfied.  It's hard when they eat so frequently, you could try feeding him 2.5-3oz and see how he does, maybe he will go longer? 

missys953

My DD is 4wks today and she has been eating 4oz every 3-4 hours almost from the time we brought her home from the hospital.  I would recommend checking with your doctor but do agree if he seems full and happy and is gaining weight you should be fine.

lyzp07

I can't find it right now, but there's a mathematical formula you can use to give you an estimate. I found it when I was trying to figure out how much I should pump for when I'm at class. It's something like take their weight x 2 or 3 and then divide that by how many times a time your baby eats on average (8 every 3 hours or 12 every 2 hours).

I overestimate so mine would be - 9 x 3 = 27... 27 / 8 = 3.4 ounces

 

kapowski23

DD eats about 3.5oz every 3-4 hours. 

pattismartcoshi

None. Maybe you could pur?e some mcdonalds and give that to your baby!

navgogia

Seriously?!!  I pumped my breast milk every 2 hours for the last month and my milk supply just never came in, so I finally just switched to complete formula instead of supplementing, but I really don't think it's necessary to judge someone because they decided to go with formula, it's a very personal choice that has to do with a lot of different factors.

kapowski23

navgogia:

Seriously?!!  I pumped my breast milk every 2 hours for the last month and my milk supply just never came in, so I finally just switched to complete formula instead of supplementing, but I really don't think it's necessary to judge someone because they decided to go with formula, it's a very personal choice that has to do with a lot of different factors.

Eh, don't bother responding to her. Not worth it. 

TheDreamingTree

navgogia:

Seriously?!!  I pumped my breast milk every 2 hours for the last month and my milk supply just never came in, so I finally just switched to complete formula instead of supplementing, but I really don't think it's necessary to judge someone because they decided to go with formula, it's a very personal choice that has to do with a lot of different factors.

Do not feed the troll! This is just someone who goes into posts and says the most absurd thing they can think of in order to get responses and to get people all bent out of shape. Don't even take offense or respond. 

NewFamily09

2 to 2 1/2 sounds about right.  When we give our son a bottle of pumped milk, he usually takes about 2 1/2 and he's 8 wks old.

butterfly8199

JosieLynne:

navgogia:

Seriously?!!  I pumped my breast milk every 2 hours for the last month and my milk supply just never came in, so I finally just switched to complete formula instead of supplementing, but I really don't think it's necessary to judge someone because they decided to go with formula, it's a very personal choice that has to do with a lot of different factors.

Do not feed the troll! This is just someone who goes into posts and says the most absurd thing they can think of in order to get responses and to get people all bent out of shape. Don't even take offense or respond. 

 

Agree with not feeding the troll. She is trying to bait you 

DD took about 3.5-4oz a bottle every 3-4 hours. But she has always been a great eater. if you and your doc are happy with 2 ozs and LO is content I say leave it at that