LO often doesn't want to wait 2 hours btwn feeding. What to do? (FF)

janicemarieh

Hi all.  This is my first post as a FTM to an almost 4 week old.  My LO is a very hungry girl.  The doc told us to feed her 2-3 ounces of formula every 2-3 hours.  When I told her that my daughter is still looking for food she said I could increase by a half ounce up to 6 if necessary, but I'm trying not to do that (though I have increased to 3 1/2 ounces at every feeding).  Most of the time my LO will make it to the 2 hour mark before crying for food, but sometimes she is screaming after an hour.  I've been trying to calm her and get to the 2 hour mark, but is that the right thing to do?  Anyone else have this problem?  How do you handle it?  Do you feed early?  Just wait it out?  TIA!

lvisser

Feed her.

GoldenPeaches

Feed your hungry baby.

EveryNameIWantIsTaken

Feed the baby.  I know I am sometimes hungry and want something before dinner time.  She probably does too.  If someone told me I could only eat at 8 noon and 6 I'd be upset also.

lvisser

I should add... Coming from a mom whose baby will only take 16oz - at most.... Feed your baby. I would love to have that problem... 

janicemarieh

Should I feed her another 3 1/2 ounces or just a small amount to tide her over?

tosh24

janicemarieh:

Should I feed her another 3 1/2 ounces or just a small amount to tide her over?

Feed her however much she wants, whenever she wants. If you don't think she'll take another full bottle and you don't want to waste formula, start off with 0.5-1 oz and see if she's still hungry after that. If she is, feed her more. It's all trial and error. Ignore the clock and just feed your baby when she wants to be fed. 

heymommy

I'd give her more per feeding. Try 5 oz and see what happens.

MesmrEwe

First, STOP watching the clock!  Feed your baby when they're hungry!! 

Fill a bottle to the 6oz. mark...  Give that to her at her next feeding, she'll stop when she's full.  Stop watching the clock, at the next feeding, do another 6oz. bottle...  You should have a baseline by the end of the day for how much your LO wants/needs to eat.  Babies are highly intelligent, they know when they're hungry (i.e. FUSS that isn't soothed by a diaper change, cuddling, or sucking on a paci), and they know to stop when they're full. 

That recommendation (2oz every 2-3 hours) is for babies under 2 weeks where the worry is that they're trying to make up for the weight they lost after delivery.  Your baby is over a month, at the 1mo point, DS has been taking almost 4.5-5oz every couple hours (sometimes with a longer stretch)...  Your baby isn't going to get fat, your baby is needing that milk to grow and babies go out before they go up in length. 

lmjime01

Sounds like my LO about 8 wks ago. U would ask ur doc about possible acid reflux. My baby would eat 8oz as a 4wk old bc his reflux was so bad or want to eat every 1-2 hrs bc the formula soothed his throat from the acid coming up. Now he's on Prevacid twice daily. Again I would talk to your doc first though.

MrsT2008

FEED HER.

ignore the clock and honestly, ignore the numbers on the bottle.  she's clearly ready to eat more than 3-3.5 oz.  go up to 4 and see if that satisfies her.  By 6 weeks old, my DD was taking 5oz in a bottle (she gets one bottle of pumped milk per day).  she takes 5.5oz now, but could probably take 6.

 

ETA:  she's likely not making it the 2-3 hours between feedings because she's not getting enough.  you may find that she wants 4oz at each feeding but will then go 3-4 hours.  or she may still go every 2-3.  you just have to figure out what she wants to do.

textbookcase

I agree with everyone else - feed her as much as she wants to eat when she wants to eat.

SaraTF

I agree with pp, feed her, as much as she wants whenever she wants. My 4 week old eats between 2 and 4 oz every 2-4 hours during the day, but goes longer at night usually. If your lo is consistently finishing the whole bottle, chances are she'll take more if you offer it, which means she's hungry!

Marion&Kit

I definitely, definitely agree with pp about feeding her if she's hungry - but make sure she's actually hungry, not just tired or bored or has a wet diaper. Sometimes moms confuse the signs. 

Jolaine83

My DS was like this and honestly, the only real relief from it came when I was able to up his bottles to 6 oz.  He had a very strong sucking reflex and never felt like he had enough until then.  If your LO isn't sated by sucking a paci, than keep trying a little big more. 

FYI: Mix the formula in one bottle and pour it into another bottle little bit by little bit to feed your LO more.  Any formula in the bottle they eat won't be good within an hour of them drinking some but in a clean bottle, the formula can last 24 hours if refrigerated.  So, if you end up making more than you need, by doing it this way, you won't waste the formula.  Basically, the bottle they eat from gets backwash with their saliva in it and once saliva gets mixed into formula, it begins to digest it within the bottle.  The formula is nutritionally worthless after an hour.

Mary Berger

I am all about schedule, but don't worry about the clock until she is at least 4 to 6 months old. Until then, just let her tell you what she needs. If she is hungry, feed her as much as she wants. Those typical amounts are only a guild line and not meant to be followed exactly. I only know this because my 9 week old son is eating 5 oz which is over the normal 3-4 oz for his age, but he needs 5 oz to make him happy and you want a happy baby. At this age they are learning to trust you and trust that you will feed, change and love them when they need it. Don't waste this really special time with worrying about the stupid clock. Give your baby anything she needs. You will not spoil or make your baby fat at this age. Trust me this time goes by so fast, just enjoy making your baby as happy as she can be. Good Luck!

authorofdreamz

MesmrEwe:

First, STOP watching the clock!  Feed your baby when they're hungry!! 

Fill a bottle to the 6oz. mark...  Give that to her at her next feeding, she'll stop when she's full.  Stop watching the clock, at the next feeding, do another 6oz. bottle...  You should have a baseline by the end of the day for how much your LO wants/needs to eat.  Babies are highly intelligent, they know when they're hungry (i.e. FUSS that isn't soothed by a diaper change, cuddling, or sucking on a paci), and they know to stop when they're full. 

That recommendation (2oz every 2-3 hours) is for babies under 2 weeks where the worry is that they're trying to make up for the weight they lost after delivery.  Your baby is over a month, at the 1mo point, DS has been taking almost 4.5-5oz every couple hours (sometimes with a longer stretch)...  Your baby isn't going to get fat, your baby is needing that milk to grow and babies go out before they go up in length. 

Her child is only 3 weeks old.  And what you suggested is going to waste ALOT of formula which is very expensive. Feed her 2-3oz if she's still hungry make another oz as needed until she is full but try other things to make sure she is really hungry so you don't overfeed her. Her stomach is still very tiny and that sounds like an awful lot of formula. DD is 10.5 weeks old and usually only eats 2-3oz (Except first thing in the morning when she eats 4oz since she sleeps 8+ hours at night.)

Magriet

Feed her!

Jolaine83

authorofdreamz:

MesmrEwe:

First, STOP watching the clock!  Feed your baby when they're hungry!! 

Fill a bottle to the 6oz. mark...  Give that to her at her next feeding, she'll stop when she's full.  Stop watching the clock, at the next feeding, do another 6oz. bottle...  You should have a baseline by the end of the day for how much your LO wants/needs to eat.  Babies are highly intelligent, they know when they're hungry (i.e. FUSS that isn't soothed by a diaper change, cuddling, or sucking on a paci), and they know to stop when they're full. 

That recommendation (2oz every 2-3 hours) is for babies under 2 weeks where the worry is that they're trying to make up for the weight they lost after delivery.  Your baby is over a month, at the 1mo point, DS has been taking almost 4.5-5oz every couple hours (sometimes with a longer stretch)...  Your baby isn't going to get fat, your baby is needing that milk to grow and babies go out before they go up in length. 

Her child is only 3 weeks old.  And what you suggested is going to waste ALOT of formula which is very expensive. Feed her 2-3oz if she's still hungry make another oz as needed until she is full but try other things to make sure she is really hungry so you don't overfeed her. Her stomach is still very tiny and that sounds like an awful lot of formula. DD is 10.5 weeks old and usually only eats 2-3oz (Except first thing in the morning when she eats 4oz since she sleeps 8+ hours at night.)

 

This is true.  Even is the OP's LO eats the whole 6oz, it doesn't mean it's going to stay down. A baby can think they are hungry for 20 min after they are full - it takes that long for the brain to process that they are full.  Feeding them more than they can eat can end in projectile vomiting, which then empties the stomach of all of the feeding, not just the overage.  This can be a very frustrating situation where the solution isn't always as simple as "feed her/him more." The OP needs to find a balance of what her LO needs to eat to be full and when they simply need a paci to keep sucking on.

 My DS went through this as an infant and his sucking need was so strong that he'd fuss often in-between feedings.  He was a slow gainer, which is the reason my pedi thinks he was so desperate for food.  Often, he could be as happy as he would get with his full bottle amount followed by up to 20-30 minutes of furiously sucking a paci. 

 It was a constant balance of the scales for us until he was old enough that a) his sucking instinct lessens and b) he was able to handle 6oz bottles.  OP, it will get easier soon, I promise!  Just do what you can to find the balance until then!

tryincloth

It is not always that baby just needs more milk.  I would try 4oz and then offer a pacifier.  After 2oz maybe burp her and then give her the other 2oz.  Are you certain she just doesn't want to suck and not necessarily eat?  Are you using a slow flow nipple still?  Maybe the milk is coming out too fast and she needs a slower flow.

 These are just possible solutions instead of upping her oz.  My "formula" for feeding/sleeping is roughly 1 oz/hr of sleep-mainly at night. During the day I would change baby, feed, offer paci, play then baby should sleep for a bit. Allow baby to sit up for a bit after her feeding to help settle the milk.  Is she throwing up any formula?  You'll know if she's getting too much because her stomach won't be able to hold it all and it will come back up.  Vomiting can also signal reflux.  

Make sure baby is burped well and have you tried putting baby to sleep on belly (while you are up and about).  I know what "they" say about sleeping on belly, but honestly, my babies slept much better on their belly-unswaddled of course.  I would give it a try if you feel comfortable.

jiffy-pop

I would fix her a 4oz bottle and see how long she lasts between feeds. My DD started eating 4oz when she was about your DD's age. DD is 3 months today and is up to 5-6oz now. I used to think DD would just eat and eat as much as I gave her and not stop when she was full. That turned out not to be true because if I fix her a six oz bottle, sometimes she will start turning her head away after 4 or 5oz.

janicemarieh

Woodsie:

I don't understand why you don't want to give her more than 3.5oz even though the doctor said you could give her up to 6oz. If she's clearly hungry, feed her. She needs food to grow and develop, right?

The doctor looked at me like I was a little crazy when I told her that the baby wanted more than the 3oz and, though she said I could increase it incrementally (by 1/2 ounces) if I really needed to, she said I should definitely not go over 6oz - not like she said "sure, increase it up to 6 if you think the baby needs it" - so I felt like I should try to stay closer to the recommended amount.  That's the only reason why I was reluctant to increase by much - I'm just afraid of overfeeding.  But in light of other posts, I am definitely going to just go with what the baby is telling me and not be so concerned with the clock or the recommended feeding amounts now.

janicemarieh

tryincloth:

It is not always that baby just needs more milk.  I would try 4oz and then offer a pacifier.  After 2oz maybe burp her and then give her the other 2oz.  Are you certain she just doesn't want to suck and not necessarily eat?  Are you using a slow flow nipple still?  Maybe the milk is coming out too fast and she needs a slower flow.

 These are just possible solutions instead of upping her oz.  My "formula" for feeding/sleeping is roughly 1 oz/hr of sleep-mainly at night. During the day I would change baby, feed, offer paci, play then baby should sleep for a bit. Allow baby to sit up for a bit after her feeding to help settle the milk.  Is she throwing up any formula?  You'll know if she's getting too much because her stomach won't be able to hold it all and it will come back up.  Vomiting can also signal reflux.  

Make sure baby is burped well and have you tried putting baby to sleep on belly (while you are up and about).  I know what "they" say about sleeping on belly, but honestly, my babies slept much better on their belly-unswaddled of course.  I would give it a try if you feel comfortable.

I am using a slow flow nipple and I always try the paci because I think she might just want to suck.  When she won't take the paci and when nothing else soothes her and she just keeps rooting and trying to eat her hands, etc., I assume she's really hungry (and food always seems to be the answer so far).  She is usually satisfied after the 3.5oz, just not for the full 2 hours.  I'll try the 4oz and see if that satisfies her longer.  She is not having any trouble keeping the formula down.