How much does LO eat?

mork

Ok, I'm tired of stressing about amounts, so I need some hard numbers, if you would please ladies.  

Since about 9 days old, Ella has been eating 2oz of pumped bm after nursing 2-5 minutes on each side.  She eats every 2 to 4 hours. The BF has improved over the last few days, so now she BF for about 15 on one side, 2-5 on the other, and then STILL drinks about 2oz of pumped.  I'm starting to have a hard time keeping up.  I take that back, keeping up is fine, but there's zero hope of storage at this point.  I'm pretty sure she's been in a growth spurt the last few days, but I'm frustrated that the BF is better, but still not enough by itself, even though she stops by her own choice.

Anyway, last week the ped said most 2 week olds eat about 1oz every 2 to 4 hours. We were already way over that and yet Ella is gaining weight very slowly.  The ped said the feeding amount is fine, although more than most, and her weight gain is ok, but I have to keep taking her every week to check her weight for a while.  I'm not so worried about her weight at this point, because she is gaining, and is healthy, but I'd like to know how much I need to feed her, and if there's any hope of doing this with just straight BF. 

So, here's my question, finally:  how much does your LO eat AND/OR did your LO eat at, say, 3 weeks old?  If BF, can I have some numbers in minutes for each side?  If pumped or formula, how much in oz or mL?  Thanks!

(Sorry this took like 20 edits to post, my ipad is giving me problems.)  

SouthernBellaKS

Eli is up to about 3-4 oz. every couple of hours. I think he's starting to transition up a bit, because he's eaten 4 1/2 a couple of times for DH. I would just listen to her cues, and feed her when she acts hungry. I know a friend of mine didn't start producing enough to really start storing until after a month. If she's gaining weight, then you're doing the right thing for her!

Junebug060609

D was EBF at that point. Don't know oz and my minutes are skewed as he was inefficient then. He was doing about fifteen minutes per side on both sides every 2 to 3 hours by day, longer at night.

If your LO is gaining well and output is fine, you're doing well.

VeilSdeGTO

To this day, DD has never taken more than 5oz bottles. At two weeks, I was bf'ing on demand (about every two hours) and she would nurse no more than 10-15 minutes total. I dont know how much she was getting but it was probably around 2oz. At 3 months, she was getting 3oz every three hours because that is how much I pumped. She was gaining weight just fine. I constantly worried that she was not getting enough, but your bm is more filling than you think so they don't drink as much as a formula fed baby would.

Karen1998

I *think* we were at 2-3oz every 1.5 hours at that point.  With nursing, he'd nurse for anywhere from 15-45 minutes, but we also had a major issue with comfort nursing.  FWIW, DS hit a weekly growth spurt until about 9w.  That was fun.  Once he was a few weeks old, he'd cluster feed in the evenings.  He'd eat less each time (1-2oz), but eat every 30-45 minutes.  

Izabella22

I'm fuzzy on exact times but I know we were nursing every 1.5-2hrs and he nursed for 30-45 min in most cases. It really all depends on how efficent they are at getting milk - have you tried doing a weighed feeding?

Petunia844

Raylan takes around 3oz, give or take about a half every 2 hrs during the day...at night if we get a three hour stretch its always on the higher end of that range.  BUT when I was still BFing and not EPing he could eat from the breast for an hr and not get more than .75oz ever...not sure why he couldn't transfer more since I consistently pump way more...hence the pumping and bottles.

JulyMomma2U2

By 3 weeks Owen was taking 4oz formula every 3 hours.  At 3 days old, he was being fed just under 2oz every 3 hours by a feeding tube.. so, once the feeding tube was taken out, that's what we were giving him.. he was always a very hungry baby (I blame the NICU for putting so much in his little belly from the start!!).  By 2 months, he was eating 6 6oz bottles per day.. so, 36oz of formula.. now he gets 5 7oz bottles/day and oatmeal 2x/day.  He's just a hungry kid

KJsbabe

At 5 days old we were back at the hospital for jaundice, so they had us do weighed feedings. She would eat for 20mins on each side and averaged 2oz per session, every 3 hours. At 3wo (and I checked back in my baby feeding log to confirm) she had become much more efficient at eating and would only spend 6-10 mins on each side. We were EBF on demand, though, so she would eat every 1 1/2 - 2 hours.

As long as she's gaining weight and you're able to keep up, it sounds like you're doing well. I didn't worry about building up a freezer stash until about 5-6 wo. The more you pump and the more she nurses, the more you will eventually produce. My increases in supply have been very gradual over a few weeks. It takes time, but you will get there.

adoxyinherear

I feel like I was reading something on Kellymom that babies will often take a bottle even after they're done BFing, and it's not because they are still hungry. Is there a reason you're giving her a bottle after? Especially if she's pulling herself off and seems contented after, I might try just forgoing the bottle after nursing and see how it goes.

We were just getting the hang of BFing around 3 weeks. DD would nurse both sides, about 25 minutes all together and every three hours or less. 

crystalknpp

Around 3wks Ben was at 2oz every 3hrs but by the end of that week we moved him up to 2 &1/2-3oz every 3hrs because he went through a growth spurt around 4wks.  He's almost 8wks now and is up to 4oz every 3-4hrs!

erinlovesdavid

Ditto PP on the weighed feeding. Get thee to a LC or Baby Cafe stat! It will put your mind sooooo at ease.

If you've never heard of a weighed feeding, it's where you weigh your LO prior to and after nursing. When you subtract the two, you are left with the amount of milk that is in their belly. My LC had a chart that showed how many ounces of milk per day a baby needs, based on weight, to gain an ounce per day. That was like my holy grail.

I had a slow eater/gainer in the beginning, and the only way to get him to EBF was to step AWAY from the pump. Doing a few weighed feedings was immensely helpful in giving me peace of mind that he was getting enough to grow. That, and biweekly weigh-ins at the pedi.

Also keep in mind that minutes of nursing = / = amount of milk transferred. My DS nursed for 40-ish minutes at a time every 2-3 hours for the first 3 months. My niece, OTOH, would nurse for 10-15 minutes total. They both grew and thrived. I know that you are seeking reassurance in other peoples' experiences, but you will drive yourself nuts comparing your experience to that of other moms. All babies will nurse at their own pace.

mork

Thank you ladies!  It's good to hear others' experiences.  I feel a little better.  Thanks for the suggestions too, I'll be giving them a try. Hopefully her weight improves this week and the ped lets us cut out the bottles.

mundayem

I agreed with the weighed feeding. At 3 wks D was eating every 1.52 hrs for between 1530 mins. Does she have plenty of wet and poopy diapers? Good luck!

MickeyM04

When I pumped, my LO would take 2 oz from a bottle (no nursing before or after). That was every 2-3 hours...usually closer to 2.  At about 6-8 weeks I want to say it went up to 3 oz, but still the same frequency.  Today at just over 6 months he takes 4 oz every 3 hours.  I tried bigger bottles but he stops at 4 every time, although he is getting 3 meals of solids now.  He has consistently been in the 25-50th percentile for weight FWIW.