Calling all FF/ bottle feeders long

mommietobeto3

Even on reflux meds my ds never stopped spitting up. I have had quite a time with feedings and oz per feed. So we have been adding rice for reflux and baby was eating 56 oz only 45 times a day and spitting up a lot. I don't know if it was due to volume or the fact that his dr brown's y cut nipples continued to tear and ended up with huge openings I'm waiting on new ones to arrive as we speak. So is it better for a 4 mth old to eat less more often or more less often. It just seems like averaging eating every 6 hrs is too long apart for such a young baby. Opinions?

sourapplemartini

BayleighPaws:

If your child is maintaining or gaining weight I do not see a problem with whatever length or time. It averages out to be roughly the same amount. If the longer length of time is stopping the spitting up, I'd stick with that. More would be staying in the body because of less spit up. But, like I said, as long as baby is gaining weight and having lots of wet diapers, do whatever works! And check with a pedi to be double sure.

Ditto. Is he STTN? J eats 5-6 oz every 3 hours with one night feed, so that averages to 5x/day. 

binklesss

No idea what's "better", but my DD eats every 3-4 hours, for a total of 4-5 times a day, depending on if we woke her up early or not. When she's home with me, she eats 9 oz in the morning, then two 7 ounce bottles, then a 9 oz bottle before bed. If I have to go to work, she eats earlier in the morning and she doesn't eat as much at daycare, so she eats 9 oz in the morning, usually three 5 oz bottles, then 9 oz before bed. It works for us and she's gaining weight, although I was a bit nervous when I saw in another thread that very few LO's are eating that much at once...but as long as she's happy I think we're fine.

HeartsOnABand

Ditto BPaws. Which ever works best for yall...do it. My DS is on reflux meds and still has bad spit up days. His pediatrician said that its common for the spit up to be happening still and as long as the baby is at a healthy weight that it wil be fine. She then told us spit up can last up to 16months. Yikes.

mollyxcate

Babies spit up a lot. If its not coming out right away then a lot of the spit up is probably saliva/stomach acid/fluid and not all formula. Chloe spits up and eats about 5 bottles a day of 5 to 6 oz. somtimes less.

I think you're okay as long as there is weight gain or at least no loss.

My pedi reminded me last time that just like us they will have days when they are hungrier than others and days when they are not that hungry because the world is so interesting they can't be bothered. Also they will reach a point where they start taking less formula as their rapid growth begins to subside!

Mzbr

DD is a reflux baby too! One thing the ped reminds me of sometimes is that reflux is usually due to an "immature esophagus" it's something they will need to out grow. Meds are to cause less irritation from the "spit up" not to stop the reflux. DD can be pretty inconsistent with feeding amounts and times. Ped says as long as she is happy and gaining weight appropriately then we are doing ok! I feed based on cues and not on time. I find that she is happier if I don't try and feed her just because I think it's time for her to eat. I do feel bad when she doesn't finish a bottle because of wasting the formula but sometimes you can't avoid it!

mommietobeto3

Thanks guys! I hope having new nipples and slowing how fast he eats will help the spit up but I won't mess with his schedule!

kspiz

My DS spit up a lot.  He was gaining weight and wasn't fussy, but it always seemed like he was spitting up as much as we were putting in.  Daycare even said they were surprised he was gaining weight because he spit up way more than just normal baby spit up.  He even spit up when I BF, though not as much.  We tried Zantac and he still spit up. Anyway,  we finally tried Similac Sensitive for lactose-sensitive babies and he was like a whole new baby!  Hardly spits up at all, and when he does, it is chunkier/more digested.  Just a suggestion to maybe look at the formula he's using.