Preemies
Options
Feeding Question
LO is 4 weeks old and was 6 weeks premature. We bought a scale and weigh him before and after feedings to see how much he is eating. I'm paranoid about my supply. I pump once a day, right after his early AM feeding, to keep the store in the freezer occupied. We have been averaging 2.5-3 oz at a feeding but today he has been super sleepy and eating 1-1.5 oz only. He eats every three hours, and has not been acting hungry today, except for at the feeding times. Everything else (his wakeful time, his napping) has been normal. We had a rough night last night, we put him to bed at his normal time but he was really fussy and crying off and on until 2 AM, with a feeding at 10:30, midnight and 2 am. He ate 2 ozs at all of those feedings. Should I be worried? How much SHOULD he be eating at each feeding. At his 2 week appt, his pedi said 2-3 ozs generally speaking. He was 5 lbs 12 ozs at birth, lost 3 ozs in the first week, and now weighs 6 lbs 14 oz. I'm hoping I'm just being a paranoid FTM.
Because you're mine, I walk the line....
Landry Mark: 11/5/11
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Feeding Question
It sounds like he is doing fine. Is his pedi concerned about his weight gain? You can always ask to go in for a weight check so they can show you how his growth is on the curve. As long as he is gaining consistently and having plenty of wet diapers every day, you are doing great.
We were told that C should gain about an oz a day when she was that small. Sometimes she gained more and sometimes less but it averaged out. Try not to stress too much!
Our precious girl, born at 27 weeks.
Since LO is about 7 pounds, he should be eating (about) 14-21 ounces per day.General rule of thumb is 2-3 ounces per pound, per day. If he is doing the average 10 feedings per day (8-12 recommended for BFing) that means he should be around the 1.5-2 ounces per feeding. He will have hungry times of the day and days where he is more/less hungry.
One of G's neonatologists said this to me just before discharge and I kept it in mind when I was worried that she wasn't getting enough: Sometimes you eat just a salad for lunch, and other days you want the burger, fries, and a coke; babies are the same way.
Remember, that preemies will be different than term babies in many ways! For BFing, .5-1 ounce per day weight gain is the acceptable range. That equates to 1-2 pounds per month-- you are right on track, mamma!