How many oz's does your baby eat/ how long do you nurse?

Soon to be Mrs Stephens! · January 2012

I was strictly breast feeding for the first four days but my lo was falling asleep everytime and I was unable to wake him up and he was also extremly fussy so I thought Id pump so knew how much he was getting. The Dr said around an once and a half was normal. My lo is still hungry after an ounce and a half and I have been giving him 2 oz and he still seems hungry. I hope this isnt a dumb question but can I over feed him? I give him 2 oz of pumped breast milk then put him up to me until he stops eating. He is probably on me for 20 min total I figure when he stops is when he is full and he doesnt spit up. But dang 2 oz and 10 min on each breast is a lot of food for a one week old right? How much does or did your 1 week old eat.

Soon to be Mrs Stephens! · January 2012

and he probably eats every 2-3 hours yikes I have a piggy! He weighed 7 lbs when he was born he is just a lil guy.

Eleni&Josh · January 2012

It seems that my LO is feeding every 2-3 hours with a couple feedings closer together every once in a while, and each feeding lasts 45mins to an hour. He's only a week old, but he is on me more often than he is off.

Jezzabella08 · January 2012

I formula feed... Lo is just shy of 3 weeks old and takes 3 oz every 3-4 hours.

brendas026 · January 2012

I notice that my breast milk isnt very filling either so she gets 15 minutes on each breast and then 27 ml of formula and then she goes to sleep without waking up for 2 0r 3 hrs.

talitha712 · January 2012

We FF and E takes 2.5-3 oz roughly every 3 hours.

Missus123 · January 2012

Soon to be Mrs Stephens!:
I was strictly breast feeding for the first four days but my lo was falling asleep everytime and I was unable to wake him up and he was also extremly fussy so I thought Id pump so knew how much he was getting.

This is the same situation I was in. A lactation consultant at my hospital suggested using a tube feeding system to supplement with formula so we tried that and it worked well. I was giving baby 1 oz formula plus the breast. But she was still fussy a lot and the nurses were worried about jaundice. i tried pumping and was only getting 10-15 ml from both breasts at a time! It turns out I have low milk supply and despite me trying various things to help it I'm still not getting my full supply of milk and it's been 2.5 weeks now.

So we're feeding baby formula and supplementing with whatever I can pump. She's taking 3 oz every 3-4 hours by bottle now and she's 18 days old and 10 lbs. I think she's going to want 3.5 oz soon!

Feeding by bottle and formula was a tough decision for me since I'm an advocate for breastfeeding and wanted to do that for my daughter. I was very emotional for the first few days! But it is the best thing since I just can't give her what she needs to grow and be healthy. I've had several doctors, nurses and lactation consultants say her latch and suck are perfect - it's just not enough milk. I'm currently on a drug called Domperidone to try and increase my supply so we'll see if that helps.

SmittyPants · January 2012

My baby will eat every three, three and a half hours. I'm FF now and she'll put away about 3.5 to 4 oz. She's a big baby though- 9.9 at birth.

Kim-n-Eric · January 2012

My little guy ate about 3 oz every 3-4 hrs at 1 week but we are FF. I've heard, as I'm sure you have too, that the hind milk is the fatty part of the BM and what helps keep baby full. Maybe just try nursing on one breast at each feeding instead of switching at 10 minutes? When I was pumping, I noticed the hind milk wasn't coming until about 10 minutes into pumping so it may be worth trying. As far as over-feeding, I would think baby would spit up if he ate too much.

Thinkerbelle80 · January 2012

i dont know how much she's eating but when i nurse her, it takes 30 min to an hour before she's done and I watch her and she's sucking and swallowing fairly often. At the end, it's more comfort sucking but she is still swallowing every 20 sec or so. Also, after I put her down, she wakes up thirty minutes later hungry again and so it goes all night long, the entire night for eight hours straight. Then during the day she sleeps for long periods of time.

SoonToBeMsP · January 2012

I use a nipple shield, which can increase nursing time, but DD is on the breast for about 20-25 minutes every 3hrs (we still wake to feed). She falls asleep towards the end of the feed, so I rarely offer the second breast. If she were waking up or still fussy, I would definitely offer the other one.

GeekMom · January 2012

DD usually goes around 10-15 mins per side, but usually only wants one side. Sometimes though she'll go through both sides.

pcrock92 · January 2012

My little chunker eats every 2-3 hours, usually 4 oz of pumped breast milk or formula, and nurses for about 10-15 minutes on each side. He was 9 lbs 2.9 oz at birth & he's 3w3d.

To keep your baby awake while nursing, have you tried getting him naked down to his diaper? For the first week and a half we had to get DS naked when he started falling asleep while nursing. Also try wiping his face with a baby wipe or wet washcloth. GL!

JWSchwarz · January 2012

There is a great book - the Nursing Mothers Companion. It has charts in the back that give you this info. It's based on weight and age. My 2 week old is 8lbs and according to the chart he should be getting about 2 1/2 oz. He feeds for about 30-45 minutes total. He was feeding for 10 - 15 minutes until I went to a lactation specialist and she magically fixed everything for us.

FarmvilleLover · January 2012

We feed an average of every 3 hours (during the day sometimes it's 4 hours and sometimes it's 2 hours, sometimes 3...). DS is 1 week and 2 days old and he takes 2 ounces of formula or breastmilk (that I've been able to pump). I would think in about a week we'll need to start increasing that. We were told about 20 to 24 ounces a day of BM or formula. He was 7'11 at birth and about 7'8 a few days after birth in weight.

Want a personalized experience?

How many oz's does your baby eat/ how long do you nurse?

Re: How many oz's does your baby eat/ how long do you nurse?

Choose Another Board

Search Boards