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February 2012 Moms
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Starving Baby! XP - Breastfeeding Board

ssimon621ssimon621 member
in February 2012 Moms
My DD has been nursing every 2 hours since birth.  She was eating 3 3oz bottles at daycare just fine.  But for the past two weeks she has been eating like crazy.  I started sending 2 3oz and 1 4oz bottle and now I send 4 3-4oz bottles a day and sometimes she finishes those really early and is ready to eat when I pick her up.  She is in daycare from 7:50am - 4:20pm.  Basically she is eating every 1 1/2 to 1 hr and 45 minutes.  I thought her daycare teacher was reading her hunger cues incorrectly but she was eating that way this weekend as well.

I wanted to wait until 6 months to start solids, but I tried them for a couple days and she at least waits 2 hrs before eating again when I offer her 2-3 tablespoons at night and in the morning.  Is this a growth spurt or is she just ready for solids?  I don't want to over feed her, but she seems so hungry.  I don't suspect a change in my supply because I see her eating more from her bottles and I am pumping the same amounts at work.

Please help!!!

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Re: Starving Baby! XP - Breastfeeding Board

  • heymommyheymommy member

    I don't think you can overfeed a baby.

    I'd make the bottles 6 oz each and keep offering the cereals in the am and pm. Sounds like she needs it. 

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  • NatesLady1309NatesLady1309 member
    If I were in your situation I would continue with the solids since it seems to be helping. I want to wait until 6 months too but if I get to be in a similar situation to you I would just start solids "early" too.
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  • jja0812jja0812 member
    I BF too and planned to hold out until 6 months for solids. We ended up starting at 5 months and it has worked out well for us. I'm definitely not replacing any nursing sessions with the solids, just helping him stay more satisfied in between. It sounds like you are in a similar situation and I would say you're doing the right thing!
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  • k3montelk3montel member
    I think there's a 6 month growth spurt...maybe she hit it early? DS is starting it right now.
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  • ssimon621ssimon621 member
    Thanks ladies!  I guess it could be a growth spurt, or she is just ready.  She has become really active over the last 2 or 3 weeks.  Rocking on all fours and scooting around a little.  Thanks for the input!
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  • lauren1205lauren1205

    We're going through the same thing.  she's eating every 2 hours at day care these days- friday I upped her bottles to 6 oz and she ate 4 of them by 2:45!! 

    Today I tried sending in smaller bottles - I sent 5 4 oz bottles with the hopes she will have 4 of them.  I was trying to wait until 6 months for solids and we have only dabbled with them (we are doing baby led weaning). 

     It is possible to overfeed a baby when you bottle feed, so I am a bit wary of just upping her bottles ( I can't keep up with that demand but more importantly it also hasn't seemed to stave off the hunger). I'm considering calling the pediatrician for advice on this.  

    keep me posted on how things go!

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  • karleegirlkarleegirl member
    My dd is going through a growth spurt as well. Dc wanted a 5th bottle so we started doing some solids. Bf babies can be overfed frOm the bottle because they don't have to work as hard to suck. They'll often over eat. I'd keep doing what you're doing.
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  • sooner1981sooner1981 member

    A 5 month old should probably be eating more than 3 or 4 ounces at a time, in order to actually get some distance between the feedings.  I would recommend going to at least 5 ounce bottles and see if that keeps her satisfied for longer.  If 5 ounces doesn't work, try 6 ounces, and see if she can go at least 3-3.5 hours between feedings.  If not, then call the pediatrician...but if you call the pediatrician now (and say you are only feeding her 3 or 4 ounces at a time, increasting the ounces will probably be the first suggestion).

    Also, you can try putting a slower flow nipple on the bottles for daycare.  If your baby is used to breastfeeding, a fast flow nipple can cause the baby to wolf down the food too quickly and still feel super hungry because its brain hasn't had time to catch up with the fact that its stomach is now full.  So, your LO could still be fussing for more food at the end of the feeding at day care for that reason (although I think the short length of time you are going between feedings is just an issue of providing a few more ounces per feeding). 

    Our pedi said that feeding six ounces or so per feeding gets babies used to eating a "meal," and then gradually getting hungry again over the next 4 hours or so...versus constantly eating little "snacks" of milk, which causes a baby to always feel ready for the next "snack."  She said that a "meal-like" amount and longer-spaced feedings might help our LO sleep at night better because it helps them get used to going longer between feedings and not be so quick to wake up every couple of hours at night. 

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  • runrinserepeatrunrinserepeat member
    DD is still EBF (no solids just yet). She eats 15-18 oz in a typical day while I'm at work. Usually, that's divided between 4-5 bottles, and that's from about 8:00-5:00. I don't think there's any harm in giving her more breastmilk. DD will often put away 5 oz at a time, but then she'll go 2 hours before needing more.
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  • sooner1981sooner1981 member
    Forgot to add that I am gone from 8:30 to 5:30 (so roughly the same amount of total hours), and my DD usually eats around 14 - 17 ounces in that timeframe.
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  • CotterpinDoozerCotterpinDoozer member
    Does she want more in her bottles? DD used to go 4 oz every two hours, but over the course of a month or so - she has upped it to 6 oz every 3 hours -which is awesome.  How much I was pumping at work didn't make a difference. I've always put more in the bottles than I expected her to eat - knowing she would stop when she was full (EBF)... try that, maybe. Add a whole lot more to the bottle than you think she'll want and then see how much she takes. When I'm home w/ DD and she's nursing - she eats every 2 hours though.
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  • ssimon621ssimon621 member

    imageCotterpinDoozer:
    Does she want more in her bottles? DD used to go 4 oz every two hours, but over the course of a month or so - she has upped it to 6 oz every 3 hours -which is awesome.  How much I was pumping at work didn't make a difference. I've always put more in the bottles than I expected her to eat - knowing she would stop when she was full (EBF)... try that, maybe. Add a whole lot more to the bottle than you think she'll want and then see how much she takes. When I'm home w/ DD and she's nursing - she eats every 2 hours though.

    When she eats from the bottle she doesn't seem hungry once she is finished, but she isn't really leaving anything in the bottle.  I'm going to try 4.5oz bottles for a few days with no solids and see how that goes.

    Thanks for all the advice ladies!

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