Bottle feeding moms!

BBhopes15 · February 2013

Hi there! I have actually never posted here but I hope I can get some answers as my pediatricians are useless!

i am going to be honest, I have no clue what I am doing! I don't know my baby's cries at all and it drives me crazy....we started with a very bumpy road, an awful delivery, serious postpartum dep and he was hospitalized because my milk took long to come in and he was severely dehydrated my LO is now going on 11 weeks and I am having feeding issue, I gave up BF, but I think one if the main issues is that my husband and I always just offered a bottle so I never know if he is just hungry or tired or something else....my actual question is this...

How do you know when your LO is finished my just keeps sucking, should he be letting go?, stoping? What signs do I look for?

pb&fluff · February 2013

DS stops eating when he's full. When he first got home, we were giving him strictly the 2oz that the hospital told us was "normal," and he just screamed he was still hungry, so we gave him an additional ounce and he was happy. Now we make a 4oz bottle, and he doesn't always eat it all, but he'll stop and we know he has had enough.

Mummy material? · February 2013

Our LO will usually stop eating and if you try to give her the bottle again she will either tighten her lips and won't open up or she will make a gagging reflex (really pleasent sound..lol) to say she doesn't want it. She is 7 weeks on Monday.

Right now she is eating about 4oz. We started off at 2oz when I couldn't breast feed due to issues with my milk supply being too low to sustain her. Sometimes even after 4 0z she will "root" and get fussy which we will then make another 2 oz and she is good after that. It really is trial and error.

nanabanana06 · February 2013

My kid is full when he falls asleep or pushes it out of his mouth to stop. He often falls asleep while eating though.

Itsjustlaur · February 2013

I can usually tell if my LO is hungry because she still "roots" and turns her head toward my chest or my finger if I touch her face. She also gets very cranky and inconsolable if she is hungry.

When I take the bottle away to burp her, I know if she is still hungry after because she will open her mouth and root if I touch the bottle nipple to her cheek. When she is finished with the bottle, she either becomes disinterested in the bottle and won't open her mouth or starts to become sleepy and closes her eyes. She will literally just stop eating when she isn't hungry anymore.

I would say if your LO keeps sucking, continue to let him have the bottle until he is satisfied. Write down the amount he eats, so that way you start to see a pattern. This will make you feel better when you start to see how much he eats at each feeding.

BBhopes15 · February 2013

Thank u ladies... I guess I need to experiment...maybe even offer more. He takes 6 oz so far, maybe he needs more.

I guess I worry because he always appears hungry to me. I just fed him and I try to put him to sleep and he acts like he's hungry! My ped said fed him every time he cries! Really?! That's insane?! Is it safe to assume he can go 2-3 hrs btw feedings?

Starfish+77 · February 2013

I hear you...I'm still trying to learn my daughters cues at 10 weeks. Your baby could be crying because they are tired, as mine cries like crazy when she is cranky and sleepy. But usually she looks tired so I can tell. If she starts to get fussy and I think she may be hungry, I put my knuckle to her lips and if hungry, she'll start sucking like a little madwoman lol. When eating if she starts to slow up a lot on sucking, if I pull bottle out and try to put back she will purse her lips or stick out her tongue if she is full. My Ped said babies shouldn't need to eat less than 3 hrs between feedings. Not true since my daughter had a full 6 oz bottle and 2 1/2 hrs later tonight had another 6 oz. Can't always listen to the Ped, do what you think is right.

aimee413 · February 2013

My LO is also 11 weeks. I give her a 6oz bottle every 3 to 4 hrs. Sometimes she eats it all and sometimes there is a little left. I know when she is done because she keeps turning her head or not swallowing it. I take away the bottle and give her a paci and she is happy. Sometimes they like to just suck.

It really helped me alot to follow the easy method. I was able to learn the difference from a hungry cry and a tired cry. The method is Eat Activity Sleep You. The activity can be changing her diaper and some playmat or tummy time or just cuddling....anything while your LO is awake. Then you will see signs of them getting tired like...rubbing their eyes, yawning, getting fussy. That's when I calm things down and get her ready for a nap.
My LO is awake for about 1.5 hrs at a time then needs a nap. Her naps vary in time.
Hope this helps!!

saturdaynightdoubletree · February 2013

They stop when they're done usually. You can watch though for long pauses in eating and take the bottle away, burp, and see if LO is content or still rooting for more. My DD is eating 4to 5oz every 3 to 5 hours, but all kids are different. Basically start off with x oz and then increase by an oz if LO is consistently finishing the bottle.
As for the crying... With time you'll be able to tell what it means. I offer a paci first... DD will sleep or be content with that, or spit it out and scream if she's hungry. She's got a pretty consistent eating pattern so I can kind of tell if she's hungry or just tired... But again, you can figure this out for your LO if you just track a few days of how long he goes between bottles. Generally 45min to 2 hours tops of awake time... My LO gets restless after an hour, so I put her down in a quite room and she falls asleep, or sometimes I need to just rock her for a few min.
GL!!!

Dannil26 · February 2013

Our LO will stop when she is done eating. She will either push her lips together so you can't give her the bottle anymore or she will just suck and not really drink any. She is drinking about 4-5 oz every 2-3 hours and she is almost 2 months old. Right now I think she is going through a growth spurt because she seems to be eating all the time and pretty fussy too. I know when she is really hungry when i go to kiss her check and she turns her mouth to mine. I wouldn't feed her every time she cries but when you think she is hungry. As a first time mom I just go with it. Its all about trial and error.

hmontty · February 2013

First sign of hunger is when the tongue starts coming out of the mouth. Then it moves into the baby swiping at his mouth with his hand or sucking on the hand. Next stage is crying in little bursts with a few secs of quiet between. Serious hunger is the WAH WAH WAH WAH that sounds like a siren and is loud and continuous. Try to feed at the first sign, or the second.

When the baby is full, he should turn away or pull back a little or even swipe at the bottle. If this happens, pull the bottle out, burp, then offer the bottle again by lightly touching the nipple to the baby's lips a handful of times. If the baby is full, he will not open his mouth and may even stick out his bottom lip a little. If he wants more, he will open his lips.

feed until he's no longer interested.

happilyeverafterxo · February 2013

Our LO will stop eating when he is full. He's currently eating 4 oz every 2.5 - 3 hours. If he isn't satisfied, he will let you know. He'll be really fussy and despite all efforts to comfort him. After he eats, he's pleasant

Want a personalized experience?

Bottle feeding moms!

Re: Bottle feeding moms!

Choose Another Board

Search Boards