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September 2015 Moms
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Can you "over feed"??

laurapaine2003@yahoo.comlaurapaine2003@yahoo.com member
in September 2015 Moms
I EBF LO till she was 7.5 months, at that time it was clear my supply was dwindling and she was starving - I started supplementing with Gerber supplemental formula. She nurses 4-5 times a day. I follow each nursing session with a bottle of supplemental formula - she acts starved for it - and drinks quite a bit. So I'm wondering, can you over feed a baby on formula? I always heard the you can't over feed a baby on breastmilk and they will naturally only drink what they want/need but does formula amount need to be regulated? For some reason I thought I remembered hearing that, or did I just make that up? I'm kinda shocked at how much she drinks. I guess I just don't want to over due it - wasn't sure if that's possible or not. She has hated purées for months... She likes certain finger foods but doesn't eat much food during the day. Maybe once she starts eating more solids she will want less formula? Does anyone know what a "normal" or "average" number of oz an 8 month old typically drinks?
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Re: Can you "over feed"??

  • vibarra27vibarra27 member
    I think if shes taking it its because shes hungry.

    When my boys get full they just dont finish the bottle. They usually take the bottle out & wont let me give it back to them. 2 months ago they were drinking 5 bottles a day & having 3meals a day & suddenly they werent taking that 5th bottle any more. They would drink an oz or 2 and then not want it any more. So i stopped feeding them that 5th bottle & theyve been fine.

    & every baby is different. Mine take 4 bottles a day, 3- 6oz & 1-4oz so 22oz a day & 3 meals which equals to 8-10 oz of solids. The more food she eats the less formula she'll take. Watch for her cues, maybe shes getting less of your BM than you think & thats maybe why she seems so hungry still after.

    What ive read & their doc has told me is @ this age, getting solids regularly, between 16-24oz of formula is the "average". But i just feed them what they can take/want. 
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  • momofsweetpsmomofsweetps member
    I don't think so. All of my kids are and then turned away when done.
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  • missliz53missliz53 member
    My dd is formula fed. She takes about 32-33 oz per day; 2.5 oz of that is with baby oatmeal and about 1.5 oz of purées. But she's always taken less than most of the babies I know of. When she's full, she turns her head away and locks down her jaws. 

    I would guess that she probably needs all that extra formula. I know you said your supply dropped, so it's possible she isn't getting as much as you think. 


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  • tlc11934tlc11934 member
    My DD drinks 30oz of formula per day, sometimes less.  Kids under 4 stop eating when they're full.
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  • kmcshane0211kmcshane0211 member
    No experience here. But I would think that for a baby who has EBF it may be more difficult to regulate bottle feeding. I am sure-in time- your baby will learn to recognize when he/she is full at the bottle and will communicate those signs. It may just take time to learn.
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  • yellow1daisyyellow1daisy member
    The more formula you give your daughter the more your supply will drop. It's possible she's getting little to nothing at the breast anymore therefore needs that extra formula. Especially since she acts very hungry for it. 

    You could increase your supply by feeding on demand and dropping some of these supplemental feedings (I have experience with this since I had to work my way from supplementing to EBF in the beginning of our breastfeeding relationship). Or just continue doing what your doing. I wouldn't try to decrease the formula she gets unless you increase length or frequency of nursing sessions. 

    Babies this age would need varying amounts of formula depending on how much solids they're eating. My daughter is eating 12+ ozs of solid foods a day and has maybe 22ish oz BM. 
    BFP May 2013 - MMC at 8 weeks
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    BFP February 2014 - early loss/CP at 4.5 weeks
    BFP May 2014 - MMC/ complete molar pregnancy at 11 weeks
    BFP December 2015 - DD born 8/18/2015
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