I have a little 6 wk old girl who is always hungry. she, I am sure gets enough breast milk she will usually eat 2 -4 oz every 2 to 3 hours but today she ate 7 oz and wanted more , until she was distracted. then less than 2 hours later ate another 3 { this was while I was at work} then directly after that 3 ,had time at the breast. I know they hit a growth spurt. but is she over eating? can a breast fed baby be over fed?
I don't think it's a problem. I breast fed and when my daughter was newborn and I pumped my daughter would empty a 5 oz bottle and want more.
Breast fed babies do not eat the same amount every feeding necessarily. That's the beauty of the breast. They eat till their full and stop. Babies do have tendency to eat a bit more at the bottle but she is going thru a growth spurt most likely and this is still the time when she would be regulating your breastmilk production. With my second in the early days there were nursings she barely ate then then would nurse and nurse and nurse at a session! She is still getting the hang of it. The most important thing is to follow her cues when she is hungry, wants more or is done!
I've never had a little girl, but my boys all ate like that. It would taper off after a little while, and they'd go back down to a little less at each feeding but after 2 or 3 weeks, they'd go right back up to wanting 9 + ounces again.
Feed her when she's hungry. Mine would cry and cry for more and at first I didn't want to over do it but then realized how cruel that was... who says they can't have another few ounces if they're that hungry? ...So I did. And you know, after another 3 or 4 ounces they'd stop drinking, push away and be content little buffaloes for a few hours.
Best of luck!
Well, 6 weeks is classic time for a growth spurt. So, unless it continues for more than a week to ten days, I wouldn't be overly concerned. Also, in my experience, my breastfed baby always seemed to take more from a bottle and go longer between feedings. However, when she was going through a spurt, she was eating ALL the time.
A baby fed at the breast typically can't be overfed, but theoretically it is possible with the bottle. As long as the caregiver is watching for clues of fullness and not continuing to offer after the baby has spit out the bottle, I think you're fine. The human body does a great job of processing breastmilk and she'll just poop out what she doesn't need.
both of my sons were big eaters. My youngest took 6-7oz every <3 hours. But my oldest....OMG....took 8oz every 2 1/2-3 hours & wanted more. He was put on cereal by the pediatrician at <4 weeks of age. My youngest was put on cereal at >4 weeks by the doctor. Yep, it's a shocker considering today's standards for feeding solids.....but both sons thrived, neither had issues & the same held true for all 20 children in both sides of our family.
Big eaters, hungry babies....early solids. All put on solids by their doctors.
No a breastfed baby can't be overfed.
Exclusively breastfed babied need nothing else but M.'s milk. If she is eating it all and wanting more, she must need it. Remember that foremilk - the first milk that comes out at each breastfeeding/pumping - is waterier and better to quench thirst, and hindmilk - the milk that comes out after the foremilk - is fattier and more filling. You might try to pump a little longer to get more hindmilk in each bottle. This may help her belly feel fuller a little longer. I remember at six weeks, my son seemed to do nothing but nurse and sleep! As my grandmother always said, "This too shall pass!" And as I have learned, it passes all too quickly! Blessings to you both! :)
I don't know if the dr. would say they can be overfed or not but... I always nursed all 6 of my babies on demand. They each had different demands but all grew at a normal pace, were of an average weight, and generally content. I may not be an expert, but I believe that infants know when they are hungry and how much they need to eat.
My 2 week old to 9month old would eat an average of 20oz per feeding. (Also breastfed). I know this because we were part of a study where the lactation dept at the hospital would use their super-spiffy scale and weigh him before and after eating several times a day every couple of weeks. He'd also eat on average of every other hour, but would sometimes be doing the cluster feeding thing, and other times have several hours in between. The consultants were never concerned. They said that the only time you have to be worried about quantity is if they're not eating enough (only 1-2 oz), or if they're formula fed.
I breast fed all 4 of my children. A newborn will only eat when they are hungry. If you have concerns I would talk to your pediatrician, but as far as I know you can't over feed a new born.
I would say no their bodies need extra nutrients to help thier body growduring a growth spurt. This is not normal but at the same time it is not abnormal either. My second son ate more than that at that age. he is a very big boy for his age but he is not fat either.
6 weeks is a growth-spurt time. In a baby, every 3 weeks is a growth-spurt time. Then at 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, 12 months and so forth.
And yes, they often "cluster-feed" which means they get so hungry and need to feed/get hungry even every S.i.n.g.l.e hour. Common and normal.
When my kids were hitting growth-spurts, I always knew. They'd feed every hour. And give me the hunger cues....
Both my kids had GINORMOUS appetites... and I breastfed. Phew, it was busy! But babies need it... because they are growing so quickly and developing so fast... you need to feed ON-demand, 24/7, for the 1st year. It is a building-block time...
Just make sure, you are producing enough milk? And that she is latching on properly.... if not, a baby will NOT be getting enough intake....
The book "What To Expect The First Year" is great. You can find it at any bookstore or online.
Breastmilk, metabolizes very quickly in the body too. It is highly efficient.
all the best,
Susan
