Bottle Feeding

Hi K.. Congratulations! You are doing it just right. He will let you know when that isn't enough. Sometimes he may finish all the milk and other times he will not. When he is consistently eating all three ounces and wanting more he will let you know about it. Good luck.

Welcome to mommy hood!
I bottle fed all 3 of mine. Is he comfortable after his feedings? Is he spitting up a lot? If he sleeps after his feedings, he should be okay. Is he burping well? You will know when he is ready for more. My last was 9 lbs 2 oz at birth, and she was up to four ounces by 6 weeks, every 4 hours. After he finishes eating the 3 ozs, and is crying for more, make another 2. You are in good hands w/ all the wonderful mothers on here! Don't ever hesitate to ask any question, someone on here will have wonderful advice! Congratulatons and blessings to you! M.

Hi K.,

My name is B. and I have a 20 month old son. I completely understand your concern and confusion! My son would drink anywhere from 1-3 oz every 2-3 hours when newborn. I wanted to give you an accurate answer, so I looked up my son's newborn records from his doctor and also in the American Academy of Pediatrics Manual (which I recommend). Both say that in the first few weeks of life, a newborn will eat 2-3 oz every 2-3 hours, so it sounds like your son is right on track! I know coming from me who is 1 year and a half away from the newborn stage it is easier to say not to stress too much unless he shows a significant problem, but it is the best advice I can give looking back on my own experience. 1 year and a half from now, you will look at your son and realize you did something right, although you'll never be quite sure what you did! Good luck!

Dear K.,

Congrats on your new addition! It's tough I know I had my 3rd daughter 4 months ago and I have a 12 and 9 year old. It had been a while since I did the BA BA thing, but the same indicators are always there.
First off your boy is not that huge so don't worry that you are over feeding him. Babies will stop eating when they are full, they'll turn their heads away from the bottle if they are done. You'll know when he is still hungry for more if you get to the end of the 3oz bottle and he keep trying to suck it down. If I were you I would start making him a 4 oz and see if he takes it. I would burp him though at 2 oz then offer him the rest.
It is all trial and error unfortunately and every baby is different. You will very soon become aware of his different behaviors that he will display and you will just begin to "KNOW" what he wants and what is best for him.

Good Luck!

Don't stress yourself out by watching the clock or measuring onces. Babies don't read nor follow all of those baby training books telling new moms to only feed a certain amount at a certain time. Just follow his natural bodily needs and desires and feed him whatever he wants whenever he wants it....supply for demand! Every baby is different (just like adults!).... some eat more than others and have bigger meals, some like smaller more frequent meals, some will increase their needs sooner/younger while some wait a while. This will be the same when he turns 6 months and you introduce solid foods too! If you are in tune to his feelings you will know when he is starting to get hungry, when he's had enough and when he needs more.... Just remember to burp in between- sometimes more than once- and again at the end, and if he's had enough don't force it, but if he wants more, then offer
:-) Great job and happy feeding!

Can't help you with this one as I nursed both of mine. But I do know that my cousin over fed her son and he got way over weight and they had to take him off of milk all together by the time he was 11 months. The doctor is the best one to tell you if he needs to be cut back. Otherwise I think I would feed him all he wants.

Ask your pedi for a chart. It will tell you how to feed the baby.

My personal opinion is that you can judge by his weight. If it is acceptable then you are doing fine.
The healthiest way for any of us to eat is several small meals a day. Maybe his body is wanting that way of eatong. There are also some conditions which require this way of eating. I know that hwee may seem to be perfectly healthy but there are some conditions which are genetic and they don't seem to require the full blon condition to do well with things like eating several times a day. One of the conditions would be blood sugar imbalances so if anyone in yours or your Husband's family have ever had that then you should deel especially OK about this schedule of feeding.
:ong before there were "experts" to tell us what to do the wisdom of the body did perfectly well in maintaining our health.

S.

Hi K.,
Don't worry, this is normal, your baby is growing so the feedings will change from time to time. You would rather know that your baby is full, then to be worried when the baby is crying because his stomach is hurting. I wouldn't want that, so give him as much as he wants now until he gets to a regular feeding. He is only 2 weeks old wait until about 3 months before you really worry about his feedings. All children are different, but the just give it some time.
Hope this helps!

At this point, just feed him when he is hungry, which may be all the time. Good job.
A

Your son should drink 2 - 2.5 ounces of formula per pound of body weight in each 24 hour period, somewhere between 18 -22.5 ounces. I knew to start increasing my daughters bottles when she cried after she drank whatever was in the bottle because she was still hungry. But babies are like adults in that some days they are hungrier than others. I would just offer him 4 ounces at his next feed, he'll stop when he's full.

Don't get sucked into the numbers game. (I know it's hard not to count them...) Feed him as much or as little as he wants when he wants it for now - if he starts to get too fat your pediatrician will let you know. Congratulations!

Hi K. - My daughter will be two this August and I breastfed and bottlefed her. The amount you're giving sounds right, and your son will tell you if he's still hungry or full. You'll learn to read his body language. If you think he seems undernourished, ask your doctor. Mine always reassured me with her answers.

I have a 3 month old and basically my doctor told me to just be guided by whether or not my baby looks like she's still hungry. I started out with 2 oz. and if she finished it and still seemed irritable or sucking for more, I'd give pour in another once and see how she did. I judged from that. If she finished the ounce, than I'd up the amount to 3 oz. and again later, according to their growth spurts and desires. You be the judge by if they want more or not. She's three months now and drinks 4 1/2 oz. but on some days she'll finish that and want another 2. At this stage, it's okay if they sometimes want more than other times.

I understand how you feel. I have 10 wk old twins and they both eat differently. Their weights were much less than your baby so we started at 2 oz every 3 hours. We are still feeding every 3 hours during the day but they both sleep through the night. So I differ from many here and monitor closely what they eat and when they eat. We stick to a regular feeding schedule.

I do agree that your son will tell you if he wants more or less and he is the boss as long as he is gaining weight. It has worked better for us to increase feeds 1/2 ounce at a time and our pedi also recommended this. He said if your baby is hungry for more only give him a 1/2 ounce more because it still takes a few minutes for the brain to register that their tummy is full.

Hi K.,

The best piece of advice I can give you ....When you feed your child, it is like a glass of water, you can only put in so much and it will eventualy spill over the top. Your baby is the same, but they spit up. When you are done feeding him, is he rooting and trying to eat more, or does he fall asleep? If you still are not sure call the PED, that is what they are for, and dont ever think you can ask a stupid question when it comes to your child.
I had premature twins, one is at home and one is in the hospital NICU still, I am always asking questions.