my daughter is 9 weeks old and I was wondering if anyone knows how much she should be drinking ounce wise. She will only take at the most 3 ounces and that is not at every feeding. sometuimes its 2 ounces, sometimes its 1 ounce. This is both with formula and pumped breast milk. We know she can drink more but she just doesn't want it. Also when I breast feed her she will only nurse on one side for 10 to 15 minutes. I leave her on as long as she wants. If I try the other side and IF she latches on after a few minutes she cries and will let go, latch on again, cry, let go, latch on, etc, etc. I will try burping her and then latching her on again, and still the same. Even if I let her go for 5 minutes on one side and then latch her to the other , its still the same. I have tried everything, Its a battle on most days. She IS gaining weight and the docotor said that if she eats poorly at one feeding and then good at another than thats ok. I have tried everything and I am just wondering if she is getting enough and how I can improve her eating.
If she is growing and the doctor said its ok, then it should be ok. Babies know when they are full. If you start overfeeding her, then she will start spitting up and being gassy.
About the nursing only on one side, this is typical for babies to find one side the prefer over the other. Try switching it up and put baby in a new position while on the side they dislike. I did this same tatic with my son who HIGHLY prefers my roight side to my laft. He still will nurse less on that side, but better than what it was. If your baby is gaining weight good, and isnt crying all the time(signaling that she is HUNGRY) then she is getting enough:) Babies now when they need to stop.
As long as she is growing and gaining weight than I would not worry!
Babies know when they have had enough. At 9 weeks - BF for 10-15 minutes each side is a little long. My 6 month old BF each side for about 10 minutes - if he goes longer - it is usually just for comfort. As for the bottles, my son is still only taking about 4 oz every 4-5 hours while I am at work. Every baby is different. If she is gaining weight then you are doing a great job!
Sounds like you're doing just fine. I had the same dilemma when my child was younger that I called La Leche, the Health Department, Medela's website, everything, because I was worried like you. Just offer your breast every two hours or so and she'll be just fine. One thing different is that I breastfed exclusively for the first 13 months. Just make sure to keep your breast milk supply flowing by either feeding her or pumping. Good luck.
She should be drinking about 2 ounces. That sounds about right. You can offer her more. IF she wants it, she'll drink it. IF she doesn't want it, she won't drink it. How do you know she wants more if she is refusing to drink it? Let your baby be her own guide. Also, when are you offering a bottle? Before breastfeeding or after breastfeeding? A baby this young can also have nipple confusion. How a baby breastfeeds is different from how they feed from a bottle. 10-15 minutes of active breastfeeding sounds right. IF she refuses the other side, that is fine. Just be sure to offer the breast she did NOT nurse from the next time you nurse her. She's gaining weight, that is key to getting enough. Put your worries aside and enjoy this precious time with your infant.
Our pediatrician's advice when we had our first child was simple "Babies are amazing self-regulating creatures".
We were concerned that he was eating too much. He was breast-fed, he'd only eat for ~5-10 minutes and would be done. I guess my milk was more like cream,and he was a very efficient feeder.
If your pediatrician is OK with her growth, I'd say that's a good sign that she's doing really well. Our son ended-up being a snacker. He liked smaller meals more frequently. Because I nursed, I never knew how many ounces he was taking. Our daughter was different. She would suck it down like she'd never seen food before.
My daughter has always been a picky eater. I gave up on breast feeding when she was 8 weeks old because she just wouldnt do it. My doctors told me that as long as she is gaining weight she would be fine and not to worry about it. I can tell you that I started giving her plain yogurt about the time that she quit breastfeeding to make sure she was getting all of the calcium that her diet required. She started eating more and being less fussy at the time. Now most people will tell you not to do that but that is up to you. Every mother knows what is best for their child. DO what feels right for your family. My daughter is now 2 and she still loves yogurt and is at an excellent weight for her size.
My baby did the same thing except she would only nurse 5-7 minutes and was gaining weight. Are you waiting for signs of hunger or just trying to feed her because it is time? I noticed if I waited until she was showing she was hungry she would eat better. Also, if you give her formula it lasts longer so she may go longer without eating. Don't give up nursing. Keep trying. It will get better, but if it doesn't you can always pump for her. I am only pumping now because she will not nurse. We switched to the faster flow nipples and she is eating 6-8 ounces instead of 3-4 like she was with the slow flow nipples. Since your baby is only 9 weeks you may not be able to change the flow but look and see which ones you have. I don't know what age the stage 2 nipples are for but it is worth taking a look. Good luck!
Her eating sounds just fine. How much babies eat varies WILDLY. My son (we were part of a breastfeeding study) drank apx 20oz every hour to every few hours from 6 days old until he was 9 months... other babies as little as a couple oz. My kiddo was also 10+ lbs at birth, and 24 inches. At 7, he's nearly 5 feet. (projected to be 6'4 as an adult... but in my family we tend to be at our full height around the age of 12... so his growth is pretty normal for our fam).
The only thing that raises a flag for me in what you said is that when you switch sides, she cries and has problems latching... which hints at one of 2 things
- Gas (some kids are marathon burpers... I always got a small burp within a few minutes, but had to keep rocking and patting for FORTY FIVE minutes, because 45-60 minutes later I'd get a monster burp. As soon as we figured this out everything changed. Slept for hours and hours, temperament was fantastic, etc. I learned to read a book one handed).
- Reflux (brought on by changing position)
my 9 week is having the same problem.Up until one week ago she was eating 5-6 oz at every feeding, but she was spitting up also. I changed the formula a week ago and thats when she started with eating less. She is now on soy. Now she is doing the same thing, sometimes 3 oz, 2 oz and 1 ounce. Maybe she dosent like the formula???? i was concerned. she just got weighed on tuesday and she is gaing. She was born 6-1 and now she weighs 10-4. Im just concerend with the decrease and change in eating patterns. Is this normal????
