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Infant feeding

Started bottle feeding 4 week old. can you over feed?

4 replies

Suea76 · 02/09/2014 14:43

Hi
Help needed had to give up breast feeding as wasn't producing enough milk tried mixed feeding but that didn't work. Now completely bottle feed. DS seems so much more settled.
My question is can you over feed? He takes about 5 oz 7-8 times a day according to the manufacturer he should be having 4 oz 7 times a day. He is never sick after feeds and I don't force him to finish the bottle. He is being re weighed next week but was 9 lb 1 oz at 2 weeks.
Thanks in advance.

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tiktok · 02/09/2014 15:16

Yes it is possible to over feed. Key to avoiding this is to watch for baby's reactions and responses. Google paced bottle feeding which is a set of easy techniques that help a lot :)

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tiktok · 02/09/2014 15:17

Having said that, he may need what he is taking. Don't assume he can be pigeon holed into an 'average'.

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Ceets · 02/09/2014 15:38

Hi. I was in the same situation having to move to formula feeding. Our very wonderful midwife told me not to worry about over feeding, just to follow his cues. Also, make an extra ounce than what he is finishing so if he starts to need more, it is there. If they don't want it, they won't drink it. It got alot easier after six weeks once he fell into feeding and sleeping patterns. Up until six months he was drinking a bit more than the formula container guide, but it didn't seem to be a problem.
We finished with middle of the night feeds around ten weeks. When he was getting the bulk of the recommended amount in five feeds between 7am and 7pm, I started cutting down the amount in his 11pm feed. At around 14 weeks we eliminated that one, too, and he was down to the five during the day. At the most, he was having eight ounces five times a day (not always finishing that). He was baby chubby and happy, super healthy and content. Now at seven months he is down to three seven ounce bottles a day and three "meals." And now that he is moving around like crazy he has gotten a little thinner. All of this is a very long way to say not to worry too much about it and you both will fall into what works best.

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Suea76 · 02/09/2014 16:08

Thanks for replying, there is so much advice and info about breast feeding and so little about formula. I will just keep going as we are then. He is currently on bottle number 6 since midnight xx