Advice on feeding a big baby (10 weeks) Help please!!

[SamsMommyXXX]

My 10 week old DS was a big baby when he was born at 10lb 6oz, he is now roughly about 12lb 5oz. He sleeps through the night and has 4 feeds of 8.5oz a day, I'm worried that he is having too much (if this is possible) as when I asked the HV advice she told me to basically stop force feeding him which I really am not doing. The reason is he was not satisfied and my MW (before I saw the HV) told me when he started draining bottles to add an extra half an ounce which is what I have been doing. He is starting to seem a bit unhappy after feeds again and I'm wondering if he will soon have 9oz!!

Has anyone else had experience with feeding bigger babies...the guidelines for an 'average weight baby' aren't helping!!!

[QueenOfFarkingEverything]

I'd add an extra feed in rather than increase the amount in each feed.

4 feeds a day is really not often for a 10 week old - both of my babies were still feeding 2/3 hourly night and day at that stage.

But there is no reason he can't have 9oz if that's what he needs - and his weight gain isn't that huge tbh so don't worry that you are overfeeding him! I know he's a big baby, but putting on 2lb on 10 weeks is pretty average.

[LaCiccolina]

You can get hungry baby milk. In my limited experience its rather hard to force a baby to do anything. Think ur hv is barking there....

[Fairylea]

I'd stop seeing the hv. Both my babies have been big hungry babies and I always fed on demand. I think ds was on about 6 feeds of 8oz a day around the 10 week mark. If your dc needs it and is happy, alert and weeing and pooing lots then all is fine.

I'd hate some hv to tell me I couldn't have another sandwich because I'd had too many or too much. If I'm hungry I'd want to eat... babies are exactly the same.

Incidentally dd now aged 9 is tall and very skinny despite eating like a horse... !

[dishwashervodkaanddietirnbru]

I'd add in extra feeds as 4 is not a lot for a 10 week old baby.

[Fairylea]

I agree with 4 feeds not being enough.... offer more maybe?

[Tallgiraffe]

My ebf 12wo DS is 16lb, so I don't consider your DS to be that big! I wouldn't worry about over feeding, but I do think I'd up the number of feeds. Do you offer more and he refuse? Or does he not cry for food?

[ThreeWheelsGood]

My ebf 8 week old is 12lb, birth weight 7lb, so I don't think your baby's weight gain is that massive actually! Have you looked at the chart in your Red Book? I'd also suggest feeding more often.

[madwomanintheattic]

That ain't big. Ds1 was over 16lbs at 10 weeks and was 2 lbs lighter at birth. I'd just feed on demand and ignore everyone, tbh. Do way Ds wants and it will be fine.

Who says he's a big baby, now? He must be more about average, surely? He hasn't put much on in 10 weeks.

I'd stop fretting and go with the flow.

[MaMattoo]

Ons Hv told me to add more milk if he was draining the bottle. An extra 20ml used to do the trick. I also weaned him to semi solids at 4.5-5 months as he was always hungry :) and that went very well!!

Mine went right past both ends of the centile charts at 3 months :) so don't go by the book. Some idiot Hv told me to give him water to keep his weight in check and I asked her how she would feel about getting water when hungry! Did not go down well

Adding another feed even if baby is asleep might help too. Try various combinations till you find something that works for you. See Hv as guides only and giant teaspoon of salt needed for each conversation.

[Tallgiraffe]

According to my red book, that weight is below the 50th centile for his age so I definitely wouldn't worry about him being too big.

[JingleJohnsJulie]

Hungry baby milk won't really help, it doesn't have extra calories, it just takes longer to digest. If your baby is hungry please feed him, whether its an extra bottle in the day or an extra ounce. Averages are just that, some babies are under and some are over.

[amyboo]

I agree about adding in an extra feed. DS1 was 10lb 3oz when he was born and i fed on demand. He used to have at least 5/6 feeds at day at that age. I also weaned pretty early (although I live in a different country so the advice is slightly different). I started weaning at around 18 weeks as hewas a very hungry boy. Incidently, he's now 2.8 and is stilla good eater, but is very tall and skinny as a rake!