Am I overfeeding?

[slightlyconfused85]

My ds is 12 days old and mixed ff and ebm. He seems a hungry little boy and is usually taking 4oz a feed every 3 hours - occasionally he will manage a longer stretch. I shouldn't get stressed about this as I had a hungry dd who ate more than recommended amount but I can see he's packing on weight and I'm worried I'll be accused of overfeeding. Should I scale back? He cries for more if I only give him 3oz

[JiltedJohnsJulie]

Please don't let him cry for milk. If he's mix fed, it's not the same as just ffing.

If you want some reassurance on quantities, please ring one of the being helplines

[squizita]

Some babies eat a lot - if he keeps it down its fine. No such thing as an overweight pre weaning baby! They lose it when they start to crawl/walk.

[slightlyconfused85]

Thanks all- I haven't been letting him cry for milk I'm just waiting for the HV who is visiting later to tell me not to overfeed him....he seems such a hungry little chap I'm forever filling up a bottle. My mil used to tell me that I overfeed dd because she was bottle fed so I've got that in the back of my mind. Can't wait till everyone is just eating sandwiches and spag Bol!

[LittleMiss77]

Hi OP - I could have written this post as im exactly the same with my DS (14 days)

He is mix fed formula and EBF at 3oz at a time and guzzles it down. He can go anything from 1hr to 4hrs between a feed depending on whether its FF or EBF. (Due to EBF not being as heavy as being digested quicker, meaning hes screaming for more a lot quicker than if i give a FF)

The HV has been round today and has told me to give the occassional 4oz feed also as it could be that he just needs that extra 1/2 ounce. All babies are different and to do what is right for him.

She also said that if i was over feeding him then he would be sick at feeding, which he isnt (the occassional bit of spit up is ok and normal)

By way of reassurance she showed me his weight on the chart in his red book and he is maintaining the 50th centile - she said that i must be feeding oK for him if this is the case.

She also told me to call the HV team if i was worried or wanted some reassurance. Do you have the number of your local HV team to call?

[slightlyconfused85]

Hi littlemiss ; I saw the HV yesterday and she said just to feed him what he wanted within reason. This seems to be 4oz mostly, occasionally 2-3 and on some occasions and extra ounce on top of the 4! I figure he must be hungry if we have tried nappy/wind etc so I'll just have to feed him and trust he knows his appetite. I seem to make babies with big appetites but Dd was born bigger so I worried less...