Been told we are overfeeding - anyone else had this?

[Pea2019]

Hi
We were at the hospital today with our 4 week old baby as he has a viral infection. While we were there we discussed his ‘reflux’. It turns out it’s not reflux, they said he is being over fed. This really surprised us as we told the community midwife and Healthworker how much he was drinking and they just said he was a hungry baby.

We also learnt at our antenatal class to feed on demand and notice their hungry cues (eating their hands). He has therefore been having 4oz every 2 hours, although he does occasionally leave an Oz, and he brings a lot of it up which we now know is due to overfeeding, not reflux.

I found this website and it’s really useful www.babycareadvice.com/article/detail/Is_baby_overfeeding= But i just wondered if anyone else has experienced this and how you reduced their food?

We have been given a food plan and have been told to feed 2.5oz every 3 hours, which is a massive difference. We asked how we can sooth him when he expects more food and they said to use a dummy or walk him about in a car seat. Has anyone got any other tips?

We feel awful!

[Jellybean100]

Ummm sounds like bullshit to me. Sorry. Yes if you give your baby too much they’ll puke but I’m assuming there are other reflux symptoms in order for you to be hospitalised with it. How much does baby weigh? 2.5oz every 3 hours isn’t very much

[Lunafortheloveogod]

We were told this.. by one paediatrician, every single other health care professional has said she’s batshit. We never reduced feeds, he’s not overweight.. mystically ranitidine and cmpa milk fixed his reflux/vomiting while taking the same amount of milk.

I did ask what her plan was for me to cope with a screaming hungry baby covered in an itchy rash.. she agreed to a milk trial rather than give me a single practical solution to her plan. He’s reduced his milk on his own over time. And we always offered an ounce more than he’d take so eventually he’d up it himself and wait longer. He’s on 7oz x4 or 5 daily at 8months.

Reflux can make them comfort feed too so once it’s under control it might help with time n amount.

[Pea2019]

Sorry, he wasn’t hospitalised with reflux, he has the baby version of the cold virus which is affecting his breathing. It just so happened that while we were there they asked about his feeding, i said about 4oz every 2hours although he sometimes leaves an oz, or may occasionally want an oz more. He weighs 8lb 4oz, which is a lot (they said), considering his birth weight was 6lb and he is only 4 weeks old.

We left the hospital and i googled over feeding and found that link i posted and he has all the other symptoms on there! :-(

Me and my partner have agreed to try and do 2oz every 2 hours (surely half what he was having is better than not reducing it at all?!). He really doesn’t like dummy’s so I don’t know what else will sooth him. We tried tonight and he just screamed.

All the Drs have said 4oz every 2hrs is far too much for his age but they left it at that! I explained he pukes most of it up so was probably only getting what he actually needed and they said no more about it.

[Jellybean100]

I’d seek advice from your health visitor on this. Could you try using a slower teat (if available) to slow down his feeds?

[Jellybean100]

Also when babies are poorly they say not to fill them up too much as the full stomach causes pressure on their lungs and so they say to offer smaller amounts, could they have meant just whilst he’s poorly?

[GrumpyHoonMain]

Following Hunger cues is right for breastfed babies, not formula fed. Try following the instructions on the tin for formula and if he’s still throwing up try a different formula or go back to GP.

[INeedNewShoes]

Did they really mean to walk him around in a CAR seat? If so I would really question this medical professional’s advice given that it is now very widely known that it isn’t good for young babies to spend more than half an hour at a time in the car seat.

It’s a terrible suggestion because if baby then falls asleep parents will be tempted to leave them in the car seat for too long.

Car seats put babies in a position that can compromise their airway, hence the guidelines.

[Pea2019]

@GrumpyHoonMain think thats where we went wrong! I do offer baby the breast first, the formula is used to ‘top up’ and when we are out and about and it’s easier to feed a bottle.

@INeedNewShoes - i was surprised as well! We would never leave him in his car seat anyway even when he is asleep (i always say that his airways look squashed!) i think she was just throwing around ideas.

Ideally we’d have known this over feeding thing from the start as we now have to try and change a 4 week old babies feeding routine. Poor baby! The good thing is he can have as much breast milk as he likes so i’ll need to look at really improving this side of the feeding for him.

@Jellybean100 - they did say to feed smaller amounts more regularly while he is ill but then said he is over fed and a baby of his weight and size should be on a certain ml (calculated specifically) and that we can increase the ml per kg as he puts on weight. But basically half of what he has now.

When your babies wake and start to chew their hands, what do you do? I thought it meant they are hungry but apparently it doesn’t always mean that.

[tabulahrasa]

Why are you topping up breastfeeds?

Tbh, I didn’t look for cues for feeding, I found that if they wanted fed, they’d let you know pretty obviously...

[OctoberLovers]

So you are offering breast and then 4oz of formula every 2 hours?
If so, thats definitely to much

[Puddlelane123]

Is he feeding 2hrly overnight too? Contrary to some of the responses above I have to say that I agree with the paediatrician that he is likely being overfed, and with my professional hat on it is by no means unusual advice to limit the amount you are giving him, especially in the context of a baby presenting with bronchiolitis and vomiting after feeds. It is hard to give advice without knowing the exact volumes he is having and how often, but as a general rule in paediatrics we say that a formula fed baby should have in the region of 150mls / kg / 24hrs of feeds. So at your son’s weight, roughly 50mls every 2 hrs or 70mls every 3 hrs. Obviously there is some flexibility with this and this is just a guide but if he is vomiting after feeds then it is sensible advice to get more in line with these suggested volumes as opposed to the 4 ounces he was on previously - especially if there is an hint of reflux or respiratory distress - both of which respond best to little and often feeds.

[Puddlelane123]

Sorry - in common with responses above, not contrary to...

[Teachermaths]

He's having 4oz formula plus breast feeds? No wonder he's bringing it back up, he must be choc full of milk!

Why are you topping up BFs?

[PyjamasForever]

Considering he is feeding at the breast too that is a lot of milk. Have you tried paced feeding for the top ups? He'd get the milk slower so would notice when he feels full and it mimics breastfeeding more.

[slpit]

If you are feeding 2 hourly, 24 hours a day, and breastfeeding he's being over fed. His weight however is fine (my professional opinion). Assuming he was born at term he's gone from the 9th to 25th centile which is nothing to worry about.

In terms of hand chewing, it is a feeding cue but I would also make sure he's having enough sleep in the day. IME small babies often use feeding as a way of getting to sleep because they are clever like that and know it works to get them off. Wake times for a 4 week old are about and hour, so not long and they do need you're help getting to sleep when little as struggle to drop off independently from this age.

[PrayingandHoping]

Hmmm my baby drinks way more than the calculation and her paediatric consultants are pleased about it! As are all the HV team etc. She was born small and is under 1st percentile so feeding has been an important topic. She is 5.5 weeks old and feeds 4 hourly happily though just drinks larger quantities than the calculation but v v rarely only brings the tiniest bit back up.

The article you linked has in red bold that it is important not to restrict. Just to know when to stop and not to force to drink more.

[Horehound]

Stop topping up breastfeeds

[Blahblahblahnanana]

Following Hunger cues is right for breastfed babies, not formula fed this is incorrect. Formula fed babies should also be fed when they seem hungry and not at set times! www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/bottle-feeding-advice/

[Blahblahblahnanana]

@Pea2019 I don’t understand why you’re topping him up with formula after giving him a breast feed. Does he still seem hungry after you’ve breast fed him? If so how long does he feed for, and do you offer the other breast when he comes off of the one he’s been feeding on?

If you want to combine feed and use a bottle when you’re out of the house that’s fine, but you don’t have to top up every single breast feed with formula unless he isn’t gaining weight. Also if you’re topping up with formula at every feed or don’t breast feed him and use a formula instead of a breastfeed it will effect your milk supply so you won’t produce the right amount of milk he needs. To keep your supply up if you’re using formula in between breastfeeds you need to use a breast pump and express for 15 minutes or so on each breast W every time you miss a feed if you want to keep exclusively BF. You can then use the expressed BM when you’re out and about.

Feeding on demand is absolutely the right way to feed a baby regardless of if they’re breast or formula fed.

Please speak to your health visitor about feeding if you’re confused.

[Blahblahblahnanana]

Early hungry feeding cues:
When your baby is hungry they may:

• get restless
  
• suck their fist or fingers
  
• make murmuring sounds
  
• turn their head and open their mouth (rooting)
  

crying is generally when the baby is really hungry (or could also be in pain/need a nappy change/want a cuddle/or could even be bored ect)

[tabulahrasa]

I did make it sound like you should wait till they were full on crying... I didn’t mean that though, I just meant it becomes pretty obvious when they want fed as opposed to just watching for their hands going to their mouth.

“Hmmm my baby drinks way more than the calculation”

After being breast fed?

[Pea2019]

@Puddlelane123 thank you. After today i totally agree that he is being overfed as he has a lot of the ‘over feeding’ symptoms which we assumed was reflux before! I was just after some advice on whether anyone else has had this and what techniques they used to sooth baby when he still thinks he is hungry after the new 2oz feed. It will take a few hard days to get him used to the new ‘routine’ i imagine.

@Teachermaths - he was always showing the ‘hungry cues’ after BF. He could spend an hour on one but in that time he has about 15 mins sucking and then falls asleep and i try to wake him etc. To be honest my milk supply isn’t what it should be (due to using formula as well) and i do express daily but maybe only twice because he isn’t a fan of me putting him down! I know i need to improve on this though.

@slpit this is really helpful thank you. Funnily he isn’t a fan of sleeping during the day (unless it’s on me!) as soon as i put him down he will cry. I’m therefore on the sofa with him on me most of the day or if i go out he falls asleep in the car (and stays asleep at the destination) or if i do chores i wear him in a baby sling. Of a night he seems to be a good sleeper though and i can put him in his crib next to our bed in our room and he sleeps. Although he does need to be asleep before we put him in. Could his hand chewing be tiredness? When he does sleep during the day it’s usually from breastfeeding so maybe he is using breast/bottle to help him sleep. Usually when he is asleep though, he will wake up chewing his hands.

@Blahblahblahnanana - it’s exactly the sucking fists and rooting where i’d then feed him. We would never just initiate a feed without him doing this. He wakes from his crib of a night 2 hourly and we can hear/see him sucking his hands. Of a night we just use formula because my partner helps with feeds and I haven’t been able to express much (see above). I don’t always top up BF, say he has been on for 20 mins, he will always fall asleep and will come away from the breast (still asleep in my lap), he will then startle himself awake and start to cry/chew hands so i’d put him back on my boob but this could go on for hours and if i want to get stuff done it’s easier to give him formula otherwise i’d never leave the house!

[MsMoppet]

Hi OP
Please don't be upset with my advice as I'm typing quickly and trying to convey a lot of info. It sounds like you would like to breastfeed and have been given dreadful advice (not specifically regarding the overfeeding but in general regarding feeding).
Your milk supply will suffer badly if you do not breastfeed at night. I forget the name of the hormone involved but it really is breastfeeding 101 to feed on demand overnight for the first 6 weeks at least.
As you are only at 4 weeks I'd think there's a good chance you can get off the top-ups but only if you get some good advice and follow it now. You need to see a lactation consultant now or your supply will drop further. If you can't, read the whole Kellymom website. I sadly know too many people who've started with top-ups (often due to appalling advice from HCPs) and never got into 100% breastfeeding (which they had wanted to do).
One really hot tip for sleepy babies is to use a breastshield. I don't know why it works but it does. However, when you say baby sucks for only 15mins, this could be all he needs to drain one breast. Some babies are faster than others. Do you wake him up and swap to the other one after the sucking stops?
WRT reducing the amount of formula milk without upsetting the baby, look up La Leche League advice on "bottle feeding breastfed babies" to help pace the feed. The best tip I had is to use a premature baby teat as they have a small hole and require harder sucking to get the milk. The baby shouldn't end up overfeeding with this slow teat either. The harder sucking required helps prevent nipple preference too.
I really hope this helps. Please try to get some professional advice from a breastfeeding expert not a doctor/HV.

[MermaidPants]

Please don't take this the wrong way, but with a 4 week old you may have to readjust your expectations with "getting stuff done"..! It is very common at four weeks for baby to not like being put down and to need to be fed to sleep. Google the fourth trimester. If anything, I'd say you're lucky in that it sounds like he is a good sleeper at night and you can put him down. My 12 week old still feeds to sleep and has only put himself to sleep twice in his life. I'm starting to be able to put him down during the day, but he will generally wake up after about half an hour, where if I hold him he sleeps for anything up to 3 hours. (Cuddles on the sofa are the best! Don't miss out on this time )

At 4 weeks he won't have got in to a proper routine yet so don't worry about him struggling to readjust. Maybe if he does seem too hungry offer the breast first. But try and speak to a lactation consultant as pp have suggested.

Could you take a few days to have some quiet time at home just you and baby? No chores, just breast feeding on demand to help with milk supply and managing his feeding & sleeping?

[Russell19]

I agree with @MermaidPants post. Leave everything that needs 'getting done'. This time only really last for the first 12 weeks. All I did when my baby was this age was breastfeed him or let him sleep on me. I really don't think you need to top up with formula, just keep putting him to the breast every time you think he's hungry. Breastfeeding is hard but if you want to breastfeed this is the best thing. If you don't then obviously ignore me