Formula fed baby - is it always a struggle?!

[Macaronicheese89]

Hello! Long time lurker here taking the plunge with my first post in the hope that someone has experienced similar! DD is 11 weeks old (born 36+4) and is formula fed Cow and Gate. We’ve slowly been trying to increase the amount she has in line with the packaging guidance but it’s not happening. DD is gaining weight well but she’s just so inconsistent with her feeds - sometimes she’ll take the full 120ml we’re aiming for - sometimes it’s as little as 40ml even though she asked for it and then just two hours later is wanting milk again - I feel like we've gone backwards a bit! Whenever we’re feeding it’s a bit of a battle too - DD may start off well but ends up writhing so much we’re practically chasing her with the bottle! The latest thing is that she’ll scream bloody murder if you try and get the bottle back in her mouth after a mid-feed burp and that’s the end of that!

We’ve got some different bottles arriving today in the hope that might help but I’m not sure that’s the problem! She’s otherwise really happy - just wanting to hear others’ experiences really! Thanks in advance!

You don't increase it by the packet guidance, you go by their appetite. What milk and bottles are you using? How often is she feeding? Although if she's gaining weight ok I don't see that there's an issues at all.

Thanks for this! We’re very much letting DD lead us - we’re just using the packet as reference as I’m a FTM so learning everything as we go! We’re using Tommee Tipee anti-colic bottles with a 6+ teat which has improved things and cow and Gate 1st powder. In terms of feeds it’s every 2.5 - 3 hours through the day and 1 feed per night - we end up at about 7 feeds a day!

Sounds like a normal amount of feeds tbh. Think mine had about 7 or 8 at that age too.

Thanks - that’s good to know!

We're at the 4 month point now and had similar.

The way we approach it is the guidelines on the back are only that. Time of day, growth spurts and a load of other variables determine what your baby wants.
No different from us, sometimes we eat more sometimes less.

I found sometimes feeding in a oner helped with the chasing around bit, then keep upright and burp for a good 15-20 mins.
He would sometimes fall asleep if we stopped halfway even though he was still happily feeding.

The fact she's gaining weight is key. You're doing a good job 👍🏻

Hi there my LO was formula fed - now 18 months old. But he was exactly as you described - a snacked! Very rarely would he take a full bottle - preferring to graze. People around me got their babies into feeding routines - but I never could and it really got me down. But don’t worry - just be led by your bubba. Some babies are just like that. As long as they are gaining weight etc that’s all that matters