frequent feeds of smaller amounts.....grrrr

[mogwai]

my 7 week old dd is a little poppet . She feeds about 4-5oz every 3 hours or so (slightly longer in the evening).

She weighs 12lb 4oz this week (91st centile) and has always been on the 91st centile.

I read that she should be taking 6oz at a feed and should have one less feed a day than she actually does have. She spits the bottle out after 4oz usually - 5 oz is a real achievement.

I am convinced she would sleep longer at night if she would take more milk at each feed. Any ideas how we can break this pattern?

I am wondering about using the "hungry baby" formula. If I give her this in the evening, will it make any difference?

Gina Ford's The Contented Little Bby Book (runs for cover)

DS2 was similar - he never drank the 'proper' amounts for his age. We did switch to hungry baby milk, but TBH it didn't seem to make a great deal of difference. I'd just keep perserveering - DS2 just suddenly 'stopped' wanting so many milks in the evening, and by 2 1/2 months was sleeping through.

mogwai, please dont fall into the trap that says they will sleep better if....
shes a little baby, and all babies dont sleep initally, at 7 wks dont expect her wee tummy to go much longer than her 3 hours or so, just imagine being in her wee shoes, and how often would u need a drink. her tummy is very small , it can only take so much - even if u think it can take more.
she doesnt need the hungry baby formula, just u or her dad feeding her when she requests, thats her perogative, this will settle down into a sort of normal pattern, in a while.

but babies dont sleep like adults rememebr that!

Mogwai,neither of my dd's have ever drunk the amounts reccomended on the formula tins.When dd1 stopped having bottles,she still had never drunk more than 7oz in one feed.DD2 is 13wks but still only takes 3-4oz each feed & will feed every 2.5-4 hours depending on her mood.I tried hungry baby formula with both of them & it made no difference at all,just made them constipated.

just a big DITTO to everyone else!
ds is nearly 7 months and has NEVER taken more than 7oz at a time... he is now back down to 6
not sure how much he took at 7weeks as was breastfeeding, but when we stopped at about 4 months he was only on 5oz maximum each time

she sounds like she is doing exactly what she is supposed to! having a bigger feed is absolutely no guarantee that she will go longer at night, nor is using hungry baby milk.

I agree with everybody else, it's normal and understandable that she can't drink a lot, her stomach is only small! The amounts they give on the tin have nothing to do with your baby, your baby knows better than some formula manufacturer how much she needs to feed and how often! If you were breastfeeding you would have no idea how many oz she was having, so just go with what she wants!

also, if you try and make her have more then you may well end up with her overfeeding and puking it all up. then you;ll be feeding her again even sooner!

well DS2 was actually the opposite of yours - he was drinking more than the 'recommended' amount each feed of hungry baby milk.

I'd really try not to worry about it if she's putting on weight then that actual 'amount' drunk is irrelevant really.

i dont know how much my ds has or my dd had when she was the same age - i bfm so you just dont know! my point is that if weight gain is good then you have little to worry about - it takes babies time to learn the difference between night and day. My LO's started sleeping through at around 11/12 weeks of there own accord. I hope you get a good nights sleep soon though

Go and get a copy of the contented little baby book. some people hate it and find it too restrictive and don't think you should put a baby on such a strict routine, however i decided to give it a go, after all i hadn't had a baby before and this women has had more experience than me! i have to say i think it is brilliant. my 7 week old has just started sleeping from 7pm till 10.15pm when i wake him for a feed and then he sleeps from 11.15pm to 6am and sometimes he will entertain himself till nearer 7am. Everyone thought i was mad doing it but i think i am now reaping the rewards. He is also a large baby in the 91st centile so it can be done, but you do have to be strict, at times easier said than done. I know people will be shocked but i started giving water in the night (only one feed at a time), then he started feeding more during the day, thus he dropped the night feed of his own accord. he piles on the ozs, is healthy and happy as he knows the routine so often can't be bothered to cry! He is an angel, maybe i have just been lucky, maybe it has been Gina Ford's influence i don't know, but i'm a big Gina Fan!!
I hope i haven't spoken too soon and it all goes Tits up!!

"and this women has had more experience than me!"

ermm how can Gina Ford have more experience that you??? She's never had children AKAIK

ok, point taken, she has cared for more babies than me!!

ahh - but none of them were your babies

i know that every baby is different and as i said not everyone likes Gina, and thats fine, but its working for me and my baby!

good for you Physio, at least you have found something that works! I agree, she has more experience than us first-time mothers. It goes without saying that "she doesn't have experience of YOUR baby". Neither did Tracey Hogg, but her book has been a lifesaver to us.

Thanks for all the advice. We have managed to switch her up to six ounces in the evening and afternoon, which has made a bit of a difference, she is sleeping a bit longer. Someone else suggested I give water in the night, which I will do, once she is taking a bit more in the day.

Sorry but why would you give water to a 7 week old baby at night?? Does gf really tell you to do this?

Herc - think it's supposed to make them learn they don't "need" milk in the night (or something like that)........... [frown]

But surely at 7 weeks they do?

I don't know tbh - I'm not a Gina Ford fan, never even picked one of her books up (and never would even if you paid me).

I've had 2 children, both complete opposites as babies in terms of how much and how often they needed feeding - and I know for a fact that to try and make them the 'same' in terms of routines would have been "wrong"

And actually - neither of my boys bothered to read the 'manual' before they were born........and both forgot to bring it with them

She says you can do it if they are putting on weight quickly, weigh over a certain amount and are going off their morning feed. she says you can offer them water, and even if they only take an oz or two before you feed them milk, it has the effect of them feeding more in the day. I only went for it after a couple of nights when he only fed for about 10mins in the night when his day feeds last about an hour. If he refused water i fed him. Don't worry i didn't starve him!

I love it when GF comes into a thread.

Actually although I am no big fan of Gina I did read her book as I was given a copy when pregnant. My advice would be to pick and choose what suits you if you do get it.

As for your initial question I'd say that it may well be due to the fact that your dd isn't quite ready yet to take 5oz - her tummy is only small - just slightly bigger than a walnut and won't expand by alot. Some babies will cope with a greater quantity of liquid than others will and she's obviously of the "little and often" variety.

It might be worth trying the hungrier baby formula but TBH I noticed not a scrap of difference when I had it for DS. Don't worry about what you're reading - go with her. She's a good sized baby and gaining weight well. Honestly, you won't believe me but she will break this pattern all by herself eventually. Many babies are going through the night by 12 weeks (although mine was nearly 10 months but don't let that depress you as he was only waking to get into Mummy and Daddy's bed and stopped this by 11 months).
Now at 2.5 he sleeps from 7pm through to around 6.30 - 7.00am. And if you do get Gina's book just remember - I broke every single one of her rules and my child is a contented one.

mogwai, I don't get it. You say Baby Whisperer was a 'live saver' but you still post to mumsnet asking about amounts of milk and sleep times....has the BW given you confidence that your own loving and close observation of your healthy, happy baby validates your care of her? Doesn't sound like it.

7 week old babies aren't 'designed' to go long hours between feeds at night or any other time. It's not a 'pattern' to 'break'.

All the stuff about giving water and trying to space feeds out sounds to me like harder work than simply responding to the physiological needs of a very new baby to feed according to appetite.

I don't want to offend you. Sorry if I have.

DS2 is now 24 weeks and would only go for short spaces of time when he was tiny. He had mild reflux too so I think this also helped him to feel more comfortable.

I wanted to make him go longer between feeds and take bigger amounts....but some babies just are not like that.

Try to go with the flow. If she is hungry, feed her and if she stops feeding, then she does not want anymore.

Good luck