9 WEEK OLD FORMULA FED BABY EATING TOO LITTLE?! Please Help!!

[chellenemily]

Hi, I started giving my baby girl formula about 2 weeks ago as she began fussing on the breast and became very colicky. I began feeding her formula every 4 hours as recommended by family. Her symptoms of colic subsided and she appeared much more settled. I fed her at 8, 12, 4, 8, I would then put her to bed at 8.30 and would wake her again between 11 and 12 for her last feed. However I did not feel comfortable doing this as she was always very drowsy and hardly awake when I gave her her last feed and I felt like I was force feeding her. She would then always wake at 4am for another feed. At the advice of the HV I dropped the last feed, and she now she is kind of waking during the night (her eyes are shut and she is not crying, but she is flailing her legs around and grunting slightly!). I give her a dummy she will normally go back to sleep for another hour or so when she will start the same again. However I am now worrying she is not getting enough!! When I do get up to give her milk, she falls asleep whilst I am preparing it! I am worried she is not getting enough, though she has regular dirty nappies and is putting weight on. I have considered trying to feed her every 3 hours,. but am unsure as she seems to be doing well in this routine. Or if I should increase the number of oz's I give her in a bottle. Currently, she is inconsistent in whether she will finish a bottle or leave a little. She does become unsettled between her 4 and 8 feed. This is my first baby and I'm unsure if I'm doing it right!!!

How much does she weigh and how many oz in total does she have a day?

Do you think she's hungry between the 4 and 8 feeds?

Is she having 4-5 bottles in 24 hours?. I have a 20 week old, she has around 5-6 bottles a day with 210ml/7oz in them, sometimes she finishes them, sometimes she doesn't. I feed her on demand but at the minute she takes a bottle at 6.00 - 6.30am, around 10amish, about 2pmish, a little around 5pm and then her bedtime bottle at around 7pmish. She is also still wakening at about 2am for a feed. If she was hungry, she'd be squealing the house down . I wouldn't increase the ozs unless she is draining the bottle. Have you spoken to your Health Visitor?

The last time I had her weighed she 10lb 15oz (3 week ago). The health visitor told me to come back in 4 week to weigh her again, so I am going next week. I am sure she must be close to 12lb now.
She does not seem overly hungry between 4-8, ie. she is not screaming like she does when I am late with her other bottles! But by the time she has been bathed and dressed in nightclothes, she usually guzzles it down (although sometimes she completely finishes it, and other days she can leave a little).
If I leave her through the night, she has 4x6oz bottles, but if I get up to feed her she has 5x6oz. Though usually I am having to wake her through her night feed to finish it...

Hi!
I personally don't think it is essential to wake a baby at night for feeds as long as they are, as you say, putting on weight and soiling enough nappies. I know a lot of people do a dream feed late evening but I found it made no difference to my dc and they woke up in their own time regardless.

However, during the day I think my dd at the same stage was probably feeding every 3 hours or so rather than 4. Does she seem hungry before the 4 hours interval? Don't worry about a feeding schedule as such, just feed on demand and if she's gaining weight and is alert and happy I wouldn't worry too much (easier said than done I know!). Some babies, like mine are just petite and are always considered small for their age.

chellenemilly My baby was around the same weight at the same age, I haven't had her weighed since as she seems to be motoring on fine. There's no need to wake her to finish feeds, tempting as it is. My eldest daughter slept through the night from 6pm - 6am from 9 weeks, a feat never replicated with my next 2 girls so her bottle intake would have been the same as yours, although sometimes she would have had 2 close together.

Are you on a antenatal/ postnatal group on Mumsnet, they can be a godsend in the early few months, ps you sound as if you're doing fine. Have a little faith in you, have a chat with HV next week.

A 12lb baby would usually need around 30oz of milk a day, but if she's sleeping happily through the night, gaining weight and producing lots of wet or dirty nappies then she is probably fine with less!

You could always try offering 6oz bottles 3 hourly in the day and see how she does? If she isn't interested or isn't drinking much then switch back to 4 hourly.

Thanks for your replies. It is so hard not to worry! I worried she was not getting enough when I was breast feeding and now I seem to be preoccupied with how many ounces and bottles she is having a day! :( Sometimes she seems hungrier before the 4hours, so I will feed her as she will scream until she gets it!! But on average she seems to be in a 4 hourly routine. I wondered if I gave her an ounce in the bottle (whether she has it or not), it may help her during the night (as I say she doesn't wake as such, just becomes slightless restless until she has a dummy). It may also help the groaning she does between 4-8. Or should I try to give her an extra bottle?!! ARGG!

If she's unsettled between 4 and 8 I would offer another bottle. Lots of babies cluster feed in the evenings where they have more frequent feeds in order to tank up for the night.

If I fed her every 3 hours I would have to wake her from her daytime naps. She tends to be awake after a bottle and then nods off, and sometimes it can so long for her to sleep I'd hate to have to wake her after 20mins!!!

RitaMorgan - Yeah I've heard that too. I'll give that a go..

I second that too, eldest would have "drunk" more between 3.30pm and 5.30pm. Good luck.

My 9 week old DD weighed 9lb15 last week, she has 180ml bottles at 8am, 11am, 2pm, 5pm and 8pm then sleeps from 8.30pm then has 120-150mls when she wakes at around 4am. Hope that helps :)

On the whole, babies will let you know if they're not getting enough milk. Your schedule seems to be working well for you but don't be surprised if things change all of a sudden. When they're about to have a growth spurt, they'll drink more for a few days usually and either revert back to their usual consumption or stick with the new quantities. If your baby seems happy on the whole, is putting on weight, having regular wet and dirty nappies, then I wouldn't worry.