How much formula in one feed is too much?

[CharBell]

My 20 pound, 4 1/2 month old is exclusively breast fed. Has had the odd expresed bottle and the odd formula bottle. DP gave him formula twice this week - once on Friday at 7pm and once on Wednesday for his dream feed. Both times he demanded a second bottle and ended up eating 12 oz. There is NO way I give him this much from my boobs (I managed to express 6 oz so I guess he normally has about 8.) Is this too much? He has 5 feeds a day. Not weaned yet. No plans to as he is still sleeping through.

Expressing doesn't give a measure of how much milk you produce during a feed. Babies are much better at stimulating your breasts than a machine is. So you can't guess at breastmilk 8oz.

As for formula amounts, what does it say on the packet? IIRC babies will guzzle formula even when they are full because it's so easy, just comes pouring out with no effort on their part. So he wasn't demanding the second bottle because he was hungry, just because it was nice!

I'm not so sure. He has had quite a few bottles of expressed milk and formula since he was born and has never taken this much before. On the packet it suggests about 8oz. He breastfeeds in about 8 minutes as opposed to 15 from the bottle so it definitely comes out faster from my boobs!

My son always wanted 9oz about every 4 hours.

My dd always knew when she had enough formula and would refuse to take any more when she was full regardless of whether it coming out nice and easily from the bottle, so I dont think that comment is particularly accurate!!

When she went through a growth spurt at around 4 months she did take a larger bedtime bottle (up to 11/12 ounces sometimes) but the rest of the days bottles were normally 8 ounces. She was maybe just tanking herself for the night ahead, which may be what your lo was doing.

I didn't wean my dd until 24 weeks as she was sleeping through and didn't seem bothered about food as she often didn't finish bottles etc. Then she seemed to go through a hungry stage and at one point did completely neck 7ozs and still seemed hungry - so I thought is she/isn't she still hungry and gave her another bottle - and then had another 5ozs - so I guessed time to wean her - has always slept through

As your babe is a bit younger - I personally would put off weaning and just put it down to a hungry stage - you may well find out next week that the babe isn't such a scoffer! HTH

Hmm, time will tell. Every feed except the 'melon-boob' 7am feed, he has cried at the end of it. Same thing happened yesterday. Ended up giving him 4oz formula at 7pm feed and last night because he wouldn't stop crying. Gave my boobs a good pump afterwards (none came out) to encourage them to produce more tomorrow. He cried twice in the night too for the first time in ages. Didn't want to wean early but he is on the 98th percentile for height and was in 6-9 month clothes at 3 months so he is a big boy!

He is now having his five normal boob feeds a day but yesterday I had to give him a 4 oz bottle after two feeds. Am still expressing 'air' after each feed to encourage extra milk production. Been to clinic today. He is 98th percentile for height and nearly 98th percentile for weight now. HV said to try him on baby rice. Might try it tomorrow at his 11 feed. He is 5 months in 10 days time so I guess I haven't done too badly for such a big chap.

He had 4oz formula following three feeds yesterday and wanted a bit more after one of those but I distracted him with a song! Am still pumping 'air' like mad following feeds to increase supply and my boobs were like melons this morning. Am going to wait until the weekend so that DP can share the mess of baby rice but by then it will have gone on for a week and a half so I reckon he is ready for some more grown up carbohydrate. Bit sad but in my heart I know he is ready. The guidelines for weaning are based on statistics. They can never be true for all babies and he is a bit of a freak in the height and weight department! LOL