Over feeding FF 5 week old?

[beckieperk]

Hi. I have a 5 week old baby boy who is now 11lb 4 oz (birth weight 8lb 10oz) and I am worried I could be over feeding him - or at least about to start....as I am unable to get him to sleep without a bottle. He is taking between 75 and 150 ml about 8 times a day which normally adds up to about 900 ml in a 24hr period. I asked my HV and she said that the baby would let me know if he was hungry and to be lead by him. I am just concerned that if he continues to feed at this rate he will need solids way too soon as he will not be satisfied by milk alone.
He is a poor sleeper in the day and is quite restless between feeds, he sleeps for about 30 mins and when he wakes he displays all the signs of hunger more or less straight away most times. I attempt to pacify him and also get him back to sleep - but it doesn't always work.
Any idea if I should and if so how I can stop the cycle?

my dd fed alot like this at times. It could be a growth spurt. I would advise going with it. Unless your ds is sick alot afterwards then he is taking what he needs. IMy dd liked being fed to sleep too and still does for nighttime but has grown out of it for other feeds.
I tried Tracy Hogg's EASY rotine, EAst, activity, sleep, you time to break the cycle in the day which did work and also gives a loose kind of structure to the day. Good luck and try not to worry xxx

so is he feeding around 3 hourly then? If he is then that is normal for a baby of his age. He could also be having a growth spurt and the feeding should calm down again. The rule of thumb is to give 2.5oz per lb of body weight which would work out as around 27.5oz (11lbs x 2.5oz) per day which is roughly 825mls in 24 hours so your lo is taking just a couple of ounces more than that. (it gives a rough figure and some babies will take more or less than calculated). I dont think you are overfeeding if you are feeding on demand and not trying to force him to take the whole bottle even if he doesnt seem to want it.

If he likes to suck to sleep have you given him a dummy?

My 5 and half week old was born 8.8 and weighed at 11.5 last Tuesday, he has been on FF just over a week (was combination before that). He was on 4oz on demand and top ups when on combi. Since FF he was on 5oz for a week 4 hourly apart from overnight where he does a 6hr min stretch now he's on 6 oz. Overall 5 (sometimes 6 if particularly grisly) 6oz bottles a day. I try to be strict to a 'routine' but it's hard when he's screaming and clearly hungry so occasionally I'll offer a bottle in between With regular weigh ins, I'm sure your health visitor will tell you if the weight gain is too much, other than that I would be glad of a healthy happy baby!

We give Jay a dummy as well as he does love to suck. I found this to be a lifesaver as I'm sure sometimes he just thinks he's hungry! Was recommended the cherry soothers for 3+ by the HV as he was bf and needed a bigger dummy because of this.