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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

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Original poster

Is it possible to overfeed a 10 week old? (Formula and BF)

15 replies

Enthusia · 16/01/2006 18:59

I exclusively BF my son for 4 weeks. In this time he found it harder and harder to settle and I ended uo feeding for 45mins from each breast with an hour inbetween feeds. I then got cracked nipples and then mastitis and decided to top up with formula. This was brlliant and worked a treat. My son then went 3 hours between feeds, was contented and slept through the night. A right happy chappy.

In terms of weight, he never lost any of his birth weight and gained weight very well on my breast milk. Since I have been formula feeding as well as bf he has been gaining weight rather too well according to the HV.

I bf for about 10 mins and then give 5floz of formula. I do this 6 times a day. My son now weighs 14lbs as is on the 91st percentile.

However my son is now getting hungrier but the HV says he is putting on too much weight and we may have to restrict his food.

Today I tried not BF and just giving the hv's recommended amount of formula and he will not settle and is doing the hunger cry - very shrill wa wa wa. When I do eventually feed him he gulps the food down in about 7 mins flat, sicks none up and then about an hour later seems hungry. He was not doing this when I was BF as well.

The HV is coming tomorrow to, as she put it, sort out this problem. I really don't want to restrict my son's food, especially when he seems hungry, gulps it down and does not bring any back up.

What I want to know is am I really overfeeding my son? Is this possible? Will he eat more than he needs?

Please help, any comments welcome

OP posts:

colditz · 16/01/2006 19:04

I am convinced that if you are stopping feeds when your son is wanting to stop them, you cannot be overfeeding him.

Your HV sounds like a blithering idiot, going on about restricting a baby's milk.

There is nothing wrong with being on the 91st percentile, someone has to be, for goodness sake!

I would ask for a second opinion if she suggests restricting feeds. Ask to be referred to a peadiatric dietician!

Original poster

Enthusia · 16/01/2006 19:10

Thanks colditz, that has made me feel better, esp your description of my HV. It is just getting to me now as it is all they talk about everytime I go. I think their problem with the percentile thing is that he went from the 50th at birth to the 91st now. But his head circumference is also on the 91st and his length above the 75th!

OP posts:

bobbybobbobbingalong · 16/01/2006 19:12

Personally I think your baby wouldn't settle because he was missing the breast - not just the nutrition but the comfort.

If you were solely breastfeeding your HV would have no idea what was going in and would probably be congratualating you on having amazing breastmilk. Feeding him when he is hungry is a good idea - restricting food at this age is simply ridiculous, unless on much more qualified advice than a HV.

Ignore her - you don't have to let her in.

colditz · 16/01/2006 19:13

Oh FGS! Don't listen to them any more. If they mention it again, insist on being referred to a pead and a dietician and a Gp. All these people will tell your stupid HV to shut her mouth and stop being so bloody ridiculous, and hopefully discipline her for not knowing what she is talking about.

From the stats you've given me, your baby sounds fine and dandy.

You know, you never have to see your HV if you don't want to. Just say you are not making inother appointment, but she is welcome to refer you to the above professionals if she feels it necessary, and you will go to see them.

Original poster

Enthusia · 16/01/2006 20:30

bump

OP posts:

mummytosteven · 16/01/2006 20:33

I really don't think that a baby of 10 weeks has strong enough tummy muscles to keep down any excess milk.

MuddlingThru · 16/01/2006 20:38

Ignore the health visitor - unless of course she is volunteering to spend the day with your unhappy little one, bet she would change her tune then. Some one has to be on the 91st centile - well actually some have to be above it, like my ds who is nearly on the 99.6th centile, but then his height is above the 99.6th centile!

hermykne · 16/01/2006 20:38

enthusia why did u try not to breastfeed?
have u stopped?
listen sweetheart, babies love to be comforted and esp at 10wks they want you or dad, skin to skin, you will know when he is hungry and when he wants comfort, just relax into his rhythm.

remember a babys tummy is very small, formula is much harder to digest than breastmilk. his crying may not be hunger but comfort or a wee ache.

colditz · 16/01/2006 20:40

Don't allow your hv to talk you into restricting his feeds unless she has the backup of a qualified peadiatric dietician.

I honestly think she is talking crud.

lisafredsandcesca · 16/01/2006 22:29

Just to reassure you, both my daughters were born at identical weights on the 50% line, but then went on almost vertical growth spurts into the shaded bit beyond the 98% point and were double their birht weight within 10 weeks! That was on exclusively BF. DD1 has just turned 3 and is still gorgeously tall, but slimmed right down - although she's still on the 91st line or thereabouts!!! Like everyone says, someone has to be at the top end of these charts - and DS1 has only had one day off nursery in 2.5 years, so being big has hardly adversely affected her health!

Original poster

Enthusia · 17/01/2006 07:43

Thank you for all your posts.

I stopped bf becuase the hv said that it was hard to tell how much my lo was getting with breast milk and formula and that he was probably taking too much from me, and then overeating on formula afterwards. I also thought my milk had dried up as my lo was headbutting me and getting agitated after about 7 gulps. However last night I though sod it, I was leaking breast milk after a day of not feeding (not drying up then) so I expressed then fed him by breast at the 9 feed, then the 3 floz of expressed breast milk I got from earlier and then a 6floz bottle. He was soooooooooo pleased as he had been screaming for about an hour, and it was def a hunger scream. Well after about 5floz of formula he decided he had had enough, pushed out the bottle and was very content, for the first time yesterday!!!!!! He then slept through the night until 7 this morning.

Am going to say all this to the hv and see what she says, but there is no way I will restrict food without more medical backup.

Thank you all once again. Will let you know how I got on. She is coming at 2.

OP posts:

colditz · 17/01/2006 10:34

Please don't listen to another word your HV says, to try to convince a woman to stop breastfeeding her baby, who is gaining well, so she can see how much baby is drinking (!) has convinced me further that the woman is an idiot.

No effing way will a breast fed baby "take too much" breastmilk, I don't think that is physically possible.

I'll remind you again, you don't have to see her.

Squarer · 17/01/2006 10:54

Please don't listen to another word your HV says. What a nightmare.

Do what you know is right for you and your baby - your HV has proved she hasn't got a clue about what that is.

Good luck fending her off this afternoon - you have a whole mumsnet army behind you!

colditz · 17/01/2006 10:58

if you were happty with what you were doing before, go back to doing it.

And remember the magic word that HV's don't like, 'referral'. It makes them think twice about what they are going on about, because they know they will soon be challanged by someone with more authority.

colditz · 18/01/2006 10:02

How did it go Enthusia?

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