Hungry baby - first time Mum

[TysMum]

My boy is 6 weeks old and being breast fed. He feeds every two hours right through and sometimes struggles to wait that long. He is putting on 1 lb per week. We are giving him 1 bottle of formula per night to get him used to it (very unsucessful at expressing) He will only take about 2oz of this and often still wants the breast. Last night he fed for 1 hour, both breasts and was still creating for more food. How do I know I am producing enough milk for him?

Hi tysmum, 1lb a week is a fantastic weight gain, so you are definitely producing enough. From what I know, as long as you are letting him feed as often as he wants, your body will adapt and make more milk as he needs it, ie. the more he feeds, the more your body will make.
Don't worry, it sounds like you are doing fantastically!

Sounds as if you are doing really well and the weight gain is one indicator of this. tbh I'd forget the formula for the time being as 2oz formula really isn't enough to make it worthwhile, particularly if it seems like it is not satisfying him. At 6 weeks he is probably going through a growth spurt and this may calm down over the next week or so to a less frenetic feeding pattern. Many women don't even start expressing until 6 weeks or beyond so don't give up hope as this is self defeating. I'm sure Mears or other midwives/bfeeding counsellors on here can give you a few tips.

good luck

It is very unlikely that you won't have enough milk if you are drinking plenty and eating enough calories. It's also done on supply and demand so if he is feeding for an hour at a time that will stimulate even more milk. When babies are this young it is so hard to tell when they are hungry and when they're not but i would have said that after an hour of feeding if he is still looking around could it perhaps be a comfort thing? This might explain why he only takes 2oz from the bottle but is perhaps looking for the breast for the comfort that it provides.

Tysmum, you have enough milk by the sound of it...he wants the breast because it's a better experience for him, and he likes to be there rather than anywhere else.

Weight gain is not the be all and end all of health but blimey....a pound a week!!! That is one well-nourished and lucky baby!!

Teletubby - eating and drinking have very little to do with making milk. You only need to drink to thirst and eat to hunger and you'll be fine - even if you don't, you'll still make milk. It's only mothers who are chronically undernourished over years that may struggle a bit to feed exclusively for 6 mths.

I will die happy if I can scotch the myth that breastfeeding depends on things like mother's food, drink and rest - far, far ,more important are (as you say) effective and frequent feeding.

My baby is 6 weeks old. He is feeding every 2 hours. Initially, for 4 weeks I was breastfeeding him and he still appeared hungry all the time. since last 10 days we have started to give him formula feed- twice a day. I am also expressing milk and feed him with a bottle during the day. However, at nights, after his formula feed at 10 pm, he feeds on breast- two to three times. I have got 2 questions- is it normal for a 6 week old to feed every 2 hours or is my baby hungry? ( he takes 3-4 ozs or 100-120 mls in each feed). Secondly, how do I space out time between his feeds? Please help.

Takshu, your baby is normal. Giving formula will reduce your milk supply. Formula twice a day for a baby as young as this is likely to have an effect.....people do mix feed once breastfeeding is established, so maybe try it later if you want to give bottles. If expressing and giving by bottle means you are leaving several hours between the breasts being fed from/expressed, then this too will have a negative impact on your supply.

Once you get bf well-established and your baby on breastfeeding alone, you may find you can work towards spacing feeds out....but at 6 weeks, many babies feed often and many wake the same as your baby.

Hope this helps. Calling any of the breastfeeding lines will give you more information.

i agree with tiktok. breastmilk is a complete food and is all babies need for usually 6 months. giving formula or expressing too early will have a detrimental effect on the supply and demand. women have bf for thousands of years through war and famine. formula is a recent thing, cows milk is for cows. both my babies fed for long stretches, not just about food but sucking is also a comfort thing hence dummies.

i agree with tiktok. breastmilk is a complete food and is all babies need for usually 6 months. giving formula or expressing too early will have a detrimental effect on the supply and demand. women have bf for thousands of years through war and famine. formula is a recent thing, cows milk is for cows. both my babies fed for long stretches, not just about food but sucking is also a comfort thing hence dummies.

He's putting on 1 lb a week and you're worried??

Wow, wish I had your problem (-Z, mum to runts in spite of obvious abundant supply)

TysMum, I have two boys who both fed pretty much constantly for the first few weeks and both also put on a pound a week for a while. You definitely have enough milk for your son, of that there is little doubt. A pound a week is an excellent weight gain . The only thing I would suggest is that if you want to breastfeed for a while then don't bother with formula just yet as that may interfere with your supply. Is it the bottle, or formula you want to get him used to? I agree getting him used to a bottle is not such a bad idea - I have had problems with both my sons trying to get them onto a bottle at 5 months. Perhaps continue to try and express??

Weight gain is THE indicator that your child is getting enough food - and boy is your ds getting enough! Agree with everyone that it is comfort, which is no bad thing. Comfort and love are as important to a new baby as food itself. Sucking produces endorphins - the happy hormones - in babies and sucking on you is the best thing in the world for them - the ultimate pleasure & comfort. You are doing everything right and it will settle down eventually.

Takshu, agree with everyone else. Both of mine fed every 2-3 hours ish for 6 months, especially up to the three month mark. I never managed the spacing out of feeds thing (had lots of pressure to do it with dd and thought I 'should', encouraged to use notebook to note down times between feeds etc., just got on with it with ds and fed him when he wanted feeding and found this worked much better for me) Good luck.

Yes, I think, given the chance, my son fed every hour, for an hour at 6weeks! I only got to three hourly feeds when he was nearer 6months or more.

My dd fed on demand and it seemed like she was forever latched on. Didn't mind it so much then, her weight was bearable, couldn't think of it now at 20 lbs.

Don't worry about supply, the more he feeds the more you make and try not to space it out. His tummy is tiny so it won't take a lot.

I think you are he are doing well. If he is putting on weight and filling those nappies, life is good.

Thanks for all your advice and comments. It's reassuring to know that feeding every 2-3 hours is normal at this age.

If you want to carry on breastfeeding, try breastfeeding more often - every two hours during the day. Too many bottles at this early stage will affect your supply. Good luck.