Not having enough ounces

[Haily111]

Hello all. My dd has been feeding regularly for the last 4 weeks, the thing is she takes 4 feeds in a 24 hour period which actually works quite well. But she is 15 weeks old and 11lb3, but she only takes between 20 -24 ounces. now before i wasnt worried as she is still gaining weight normally, but i have just looked on her formula box and it says she is supposed to take 25 - 30 ounces?! I have upgraded to teat size two and she is taking milk better but not more ounces. Any advice? Or shouldnt i worry?

Thanks

The first HV I had (who was lovely) said ignore the advice given on the tins. Babies will only take as much as they want and as long they are putting on weight, healthy enough etc then that's all that matters.

HTH - congratulations btw [smile}

sorry

If you are worried try feeding her a little more frequently and getting a 5th bottle in. She may take more by doing little and more often ?

Mercy - thanks for the congrats That is what my HV said as well, but not sure when DD should take more

Lizs - I have tried this before, the thing is she sleeps from 10 at night until 7 in the morning, she has her first bottle between 7.30 & 8 and then she goes in four to four & a half hour batches, having her last bottle at 9ish (give or take an hour) when i have reduced the feeds she seems to completely miss the last feed and i have tried desperately to get it down her but she wont take it.

Have just joined today and think I have alerted mumsnet about the feeding habits of my baby boy! The message I wanted to post might help, I hope. Our son was going great guns with his feeds until they increased, and then he got bored after 3/4 ounces. The HV suggested changing the teats, which helped a little but increased his wind. I then realised that the formula was harder to dissolve the more ounces we made up as we were putting boiled water in the fridge first, heating it and then adding the powder. The undissolved powder was blocking the teat, making our baby tired by 3/4 ounces and affecting his toileting. I changed him to cartons for a couple of days and his ounces increased straight away. I now mix his powder (it's cheaper) with boiling water and cool it under the tap. If he starts to fall asleep, I change positions with him and always change him half way through to give him a break. The HV said feeds should last twenty minutes, but it can take my baby the full hour sometimes to have enough, but at least I know he is having enough. I know it sounds stupid not to dissolve the formula properly - but most of the time we thought we had and then it would settle in the bottle, by which time, we were feeding. My mom also told me to stop talking to little lun during the feed and only when I was winding him so that I would not distract him - first time mom, can't help but distract him!!

We were on 4 feeds at 15 weeks.

no 1 at 7ish
no 2 at 10.30ish
no3 at 2.30ish
and the last one at 6.30ish when she went to bed

I don't know if that is any help and as previous post forget what they say on the tin, if she is happy and gaining weight.

Emstomot, don't worry , we all make get it wrong from time to time - particularly with the first child - and the second one . btw, I don't think talking to your baby distracts them from feeding. In fact I would say most people do it. Do what you feel happy with, and if that means chatting then keep on chatting.

Haily, your dd is letting you know how much she wants and how often she needs to be fed. She will let you know all about it if she is hungry! (which no doubt has happened many times already!)

hth and good luck

Thanks Mercy. Just a quick question - if your baby starts being restless and crying two hours after starting the last feed - would you offer water or more milk?
Also, the tuppence is constantly sucking his fists/thumb/toys and whoevers shoulder he happens to upon - does this indicate teething even though he is only eleven weeks old?

Haily111, I wouldn't worry at all about what it says on the tin. If your baby is happy and contented and sleeping well then she's definitely having enough formula. I remember panicking about how much ds was drinking because he had FAR more than the tin suggested. My friend's dd otoh, used to drink about 15 oz a day and thrived perfectly well on it, stayed on her centile line, was happy, slept well etc so be led by your baby and you'll both be fine .

EmsTomot, I'm no expert btw

But I would def offer milk again, not water. 11 weeks is still very young and they still need frequent feeding. Seems a bit early for teething but he probably just likes the comfort of sucking/chewing. Would you consider a dummy for a bit?

Thanks again for all the comments, it has put my mind at rest. Can i just ask something else tho? My dd is on the tommee tippee bottles (closer to nature) recemt;y she seems to after a couple of ounces have the teat right at the front of the mouth, ie chewing on it with her gums, is there any way i can stop this and is this a sign of teething?

Thanks again

Haily, our little one does exactly the same thing - he is forever pushing the teat out of his mouth with his tongue or ruins the shape with his gums. I am sure he is teething as chews about anything he can get his hands on - mother in law thinks the teeth are coming into his gums (first baby, no clue whether to listen to her or not) I just give him a five minute break but find that every time I put the bottle back in his mouth, I really have to build it up saying "ready, ready....go!" He responds to this but somedays I feel I have made a rod for my own back turning meal times into a game!

Mercy, thanks for the advice - he is drinking very well and his weight is increasing - everyone calls him chunky! I will offer milk next time just to see if he is hungry or thirsty, perhaps will be able to tell by how much he takes. He has a dummy, often spits it out or gags on it - not a fan, which I am quite happy about because I don't really like them - however, it is a God send when he is over tired and he does use it as a comforter.

just to say my first 8 months with my baby were ruined by my obession with how many or how few ounces of formula she drank. i even gave up breast feeding at 10 weeks because i hate dthe fact that she seemed to be taking in less that 'normal' baboes. my dd never lost weight, despite sometimes only having 2-3 ozs per feed, she is now a healthy 14 month old. can be a PITA to feed (on solids now of course) but thriving, healthy and very active. He genetic makeup obviously mean't that she didn't need as many calories so thrive as some other babies. she now eats about average and enjoys food. she still has milk too.

i was told time and time agin, to just enjoy her, but when i saw babies half her age guzzling double the amount of milk and crying for more, it used to break my heart. i used to stay awake with worry. if she was ill, it was a nightmare, intake was hardly anything and would just keep her hydrated with water untill she accepted milk again.
I tried adding things to the milk for flavour (no avail), all different formula's, timings, positions, cold, milk, warm milk, teats etc.
i agree that ready made went down better and MAM teats fast flow worked a little better too (BTW...i put them on any bottle and they fit)

but on the whole she never had more than 5 ozs per feed till she was 10 months! and i only recall her having more than 25 ozs a day once or twice.

learn from me please. enjoy your baby. the guidelines are just that, guidelines. we all eat different amounts as adults and i think this just shows from early on.

I think I am a real worrier so my experiences won't be the norm, but take from it what you will. good luck

Thank you so much for the last couple of posts. You have really made me feel better. I agree that nowadays i think we do worry too much about how much they take. Thank you so much x x

Forevermore - I write down all of TD's feeds because I am so worried he is not feeding. I failed to breast feed despite being in hospital for five days trying and trying harder at home, it wasn't until he became shaky with hunger that I put him straight onto formula - the pressure to breast feed is immense. I think you are right though, it would be lovely to relax and enjoy the feeds, I am sure TD knows if I am anxious and he is thriving, I know if he is unwell or unhappy. Will try to trust my gut more. Thank you