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Infant feeding

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

Original poster

VERY hungry 4 week old - formula feeding - advice please

27 replies

wilkie50 · 10/02/2007 09:57

My 4 week old is a hungry little man. He has been taking 4oz bottles every three hours for the past five days or so and really downing every feed and then looking for more.

HV suggested I try him on a 5oz bottle at the beginning and end of the day which I did but he loved his 5oz bottles so much that he wants them at every feed which I have started doing but he STILL only just manages to go 4 hours between feeds (including nights) before he is screaming for more again!

I am using SMA Gold (if LTH about - I know you said you didn't rate it but I persevered as HV suggested I not swap brands). Could it be I need to use hungry baby milk OR a different brand? I just realy don't want to over feed him!!

I just don't see how he id ever going to sleep through (I'm not expecting him to just yet but was hoping so in the next few weeks as he does feed well) as he is never satisfied! Seriously debating giving him sausage and chips with his bottle

Ay advice greatly appreciated.

OP posts:
LIZS · 10/02/2007 10:03

3-4 hourly feeds sound normal to me for a 4 week old, his tummy is abotu the size of hios fist and needs replenishing often. Many , many babies however they are fed don't sleep through for several months or longer, sorry, but they change pattern very quickly as they grow so it tends to happen when you least expect it ! Stick with it , both you and he are doing fine

taylormama · 10/02/2007 10:05

my DS was feeding 2 hourly at 4 weeks so yours is doing really well. If he is draining his bottles then increase them ... wouldn't go for hungry baby milk yet IMHO. He will sleep though the night but he is a wee thing and needs to eat little and often. It will settle down - he is doing just fine.

lulumama · 10/02/2007 10:09

what taylormama says !! would not try hungry baby milk just yet...it can give them tummy ache

4 hours at this stage is fantastic !!!he is 4 weeks old!

hang on in there, he sounds like he is doing just fine x

WeaselMum · 10/02/2007 10:18

hate to say it - but I think this is totally normal - my ds was still on 3 hourly feeds at 16 weeks - admittedly he did have problems taking large feeds because of reflux but still! If he is draining 5oz feeds I would offer 6. Don't worry about overfeeding at this stage, I'm sure he won't be taking more than he needs (and if he does, he will bring it back up again!).

twelveyeargap · 10/02/2007 10:18

Agree with not using hungry baby formula and just feeding more often. My friend's baby was fine until she moved to this... Was satisfied with one bottle every however many hours but then creased with colic-type pain afterwards.

When she moved back to regular formula, but more often, he improved.

It's not so different, in that sense, to breast feeding really. If you bf then you just feed a hungry baby more often, even if s/he is permanently attached to your boob! HTH.

Original poster
wilkie50 · 10/02/2007 10:21

Ok doke - not bothered about him feeding four hourly (although it would be nice if he slept through ) just don't want to give im too much and make him a big fat baby unneccesarily. Sometimes I think he is just being greedy cos after some bottles he does bring up a fair bit.

OP posts:
lulumama · 10/02/2007 10:31

well, if he is going 4 hours already, he is doing brilliantly !! if you overfeed , he will throw up! as you have discovered, so he is not going to get fat! at this age, he needs to eat , sleep and have cuddles, jsut go with the flow!

Original poster
wilkie50 · 10/02/2007 10:34

Thanks Lulumama- [anxious first time mother emotion]

OP posts:
Twiglett · 10/02/2007 10:38

even a 2 year old will eat every 3 hours or so

I think maybe you need to get a grasp on the basics

it is normal for a baby to feed every 2 - 4 hours in the early weeks

many babies need to tank up in the late afternoon - evening and might feed more frequently

it doesn't matter if you increase his bottle again and again .. he'll stop drinking when he's full

you cannot overfeed a baby

do not start to think about him sleeping through yet .. yes there's a chance he might in the next couple of months .. but there's a stronger chance it will be over 6 months possibly even a year

lulumama · 10/02/2007 10:42

what size teats are you using?

i think that is a really good post twiglett....

Original poster
wilkie50 · 10/02/2007 10:47

Lulumama/Twiglett

Am using Avent 1 hole teats.

Sleeping through - my twwo BF's LO's were sleeping through at 5 and 6 weeks respectively - I know I sound naive but I've been thinking mine will do the same although I have a DS and theirs are DDs. Are boys hungrier?

OP posts:
Twiglett · 10/02/2007 11:34

no I don't think boys are hungrier .. certainly dd eats more than ds .. but I do think all babies are different ..

some parents seem to see things like sleeping through as a competitive sport .. it doesn't really matter when they sleep through .. of course its the benefit of perspective that tells me that .. I think if I was back there I'd be anxious too ..

if it helps DS was sleeping through at 4 months and DD not till 11 months

Twiglett · 10/02/2007 11:36

I also think I never used 1 hole .. I used variable flow teats .. seemed to make sense to me as the milk comes out dependent on the suck rather than slowed down by the teat .. might be worth a try

lulumama · 10/02/2007 11:40

it is each individual baby , rather than gender, i think that makes the difference

i would also try the variflow teats....
.

taylormama · 10/02/2007 12:02

split feed before bath and bed works a treat:
feed, bath, feed and bed - tanks them up and a dreamfeed at 10.30 pm.
I still split feed my 8 month old although he doesn't drink so much at this time any more.

Sheraz · 10/02/2007 12:07

Agree, hungry baby milk made my two constipated. I remeber trying all the brands, different teats - nightmare. I would give baby as much milk as he will take. babies won't overeat.

Original poster
wilkie50 · 10/02/2007 12:14

The teats don't seem to be the problem - it is just the sheer hunger that concerns me. Sometimes it just feels like all he does is eat.

Taylormama - will try split feed. How does it work though, I mean, what does it actually do?

(these times variable) Usually bath around 8pm, feed 8.30pm, feed 12.30am, 4.30pm etc unless he is really hungry and screaming then I feed him a bit sooner iykwim.

He constantly 'roots' for food - even an hour and half after feeding.

OP posts:
lulumama · 10/02/2007 12:15

wilkie...that is what babies do! honestly...maybe feed little and often , just go with the flow and just let him guide you...

3andnomore · 10/02/2007 12:35

is it hunger though, or the need for sucking?
Does your lil one take a dummy or suck his thumb?
Sucking is what Babys do for comfort as much as to get food, iykwim.

Nellycake · 10/02/2007 12:47

We went through a spell with our lo when she appeared to want feeding every hour or so - turned out she just wanted to suck. We gave her a dummy and bingo, we went back to normal with her feeding. She only used her dummy for around 8 weeks.

awsome · 10/02/2007 12:59

my ds 3mth takes six 6 oz feeds in a day but sleeps all night and has done for a while i just fed him when he wanted and as much as he wanted and he is not chubby

Original poster
wilkie50 · 10/02/2007 13:46

No, he's definately hungry. He has a dummy but he's not that bothered by it, I give it to him to try and make him go a bit longer and he does take it but soon gets bored and wants food.

OP posts:
liquidclocks · 10/02/2007 13:53

DS1 took 5oz every 3-4 hrs at this age - his only longer sleep was 3am - 7am ish at night and that was just luck that it fell at the right time for us.

Don't even get thinking about him sleeping through just yet - you'll only get frustrated.

Agree with all other posters, you can't feed him too much at this age - as much as he like every 3-4 hours - he's growing fast and needs the energy!

You can expect him to take even morein a few weeks when he has the 6 week growth spurt. DS2 suddenly jumped from 4oz bottles to 7oz!

LadyTophamHatt · 10/02/2007 14:28

What you mean you asked about SMA and didn't take my advice??
I'm outraged!!

DS4 is a hungry boy too, he'll be 4 weeks on tuesday and has been on 5oz bottles for about 2 weeks, if it's breast milk he'll drink 6oz easily!

I haven't reda the thread but I'm not expecting DS4 to go through the night for a good while yet, I'll be shocked if he does before he's 10 weeks TBH.

I'd avoid the hungry baby milk though, it's whey based, IIRC, actually it might be the other way around and the first milk is whey based, anyway it gives them belly ache so you'll have a upset and hungry little man.

Original poster
wilkie50 · 10/02/2007 17:33

Typical - he must have known I have posted today - LO is only taking 4oz bottles today

Thanks for all of the advice - I just thought 5oz seemed a lot for 4 weeks but clearly not.

OP posts: