Bottle Feeding 10 week old - how much, how often??? ADVICE PLEASE

[looneytune]

Hi

I'm a childminder and look after a now 10 week old baby 3 days a week. I'm not very good with my bottle feeding knowledge of this age as this is youngest baby I've started with (had since was about 7 weeks old) and I breast fed for first 7 months so don't know how much my ds was taking.

So, if you have baby this age (or remember when they were this age) and are bottle feeding, would you mind sharing how often you feed them and how much they have each time?

I'm fully aware all babies are different but I want to see how different they can be iykwim. Baby seems to be suffering with wind (lots of bringing legs up and not getting wind up) and I'm wondering if SOMETIMES it's more a comfort feed she's wanting Mum wants me to feed as often and as much as baby wants but she's quite often sick and there is such thing as TOO much feeding isn't there?

Speaking of which, she wants another bottle so best go but grateful for any advice.

Thanks

Mine is nearly 13 weeks and about a week ago we moved her to a semi-structured 5 feeds a day, total about 800ml. Feeds are at 6am, 9.30, 2, 6, 11pm

Before this she was having 6 feeds a day and taking up to 900ml, about every 3-4 hours in the day, one feed c. 5am.

Have NO IDEA whether any of this was/is good/bad/child abuse

my ds was on about that at 10 weeks, so if you're doing a bad job then so was i

Thanks. Just re-read my post and can see it looks like I'm having a go, promise I wasn't, was a very rushed post!

It was just something someone said to me about how much she's being sick and was saying that it's probably too much milk for her tiny tummy (was 4 weeks prem) and I was just after advice. Not at all meaning to sound critical of the mother. It's just very hard when baby looks in so much pain with the legs up etc. and I can't get the wind up properly (mum struggles too).

Anyway, thanks for the info, very helpful

No, you are NOT bad or a child abuser!

You didn't seem critical at all! I just genuinely have no idea. Baby books are either 'give them a routine' or 'listen to baby', I have no idea which is right. Mine throws up constantly, but we've been told this isn't a problem as she's such a healthy little fatty, and that when she takes a lot in it's because she's making up for the fact that she throws up no matter how much she takes - even 3oz/80mls ish. Apparently I did this when I was a baby.

Mine was also doing the legs up colicy thing a bit ago but has stopped now, and only does it when she really needs a poo.

Mine up until about 12 weeks was taking anything from 3 to 7 oz a feed and about 6 feeds a day - one being through the night - i was trying the structured feed thing but feeding times were a nightmare with him writhing, refusing and screaming and then a nice bit of sick sometimes, i sacked tryign this routine melarky and went back to basics of demand feeding and now he has a canny 5 feeds a day when he wants them (3-4 hrly) and takes between 5 and 7 - hes so much happier, less cranky and windy and even sleeps 13 hrs at night. No help i know probs but it just feels soooooooooo good.

What about a slower teat? It will draw the experience outt for him, providing more comfort and stop it hitting his stomach so fast.

For a very rough guide the back of the formula carton gives an idea of how many feeds and of how much they can have at what age. It is very rough though as all babies are obviously different but if you multiply the number of feeds by the amount it gives you some idea of overall amounts. The health visitor told me to take the baby's weight in pounds and half it and that was how many ounces to offer. At least it will give you a starting point.

For stomach ache you can use fennel tea in their bottles. Make weak fennel tea and put a few drops in with the milk. Worked a treat for my dd. You only need homeopathic amounts and if the milk looks a bit curdled you can use less next time. Fennel is one of the few herbs with no known sides effects and I even had two hvs say it was ok!! Not that I was going to stop if they objected anyway!

Wow really? I have fennel tea in abundance for attempts to make me lactate more. I will try this.