Hungry Baby

[Sexonknackeredlegs]

Hi. My dd2 is 6 weeks , weighs 9 pounds 6 ounces and is formula fed - Aptamil First. She is already having 6 ounce bottles, 5 times in a 24 hour period which according to the tine is more than she should be having, although I appreciate the info on there is a guideline only. She drains them every time and cries out hungry afterwards. I don't want to increase the volume, and am therefore wondering about using Aptamil Extra which I understand is for hungry babies.

Has anyone had experience of using this?

I used it with my DS with no problems. I think they can become constipated so it might be worth introducing it gradually.

I bf until 18 weeks so I can't really advice you about how much your dd is drinking. Sorry!

why can't you increase volume, sounds like baby is still hungry? It might only be one more ounce and baby is full up, it seems to be a very fine line between starving and stuffed with babies! my LO fed way more than tin stated he should

It just seems going to 7 ounces is such a lot for her little body. I thought I would try the Aptamil Extra first and then if she was still starving, then increase the volume.

Does she cry for more after a good wind?

She does indeed UCM.

i know what you mean, had this exactly with ds, but when he had had enough he would stop feeding, if you over feed it may be sicked up. i swithced to hungry baby when time between feeds decreased darstically, hungry baby milk as far as i understand doesn't bring instant gratification as such, it is like regular milk, but takes longer to digest i think so babies feel fuller for longer. not sure for defo so check with some one who is sure!

That does seem an awful lot of milk for a 6 week old baby. I think you may have a digestion problem like reflux etc. Even if your baby isn't being sick, they can get heartburn.

I would talk to your gp or midwife.

The thing with 'hungry baby' milk is it's not actually more nourishing, it's just harder to digest so is meant to keep them full for longer.
If she really is hungry I'd just give her more of the normal stuff.

UCM, I am glad you mentioned reflux, as she has shown some signs. I have spoken to 2 GP's and because she is gaining weight and not vomiting, they won't do anything about it.

Walk in and demand Baby Gaviscon. Tomorrow.

get the reflux checked out, but don;t discount more of the first milk , if she is draining her bottles, she is hungry. sometimes, it is that simple and babies don;t always follow the average norm ! and she might be having a growth spurt...

Alternatively ask your Midwife to visit you, if she still is, because they can phone the surgery and ask for it to be prescribed. If not, take an emergency appt. and tell them that it's what you want. They will not refuse.

it might not be reflux, so why medicate until you know for sure?

Thanks ladies. My midwife is actually a very good friend of mine (have known each other for 10 years) so will chat to her about it. I really want to at least try the Infant Gaviscon.

why do you think she has reflux ? might simply be colic / wind or hunger

but certainly get her checked out and get a second opinion if neccesary

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i say this as when my baby was only 1 week old he screamed for an entire night after feeding and none of us slept, took him to GP in the mrning who said it was reflux and prescribed gaviscon, luckily midwife came round before i gave gaviscon and noted that LO had a tongue tie and was crying so much through hunger as he wasn't able to feed properly, once it was sotrted the crying after food stopped, reflux was wrongly diagnosed, baby was hungry!

The main things which make me wonder if she has mild reflux are- noisy swallowing of saliva, quite drooly, hiccups after most feeds, throwing herself backwards/arching.
I know it could be wind, but Infacol doesn't seem to help, even though we were advised by the GP to double the dose which we did.
I am grabbing st straws somewhat, but it would be good to try the Infant Gaviscon to either confirm it or rule it out iyswim.

5 feeds in 24 hours isnt that much really for the age of your lo. At that age (and pretty much up till ds was 16 weeks old) my ds was taking feeds 3 hourly in the day and at least one feed in the night - around 7 or even 8 feeds in 24 hours - they varied between 4 and 7 ounces.

If your lo is still hungry after a feed then give extra in the bottle. Hungry milk is supposed to be for when your lo is draining full bottles (8/9oz) every couple of hours as it can then help hold them off of weaning until they are old enough for it.

I have exact same problem. my 5 week old is having around 7 6oz bottles a day!! sometimes is hungry again after 2 hours. Also very windy, unsettled. drawing legs up, screwing up face and crying, arms and legs flailing about etc. Is never sick. I thought reflux was not being able to keep food down and bringing it back up again?
Interesting about tongue tie as I have just read another post which has lead me to believe this may be a problem in my lo.
Am just feeding her when she seems hungry at mo and her weight gain is fine so far but am getting a bit worried about amount she is having so was going to ask gp at 6 week check. Health visitor i saw last week was useless!
Good luck Sexon.

I read somewhere (can't remember where) that sometimes babies who seem to want more just have the urge to suck, rather than being starving, so it was recommended that if your baby seemed hungry, to try giving them a bottle of cooled boiled water. In this way you avoid over-feeding your lo, and he/she gets to suck contentedly for a bit longer. Worth a try?