Been told we are overfeeding - anyone else had this?

[Pea2019]

Hi
We were at the hospital today with our 4 week old baby as he has a viral infection. While we were there we discussed his ‘reflux’. It turns out it’s not reflux, they said he is being over fed. This really surprised us as we told the community midwife and Healthworker how much he was drinking and they just said he was a hungry baby.

We also learnt at our antenatal class to feed on demand and notice their hungry cues (eating their hands). He has therefore been having 4oz every 2 hours, although he does occasionally leave an Oz, and he brings a lot of it up which we now know is due to overfeeding, not reflux.

I found this website and it’s really useful www.babycareadvice.com/article/detail/Is_baby_overfeeding= But i just wondered if anyone else has experienced this and how you reduced their food?

We have been given a food plan and have been told to feed 2.5oz every 3 hours, which is a massive difference. We asked how we can sooth him when he expects more food and they said to use a dummy or walk him about in a car seat. Has anyone got any other tips?

We feel awful!

Funnily he isn’t a fan of sleeping during the day (unless it’s on me!) as soon as i put him down he will cry.

This is completely normal for a 4 week old. Newborns like to be close to you and are used to a heartbeat or movement, hence the need for cuddles or the car/buggy.

I would work on getting regular naps in the day by any means and see if it helps with the cues. I see tired babies all the time that want to feed a lot as a way of getting to sleep. Trouble is once they get into over tired mode, the surge of cortisol in their bodies makes it more difficult to for them to fall asleep or stay asleep. You can then get stuck in this cycle of constant feeding and feeding cues.

The newborn days are really just about feeding, sleeping and nappies and it's not until around 12 weeks a of vague rhythm of this appears. Some will be earlier but lots aren't. You are essentially living your life in 1-2 hour cycles so getting anything done is almost impossible!

Just wanted to chime in with a resounding ‘yes yes yes’ to the previous 3 posts, especially MsMermaid’s which absolutely nails it. And also to give you a gentle hug as I well remember how utterly exhausting those early weeks are, and how everything can feel like a reflection on us as a mother (when it really really isnt). Be kind to yourself and bed down for these early weeks which are so fleeting and over in a flash. Google fourth trimester if you haven’t already and really try to remind yourself of the principles of it every day.