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Infant feeding

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

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Original poster

Newborn drinking expressed milk too quickly

14 replies

sarahb083 · 05/02/2021 16:29

I've started expressing once per day so that my husband can feed the baby one feed overnight and I can get a longer stretch of sleep. We tried for the first time last night and she guzzled the whole bottle down in less than a minute, and immediately wanted more. We're using the lowest flow Medela bottle and he's keeping the bottle nearly horizontal to slow her down. Is there anything we can do? I think there was enough milk in the bottle, but she drank it so fast that she didn't realise she was full.

OP posts:

dementedpixie · 05/02/2021 16:30

How much was in the bottle?

CovidCakeConundrum · 05/02/2021 16:30

How old is she and how much milk?

Respectabitch · 05/02/2021 16:33

Are you doing paced bottle feeding?kellymom.com/bf/pumpingmoms/feeding-tools/bottle-feeding/

If it's the Medela bottle that's supposed to replicate breastfeeding i.e. be slower, it actually delivers milk very fast if the baby has a strong suck (like mine did). Switch to a different bottle with a standard slow flow teat.

Original poster

sarahb083 · 05/02/2021 16:35

Thanks for the replies. She's one week and there was about 1.5oz in the bottle. Is that enough?

Its not the Medela calma (I think that's the one you mean @Respectabitch). I'll have a look at the Kellymom link

OP posts:

ivfbeenbusy · 05/02/2021 16:39

Try lying her on her side to feed like she would be if she was breastfeeding so mimicking the position - if you are holding her face up with the bottle in her face then gravity is going to cause her to gulp it down. My twins have been in NICU/SCBU for 2 weeks and side feeding is how they bottle feed in there

dementedpixie · 05/02/2021 16:39

That's not really a large amount of milk. Maybe offer more than that

Respectabitch · 05/02/2021 16:39

If it is a slow flow teat, the baby can't drink it fast if you don't deliver it fast - just tilt it to let a little through at a time then pause, maybe even stop to wind just as you'd stop to change breasts when breastfeeding.

That doesn't seem like very much milk though. What you're getting out in one pumping session is potentially much less than the baby is getting in one feeding session. Most people's breasts respond much better to a baby than a pump.

Harrysmummy246 · 11/02/2021 16:39

@dementedpixie

That's not really a large amount of milk. Maybe offer more than that

It's a very normal amount for a BF one week old.....

dementedpixie · 11/02/2021 16:43

But they drank it all and we're looking for more so maybe they need to offer more. I'm not the only person that said it wasn't a lot of milk

Harrysmummy246 · 11/02/2021 18:45

Very common with BF babies and expressed milk however much you give them.... Volume suggested for BF per hour is about that......

And this baby is a week old their stomach really won't have more room than that.

They were probably rooting for the comfort/ stimulation sucking that comes at the end of a feed

@sarahb083 It's really not recommended to express/ bottle feed this early so that BF can establish properly and so you don't end up with oversupply or mastitis

I really do remember the sleep deprivation- it's better, right now, to try and have DH bring baby for the feed then take them away to wind/ joggle/ cuddle/ skin to skin etc.

Feeding is not yet established nor is your supply.

HelloThereMeHearties · 11/02/2021 18:48

*@sarahb083 It's really not recommended to express/ bottle feed this early so that BF can establish properly and so you don't end up with oversupply or mastitis

I really do remember the sleep deprivation- it's better, right now, to try and have DH bring baby for the feed then take them away to wind/ joggle/ cuddle/ skin to skin etc.

Feeding is not yet established nor is your supply*

I was going to say this too. Your boobs may also not thank you if you're going for too long a stretch without feeding. They'll be like rocks!

HelloThereMeHearties · 11/02/2021 18:49

Just live with the disturbed sleep for a while. Your baby will also get early growth spurts, and their sucking then increases your supply. That will be messed up if you're already expressing.

InkieNecro · 11/02/2021 19:01

It's well known that if you offer a breastfed baby a bottle they will usually drink the whole lot and look for more. It doesn't mean they aren't eating enough, bottles are just easier to get food from. That's why health visitors say that you can't overfeed a breastfed baby (although my youngest used to feed so much he was sick and then get more, so I guess not always correct).

She is probably looking for comfort, as long as she isn't screaming her head off after then she's probably fine. Just keep an eye on nappies and weigh her regularly. I'm assuming you can't go to weigh in clinics much right now, so just weigh her on the kitchen scales for a bit.

Harrysmummy246 · 11/02/2021 19:40

[quote HelloThereMeHearties]*@sarahb083 It's really not recommended to express/ bottle feed this early so that BF can establish properly and so you don't end up with oversupply or mastitis

I really do remember the sleep deprivation- it's better, right now, to try and have DH bring baby for the feed then take them away to wind/ joggle/ cuddle/ skin to skin etc.

Feeding is not yet established nor is your supply*

I was going to say this too. Your boobs may also not thank you if you're going for too long a stretch without feeding. They'll be like rocks![/quote]
oh god, yeah, the one night we tried with DS having expressed overnight all night even though he was a bit older (but not much more as he started refusing bottles at night by 4 mo)

The most hellish blocked duct that was actually downright painful/ bruised feeling for a day or so.

It's also really important to feed overnight, it alters hormones that promote milk production.

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