How much does 8week old eat?

[Kirstylvsya]

Just that really, how many oz does/did your 8 week old eat? In one feeding and also in 24 hours?

I have a great sleeping 8 week old (long may it last) who was born big due to diabeties and now is dropping centiles (still 75tg) and I'm wondering should I wake more to feed or is she having enough and it's it's just catch down growth.

Doesn't it go on weight rather than age @Kirstylvsya?

@CadyEastman I've no idea, different places say different things 😫

I'd never wake a sleeping baby.
If your baby was full term and healthy, I'd be guided by how much satisfies him or her.
Babies born big due to maternal diabetes always slow down in weight gain. That's normal.

What does your baby weigh now and how much is he or she drinking a day? Remember that this is the time they naturally start to sleep longer at night. You need to encourage that.

Definitely goes if weight rather than age as their sizes can vary so much.

So you're looking at 2.5 floz per day per pound in weight so a 10lb baby will need roughly 25 Floz a day.

It's 180ml/kg per day.
So a baby weighing 4kg needs 720ml per day.
That can be divided into 6 bottles a day of about 120ml each.
Or 5 bottles a day of 144ml.

@TheShellBeach 3 weeks early and perfectly healthy apart from slow weight gain. She lost at the start and is now roughly 11lb 4oz.

@TheShellBeach she's having roughly 18-20oz a day todays been 20 and that's a good day, I cannot force her to eat when she dosnt want to, I make 5oz bottles some times she takes the lot mostly 4oz.

@CadyEastman see this is what confuses me, both the estimates above are different. The milk tin says roughly 20oz though didn't know her weight. The GP who does know her weight 5.2kg says 18oz!!

Is she gaining weight, sleeping well and having six wet nappies a day?

That's really the best yardstick.

@TheShellBeach this is the thing, the never gained an oz from last week to this which had lead the HV "flagging" it.

She's having loads of heavy wet nappies, dirty once a day, sleeps brilliant, so content.

Going by your Ml estimate she should be on 30oz a day!!

Her longest sleeps are last bottle around 7pm asleep 8-2/3am bottle and sleep 8/9am I really don't want to disturb her but feel like I should get more milk in her to get HV's happy!

I'd ignore the HV.
They're very unrealistic.
Your baby sounds fine to me.

You're right. You can't force your baby to drink more!

@TheShellBeach thank you, wish I didn't see the HV to be honest they give me anxiety.

Bah. I had four babies and always avoided HVs like the plague. You don't HAVE to go and see them.

Go by your baby's sleep, wet nappies and demeanour. And your GP said 18oz/day, which your baby has.

Babies will let you know when they're hungry and eat how much they like. My 2nd was born 8lb 1oz at 41+6. By 2 months he was down at the 20th percentile which was in line with my first baby too. He slept through from 10pm-7am from 3 weeks old. The HV told me he should be having 28-32oz a day, this was never going to happen, I just nodded along and said I'd offer and see. He's now 13 months old and still tiny (comfortably in 9-12 month clothing) but LOVES his food, eats more than his 5 year old brother🤣.

@TheShellBeach they come to me which makes it worse, I won't be having any more appointments and I'll not be opening the door if they appear 🤣

@SpruceMoose yes I agree, it's all common sense and believe it or not I do have another child (9 years old) so have forgot a lot but this girl is a much wanted 9year in the making precious baby and my anxiety levels are through the roof as it is 🤣

Honestly. They're useless. I breastfed all of mine and the HV with the third baby arrived at our house with a load of leaflets about bottle feeding.

You couldn't make it up!

I understand and the HV do make you panic even though you know everything is fine. Tbh I found that if I tried to give my baby more it ended up with some mild bottle rejection which I then causes more issues. Follow your mum gut and I'm sure everything will be fine.

I had my first abroad so they whole HV thing was new to me with my 2nd. With my first I left the hosptial, had a check up at 2 weeks then only when he had his vaccines (different schedule to here and not as frequent).