Feel like baby is eating far too much but she asks for it - some assurance please

[Motherof1and2dogs]

Me and my husband are starting to worry if our baby is eating too much. We are documenting every feed just so we can keep track of it and it seems she is eating way more than recommended.

We have decided on combination feeding as this helps with the shared responsibility and just more flexible. I wanted to breast feed but I just don’t think I can do it :( she never seems satisfied. So below it how much and when she fed:

22:46 - 40ml from bottle

23:49 - Breast for 10 minutes
00:05 - Breast for about 5 minutes, didn’t suck for long, seemed more for comfort
01:03 - 40ml from bottle
04:08 - 50ml from bottle (husband took over at this stage)
05:47 - 40ml

I feel the frequency is normal as I have read about cluster feeds at night but I am concerned with the amount she seems to have with each feed, but if we stop at 20/30ml she is still hunting for more.

Just wanted to see if the above is ok, I feel like we are failing a bit or getting it all wrong and just feel a bit all over the place with it. It is 7am now, I am expecting her to be awake around 8am as it seems to be every 2 hours, but no doubt she will want more than the recommended amount which is 20-30ml.

She's three days old. Unless you are forcibly holding a teat in her mouth for long periods, she won't over feed, and also if she did have more than she needed she just wee more. I am also questioning why you are combination feeding? Would she not take more from the breast? Are there times when someone else needs to feed her? Not that you are wrong to combination feed at all, it is just most normal when there is a reason that not enough breast milk can be given... but it doesn't sound like you have that issue.

Might be a bit controversial but good food habits start early. Breastfeed on demand so baby can build your supply. She will stop when she's had enough and take more when she needs. Dont even think of trying to control how much she takes, trust the baby.
This goes for weaning too. Offer healthy options and let child decide what and how much. Dont disrupt the natural hunger/ satiety instincts.
The only thing you need to check for is plenty of wet nappies.
You can't overfeed a breastfed baby.

If this level of anxiety continues please talk to your midwife/health visitor. Your hormones are all over the place post birth.

Your babies only job at the minute is to feed to get your milk to come in. Formula is distrupting that. They only need colostrum the first few days, they don't need milk.

If you want to breastfeed, sack off the formula for now.

if you want to combine breast and bottle in my experience it’s better to introduce the bottles a bit later once breast feeding is established. At three days your milk is only just coming in, drink loads yourself (because feeding and the heat will be very dehydrating) and sit down resting as much as possible. Feed on demand and I introduce bottles at about 6 weeks.

My ds wanted more than the recommended, I just gave it to him.
Guidelines are the average not a one size fits all, follow your baby's lead.
My ds is 5 now and well within the healthy weight range.

Relax OP, kick back and put baby to the breast whenever they want to. You can start the combination feeding when your supply is established otherwise you're going to run in to issues.

Google and see if there is a breastfeeding cafe or IBCLC drop in near you. They are SO helpful. Or if you can afford it you could get an IBCLC to come and do a session with you at home. It will be the best money you ever spend.

(International board certified lactation consultant)

I would say the frequency is low. I bf at that age and old to feed every 2 hours from the start of each feed until they regained their birth weight. So if they start feeding at 6 and stopped 6.45 then start the next feed at 8.

Those bf are very short and at 3 days old she needs to be bf more if your plan is to establish your milk supply. You may want to move soon to eff which is fine but if you want to bf then she probably needs to feed more.

At three days she hasn’t even been having proper milk - it’s colostrum and she’s just getting established and stimulating your supply. Have no midwives/health visitors discussed this with you (it’s been a long time since mine were babies so no idea how things are done nowadays). Please relax and let your baby feed when she wants to.

I was so worried about my baby not getting enough I used the Huckleberry App to track my nursing. Also could never remember which boob was next, they always felt swollen. We fed on demand and she was on the boob constantly the first few weeks, was almost every hour and much more than it said online. She’s 5 months now and has been 75ish percentile all the way through. Feed her as much as she wants.

Newborns have small stomachs and have an instinct to keep feeding. As long as you're pace feeding the bottles, it should be fine.

But you're sabotaging your breastmilk production. It's totally fine if you don't want to breastfeed, genuinely, but IF you do want to breastfeed, you absolutely must feed breastmilk right now. The hormones that produce milk are at their highest at night. Your baby is also getting used to getting a lot more milk at once from the bottle so she won't be satisfied from the breast, which you will interpret as fussing and not having enough milk.

If you don't want to breastfeed, just ditch it and go on formula now. These early days are hard enough.

Many many couples combination feed but not this early.

How are you getting on, @Motherof1and2dogs ?

Imo you are getting stressed adding formula to the feeding schedule at an early stage..
Bf as often and baby wants and you can't go far wrong ime.