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Infant feeding

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

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Original poster

Can you over feed a 5 week baby??

20 replies

nannyjo · 15/08/2008 18:22

Doctor has just told me to be careful not to over feed my 5 week old DS. He has 4-5ozs every 2.5-3 hours rather then the recommended amount of 4ozs every 4 hours. He says that if I over feed him then the food is passing through him too quickly for him to absorb what he needs and he'll get diorriah (sp??)

I thought a baby would sick what milk they don't need?? I've never heard of this before. He has put on 2lbs in 2 weeks. That is quite a lot but not too much surely?

Anyone ever heard of this before??

OP posts:

elmoandella · 15/08/2008 18:26

my dc put on about 1lb a week average when this age.

juuule · 15/08/2008 18:54

Never heard of that.
I, too, thought that if they took too much, they'd sick it back up. And it seemed to hold true for my babies.

hatrick · 15/08/2008 18:59

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Niecie · 15/08/2008 19:16

My DSs both put on 12-16 oz a week at this age and up until about 8 weeks.

I also thought what they don't need they bring back up. Experience and many wet muslins tells me that is exactly what they did.

I can't see how forcing it in the top and over feeding would make it come out the bottom quicker either especially when they sick it up. It doesn't make sense.

Seona1973 · 15/08/2008 20:09

4 hours is an awful long time for a young baby to go without a feed. My ds fed 2.5-3 hourly till he was getting on for 4 months old (although he did start going a bit longer at night as he got older). The feeding sounds about normal to me as babies are good at regulating their own appetites and tend to stop when they have had enough. You cant put a baby on a diet anyway so if they are hungry then feed them.

thisisyesterday · 15/08/2008 20:26

is he bottle fed? if so, then yes, I think you can overfeed them, but tbh if he wants feeding then you need to feed him.
only he knows when he is hungry after all.
2lb in 2 weeks is fine.
ds2 is breastfed and his record was 1lb in 5 or 6 days

StarlightMcKenzie · 15/08/2008 20:29

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juuule · 15/08/2008 20:53

But even if it is possible to get more milk in by bottlefeeding, the baby will just sick the extra back up again.

lauraloola · 15/08/2008 21:22

My 9 week old dd is bottle fed. It is easy to 'over feed' her and I have to watch for a sign that she is full - She wont guzzle as she does at the start of the bottle but will still look for the bottle. I wind her when she does this, once she burps she is fine and doesnt look for more food. If we do over feed her she is very sick.

Have you spoken to your HV about a milk for hungrier babies?

RedHead81 · 15/08/2008 21:24

all babies are different, if you are happy with his health then do what you think best. You know your baby better than the doctor does.

NotAnOtter · 15/08/2008 21:33

i dont agree with seona sorry

my ds is 4 weeks and goes 6-7 or 8 hours at night

3-4 hours in the day and would go longer if i let him

i would be wary of bottlefeeding over recommendations but not breastfeeding - i dont think you can give too much!

Seona1973 · 15/08/2008 22:27

Lucky you NotAnOtter, but neither of my lo's went that length of time between feeds at 6 weeks never mind 4 weeks and would never go much more than 3 hours between feeds in the day. I think you will find that a lot of babies wont sleep 6,7,8 hours at night at 4 weeks either. I also dont see how you can overfeed a bottlefed baby either - my lo's let you know in no uncertain terms when they had had enough and there is no way they would have taken more if you tried.

NotAnOtter · 15/08/2008 22:42

seona mine all have and i have had 6

Seona1973 · 15/08/2008 22:45

you must have trained them well

NotAnOtter · 15/08/2008 22:46

i love my sleep and i seem to breed sleepers!

MatNanPlus · 15/08/2008 22:51

If baby wants to eat i wouls say feed him and don't move onto a second stage / hungrier milk.

He could well slow down next week or not but most i have had a 1 triplet gain 16ozs on breast in 7 days his brothers did 12 and 10ozs that week also (full breast) and a different baby gained 15ozs on formula in 7 days but not every week

LittleMissBliss · 15/08/2008 22:56

I think it is possible to over feed a formula fed baby.

My ds was bf and put on a lb a week from birth for a fair few weeks. So i don't think 2 lbs in two weaks is anything to worry about. I would just watch for signs of your baby sicking up extra milk or being in discomfort from being over full. You will know your baby best. Trust your instincts!

AvenaLife · 15/08/2008 22:58

They go through a feeding frenzie at this age, 7 weeks and at 12 weeks where they want to feed all the time. I've never heard of overfeeding though, they normally vomit if you do this.

LittleMissBliss · 15/08/2008 22:59

Hungry baby milk is designed for the growth spurt between 4-6months to wade off early weaning. I wouldn't advise giving such a young baby hungry baby milk. Their guts aren't able to digest it at that age.

MatNanPlus · 15/08/2008 23:14

What is baby's weight and volume of ozs in a 24hr period?

A rough guide is 2-3ozs per lb of weight and as babys of the same age can have weights over a large range the can amounts are simply guidelines not gospel.

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