I feel awful - I wasn’t feeding my baby enough

[sasscass]

She was on the 25th centile for length and 50th centile for weight. She was following that 50th centile curve even when she was in utero…

until last week when I got her weighed, she dropped from the 50th centile to the 25th. They asked if I was feeding her properly, I was adamant that she was having enough.. she’s 4 months old and she was drinking 210 mls per feed.

turns out, she needs about 250 mls per feed 😳 I was under feeding.

she used to drink the 210 mls and she seemed content afterwards so I thought she had enough.

has this harmed my baby at all?

ps. She had dropped from the 25th centile to the 9th centile in length a few months ago and she’s suddenly on the 25th centile again?? Odd.

In regards to her dropping 1 centile in length I was thinking that maybe she was due a growth spurt and then she caught up?

You've not harmed her, and believe me, if she'd been starving you'd have known about it. A hungry baby is rarely content!

All babies feed at different amounts, I'd have no idea how much my DS was having that age as I didn't pass massive attention to the amounts.

@CornishGem1975 thank you! This put my mind at ease.

i was in a rush to get to the appointment as me and baby woke up at the last minute, I took her bottle with me and I fed her after the appointment, when she got weighed before she had a full belly so I suppose that could’ve contributed to the fact that she dropped centiles

All babies feed at different amounts
This. There’s no way I could have gotten 250mls into DD at 4 months, she’s never drank that much and she’s hovered around 25th centile.

If she was starving you would know.

If she was hungry you’d have known about it!

You know your bay @sasscass and if she's happy and contented, and not crying for more after a feed or fussing then she's fine. Children don't always follow the centiles, for a variety of reasons - just had a growth spurt, or due a growth spurt, like you've mentioned.

You would absolutely know if she wasn't getting enough food. 250mls is just a guideline, and all babies move up/down the centiles a little. No harm in upping the amount, but I wouldn't worry you've done her any harm.

250ml is over 8oz! Mine never had that much, ever. It’s more than the ready made cartons are too which tells you that isn’t a typical feed amount either. I can’t believe someone told you that a 4MO should be having that much every feed, that’s so strange.

@FlounderingFruitcake i’m sorry I think I worded it a bit funny

I went home after that appointment and I filled her bottle up to 250 mls instead of 210 and she drank it all!
i just didn’t like how the health visitor was talking, as if I was purposely undernourishing her or something 😕 I thought 210 was plenty for a 4 month old baby and I was surprised when she guzzled another 40 ml on top of that

Health visitors are more of a hindrance than a help.

I'd never get 250ml every feed into my almost 6 month old, he has 180ml per feed during the day, 270ml before bed only and 90-120ml at his 6am feed when he should really be the hungriest since he's not waking in the night any more.

You've not harmed her at all, every child is different, if she's been happy and contented and is growing you've probably not been underfeeding, the 250 is a guide not a target X

CornishGem1975 I couldn’t agree more 🙏🏽☘️

@RFPO77 i meant that I was giving her 210 mls per feed, but I increased it to 250 mls after that appointment and she had it all.

she seemed content and happy after having 210 but it turned out she needed a bit more than I was actually giving her.

she gained 1 lb in one month, apparently it should’ve been more than that but I’m just glad she gained weight. x