How much formula is enough for my 13 week old?

[kerry85]

My 13 week old daughter doesn't seem interested in her milk, she will only feed when she's really, really hungry, so it can get up to 5 hours between feeds.
She is currently on 6oz of formula, however she doesn't always drink it all and she is only taking 4 feeds a day instead of the recommended 5 feeds of 6oz.
She is a very happy baby, she has plenty of awake time during the day and a few naps here and there and she sleeps at night from about 8pm right through to 6.30am
Should I be worried that she is not getting enough milk?

If she is happy and sleeping well, has plenty of wet nappies and is gaining weight then generally i think its ok not to worry too much. However i would suggest speaking to your health visitor just to make sure.

The amounts on the box are just guidelines. I agree that what matters is that she's showing no signs of dehydration and is gaining enough weight. What's she like when she feeds, is she happy or does she fuss and fight?

However much she wants, as long as she's hydrated and happy.

She can't read the box, so doesn't care what the guidelines say.

Thank you everyone you have put my mind at rest.
I will take her to be weighed this week also to make sure she is putting on weight.
Also, answering your question, she does grizzle and complain when I'm feeding her unless she is really hungry and ready for it then she drinks the lot no problem, that's why it sometimes ends up 5 hours between feeds.

she sounds like dd1 at the same age. I just fed her when she was hungry, and tried not to worry. If you were breastfeeding you'd have no idea how much she is having. Try to not look at the marks on the bottle to much as long as she is happy and gaining weight.

Thank you

Hi OP, thanks for starting this thread! My DS is 13 weeks tomorrow and is just the same!!!
I often spend an hour trying to feed him after four hours and he won't really eat until its been five. I had been trying to reassure myself that he is peeing, pooing, alert, happy etc but its so hard not to worry (even though he's my second and his big sister was the same!).

Hi, galwaygirl, I've been meaning to reply sooner, I took my daughter to be weighed and she has put just under 1lb on in two weeks. That's just having 4 feeds a day. Health visitor said its absolutely if she's happy, sleeping well and filling her nappies which she is, and also she's still putting weight on.
However she did advise me to take her back in two weeks time to be weighed once more just to be sure but otherwise not to worry

I found the formula quantities very large. DD was a large baby (9 15) and never consumed as much as recommended. You really have to trust the baby to decide how much they want. It is possible to overfeed with formula, unlike breast milk, which is why it is criticised.

It doesn't sound like you have an issue if she is ok and gaining weight, but... Is it worth trying her on faster flowing teats? It took us ages to move on to faster ones, but it might be that she is frustrated by the slow flow.