Feeding

[Helenr30]

Hiya! I'm looking for some help or advice as I'm a first time mum and not sure what to do. My baby is 1 month old and is very content and happy apart from she loves to sleep - she spends most of the day and night asleep! However my concern is she has no interest in feeding/her bottle I'm formula feeding so I know how much I'm trying to get into her. She's taking between 2oz and 3oz every 3 to 4 hours and I know this isn't enough as should be 4 to 5oz every 4ish hours. She cries for her food but then falls asleep whilst feeding and is impossible to wake up (I've tried everything!) and I cannot get the rest of the bottle in her! She's not gaining much weight but no one seems interested in helping! Is this normal? Shall I let her continue this way or does anyone have any tips, advice to get more milk into her? Thanks!

Have you tried a faster teat? Quite normal not to take huge amounts in one go as her tummy will still be tiny. 3-4 hours is also normal (mine went 2-3 hours at that age)

Not sure on amounts and timings as I BF at that age and he fed pretty much constantly and never slept so I am a bit .

All I would say is if she is gaining weight and not dropping more than 2 percentile lines and has plenty of wet/dirty nappies and when awake is alert and content, then i reckon you are probably fine.

Always seek advice from a HV if you are at all concerned though.

Is she dropping down the percentiles for weight?

I wouldn't fixate on what she "should" be eating. My DS is 7 weeks old and still eats around 4ozs per meal, sometimes 5 but rarely. He also eats on demand - sometimes two hours (or less) between feeds. But he's happy and he's growing. Don't put pressure on you or her to meet some target you've read somewhere.

On falling asleep, I can only suggest things you've probably tried - taking off a layer of clothing, breathing on her face, stroking her hands and feet. I also find sometimes if I tap the end of his bottle he'll kick into action if he stops and gets distracted.

But first of all- is there actually a problem? Is she dropping down the chart?

Theres a formula they used when my ds was a newborn (he's 10 months so not that out of date I hope). Think it was 2.5oz per pound of baby's weight as a guide to their daily input. Obviously babies vary, but if it's radically short of that amount and you are concerned about her weight then i'd get her checked. Changing bottle/teat/milk, as suggested might help too

And ds always fell asleep while breast feeding. Stripping him off, ticking his feet and chin helped with that

My little girl is 3 weeks and taking similar amounts, also sleeping a lot especially during the day! As long as they are gaining weight and wet nappies I don't think you need to worry.

I tried the number 2 teet and was a disaster - baby threw up everywhwere and distressed, far too small in my opinion. Trust your instinct and as long as they seem content you're fine!